Homeschool Notebooking and Lapbooking

What are Notebooking and Lapbooking Methods all about?

Homeschooling families are a seriously creative bunch when it comes to enriching their kids� education, so it comes as no surprise that the homeschooling community has thoroughly embraced both notebooking and Lapbooking. While the two techniques are similar in that they allow for creative expression of educational lessons, they also differ in a couple of ways.

Notebooking is a learning tool wherein your homeschooled child has either a spiral-bound notebook or a 3-ring binder with pages (usually in sheet protectors) which is similar to a journal. After each educational lesson is taught or field trip taken, the child documents in their notebook something related to what they have learned. They can draw pictures of what they have seen, they can write poems or stories of how they interpret the lesson or can do anything else which is pertinent to their experience and appropriate to their skill level. Charlotte Mason, an educator in the 1800�s whose ideas on educating children spurred an entire methodology, is often credited with having started the notebooking movement.

Lapbooking is another great educational tool, but it differs from notebooking in that it is very similar to the huge trend of scrap booking - with an educational twist. Lapbooking allows a lot more room for creativity and is generally intended to summarize a unit of study or to convey a particular educational lesson. The basic premise of a lapbook is that it might look similar to a display poster you might see at a science fair or information booth but is easy to fold, store and access (thus, the �lap� part of lapbook). Some families prefer to use interior file folders while others utilize poster board or similar materials. The sky is the limit on what can be included on a lapbook � some companies even provide ready-made lapbook materials for a variety of subjects which can make the creation and assembly of a lapbook very fast and easy. Some families choose to make their lapbooks entirely from scratch. A lapbook may have a variety of mini-books summarizing pertinent points of the unit lesson, some may be laminated with images and stories kids have written about what they learned. The most important part of the lapbook is that your child is involved in it�s creation and that the items included help them remember what they have learned..

There is never a right or wrong way for a homeschool family to ensure their child is learning, but choosing notebooking or Lapbooking as tools can better summarize and reinforce the materials being taught. These creative teaching tools allow the child to have a lot of input and ownership in the process of learning while providing their parents with feedback showing that they have, in fact, absorbed the information. Creating notebooks and lapbooks give the family a wonderful opportunity to collaborate while expressing themselves artistically. On a practical note, using these tools also allow you to have tangible documentation of your homeschool program � this can be used to show your school district if required, to convince doubting family and friends of the validity of homeschooling or can also be a wonderful way for you and your child to look over their years of homeschooling with pride and nostalgia.

Here are some great resources for notebooking or Lapbooking styles of homeschooling.
Resources 4 Homeschoolers is designed to help you by providing information and resources you need to do lapbooking in your homeschool teaching.
Notebooking Pages - From copy work to nature study, notebooking is a fantastic and fun tool that captures all that we have learned about a particular topic and turns it into a concise, artful piece of work. The kids are always excited to share what they have learned in their homeschooling experiences through their notebooks. It is much like looking through an old photo album or scrapbook. The more you look back through them, the more you remember, and what a joy it is each time!
The Notebooking Nook - Ignite a greater love of learning at the Notebooking Nook. Through the use of notebooking, mini-books and more, you and your child will explore creative ways to learn and document your homeschooling studies. At the Notebooking Nook, you will find a lot of great free resources along with a wide range of products to jump start your notebooking experience!
Tobins Lab - What do you do with a kid obsessed with the physics of space travel and the mystery of electricity? Where can a homeschooler find copper sulfate and a right angle prism for his experiments? Baking soda and vinegar provided limited appeal, so we began to have a vision in 1994 for a science supply service that would benefit our resident mad scientist as well as yours. Tobin's Lab is family owned and operated. Remember, if a product is in our catalog, we have used it, are using it, or would use it if our kids were the age for it! We promise to offer only what is of good value, and affords a delightful learning experience for your family.

What are notebooking and lapbooking methods