Review
Social Studies doesn’t need to be just dry memorization of names and dates! There are a number of options for using hands-on activities to teach Social Studies, and the Presidents’ Day Lapbook Project Pack by In the Hands of a Child is a wonderful example of this.
The Presidents’ Day Lapbook Project Pack can be used as a stand-alone unit study or to complement an existing curriculum. All of the information to create the lapbook is included. It begins with an explanation of lapbooking, including the benefits, necessary supplies, and adaptation instructions. An overview schedules the projects by day, and three projects a day are scheduled for each of five days. There are also instruction pages with related books and websites, project instructions for each activity, and extension activities. A research guide is included with information for all of the projects, so the teacher is not required to complete any further research. The end of the e-book includes vocabulary words and an answer key.
Simple step-by-step instructions in the Presidents’ Day Lapbook Project Pack show new lapbook users how to make a lapbook base and attach the projects. The folding instructions for the booklets are fairly easy to follow. For the more difficult booklets, a drawing is included to help with understanding. There are several pieces that need to be cut out, but since the unit targets a grade level in which students would likely be able to do all of the cutting themselves, there is very little preparation needed by the teacher.
I found the Presidents’ Day Lapbook Project Pack to be straightforward and simple to use. The instructions were easy enough to follow that my daughter was able to complete many of the projects on her own. The version of the Presidents’ Day Lapbook Project Pack that I received for review was the e-book version. In the Hands of a Child has several different options available for their project packs, including the e-books, CDs, printed paperbacks and combinations. You can find the Presidents’ Day Lapbook Project Pack at the In the Hands of a Child Website.
About the Reviewer
In the Hands of a Child has been greatly impacted by the homeschooling community. The vast majority of customers who purchase materials from their company are homeschoolers. In addition, Niki, Kimm, and Katie have built a strong link of communication and mutual friendship with many of their customers (mostly homeschoolers) through their on-line chats, on-line co-op groups, and yahoo email groups. They are grateful to be blessed with such wonderful customers and friends as the ones from the homeschool community that make up the larger part of their international customer base. While they often hear what a wonderful addition their company has been to the homeschooling community, they are forever indebted to them for their tremendous success as a company.
