5 Reasons You Absolutely Need Homeschool Dot Journals

and how-to use them in your homeschool

Dot grid journals are great for homeschooling. Dot grid journals vary in price. I accidently bought some that cost way too much at the grocery store because the were misplaced in the $3 spot. However, I can say Artist Loft dot grid journals are awesome and nice to your wallet. I've used them many times and will make sure I don't buy any other brands from the grocery store. If you're lucky, you might get a discount on your Homeschool Dot Journals at Michaels with your Home Educator ID too! Here is a great article by The Petite Planner: 5 Reasons to Buy the Artist's Loft Dot Grid Journals from Michael's.

Reason #1: Nature Journaling

This is Emmett's Expeditions after all. Emmett and I LOVE to nature journal. Along with our monthly wildlife holiday journal focus we also nature journal on and after our outdoor adventures. Nature journaling inspires kids to draw, write, and ask questions about what they are seeing. They can be creative and prepare to record data for future scientific studies. As the school year moves forward, they will be able to see their progress in nature journaling too.

Reason #2: Field Trip Reporting

Bring out the junior reporter in your explorer. Encourage them to record the facts, interesting things they notice about their field trip, some of their favorite (or least favorite) parts of the trip. Emmett writes down a summary of the day, 3 things he has learned, and reviews the field trip to recommend it to other homeschoolers. It works like his news article and makes it easy for him to add info to his homeschool portfolio.

Reason #3: Science Experiments

Follow the Scientific Method. I don't make it super structured. I don't even know if Emmett realizes he is using the scientific method. However we start a page with a scientific question. Next he guesses what will happen when we do the experiment. Then he records what happens during the experiment. He writes the results of the experiment to answer the question. Then he writes down why it happened. Sometimes he researches the science behind the reason if he has more questions before that last part. I love doing science experiments like this with him because it guides him to research and understand why things are the way things are.

Reason #4: Filmography

Emmett loves making videos. In his dot grid journal he writes and sketches out what he wants to put in his videos. This is great for teaching screen writing and storyboarding. Videos are also great for your homeschool portfolio evaluations to show your child is learning awesome stuff. So be sure to link their best creations in your portfolios. Emmett recently made a video on Hydrogen. He did an awesome job and had so much fun. <3

Reason #5: Enjoy Writing

Emmett has never enjoyed writing by hand. He thinks much faster than he can put it down on paper. Plus, he finds line ruled paper is "restricting" to writing creatively. Typing is his go-to for story writing, note taking, and even drawing on my computer. He's definitely a tech kid. However, the freedom of dot grid journals makes the handwriting process more fun. He can write small, large, or any way he wants to.

Do you use Dot Grid Journals in your Homeschool?