Are You Lapbook Illiterate?

No More!

Lapbooks, project packs, and file folder books – they are all referring to the same basic idea of creating a miniature book to reinforce a learning adventure. Becoming popular in the homeschooling world over the past 10 years or so, these options are also being used in classrooms and even daycare centers. The above fun LEGO lapbook was shared at Joy in the Journey.

What is a Lapbook?

Lapbooks are easy tools you can use to build around central themes and turn basic topics into unit studies. In some ways lapbooks are scrapbooks meet learning journals. But don’t be frightened, you don’t need to be a scrapbooking queen in order to master the art of lapbooking. In fact, you can be scrapbooking challenged like I am and still have success with lapbooks!

Most lapbooks are created using the following supplies:

• manila folders
• printed worksheets (on regular paper or cardstock)
  • There are tons of free resources – check out homeschoolshare.com, eduhelper.com, and more.
  • You can make your own worksheets or even use parts of worksheets from inexpensive workbooks.
• glue sticks
• color crayons/markers
• scissors
• staples/stapler

What Does a Lapbook Look Like?

The best way to really understand what a lapbook is all about is to see one, so check out these great examples that moms and dads, teachers and caregivers have used with kids of all ages, about all kinds of topics.

• Tracey’s Treasury gives great examples of lapbooks that cover different topics and age groups, as well as different styles of lapbooking.
• This is a basic single folder lapbook.
• This example is about dinosaurs and uses multiple folders attached together to form a traditional book fold.
• For some really detailed information about lapbooks, check out lapbooking.wordpress.com. There you will find everything from examples of how to create your own, as well as a newer trend – digital lapbooking.

How Do I Make a Lapbook?

Depending upon how much information you want to include in your child’s lapbook, you can use anywhere from 1 to 6 (any more than that and it gets to be too much) manila folders. If you are a visual learner like I am, there are some great tutorial videos that show you how you can create different styles of lapbooks.

• Single lapbook
• Double lapbook
• Triangle books and flip covers
• Minibooks
• An overview of lapbooks

If you’ve been looking for something that will hold your child’s attention or reinforce boring information, lapbooks can be the answer – and they are extremely inexpensive and versatile. I’ve used them to supplement books we’ve read such as the Magic Tree House series, to add extra information to a wildlife unit study, and we always incorporate them into our holiday studies.

I originally published much of this at BetterParenting.com 🙂

Lapbook lessons from the heart

My youngest loves lapbooks, and he just proved to me this week why they are such a great addition to his curriculum. It wasn’t because he suddenly grasped a new or difficult topic. It was because he showed me that they make sense to him, he enjoys them, and that I am never too old for my own lessons.

We weren’t even currently using a lapbook for any of his studies. He simply came to me one morning and told me that he had a lapbook for me. With a smile he told me to get a “lapbook folder” and fold it just like he was doing. Then he instructed me to design the front with the title “Flowers” and draw a picture to go with the title.

Once he saw that I was a willing participant in the activity, his excitement was rampant as he came up with ways for me to add parts to the lapbook. We covered the needs of plants, how they grow, how they benefit us, and how seeds are transferred.

As all of these ideas poured out of him and he became the teacher, I could see the joy he had with leading the way. It reaffirmed to me that he was grasping and retaining science lessons from the past, but more importantly, he taught me to bring that joy to the table and make sure I share my excitement with the kids.

That lapbook lesson also told me that he gets me – he knows my heart. One of my favorite things? Flowers.

The lapbook lessons he taught me were so valuable. Let the kids be the teachers. Get excited about the topic. Work together. Get to know each other’s hearts.

For those of you who have never heard of a lapbook, it is a simple method of gathering and recording information, typically within a unit study, into various manila folders. A lapbook can consist of one to any number of folders that are attached to each other. Check out some of the great sites that offer free lapbook templates for teachers. Better yet – make your own – or let the kids lead the way.