Lapbooking in Home Schooling

It has been on my mind to share a little piece of our learning this year with you. A few years ago, a close friend of mine shared information about lapbooking with me. We were doing notebooking, unit studies and making books (Binding Books Beautifully) as part of our school at that time, therefore I did not pursue the information then. However, I came to realize that many of the book projects we had made in our studies where projects that lapbooking uses as well - The Big Book of Books by Dinah Zike was a well-used resource for us. We have continued to do those mentioned methods of learning to date, however THIS school year we DID venture down the road of lapbooking and what fun it has been!

Our first lapbook study was over the summer. We invited a friend of the boys' to join us. Our study was on the Art of Fencing - further enhanced with fencing classes through Adult Education. I purchased "Fencing: Ancient to Modern" from the Hands of a Child lapbooking curriculum company http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/ and we got started. The boys (not big on writing BTW) really enjoyed and looked forward to our classes...I think I taught the class over three or four sessions.

After we began school in August, I decided to host a co-op class in our home using the lapbooking method. Our topic - Christian Missionaries to Know - also purchased from the Hands of a Child. In order not to exclude younger siblings and to make it easier on families (like my own) with multiple ages, I separated K-2 from 3rd and above, utilizing a different lesson plan I developed for the younger students...which did include some of the lapbook projects from the curriculum I purchased. This class was taught over a 9 week class period, 2 hours per session. We focused on 4 different missionaries, allowing two weeks per missionary and the first week was a class on missions. Our children thoroughly enjoyed the time of learning with friends. The curriculum gave me a base to work from, while I added to the curriculum by including documentary viewing time, playing missions related games, included in-class biography/lecture time and an oral report assignment for each country of the highlighted missionary - totaling 4 - (although it would be fine to use the curriculum exclusively if you choose).

Picture 1 = front cover (designed to look like a missionary's suitcase)

Picture 2 = inside of the double folder - front section open (Missions, Gladys Aylward - then inside right section is David Livingstone, Amy Carmichael and some of George Mueller)


Picture 3 = larger picture of inside right section

Picture 4 = the two half folds from front and back folders (vocab book & remaining George Mueller)

Picture 5 = back cover (a picture of the world with Scripture verses: Matt. 28:19, Romans 12:9 & Romans 10:17)

The next co-op we hosted in our home was a lapbooking class on Weather. This, too, was for K-2nd and 3rd -8th. This class was completed over one day per week for 6 weeks, 2 hours each class. We had a larger group this time. Our study was completed by compiling all the mini project books into a Weather lapbook, then listening to each student give an oral presentation of research they completed on a selected topic related to weather. As an extra enhancement, we toured the local Emergency Management Facility and learned about the different tasks this organization does during severe weather conditions.

In addition to the Fencing, Christian Missionaries to Know and Weather lapbooks, our children (boy 13, boy 9 and girl 6) have completed individual lapbooks. My 13 year old has done lapbooks on The United States Navy and Gardening. My 9 year old has completed a literature based one on the Little House in the Big Woods. Finally, our 6 year old made a Resurrection Day lapbook before Resurrection Sunday. The three of them are now currently working on a Memorial Day lapbook and we are planning to attend a special program next month, at our local library, called Veterans in the Classroom as a conclusion to our study.

There are many websites out there for getting ideas and examples of lapbook studies. Free studies are available at http://www.lapbooklessons.com/index.html and http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php if you want to try one without investing in 'curriculum'. You can also check used curriculum sites for lapbook studies to purchase at a reduced rate. Some of the websites you might want to search are: http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/default.asp , http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/default.asp and of course, http://www.ebay.com/ . For more information about what lapbooking is check out http://lapbooking.wordpress.com/ .

I will include more pictures later of each of their books - so check back soon.

To God be the Glory and at the center of all learning!

Our 7th Blessing

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! Psalm 127:3-5a

Today was the first sonogram of our 7th child. What a sweet time to see this little one in my womb, and share the joy with her father and all her siblings! To watch her move - her little arms and legs, her sweet little mouth - to see all her organs growing and functioning...LIFE. It brings to life the meaning of Psalm 139:13-16, "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them."

To know that from before conception, the LORD has known her...He knit her together and continues to do so. Truly are His works wonderful - the Creator of life.

An early joy of motherhood...as that little life grows and each little movement giving a hint to who this child is. An ever deepening bond with this little one - and - a growing dependance on the LORD's hand to grow and guide and direct her.

Through motherhood the LORD gives us such an opportunity to grow, another means of sanctification in a mother's life, another person to love and nurture, by action and example - all while teaching and training that precious child in the way it should go. An ever deepening prayer life - for wisdom, for grace, for obedience...

Motherhood...embracing a new and exciting blessing in this season of life!

Bread at Last

Much to my husband's delight, today was a bread baking day. Always with a faithful helper at my side (one of the children), we began putting the ingredients in the bowl. Today's baking made me think of Christ in several ways, with each ingredient provoking me to think of Him and salvation - the water: cleansing and pure; the oil - His anointing; the honey - 'Grace, how sweet the sound'; salt - the truth of His word and healing; whole wheat flour - the wheat...His church; and yeast - how it makes the loaf rise...that He IS risen! The time of punching down, reminded me of life's many trials and the shaping, how He is the One that shapes and molds each of us. Then finally the baking, a reminder to me of how it may feel as we are going through those trials, the heat of life's pressures and demands. BUT there is no trial too big and "no pit too deep, that God is not deeper still" (Corrie ten Boom).

These are comforting thoughts to me. To many in this world this would be foolishness, but my hope is not in the world's 'philosophies' or 'knowledge' or 'science'...my hope is in Christ. His word proves true (so many situations, so many events bare witness to this fact).

Oh, that each day we would see Him in all that we do...that He would be the reason we do the things that we do. :-) All this from bread baking...