i don't understand lapbooks

[desertstrawberry5]

i understand that they are cute and crafty, and just a pretty way to present information. I see how it could be useful if your child is producing the material themselves, finding pictures to cut out, writing up paragraphs, etc.

 

But the preprinted pages? that's just cut and paste, right? Everything is already there? There doesn't seem to be a lot of learning going on. it looks like busywork to me. 

 

Am I missing something? How is this learning? IT's just reading, right?

[3 ladybugs]

I don't know about all lap books but my son likes them in loo of worksheets. My son uses them in Elemental Science right now. I know that there are other ways to use lap books though. In my son's case they are not 100% pre-printed. He has to fill out information in them like a worksheet. Once he does that he puts them together so they fit in his lapbook and at the end of the unit (or in some cases the subject) he has something that shows all that he learned. For me it seems to add a bit of fun to a boring task (albeit vital).

[rjand6more]

It depends.:)

 

I actually lean towards notebooking.  I do a combo.  I like the colorful pictures, but there needs to be a bit of output.  I liken it to filling out a worksheet except a lot more fun.  The components must include ordering or written answer.  Something more than cut and paste.  It helps to add variety and interest as well.  We don't notebook for every subject or even every week.  I put cardstock in a binder and they work in there.  So, we don't create lapbooks.

[nixpix5]

I do a combo but my daughter loves lapbooks. She is artistic so it appeals to the presentation side of her. I only choose templates that have deep learning objectives though. For example, she and I just put together her lapbook for her Wizard of Oz study. It has a pocket for a science experiment about weather, an author study book, recipes to make with a taste test data survey to graph, a movie/book comparison ven diagram activity, a comprehension book for each chapter, a pocket of vocabulary cards to look up in the dictionary and study, etc etc. It has alot to it and forces her to think holistically about the literature piece. It requires a good deal of writing.

 

I have seen some lapbooks that are glorified coloring, cut and paste projects and I personally think those are a waste of time outside of young children or an art project.

Edited July 12, 2017 by nixpix5

[desertstrawberry5]

It depends.:)

 

I actually lean towards notebooking. I do a combo. I like the colorful pictures, but there needs to be a bit of output. I liken it to filling out a worksheet except a lot more fun. The components must include ordering or written answer. Something more than cut and paste. It helps to add variety and interest as well. We don't notebook for every subject or even every week. I put cardstock in a binder and they work in there. So, we don't create lapbooks.

What is the difference between lapbooking and notebooking? The preprinted notebooking pages I've seen do look like regular worksheets. But maybe that's not what it's supposed to be?

 

We don't use worksheets, so maybe I have some bias here.

[desertstrawberry5]

I do a combo but my daughter loves lapbooks. She is artistic so it appeals to the presentation side of her. I only choose templates that have deep learning objectives though. For example, she and I just put together her lapbook for her Wizard of Oz study. It has a pocket for a science experiment about weather, an author study book, recipes to make with a taste test data survey to graph, a movie/book comparison ven diagram activity, a comprehension book for each chapter, a pocket of vocabulary cards to look up in the dictionary and study, etc etc. It has alot to it and forces her to think holistically about the literature piece. It requires a good deal of writing.

 

I have seen some lapbooks that are glorified coloring, cut and paste projects and I personally think those are a waste of time outside of young children or an art project.

This does make sense. I can definitely see a crafty kid getting into this. I might try this with my Js.

[historically accurate]

My youngest will happily write in the little booklets, and she refuses to write anything if it is in the form of a blank sheet of paper. So, we do lapbooks here. 

[jewellsmommy]

Using TOG's lapbooks with their unit study, dd prepared a large presentation of the info covered in that 9 weeks. The pre-printed little books and foldables are blank inside. We decide what to write in them (within the theme of the booklet). For example we covered some flora and fauna of ancient Egypt/Nile delta area etc. Dd wrote what was most memorable to her or her favorites. There are pictures to color, maps to label as well and places where we could display a photograph of a her salt map or of any other project we completed. It is both a review and display of what was learned, all in one place. When we cycled back around to ancients, she pulled out the lapbook to reminisce and bring back some of the basic info from when she made it. There was a separate section on the Greeks and one for the Romans. Each highlighting a synopsis of what was/is being learned.

 

We did an adapted version of the printables included in Great Science Adventures to create lapbooks of each section. We ended up with a small lapbook about the 5 senses that had pictures and diagrams that were labeled, another one for the circulatory system, respiratory, integumentary, etc. Dd labeled each part and wrote short descriptive sentences in some places. This curriculum has a pre-printed booklet that summarizes the lesson, so we made a pocket for that. We did these about five years ago and still have them. I could pick up one of those lapbooks right now and teach an entire lesson with it as my sole guide. They are great for review.

 

Now that dd is older, we apply a similar technique with notebooking. She draws, creates diagrams, tapes or glues sections of worksheets or handouts into a composition notebook as a way to take notes and highlight key components of a lesson. 

 

As a child/teen, it would be easier for me to just write a few sentences in order to take notes. But, dd enjoys this more and engages more. She is dysgraphic and more right-brained in her learning style. I think that makes a difference. You have to teach the child you have. Some kids engage more with this style and some prefer a quick, basic, straightforward style. 

Edited July 12, 2017 by jewellsmommy

[2_girls_mommy]

My youngest will happily write in the little booklets, and she refuses to write anything if it is in the form of a blank sheet of paper. So, we do lapbooks here. 

"Notebooking" appeals to my artistic kid in much this same way. She does the same work: definitions, drawing diagrams, writing summaries, that my odd did in a blank composition book when it comes to science. BUT... If I spend a bit and buy her a notebooking journal with pretty pages and some coloring and such, possibly even cut/paste stuff, she gets into it so much more. She will focus. She write neatly. She loves the look of the finished product and works a lot better than with just a blank notebook. My odd much prefers a blank composition book. She wants no frills.  I have found the Thinking Tree journals in the last year and those can be adapted for all subjects and it has been a game changer for my mdd. So worth the money for preprinted notebook pages! 

 

I assume those that like lapbooking are similar to my notebooking kid. 

[nixpix5]

I also wanted to add that one thing that can be challenging for kids is learning how to break up large projects over time. I saw this alot in 5th and 6th graders when I was working. I think one thing that lapbooks can provide a child is a sense of how to begin a long term project and work on each step over time. The finished project at the end is something they can be proud of. I also see my daughter retaining information she learned more readily because her visual/spatial mind remembers what she wrote because "it was in the pocket on the right with the rainbow on it" haha.

[rjand6more]

What is the difference between lapbooking and notebooking? The preprinted notebooking pages I've seen do look like regular worksheets. But maybe that's not what it's supposed to be?

 

We don't use worksheets, so maybe I have some bias here.

Notebooking is mostly narration on a pretty page.  I do more of an interactive notebook. It has lapbook components, but requires output in the form of writing or sequencing.  This site has some awesome "interactive notebooks" that I have used.  I especially loved the Holling pages(under American Geography).

 

http://butterfliesandbarefootlasses.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

[Tumbatoo]

i understand that they are cute and crafty, and just a pretty way to present information. I see how it could be useful if your child is producing the material themselves, finding pictures to cut out, writing up paragraphs, etc.

 

But the preprinted pages? that's just cut and paste, right? Everything is already there? There doesn't seem to be a lot of learning going on. it looks like busywork to me.

 

Am I missing something? How is this learning? IT's just reading, right?

 

I don't get it either. It seems rather like busy work to me too. I'd rather the kids generate their own output - like their original artwork, Lego creation, pretend play, etc. Sometimes we just have a discussion, and that is fine too :)

[Melissa in Australia]

I am completely new to lapbooking. When there was the build your bundle sales I bought some lapbook units. The twins absolutely LOVE it. We are doing sharks and Egypt, two different lapbooks.

 

For the sharks we are learning about a different shark each day. We watch the YouTube clips or other online videos, I read to them then they do the cut and paste. They need the fine motor practice. They are unable to write or draw. We use the lapbooks to review what we learned in previous days.

 

The Egypt one is more of a craft work that goes along with what we have been learning about Egypt from SOTW.

 

I think it is a great way of learning for children like my twins that are delayed and cannot read, write or draw but can still record their learning in a way that allows them to review what they have learned.

[Melissa in Australia]

I am completely new to lapbooking. When there was the build your bundle sales I bought some lapbook units. The twins absolutely LOVE it. We are doing sharks and Egypt, two different lapbooks.

 

For the sharks we are learning about a different shark each day. We watch the YouTube clips or other online videos, I read to them then they do the cut and paste. They need the fine motor practice. They are unable to write or draw. We use the lapbooks to review what we learned in previous days.

 

The Egypt one is more of a craft work that goes along with what we have been learning about Egypt from SOTW.

 

I think it is a great way of learning for children like my twins that are delayed and cannot read, write or draw but can still record their learning in a way that allows them to review what they have learned.

[Guest]

I am completely new to lapbooking. When there was the build your bundle sales I bought some lapbook units. The twins absolutely LOVE it. We are doing sharks and Egypt, two different lapbooks.

 

For the sharks we are learning about a different shark each day. We watch the YouTube clips or other online videos, I read to them then they do the cut and paste. They need the fine motor practice. They are unable to write or draw. We use the lapbooks to review what we learned in previous days.

 

The Egypt one is more of a craft work that goes along with what we have been learning about Egypt from SOTW.

 

I think it is a great way of learning for children like my twins that are delayed and cannot read, write or draw but can still record their learning in a way that allows them to review what they have learned.

 

 

I was absolutely baffled by lap booking until we started Homeschooling in the Woods this summer. I think it's a step above and beyond lap booking, but you still end up with a lap book and a notebook at the end. It's FANTASTIC. The kids love it. (My little kids. I now regret not having found this program when my oldest was in jr. high. She'd have loved it too). So I'm a convert. At least as far as Homeschool in the Woods type of projects are concerned!