We are always looking for ways to encourage our childrens
love of learning. We don't believe learning has to be boring or a form of torture for you and your child. Your family can
and should enjoy homeschooling.
My children have so many interests and we used
to have a very difficult time figuring out what to do with all the information they would collect. Further more, they never
seemed done with a subject. They may put it aside for awhile, only to pick it back up in a few weeks or months. Thankfully,
we found a system that works wonderfully well for us. We use lapbooks and notebooks as a way of organizing their
many interests. They are also great for showing off. We have had many a visitor leave our home quite impressed with our
childrens various notebooks. Thats just a bonus for them!
Lapbooks
Lapbooks are extremely fun
to make if you are at all crafty. They are similar to putting together a scrapbook. Basically, you need a file folder,
cardstock, paper, scissors, glue sticks and any extras you want such as stickers, markers, etc...
Lets say you and your six year old
are studying bugs. He happens to be on a bug thing for awhile and you want to encourage his interest. So you look up bugs
on the internet, you draw bugs, you check bug books out at the library, you find bug specimens in the backyard and study them,
so on and so forth. Why not compile all this great information he is learning into a lapbook?
Here is how. While you are studying
bugs keep a big ziplock bag nearby. Put all the pictures you find on the internet in here as well as any you
can cut out of magazines. Let him draw bugs 'till he can't draw anymore and put his drawings in here also (or just
put them in the file folder if they wont fit in the bag). Take pictures of his bug specimens. Does he like writing?
Let him write about bugs also. He can be original or he can copy poems and short passages from books about bugs. Maybe he
could label the parts of an insect. Remember to keep all of this in the folder or bag.
Then, once you have a good amount
of info. and other items, its time to assemble the lapbook. To truly understand what a lapbook is you need
to see pictures. I have included some links to various sites about lapbooks at the end of this article where
you can see pictures and detailed instructions.
A lapbook is mostly made
up of minit books. Dinah Zike has some great books about how to make minit books that I urge you to check out. They
are, basically, just small books that will contain the things your child has learned. So, using our bug example, you could
have a little 3-inch book (made in various ways and shapes) that, when opened, revealed your sons drawing of his favorite
insect with the parts all labeled. You would make lots of these minit books. Some may have multiple pages, or be
in the shape of a bug, or have pop-ups in them. You are limited only by your imagination.There are some basic folds
to the minit books that you will need to learn.
Once these are done, you would take your minit books,
your photos of bug specimens, and all your pictures and begin to assemble them into the lapbook (which is the file folder). This
is a very general explanation of lapbooks but once you look at the websites or check out some books on the
subject, I am sure thay will make more sense and you will enjoy using lapbooks with your child.
Notebooks
Notebooks are quite popular in my home.
Luckily, they are very inexpensive at Wal-Mart because we buy tons of them. I have notebooks piled up everywhere in my home.
My kids love making them. Basically, its the same concept as lapbooks. You are providing a way for your child to delve deeply
into a topic of interest and keep it organized and all in one place.
You just need a binder, paper and maybe
page protectors. The page protectors are optional, but they help keep the important papers (like original drawings or
poems) safe.
Lets take an interest in a country as
an example topic. Your daughter wants to learn more about Mexico. She could draw a map of the country and put it in a
page protector and add that to her notebook. You could also print out various maps from the internet for her to use and add
to her notebook. How about writing down some favorite recipes from the country and putting that in the notebook. You can also
add some photos of her making the recipes for your family dinner. She could find pictures of the people and the country
in magazines or on the internet to put in her notebook. The list of ideas could go on and on.
The front of the notebook could also
be decorated. This is easiest if you buy the type of binders that include a clear pocket in the front.
Some notebooks are initiated by me,
such as our Bible notebook(see how-to below), and others they choose to do on their own. They love their notebooks and often
show them to anyone that will look. Their notebooks are never done either. They are ongoing projects that they continue to
add to or look over time and time again.
Some sample lapbooks for you to look at:
You can also do a search for Lapbooks or shutterbooks to get
many more examples.
For some notebook info-
To read how we do our Bible notebooks just scroll down.
