Lapbook FAQ

Free Octopus Lapbook Resources
I L.O.V.E lapbooks. Really, I do. Lapbooks are so much fun and offer the perfect break from our regular curriculum. Since I have been getting questions on my facebook page about lapbooking, here is a quick FAQ for you! Feel free to ask a question and I will add the answer!

1. What is a lapbook? A lapbook is a a collection of projects that is glued into a file folder or onto cardstock and put into a notebook. Lapbooks range from just one file folder to several and depending on the age range for the lapbook may include coloring sheets, graphs, timelines, diagrams and copy work. They are may include a variety of subjects including math, science, reading, vocabulary, history, or even cooking, but are usually only about one topic (ie trains, space, musical composers).

2. What age range are lapbooks appropriate for? There are lapbooks for just about every age group from preschool up through highschool. Some lapbooks come with the ability to adjust it to multiple age levels.

3. How do the projects in a lapbook work? First you will need to purchase and print out your lapbook. You will also need to see what materials are required and gather them. Some lapbooks call for many extra materials, but all lapbooks will need at least one file folder, scissors and glue. You will probably want to print your lapbook on cardstock as thin paper can curl when glued. However, this is not required. A well put together lapbook such as the ones by Hands of a Child, will have very specific teacher guides that tell you exactly what you need to do for each project as well as how to assemble the lapbook. Usually you start by reading a book or website on your theme and then doing one or two activities per day relating to it. Each day you will be given a new activity to complete. As activities are completed your child cut and pastes them into the file folder.

4. Are lapbooks supplemental or can they be used as a full curriculum? The answer to this is yes. Lapbooks can either be used as a supplement to your current curriculum, such as this one for Apologia, or as your curriculum itself, such as these from Hands of a Child. There are even lapbooks which meet state standards. Once you decide what you are looking for you can usually tell by the previews and descriptions if a lapbook meets your goals. Lapbooks are also just a great way to break and have some fun while still learning!

5. Are lapbooks expensive? This depends on what you are looking for. There are plenty of free lapbooks like the ones found here. There are also lapbooks that go all the way up into the $20 range. Most lapbooks fall in the $5-$15 range. Sites such as Hands of a Child and Currclick have lapbooks in all price ranges and the great thing is that they can be used multiple times!

Fan Page Sweepstakes 200 Piece Wooden Pattern Blocks and Starbucks Gift Card!

We reached over 400 on our fan page last night so here the giveaway as promised! This one is very simple: For a chance to win a 200 Piece Wooden Pattern Block Set and a $10 Starbucks Gift card all you need to so is LIKE Molding Minds Homeschool on Facebook and leave a comment telling me that you did along with a contact email! I also offered those who shared my page LAST NIGHT(1-29) a chance for an extra entry so if you did this please leave a SEPARATE comment telling me.


Though these won't get you any extra entries I would also appreciate you if you would consider Following My Blog and/or following Molding Minds on Twitter.

Sweepstakes will end on Friday February 3rd with ONE winner being drawn. Winner will have 72 hours to respond email notification before a new winner is drawn. Open only to those in the US.

This is not a paid review. I purchased these products to giveaway as a promotion on my blog.

Review: K'nex and Lincoln Logs

Just imagine it. Hours of quiet play time. Kids are getting along and everyone is happy. That doesn't happen often does it? Same here, but I can tell you when it does happen. It happens when the kids have engaging toys out.

K'nex and Lincoln Logs are two of our favorite toys and as you can imagine I couldn't turn a review down from them! I wanted to have all kinds of snazzy pictures of the actual boxes we got but my kids had them all dumped out before I could get to it! Needless to say they have never actually gone back into the boxes as they are constantly being played with!


K'nex are are these nifty plastic building materials that go together to make anything your imagination can dream up! They come in different sizes, flexibilities and some even glow in the dark! We were given a 350 piece value tub to review. I have to be honest, I love the value tubs more than I like the themed kits. My kids always seem to only want to do the theme when they get the kits and I love watching them take the value tub and dreaming up their own creations. We have seen everything from whales to cars and of course airplanes! The 350 piece value tub runs for $21.99 so is a great value as these toys are priceless and there is free shipping on orders over 75! Now, to warn you, there are some pretty small pieces in this tub and the box is rated for 7 and up. I definitely suggest that this age limit be observed also, vacuum cleaners love small K'nex pieces as a snack. Ask my Dyson how I know that.

We loved our kit, but there are so many to choose from if you would rather have a themed one. I mean check out this super cool Amusement Park Series or these Monster Jam sets! There are even Sesame Street sets for the younger aspiring architect. K'nex are a definite must have toy in your homeschooling (or not) house!

The second item we were blessed with was Lincoln Logs. Lincoln Logs are real wooden logs that have been notched to fit together in a log cabin style. The sets usually have some plastic roofing and a figurine as well. I have to say that these are my favorites! I personally sat and built with them by myself for several hours. We were given the Fort Hudson Set which runs $25.99 and is age rated for 3 and up. As with the K'nex there are several sets to choose from and something I loved was the Little Prairie set that is designed just for girls!

If I had to choose a con for K'nex or Lincoln Logs, I would have to say that they can be kind of pricey. However, they are ageless toys that can easily last until your child is grown! My 26 year old brother may have had more fun with them than the kids did when he came down to visit! Other than the price, I can not think of a single reason why you should not have these in your home!

Do you already have and love K'nex or Lincoln Logs? Tell me about how you incorporate them into your homeschool day! In the mean time, be sure to pop on over to Facebook and like K'nex!

TOS Review: The Reading Game

We are a gaming family and I am always more excited when the games are educational.

The Reading Game is and educational game created by the author of Wordly Wise that retails for $24.95. The game has six very nicely illustrated story books with different animal themes that get progressively more difficult. On each level you have a set of six cards. Each set is laid out and played as a memory game, matching the two like words. As the words are matched you read the word several times with your child. After the entire set is matched you repeat until your child has a grasp of the words. After the child completes all 6 sets, s/he can proceed to the book and will be able to read! After all 6 books are completed your child will know 180 words.

The age range for this game is 4+, but obviously it would depend on how ready your child is to read and how well they are already reading. My 3 year old loved matching the numbers on the backs but wasn't remotely interested in even attempting the game, and my 7 year old already reads above level so the game wasn't challenging and she found it boring. However, it was about right for my 6 year old and she loved playing it! Accomplishment really does alot of encouraging and she was over the moon when she read the story about the unicorn.

There are two things about it that concerns me. It takes a whole word reading approach. I am a big believer in phonics. That said, I just simply had her sound things out rather than having her memorize (about half of the words are high frequency which we do memorize). It takes longer to do it this way, but for us it is important that they get the phonics. The second thing is that it is only for 2 players so if you have multiple kids be prepared to have to take turns. If you have olders they can play "tutor" to a younger child.

Other than that we really enjoyed this game! Here is the pertinent information:
Name: The Reading Game

Price: $24.95

Age: 4+

Be sure to check out my fellow crew members takes on The Reading Game!

I was given a copy of The Reading Game for free in exchange for an honest review. Please review my disclosure policy.

Overruled: Invasion of Your Parental Rights

This is very interesting and terrifying at the same time. The government is slowly ripping away at parental rights and we know that. I don't think we always realize how serious it has actually become. Take a moment to watch this video (about 38 minutes) and let me know what you think!

The Effects of Video Games for Pleasure on Children

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Our children's world is different than ours was. They grow up with the inevitable fact that they will at some point use technology for a variety of things from work to pleasure. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have taken strangers, thrown them together and created friendships. Video games and online networking through subscriptions on X-box live and PlayStation have done the same. But what, if any effect do these games have on our children? Are we doomed to raise a generation of lazy, socially inept, larping, overweight children if we allow them to play video games? Do these games effect behavior?

These were some of the questions that were addressed at the Activision for Girls convention I attended today and it got me thinking, I have never written about how I feel about video games for pleasure. Sure, there are plenty of good things to say about games specifically designed for education, both on the computer and various hand-held systems such as the iphone, ipad and Nintendo DS, but what about games for pleasure? With some statistics saying that up to 91% of children between the ages of 2-17 play video games, this is indeed a big question.

Let's look at the physical aspect first. Most of us agree that games that require movement (Wii, Kinect) are generally better physically, but there are other physical benefits to games that don't require as much movement. Games require hand eye coordination, fine motor skills and in hospital settings have been known to be an effective pain management tool.

Video games may also have many positive effects on certain cognitive abilities such as creativity,  problem solving, reasoning skills, and can even increase your ability to focus. The office of Naval Research study revealed that "adults that played video games performed 10%-20% higher in perceptual and cognitive abilities." And some research has also shown that toddlers exposed to higher TV times are verbally advanced.

Personal pleasure is also something to consider. There is nothing wrong with doing something just because you gain personal satisfaction from it!

The future of all gamers?

And then there is the big one, social skills. Most of us have an image in our head of the awkward teenage boy sat at his computer or other gaming system, unable to socialize with the real world so he finds his friends online. However, this is actually contrary to what research is showing. Video games can actually set the foundation for friendships, with research showing that knowing someone online makes you more likely to help them in the real world. A lot of online games also offer the opportunity to engage in cooperative play involving verbal communication and/or written communication.

Sounds like a parents dream come true right? Well, not exactly. Like everything there is a bright side and a dark side. For instance, research with girls showed that girls who play video games with their parents tended to behave better while this was not the case for boys. Finding appropriate content for younger children can also be something to think about. Sites such as Common Sense Media help by giving you a way to research games by name. Behavioral, sleep issues, and other issues are also linked to too much TV time. The AAP recommends no more than 1-2 hours per day of screen time (anything on a screen).

So what is my verdict? Don't be afraid to pull out that game if that is what your child enjoys! As with any other activity, be it reading, eating, playing outside, or watching TV, video games are fine in moderation and can actually be beneficial to your child. My children engage in a little more than the recommended time, but that decision comes from a personal knowledge of what my children can handle and also includes their specifically educational screen time.

Halloween Work Box Ideas

To continue the October theme here are a few "halloween" work box ideas!

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Even at 6 and 7 my girls still appreciate being able to dig through beans. Something about being able to dig and spill stuff is just thrilling to kids. Plus it is a great sensory activity and also appeals to the preschooler. So with just a pack of black beans and some super cheap plastic bugs you can make a really cool creepy crawly sensory bin.

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This isn't exactly a bin but check out this really cool I spy Bottle! This could easily be adapted for any other holiday as well!


Some other fun ideas:

Fill your box with dress up clothes (or if you don't have space you can use a notecard to let your child know the activity)

Playdoh,

Homemade slime
Gutting a pumpkin with your hands is a great sensory activity

If you have any workbox ideas be sure to leave a comment!

Not So Scary Halloween Art, Lesson Plans, Lapbooks and Activities

We don't celebrate Halloween for personal reasons (this is not an attack on those who do, this is just our personal conviction), but there is no getting around the kids knowing it exists so we take this opportunity to do some "not so scary" activities. Besides, you don't have to celebrate halloween to know that bats, bugs and all things creepy crawly are pretty cool!

Check out this cool pumpkin eyeball! This could be a great opportunity to learn about the parts of the eye and how they work.


This terra cotta pot pumpkin would make a cute decoration that you can leave out for Thanksgiving as well!

Who doesn't love learning about mummies? Do this mummy craft and visit the mummy maker to see if you can make your own mummy the ancient Egyptian way!

In this really cool Curiosity Files unit study Anna Lyze takes you into the world of Zombie Fire Ants. Best of all it is currently on sale for just $1!!

And halloween wouldn't be complete without exploring the grossest of body functions. Learn all about what causes zits, vomiting and even scabs and puss. GROSS!!!

These are just a few of the great ideas you can find all over the internet. So if you don't trick or treat, don't worry, you can still have lots of fun exploring the creepy and the disgusting!