Step One - Out of the Shrink Wrap

Your Tapestry of Grace Year Plan comes separated into 4 Units, each containing 9 weeks of lesson plans. The first step is to unwrap it and put the curriculum into 3-ring binders.

BUY:

• four 3" display binders ( the kind with the plastic sheet on the cover that you can slide a piece of paper into )
• 1000 lightweight top-loading sheet protectors
• 36 tabbed divider pages ( if you didn't purchase the TOG Tab Set )
• CD holder page to fit in 3-ring binder

OR

• four 2" display binders ( if you don't want to use sheet protectors)
• 36 tabbed divider pages
• CD holder page to fit in 3-ring binder

You need to make a decision about sheet protectors before you begin. There are dozens of messages on the TOG Loose Threads yahoogroup concerning the pros and cons of using plastic page protectors; those discussions get pretty hilarious!

Basically, it boils down to this.

PROS: Sheet protectors will protect your investment from drips, spills, wrinkles, smudges, and tears. You can write on the plastic sheet protectors with permanent markers and later clean them off with rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball, if you desire. This keeps your pages pristine for resale or for later use when you cycle around again in four years. The sheet protectors also keep the pages from tearing out of the binder through use.

CONS: There is added expense and time involved in purchasing the sheet protectors and larger binders, and spending many hours sliding each page into its own individual protector. ( tip ~ some people hire their UG or older children to do this task for them!) Also, some like to write on their pages, keeping notes for future years when they will reuse the Year Plan again.

It's up to you.

Option 1: if you'd like to use the sheet protectors but want to save some money, only place one unit at a time in sheet protectors. Keep the other 3 Units in a storage box or binder. At the end of the Unit, clean off any markings from the plastic and remove the pages of the completed Unit from the sheet protectors and place them in the storage box or binder. Replace with the next Unit.

Option 2: only use sheet protectors in your Working Binder ( see Step 3 ). This is when you'll be handling the pages the most anyway. Write any notes on Post It sticky notes, and keep them with the pages after you take them out of the sheet protectors and place them back in the storage binders.

Okay, you've made your choice. Now place each Unit in a separate binder, either in sheet protectors or not. Separate each week with a Tabbed Divider labeled with the Week #. Slide the Unit Cover sheet under the plastic sheet on the front cover of the binder, and the spine label under the plastic on the spine of the binder. Place the CD holder page in the front of the Unit 1 Binder, and use it to hold your Map Aids CD, Loom CD, and any other CD accessory that you may have purchased with your Year Plan.

TA DA! Sit down and have a cup of tea. Now you're ready for Step 2.

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