Worksheets... worksheets... worksheets...

Worksheets killed the joy of learning science for Blaine and Tracey Sassafras. That’s the reason that they much prefer notebooking over worksheets. And when we included notebooking with Sassafras Science, they were super glad.

Not that there is anything wrong with worksheets. There are people who love to fill out worksheet after worksheet. But for most, these sheets become a boring and repetitive task.

So, Paige is here to explain why Sassafras Science (and the rest of our programs) included notebooking instead of worksheets.

Why Choose Notebooking Over Worksheets?

I was unaware of the concept of notebooking before we started homeschooling.

In fact, I was one of those freaks of nature who actually liked worksheets. Maybe it was the fact that my mom was a teacher, or possibly it was because I clearly knew what was required in my response.

I still appreciate worksheets as they serve a purpose, but through the years’ experience has made me fall in love with notebooking. I now understand how valuable it is to have a student narrate rather than respond with expected facts.

I wanted to share with you all today three reasons why we choose to use notebooking over worksheets.

1. Notebooking requires the students to think about what they have learned.

There are no canned responses in notebooking. There are no blanks to fill in. There are no answers to match up. Instead, the students need to mull over what they just read to plan a summary of what they learned. In short, notebooking requires the students to engage with the material before they write a word.

2. Notebooking provides freedom for the students.

Students are more likely to remember what they find meaningful. If they write it down, the chance of them internalizing this material goes up exponentially. Notebooking allows the freedom for the student to write the most interesting and meaningful facts they found in what they read.

3. Notebooking engages both sides of the students' brains.

Notebooking has two key components - the material content and the visual component. The material content is what the students write, while the visual component is a picture that relates to the topic. The two pieces stimulate different parts of the brain, which helps to solidify the information in their minds.

Notebooking leads to greater retention of the material because of the three reasons stated above. So we offer open-ended logbooks and lapbooks perfect for notebooking with the Sassafras Science series.

A Final Word from Blaine and Tracey

Thanks Paige for sharing today. We are shocked that you actually liked worksheets... BLEH!

We always knew there was something *special* about you, just kidding - luv ya!

Ok, seriously folks, we remember so much more when we notebook, and we are glad that some of our teachers agree! Plus we have proven that students have way more fun making a notebook page than filling out a worksheet. See what we mean:

Doesn't that look way more exciting than a sheet filled with fill-in-the-blanks? We think so too!

If you want to learn more about notebooking, check out the following posts:

• What is Notebooking?
• 3 Easy Steps for Getting Started with Notebooking
• How to Use Notebooking with Different Ages

Thanks for reading!