Monthly Archives

September 2016

Lapbooking 101, The Basics

Lapbooking 101: Qualities of a Great Lapbook

September 29, 2016

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Once you’ve decided to use lapbooks, there are two ways to go about creating your first lapbook. You can either:

  1. Purchase a lapbook kit that is ready to print, assemble, and fill with research.
  2. Create a lapbook to accompany your own unit of study.

Whichever route you choose to take, there are several things to keep in mind when choosing materials. Lapbooks work best when they are more than just a cut and paste busy-work activity – they need to be designed with authentic learning in mind.

What does an excellent lapbook, designed with learning in mind look like? It should contain the following elements:

  • Cross-curricular materials. Choosing to take an interdisciplinary approach will help students develop a more holistic view of any topic. For instance, when choosing a literature lapbook, look for lapbooks that tie in (at the very least) science and social studies. Likewise, science lapbooks should tie in math and geography, and social studies lapbooks should tie in literature and science.
  • Real-life applications. Relating new facts to everyday life will make them more memorable. What does this look like in practice? You might look for activities that include writing letters to characters from stories, or comparing life today to a different era. If you’re creating a science-based lapbook, find ways to include day-to-day applications of different concepts.
  • Appropriate amounts of research and writing. This may seem like common sense, but select a lapbook geared towards your child’s age and ability level. For example, don’t choose a lapbook with lots of internet research for your second grader, or a fill-in-the-blank project for your eighth grader. If you are looking to pLapbooking 101 - Pinteresturchase a pre-designed lapbook kit and simply can’t find anything that will work, be prepared to adapt it to your child’s needs.
  • The right amount of material to fit your schedule. Don’t try to rush it! A rushed lapbook doesn’t make for a pleasant or effective learning experience. Try to find enough material to give your students a complete understanding of a topic, but avoid excess.
  • Engaging colors, shapes, fonts, etc. Lapbooks should be attractive and appealing to young learners. The brighter and more visually appealing a lapbook is, the more likely children will be to review a lapbook over and over. You may wish to do some research into color and shape psychology if you have time, but at the very least, make sure your lapbooks are engaging and inviting.

Have you noticed any other qualities of great lapbooks? Join the conversation and share them in the comments! Or, share your lapbook photos on Facebook and Instagram with #Lapbooking101 and tag me @edventuresathome.

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Ask The Grad, Education

Does Homeschooling Prepare Kids for College?

September 27, 2016

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Recently, it was suggested that I start writing a series of blog posts reflecting on my homeschool memories and detailing my experiences as a homeschool graduate. There are many blogs written by homeschool parents, but not nearly as many written by those who were homeschool students. With that in mind, I am setting out on a new adventure! If you have any questions or topics you would like me to consider writing on, leave me a comment, or email me at rebeccam (at) edventuresathome (dot) com.

One of the questions I hear most frequently from those considering homeschooling their children is “Will my child be able to get into college? Will they be adequately prepared?” The answer to that is yes, with a quality home education, students are able to get into college. And truthfully, I believe that the majority of homeschooled students are not only adequately, but also uniquely prepared for a college environment.

Based on my experiences, here are four reasons why:

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1. Homeschooled students view learning as a lifestyle. No school bell means no end to learning! Homeschooling families are likely to keep both formal and informal educational experiences rolling through evenings, weekends, and even vacations.

2. Homeschooled students have the flexibility to participate in academic pursuits that are meaningful to them. Colleges love to seek out students who have shown themselves to be dedicated to their academic pursuits. Homeschooling allows students not only to explore areas of interest, but gives them flexibility in structuring their time so that they can study, develop skills, and excel in areas that are of particular interest to them.

3. The types of socialization afforded to homeschooled students transfer well into the college environment. Rather than socializing with a group of peers who are the same age, but may or may not have similar interests, homeschooled students tend to socialize with people of similar interests, with less focus on age group. This is much like the college environment, where students spend time working and networking with individuals who share similar academic and social pursuits, but who may or may not be the same age.

4. Homeschooling prepares students to stand out. Instead of being shaped and influenced by constant peer pressure, homeschooled students are able to be who they want to be. Developing these independent roots at a young age allows them to stand strong in their beliefs and worldview during their college years.

So, what about academically? How can you make sure your students are prepared? I’ll explore that in a future post! For now, leave a comment and let me know if you can think of other ways that homeschooling prepares students for college.

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