Create a Home-School Yearbook

Yearbooks are both wonderful keepsakes andsame sections you would find in a public school
great learning tools. Here are some tips for howyearbook should apply here too. You should make
to create a great yearbook for your homeschool.sure to have plenty of photos of every activity
Planning:and plenty of group photos to choose from. Make
The first thing you will want to do is to sit downit a point to tell your photographer or
and make some notes about who is to bephotographers to snap away liberally throughout
included and involved with your yearbook project.the year so that when you are starting to go
If your family is large, you'll probably find that thethrough the photos you will have plenty to choose
older, high school age children are the mostfrom.
interested. If you work with a larger homeschoolDivide your book into chapters and sections based
organization or group of homeschoolers, you willon classes, and make sure to assign someone,
probably want to get together with them andsuch as your copywriter, to write captions for
figure out a plan of action. The earlier in the yeareach of the photos.
that you start your project, the better, especiallyIt will, of course, make the entire project easier if
when you are going to be working with thoseyou keep up with activities as the year
other groups. That way, you can help to makeprogresses rather than trying to frantically put
sure that there will be enough photographs andsomething together at the end of the year. To
other material to work with.that end, as suggested above, you should make
Again, as early in the year as you can, start asure that the yearbook committee meets on a
yearbook committee and plan for them to getregular basis and doesn't get too far behind.
together on at least a monthly basis. Here youPrinting and Binding:
can begin to assign departments to differentIf the photos you use are going to be in color,
students - such as official photographer,you will want your graphics person to make sure
copywriting, and layout and design.that they are fairly high resolution, and that you
As far as software, you will likely want to see ifuse a high quality digital printer.
you can get something along the lines of theAs far as binding, you can send it away or have
Adobe Creative Suite. This will include PhotoShopyour local print shop do the job. You may be
and InDesign, which should be enough to do theinterested to know, however, that the machines
project from beginning to end. These programsthat do this kind of hardcover binding can be
are the industry standard, and it is very useful inpurchased new for less than $100, and are easy,
real world terms for students to be familiar withfun and educational to use. Having one of these
them and know how to use them.machines on hand will also allow your students to
Organization:create their own personal projects and books
There are no hard and fast rules on how towhenever they like, and to do so in mere
organize your yearbook, but the some of theminutes.