Making an Inspirations Folder

I recently was listening to a fabulous talk from Mary Ann Johnson on creating a learning closet. The learning closet it a place where you put resources for children to explore. These don’t need to be expensive or complicated, in fact simplicity is probably better. Even before listening to her lecture, I was pondering this very idea and working on creating a space with learning sparks. She mentioned a resource I had never heard of in all of my years of homeschooling. So, for this week’s Make-It Monday, I am sharing that resource as well as how to make that folder of inspirational helps.

Over the years, I have used Dover Publishing coloring books and resources. The illustrations are beautiful and the books are not expensive. The resource that she mentioned was Dover Publishing Samples! You can sign up on their website for their samples newsletter (as well as other newsletters if you desire).

Once a week, samples of approximately 12 of their many books are compiled. Then you can save each image. 

In the past, I have downloaded resources and then I promptly forgot about them or their location. I now have a dedicated location for these resources and I am breaking them down into folders. Here is my Inspirations Resources folder. If a sample comes that doesn’t fit into a category I already have, I create a new one. Each image I save, I assign a name describing the image so I can find it easily again.

Here is the inside of one folder- coloring pages:

Tomorrow, when I am reading to the children, I can easily come and print a picture for coloring easily. Or, when we study Rome, I can go to the appropriate folder and pull out a related activity.