Lapbooks

For a while I was obsessed with making file folder games. This was for a good reason because Gabriel first put phonics together to read. I wanted to keep feeling that elation with the kids learning and it was fun. Until I got sick of making them. File folders are great and work well for special needs kids but the reward for me doesn't last long because the kids lose interest rather quickly.
I found lapbooks recently and I am now obsessed with making them. They are an awesome way to tie together an entire theme. The kids are proud of their work when we put the lapbook together.
The first lapbook I made with Lane was about Cinderella. http://www.homeschoolshare.com/cinderella.php Lane added a clock because Cinderella had to leave the dance by midnight. We also located France and learned about pumpkins. We made a life cycle of pumpkins. I even learned something - I had forgotten that pumpkins are fruit and not vegetables. We added the virtues of a Princess. Lane insisted on taking her Cinderella lapbook to school for "share".

Lane and I finished a Humpty Dumpty lapbook. It was a neat project. http://www.homeschoolshare.com/humpty_dumpty.php Lane made a Humpty Dumpty sequence book and a picture with a broken Humpty Dumpty falling off a wall. She learned about ovals in the real world. We also talked about horses, one of Lane's favorite animals.

Lane finished her rainbow lapbook this week. She colored rainbows and learned ROYGBIV. I found an easy rainbow template here: http://www.rainseason.net/rainbow-printables/ We talked about color words and learned about primary and secondary colors by mixing paint. http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/2008/04/rainbows-lapbook/
We are currently working on a grocery file folder. It has quite a few parts to it so it might take a while to complete. Lane is learning about good/bad food choices, coupons, money, and more. Gabriel likes cheetahs so I found a lapbook for him to work on in the mornings.
Lapbooks will continue here for a while because it ties our units and topics together. I have a ton of file folders and we can put these together easily. I have a plastic bin to keep all of our lapbooks in for reference later.