Get Hands-On with U.S. Elections {A Home School on the Woods Lap-Pak Review}

 

When you have children that spend part of their self-directed playtime creating mock elections complete with campaign speeches and debates, you know the time is right to learn more about real-life history and politics.  HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections by Home School in the Woods has made doing just that so easy!  
 

The U.S. Elections Lap-Pak, which my children and I have been excited to review, offers a complete self-contained study that allows families to break the big topic of elections down into easy-to-understand pieces, coming away with a clearer mental picture of the history and process of U.S. Elections as well as a fun physical reminder for review or show-and-tell.

Who is the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak for? 

The U.S. Elections Lap-Pak is geared for students at a grade 3-8 level, however, in our home, we used it as a family study for my children (ages 5, 8 and 10) and me.  For, yes, this mama, who could have cared less about history and politics in her own school years, has come to love both alongside her children, and this lap-pak has had me learning, too!  

 

I'd recommend the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak to:

• families who interested in history and politics that are looking for a study they can do together.

• older elementary, middle-school, high-school, or even adult students who wish to study on their own about how the American election process developed and how it currently works.

• visual learners who like reading and illustrations.

• auditory learners that can benefit from approximately 60 minutes of narrated MP3's.

• kinesthetic learners who appreciate cutting, pasting, coloring, and lift-the-flap/interactive paper manipulatives.

I would not recommend the product to anyone that likes to open-and-go with absolutely no prep, nor to anyone who does not have access to a printer or the inclination to print many pages.  For, unless you just want to learn and enjoy from part of the product - such as the audio files - you will need to do quite a lot of printing,  cutting, assembly, etc.  (Doing so is well worth it in my opinion!  The unit study is quite complete and the end-product makes a fabulous trigger for remembering what you've learned.)

What exactly is the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak and what special supplies, if any, do you need?

In a nutshell, the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak is a unit-study about the United States presidential elections that will take you briefly through the establishment of the American government and then through a variety of aspects of a presidential campaign and election process.  The version I received came as a digital download ($18.95), however the product also comes in a CD version ($19.95).



Regardless of which version of the product you get, key information for the unit study is provided through a 24-page booklet and correlating MP3 audios.  The booklet can be printed as half-page, double-sided booklet like this:

Or, it can be printed as a full-page text. 

The text of the booklet is also narrated on the aforementioned MP3 audios.  Thus, whether you are a visual learner or an auditory one, key information is equally accessible.

Using only the text/audio provided, you can complete 21 "paper manipulative" activities that result in the creation of a lapbook that looks like this:



Or, like my family, you can simply attach the fabulously designed and illustrated mini-books to 3-hole punched card stock to make an interactive notebook.

Your lapbook or notebook can then be used as a reminder of your studies.

In creating your mini-books, you will find yourself cutting, gluing, coloring, writing, researching and more.  To access the information for the booklets, you will, of course, need a computer with internet connection.  To print the project templates you will also need a printer and lots of ink.  Other supplies you will find handy are:

However, do not let the things you may not have at home from this list dissuade you from trying this lap-pak.  My children and I have managed just fine without an exacto knife or dedicated cutting surface.  Thrifty creative families can easily adapt the projects to accommodate available supplies.

When might you use this lap-pak?

Of course, with the upcoming presidential election, now is a prime time to enjoy the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak.  However, any time you want to learn about the development and process of U.S. elections could work just as well.

Because the unit is self-contained and broken down into small projects, it can work well as:

• a brief 15-30 minute lesson one or two times a week over a full term

• an intensive study with one or more brief sections per sitting

• a co-op class

Where can you find more information?


Home School in the Woods offers loads of sample pictures, an audio-sample, and even a scope and sequence on their website.

One hundred Schoolhouse Review Crew families also offer more photos and insights about the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak.


You can also find Home School in the Woods on social media at:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolinthewoods
• Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Homeschoolinthewoods/posts
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hsinthewoods/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HSintheWoods  @HSintheWoods #HSReviews #HistoryUnitStudies #HomeschoolHistory

Why did we choose the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak and how have we liked it?


As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, my kids enjoy playing election and politics during their free time.  They have also been involved with support of local candidates in the past, have accompanied my husband and me on prior local and national election days, and have recently taken to watching political debates with me online.  Further, we have been studying U.S. history and geography this year.  So, the opportunity to review the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak seemed perfectly timed to my children's interests, our family's study, and our nation's current events. 

Upon receiving a link to download our copy of the product, I did so with ease.  It came in a rather large zip file which I unzipped and saved onto our family computer.  Folders inside the unzipped file contain images, pdfs, MP3's and a start menu that make everything easy-peasy to access, understand, and print.

So, after printing out the booklet and some of the first mini-book templates, the kids and I sat down, and, by their request, listened to the beginning of the MP3.  Then, we got to work on the mini-books as we talked about what we'd heard on the MP3.

At first, I was hoping to encourage my children to write through the use of the lapbook, but my gentle push for the to do so began taking away from the fun and learning inherent in the study.  So, as we continued on with the study, I opted to have the kids use pre-printed portions from the template as opposed to lined-space ones.  Handwriting and free-writing activities can come from another part of our learning at this time.  The kids prefer to listen, chat, color, and assemble with this study, so that is what we've been doing.

On busy weeks, we do but one booklet.  On less busy ones we do three, or even four.  Always, I tend to do a quick oral review, using the physical mini-books we have made to prompt discussion.  Then, we move on to new parts of the study per the kids' eager promptings.

We have also taken a stack of books out of our local library based on the list of recommended resources that comes in the unit material.  These books are not necessary to complete the 21 mini-book projects for the lapbook/notebook, but since all of my children and I love read-togethers, and my oldest likes to devour books on his own, we have opted not to knock the gift-horse of well-recommended books in the mouth.

Further, we have extended our U.S. Elections Lap-Pak studies by viewing related animated song clips that I watched as a child on television and now enjoy with my kids on youtube. 

Plus, we have connected our studies to field trips, such as one we went on just this past weekend to a mansion that was once owned by a prominent relatively local family whose members have been connected to a number of presidents and have also served in the House of Representatives and Senate.  While we were on a tour of the mansion, it was awesome to witness how our lap-pak studies are helping the kids put pieces of history, politics, and even just vocabulary together.  The questions they asked on the tour and the comments they made were spot on.  Even the tour guide mentioned to me when I bumped into him after the tour how impressed he was with my children's knowledge and interest.  Love that!

So, obviously, I think HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections is a timely, worthwhile way to spend time learning together.  My kids seem to as well.

My daughter, eight, has said:

I will begin with what I did not like:  the writing.  Now, here is what I did like: the coloring, the man speaking, and making little booklets and the tree... Also,  I did not know that there were fancy names like "anarchy" with the "rule of one", "rule of many", "rule of few"...

 

My youngest, at five, had this to say: 

I like the drawing and coloring.  We are learning about elections.

  

My oldest, at ten, who had a headache and fever the night I asked him for commentary about the lap-pak as I prepped to write this review said:

I do no like that I am sick so I cannot do it right now.  I like that there are things to color in and so much to learn about.  I have learned that our government is ruled by three branches, that there are things called justices hat serve for a lifetime, and more.  I cannot wait to finish it!

I agree with my son.  I look forward to completing the lap-pak together, too.  However, I am purposefully taking it slow so as to be sure the kids retain knowledge from each section of the study we explore together before rushing forward and also so we can time parts of the study "perfectly" with how unfolding presidential elections in the news.  I just love how Home School in the Woods has made it easy to learn history, politics, and current events all at once.

What resources are you using to learn about elections and might the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak direct or enhance your studies?  I'd say, "Yes!"

Flexible, Fun, Hands-On History for Every Learner { A Project Passport: Renaissance & Reformation Review}

Hands-on history!  That is what jumped out at me when I learned we'd have the opportunity to review the Project Passport World History Study: Renaissance & Reformation by Home School in the Woods.  For my children love history and particularly cotton to flexible, activity-based learning that appeals to their different learning styles.


Gotta Love Homeschool Products Born of Need and Written by Homeschoolers for Homeschoolers

 


Amy Pak, a homeschool mom whose family really does live in the woods, could not find images that she liked to go along with the history studies that her children and her were immersed in.  She ended up using her gifts with graphic design and illustration to create some.  In 2002, she published these as timeline figures and Home School in the Woods was born.    

Together with her family, Amy began answering requests to create more history-related products, the latest of which are Project Passport World History Studies, a series of excellent activity-based history units.  

Project Passport World History Studies Help Kids Enjoy Tailor-Made Journeys Back in Time

My son studied the Quick Stop Itinerary to decide what he wanted to do first.

When I received and email with a link to our downloadable copy of Project Passport World History Study: Renaissance & Reformation I was able to access the unit with ease.  Once I downloaded it and began to dig into its multiple folders on my computer, I was a bit overwhelmed at first.  There was just so much there, including:

• 8 quality MP3's (a favorite for our boy)
• step-by-step "itineraries" for each of the 25 stops along the journey back in time (each with clear, well-formatted directions)
• loads of masters for printable projects
• lapbook files
• beautifully illustrated covers for notebooks
• teacher keys
• well-written text to read-aloud or have adept readers read on their own
• lists of Additional Resource

and more.
Thankfully, there was also a well-written, easy-to-follow introduction and Travel Tips, which helped my overwhelm abate and allowed my son and I to just dig in!

The program is written with children in grades 3-8 in mind is is meant to take 6-12 weeks, depending on how deeply you wish to dig into topics and how many projects you care to complete.   

Topics include:

• Laying the Foundation (Packing for the Trip through prep and familiarization)
• Italy and DaVinci
• Everyday Life, parts  and 2
• Renaissance Art and Famous Artists
• Music, Literature and Drama of the Renaissance
• Science, Math and Astronomy
• Invention
• Explorations in the America, Africa, Asia and Around the World
• The Early Reformers
• Martin Luther
• The Thirty Years' War
• Zwingli and Switzerland
• John Calvin
  France and the War of Religion
• Henry the VIII and His Children
• Civil War
• Knox and Scotland
• The Counter-Reformation, Parts I and II
• Packing Up (or finishing up!)

Activities include:

• Creative and Newspaper Writing
• Postcard Illustrations
• Notebooking and Timelines
  Over a dozen Lap Book Project
• a dozen 3-D Projects to make
• a File Folder Game
• Art Projects
• A "Dining Out Guide" of Recipes
• Applying Art Techniques
• A File Folder

and more!

My son enjoyed listening to included MP3's while coloring parts of his project.

For a comprehensive tour of the time period, all of these things can be fit together seamlessly using the step-by-step instructions and photos of finished examples provided in the program materials.  Or, they can be picked-and-chosen from in order to suit the interests, abilities and desires of each particular child who journeys back in time using them. They can enhance existing studies of the Renaissance and Reformation or act as a complete study on their own.  The plan is all there, the portions you choose to use are completely up to you!



How We Used It (So Far)
 

Lightboards are not on the materials list, but when my printer acted up with cardstock and my son wanted an element of the project on cardstock, he got inventive to trace it.

When I signed on to this review, I intended to use the curriculum with all three of my children.  However, after receiving it, taking a closer look at just how comprehensive it could be, and realizing what the rest of our summer experiences and plans were shaping up to be, I opted to introduce it to my oldest only at this time -- the child who is in the recommended age bracket of grades 3-8.

Since my oldest tends to enjoy a lot of say in what he learns and how, I printed the Quick Stop Itinerary document out, handed it to him, and asked him to decide what he wanted to dive into first.  For, although I knew the study would make the most sense to do from start to finish, selecting whichever activities appealed most to my son in consecutive order, I also know my son and felt he would be more invested in the study if he could make some decisions. 

I was fairly certain my boy would choose Inventions or War to start with, but he surprised me.  He wanted to start at the beginning.  So, that is exactly what we did.  Together, we printed, cut, pasted and put together his passport, luggage folder, notebook, etc.  Then, we commenced with reading the Guide Book, listening to audios, coloring images for the timeline and so forth... 

Since it is summer and our time at home is short, these things took us a number of 10-20 minute work-periods, which is about all any of us focus on at one time during this time of year with no A/C in our home and lots of experiential learning to be done out by water and in the woods.  They were followed by other similarly brief periods foraying into the further stops along the way...

Of course, our tiny-bite approach to the study means we are taking a slow, but steady course through the journey, stretching stops that take some families a day into ones that take us weeks.  However, doing so has fit our needs and desires right now quite well.  My son (and I!) are learning and enjoying as we go.  He is able to narrate back details from the Guide Book text readings, has already asked if we can listen to some of the audios again, and is looking forward to more projects, cooking, art, etc.

Meanwhile, I am thrilled that the program can benefit my son and me as we take the journey back to the Renaissance and Reformation with teeny, tiny baby steps now, but that it also promises longer traverses at each go when the weather cools and we invite my other children to join us along the way.  In fact, sometimes when my children are enjoying outdoor pursuits, I have spent time reading ahead in the itineraries and poking through the 50+ projects offered, getting excited about all the cool things my boy and his siblings have yet to realize we are going to explore during our trip through the Renaissance and Reformation.  There is just so much there and I so look forward to immersing us for more than 15-20 minutes at a time!

Would I Recommend Project Passport World History Studies?



In a word, "Yes..."  So far, we have found the Renaissance & Reformation Project Passport Activity-Based World History Study one to be thorough, engaging, and worth time spent on it , and I hear that the Ancient Egypt and The Middle Ages ones are of similar high quality.

Pros of the curriculum as we have experienced them include:

• a wide variety of hands-on activities to choose from.  With activities that range from color-cut-and-paste timelining, to writing a newspaper, to creating art, to reading, to listening to MP3's, to lapbooking, to playing file folder games, to literally tasting the time period, the program provides plenty of hands-on learning to pick and choose from.
 

 

• consideration for varied learning styles.  Kinesthetic learners will appreciate crafts, cooking, art and more.  Visual ones will appreciate the timelines and well-laid out printables.  Auditory ones can enjoy the engaging MP3's, as well as text read aloud by parents.  Just about any learner should be able to find activities that capitalize on their strengths and stretch their areas of growth.

•  a well-rounded view of the period.  As a Catholic, I was a bit concerned about how this curriculum would treat the Reformation and have, happily, found it balanced without strong bias so far.  I also appreciate how the program introduces children to famous folks and events as well as to the life and times of everyday people.  I just love when history focuses on common citizens as well as important figures.  This program does so!

• flexible, thorough materials.  The student materials are well-organized and easy to pick-and-choose from.  There are also excellent parent materials with further explanations, keys, etc.  And, bonus, there are additional resource lists with recommended reading.  (How I love book lists!!!)

All that said, I will admit that the ellipse after my, "yes" above was intentional.  For, in all honesty, I would have to recommend the product with a "Yes, but..."  There were a few things I did not relish about the program.

Cons include:

• how much printing it can require.  There are pages and pages and pages of potential printing involved with this study and most of it cannot be done with a single click that allows you to simply hit "print", move onto other things, and, then, return for your hefty stack of ready-to-go materials.  Rather, many of the pdf's are single-page ones that need to be printed on the back sides of other ones and some need to be printed on cardstock.  More than once, I wished that pdf's were batched into multi-page document groups with one for those that needed to be printed double-sided on office paper, one for those that are recommended to be printed single-sided on cardstock, etc.  For, while the organization and flexibility of the way the printables are currently presented as well-labeled single documents, I think that batching them would save parents like me time and headaches.

•  significant prep work.  As soon as I looked over the itinerary for Stop 1, I realized that the activities included in this curriculum involved a fair amount of cutting, gluing, taping, etc.  I am one who values the fine motor exercise of such activities, but also one who could envision the chaos of doing all this with all three of my children at once.  Thus, I opted to involve only my oldest with this study at this time and to have him do prep alongside me.   Then, when the weather cools, and my oldest can act as a seasoned helper on our journey, I plan to invite my other two children to print, prep, assemble, learn and explore alongside us.  
 

• the necessity to budget for supplies.  The product costs $33.95 as a digital download or $34.95 on a CD-rom.  However, depending on how you choose to use it, you will also need an ample supply of ink and other office supplies, such as office paper, colored cardstock, colored paper, glue sticks, a three-pronged pocket folder, a three-hole punch, double-sided tape, packing tape, and coloring implements.  Additionally, special art supplies such as chalk pastels, plaster of paris, etc. are needed for some of the projects.  Considering the amount of information and learning that is included in the study - and the duration of the unit - the costs are not extraordinary, but they can add up and, I think, are worth noting for some families.

Despite these "cons", I can honestly attest that our Project Passport Activity-Based World History Study has proven itself as a wonderful resource for flexible, multi-faceted, hands-on history learning in our home already and could well be just what your family might want to embrace to bring history to life, too.  Though sometimes tedious in printing,prep and assembly at first, initial effort pays off.  This hands-on Renaissance & Reformation study is chock-full of engaging choices that become a welcome way to dive into the everyday and the exceptional of past!  


Learn More

• Watch a video to see what Project Passport Studies are about. Also look for samples of audios, pictures of finished projects, etc. towards the bottom of the Renaissance and Reformation study page.

• Visit Home School in the Woods on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google +.

• Discover how 100 homeschool families implemented Project Passport World History Study: Ancient Egypt, The Middle Ages, and Renaissance & Reformation with their children and what they thought of it by reading Schoolhouse Review Crew reviews.

How do you make history come alive for your children?  Might Home School in the Woods help you to do so?
 

One Practical, Picture-Filled Lapbooking Resource {A Review}

Heidi St. John,  author of The Busy Mom, mom to seven homeschooled children, and favorite conference and radio speaker, offers a wide array of audios, books, ebooks and accessories at Real Life Press.
 

I received one of Heidi's helpful how-to ebooks for review and was so impressed by it that I decided to become an affiliate for it: Lapbooking Made Simple is a quality resource that I have been happily putting to use with my children and am delighted to share with you today!

What is Lapbooking Made Simple?

Lapbooking Made Simple is a 54 page lapbook packed with explanations, ideas and examples about how and why to lapbook.  In six short chapters and an "extras" section, it offers both the novice lapbooker and the practiced one practical tips and thoughts that can be put to use right away.

• Chapter One introduces what lapbooking is and closes with a "golden rule of labooking" that I laughed at when I read since it is one I have to always remind myself about:

 

Credit: Lapbooking Made Simple, p.4

• Chapter Two dives into what unit studies are and how lapbooks can be used in conjunction with them.

• Chapter Three explains how to get started and relates the authors experience and, subsequent tried-and-true tips that I could relate to!  (Yes, it is easy for me to want to dive in and do too much at once. I appreciated the reminder to do a little at a time.)

Credit: Lapbooking Made Simple, p.12

• Chapter Four explains some of the different mini-books that can used in lapbooks and includes both text and visual examples of how each highlighted mini-book can be used.

Credit: Lapbooking Made Simple, p.13

• Chapter Five discusses Lapbooking vs. Notebooking, offers links to some wonderful notebooking resources, gives a list of tools families might find helpful for lapbooking and notebooking and describes how to combine the two approaches.

Credit: Lapbooking Made Simple, p. 22

• Chapter Six details, step-by-step, how to create a lapbook and contains beautiful, full-page photographic examples of beginning, intermediate and advanced lapbooks, as well as a handy list of materials you might have around the house that lend themselves perfectly to lapbooking.

Credit: Lapbooking Made Simple, p. 31

• Extras include an array of print-cut-and-go mini-book templates in both black and white and color.

Our Experience

When we received Lapbooking Made Simple, my children and I were already in the midst of beginning a cookie-cutter lapbook on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that we'd found online.  After reading Lapbooking Made Simple,  that project paused while my children dove into parallel lapbooking projects on other topics.

Nina chose to combine homemade lapbooking and notebooking elements for her Australian echidna project for our monthly geography club.  She did not want to use ready-made templates nor to be told what or how to proceed.  Instead, she wished to present material she has learned in her own way, and, remembering Heidi's tips, I supported her choice and helped her only when she asked me to do so.

You can just see the hint of the picture that hides under this lift-the-flap feature.

And here it is.  Nina was wowed by how small an echidna is in its mothers pouch and wanted to surprise others with the picture during her presentation.

 Luke, likewise, wanted to begin his own self-directed lapbooking project on something he has yet to have at home, but which he has been reading up on with zest and determination, hoping to save enough money -- and earn enough privileges -- to purchase and use:  Minecraft!

Luke chose to use one of the templates from the book to make a pocket to educate clueless me about some of the creatures in the game he so desires to own.

He also modeled another element after one he noticed in the e-book when I was reading it on my computer.  (And, use, I had to bite my tongue so as not to immediately point out his spelling error in the word "hostile".)

When Nina saw what Luke was doing with his spinner, she wanted to make one, too.  And, there began the fourth in-progress lapbook we have going now.

Nina love, love, loves one of our friend's babies and has decided she wants to make a lapbook all about him.  Too cute!

The way I see it, whether lapbooking through literature, as a part of club and unit study projects, or as a way to highlight interests (while encouraging my reluctant writer Luke to self-direct himself in some writing!), lapbooking and notebooking are a welcome addition to our home education pursuits.  Likewise, Lapbooking Made Simple is a fantastic little resource that the kids and I have been using and will continue to turn back to for inspiration and practical printables!  I am glad we had the chance not only to review it, but to keep it as a resource for continued learning fun.  Whether you are someone who has never heard of lapbooking or someone who has been making lapbooks with your children for a while, Lapbooking Made Simple

might make a welcome addition to your resource collection, too! 

Learn More

• Lapbooking Made Simple currently sells as a digital download for $7.95.

•  You can find Real Life Press on social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

•  Learn about all of Real Life Press' Firmly Planted family Bible study resources.

• Discover a wide array of helpful materials from Real Life Press' The Busy Mom selections.

   

• Read what 100 Schoolhouse Review Crew families had to say about six different Real Life Press products.
  
  Enjoy your own forays into lapbooking and notebooking.  I would love to hear about how Lapbooking Made Simple enriches your learning adventures!