*I received the BookShark curriculum and Lap Book in exchange for sharing our Homeschool journey with you. All opinions are my own.*
I’ve mentioned a bunch of times how much my little learner likes hands-on projects to help re-iterate what we’re learning. My previous post was all about our hands on experiences for Science with BookShark. I know that a lot of you have students like mine, those who thrive on that extra step- that love getting their hands into what they’re learning. That’s why I LOVE BookShark- and was super excited to get to do the American History I Lap Book along with our Level D History curriculum.
In the Lap Book kit you get everything you need to assemble your Lap Book, along with easy to follow instructions and supplies like tape and glue. This makes it super handy to take along with you. I kept a spare pair of scissors in the box, and we were ready to work on our Lap Book no matter our locale!
We did one project in our Lap Book per week. Each lesson fit perfectly together with what we were learning in Level D History- which covers American History from the Native Americans to the 1850’s. Some were quick and only took a few minutes- and others were a little longer. Sometimes split over a several week period. But, let’s be honest- we usually went ahead and finished them in one sitting because my son enjoyed them so much!
He was able to do a little research into early American explorers, hear stories set from the point of view of natives, and learn all about the conflicts and issues facing those who were the earliest residents of our land. We learned all about the founding fathers, documents which built our nation, and stepped into the shoes of those who went before us. There were so many different types of projects- and I love how the Lap Book keeps them all in one place.
I was especially fond of all of the maps and being able to show my son how small our homeland originally was, and how it grew over time. We were even fortunate enough to go visit Louisiana Purchase State Park, as it is only a couple of hours from our new home. And he was spouting all sorts of facts that he’d leaned from his curriculum during the whole trip!
You’ll notice that coloring isn’t his favorite activity- so sometimes he left certain projects black and white. And that’s totally okay! You fit this Lap Book into your school day and let your kids get as hands on as they want. I just want to let you know, that sometimes it’s not all perfect- but in the end, they’re still learning so much. {He said, “Mom, this looks nicer in black and white anyway…”}
But, if you’re looking to add a little extra fun and learning to your U.S. History curriculum, I highly recommend this Lap Book! It’s a great keepsake that your whole family can flip through again and again. Whether you want a History lesson, or just want to take a peek at how their work improves each year. It’s definitely going into our Homeschool files to keep forever!
There’s a Lap Book for American History II that goes along with the Level E curriculum, and you know we’ll be doing that one too!
