Homeschool Portfolios

By now you have started to see a pile of your child’s school work gathering steam so to speak. What papers should you keep and what should you toss? Does your state require a homeschool portfolio? If so, what should you include in it? What happens when your child (who is now 36) wants to look back and see some of their school work from the sixth grade? Oh man, bet you wished you had kept a portfolio!

It’s not too late to begin one. Decide how you want to store your information. Will you use a binder, accordion file, or maybe you will store things electronically. 

You might even make a type of scrapbook as your portfolio. You could include ticket stubs to events, pictures of favorite field trips or neat science experiments, papers they have written, awards received… The list is endless.

If you have a child with special needs, a portfolio can be an excellent way to showcase their strengths. It is also a super way to express your child’s creativity and character development. It sure beats the traditional multiple-choice tests and bland worksheets. Skills that might not shine through traditional record keeping methods, will certainly stand out in a portfolio. Some examples are penmanship, a special hobby, fun science experiments, history fair boards (well, pics of them), working in the family vegetable garden…

If you keep a portfolio, share some of your tips with us.