Our Failed Lapbook

I wrote quite some time ago about how I would include you all in our process of creating lapbooks for our co-op science class. Then our co-op changed gears a little due to a variety of reasons, and I stopped lapbooking with them. Then I started to study the Arctic circle with my children. We decided to lapbook it. I had visions of beautifully scrapbooked blue, and silvery lined pages teeming with information. Ahem. . .we are finished with studying the Arctic circle. . .and there is no lapbook. Yep, our lapbook project failed. At first, I didn’t really see … Continue reading →

Curriculum Reviews: Hands of a Child

Note: I have started trying to add some curriculum reviews into the homeschooling blog. If you would like me to review something, please let me know. Since many different methods work to homeschool, my hope is to give information as unbiasedly as possible. If you know anything about lapbooking then you are familiar with Hands of a Child. Hands of a Child is a company who sells project packs, clip art and other materials that go well with the lapbooking method of homeschooling. Some Benefits The one thing that Hands of a Child is really known for is selling complete … Continue reading →

How to Plan a Unit Study

A unit study or thematic unit is one set of lessons, resources and activities that go over one topic in all the subject areas. One of the benefits of using thematic studies to teach is that you can teach several ages at the same time. It also allows you to look at one particular topic in depth. Teaching through unit studies can frequently be very cheap because lots of your resources may come from the internet or the library. A disadvantage may be that you do lots of your own planning for the theme units which can be a daunting … Continue reading →