*I start with 5 pieces of 12 x 18 inch construction paper and fold them in half. I staple at the bottom, so the top is open. I bind the pages together on the left, so it becomes a book of pocket pages. I add a 9 x 12 sheet for the cover.
*The children cover the title page and we glue it to the front. (I usually wait until May to do the cover.)
*I label one side of the pocket for each month...so the first page says September, the back of that pocket says October, etc. I file projects for Sept/Oct in one pocket, Nov/Dec...etc. I try to save 2 or 3 things from each month.
*I try to get the books assembled by Nov or Dec so I can start filing items as soon as possible. It can be daunting to file a whole year's worth of items in May!! (Umm...yes I have made that mistake along the way!) I also have had parent volunteers assemble the book and do a little filing, but I like to surprise parents at the end of the year, so I don't want them to see too much of the book.
*As my gift to the students at the end of year, I put together a DVD of our year. This is really special and parents love it. I begin taking pictures in September and load them on my computer. In May, I use iMovie and iDVD to complete the project. I show it to my class before I send it home and I love hearing their comments....like, "I remember that!" or "There's me!" or "That was a fun day!"
Here are the dvd's all wrapped up and ready to send home.
Thanks for checking in on my little corner of the kindergarten world! Have a great weekend!