The Joyful Chaos: How We Lapbook

November 12th, 2010

I know I’ve talked about lapbooking lots before. And even have some pics here in the archives. But I don’t remember if I showed you step by step how we do it from beginning to end. So, I’m gonna. If I have before, just click away – my memory’s not so good anymore!

I’m going to take you through our most recent one. My girl, who is five chose Monkeys. It’s a little advanced for her age, but I adjusted it, filled in some of the words when she got tired of writing and will read it to her again when we’re finished. But she likes it, has learned a lot, and it actually helps me to show you how we adapt lapbooks to the appropriate age levels. I’m all about adapting.

Step One: Choose

I let the kids pick. It gets them excited. Our favorite site for free lapbooks is Homeschool Share. I read the list to them, we look at some components of the titles they like and then we print them out. This time we had some already all printed and given to us by my sweet friend Maury.

Step Two: Gather Supplies and Print

And here is the priciest part of lapbooking. And the whole process isn’t free. Even if you find free lapbook templates. There’s printer ink, paper, manila folders, and glue. You can go all fancy and buy colored paper and colored folders, but that all adds up in price so we go super plain and just let them decorate. You’re going to need glue sticks, if you get the liquid glue it will wrinkle up your paper with as much as you’ll need to use. Also, you’re going to want to NOT buy the off-brand glue. I’m all about off-brand, but the pages will peel off after they’re dry if you go cheap this time. Also, grab a gallon ziplock to keep all your papers in until you’re finished. When you go to Homeschool Share and you’re ready to print I would suggest printing all the components you think you’ll want at once. Here’s one of the adapting parts – if you look at a component and think “I don’t know if my 5 year old is going to get the scientific names and she’ll probably tire of writing by then”, don’t print that component. If you think “She probably won’t get this, but won’t mind writing extra stuff and I’d like her to learn it someday when she looks back through this lapbook”, then by all means print it. Sometimes I even print the components and put them in blank into the lapbook – they can always fill them in later. Also print the instructions pages. You’ll want to read through all those answers at the table and not have to refer back to the computer everyday. Stick all of your printed pages and instructions into your gallon ziplock.

Step Three: Get Started!

Some people like to cut out all of the components all at once, actually put together the lapbook, and then fill in the info. We don’t because my kids tire of all that cutting all at once. And we use the “putting it all together” part as the last exciting hoorah to push us through to the end of the lapbook. Whatever works for you. Depending on the age of the child, the fine motor skills of the child, and their interest level you can do one component a day or 5. We usually do about 2. Though some components are so full of info and writing that we’ll break up one writing intensive component over a couple of days. I have them cut them out (if they’re able to, with little bitty ones I cut them for them or cut part of it and have them just cut one line) and then I read the component and the info to them. I either dictate or have them copy the info. If they’re very young or if I’m adapting a more advanced lapbook to a younger child I’ll have them copy some and then I’ll finish writing it for them. Sometimes I write (if the lapbook doesn’t have a cut and paste option) and have them cut it out to glue it into the component.

This part of the “working through” can last days or months. Depends on how much time a week we devote to it. Go as fast or as slowly as you want. When lapbooks were our primary learning tools (and they can be, you know?) we went through many more lapbooks than we are now. Now we’re using them mostly for our supplementary science.

Just keep putting the completed components into your ziplock until you’re through.

Step Four: Assemble!

My kids LOVE this part! For some lapbooks we’ve made elaborate oversized lapbooks. For this one the main cover of the lapbook will be a “book style”.

Lay open one folder (this will be the front and back “cover”).

Lay open a second folder. I marked where I will cut it so that you can see. I usually don’t mark it and I certainly don’t measure, our lapbooks are imperfect and we don’t care.

Then cut.

Then smear the glue all down the flap.

Align the flap flush with the inside; fold and glue.

This makes one “page” of your lapbook.

At this point I laid some of the components loosely on the pages. When I flip a flap or page over the components will slide off, that’s fine. This isn’t the official place where everything will stay, you’re just seeing if you have enough flaps and pages to hold everything. If you don’t have enough pages, use your leftover pieces or cut more. Add more full pages like the first step or just add little flaps. It’s completely up to you and how much more space you’ll need. This is not exact. You can always add more flaps. You can have the kids draw pictures to fill in the empty space. We’re not going for perfection, people.

I knew that the four pages this made would not be enough for this lapbook so I went ahead prepared to make little “flaps” for our book.

I used the leftover piece of folder to make the first flap.

I folded over about an inch or two, smeared the glue and then aligned it flush with the bottom of the lapbook.

And then glued it down.

I got another folder and marked where to cut it. Nearly in half. I wanted it to kind of match up to the size of the flap we just made.

Cut it.

Marked where to cut for a little flap to attach it to the lapbook.

Folded a little flap. Hold onto your scraps, you may can use them again as another flap later.

And then I glued it in flush with the top of the lapbook.

Now on the inside front cover of the lapbook we have two flaps.

Again, I stop to see if the components will fit. Again don’t worry when you flip a page and components fall off. You’re just seeing if they’ll fit.

Now that your lapbook is ready for the components, call your kids over and get ready for the fun! (of course, you can do this yourself – I used to when they were smaller and they loved being surprised by a completed lapbook in the morning, now they like to choose where the stuff will go – it’s up to you). I show them how many pages and I lay out all the components where they can see them. They start picking where they’ll go. I glue the backs and they stick them in. Sometimes they need some “suggesting” of “you might want a few more on this page” or “you have lots of room left do you want to just put 3 on this one”.

Here’s the finished lapbook.

Cover: