Homeschool Helper with Charisse Van Horn

Now that you know how to make mini books , let me tell you about a project I just made with my kids. One of the reasons I love the mini books from one sheet of paper, is that they are easy to create as well as dispose of. You see, when kids are in public school, it’s great to save all of the work they make in a special folder. Then when they are older you can pull it out and reminisce over when the child first created the artwork or project. However, when you homeschool, you simply can’t save everything- there is just too much. That’s why notebooking and lapbooking are great activities (as well as little mini books.)

Today, I simply folded two pieces of paper and made little books with my two year old, Joshua and three year old, Ariella. Joshua made a counting book. We wrote out the numerals on each page then spelled the number word at the bottom. He put stickers on each page, counting them out as he added them. He was so cute, he kept “reading” his book to me. I wrote “Joshua’s Number Book” for the title, and he carefully read the title back to me as well.

Ariella just made an artbook. She is cutting out pictures and gluing them with her glue stick. She has already mastered letter recognition, but we haven’t formally begun writing yet. I am going to pick up some alphabet stickers this weekend from my local dollar tree and we’ll work on a “letter book.”

Now that you know what a lapbook is, you’ll want to begin learning all of the different folding techniques that will ensure you have plenty of materials and teaching tools to add to your lapbook.  The first fold that I recommend everyone to learn is how to turn a single sheet of 8 by 11 paper into a mini book.  Actually, this is an Origami book, but it works so easily, you can create mini books for your kids in less than a minute!  There is a link that will show you in a diagram, but I will try to explain it as well.  Here is the link: Simple Origami Book.

1. Fold the paper in half lengthwise, then in half lengthwise again, then one time horizontally, to create 8 rectangles. (Open up the paper and make sure there are eight rectangles)

2.  After Opening the paper, fold it in half lengthwise and make a cut from the center fold to the first point where the horizontal and diagonal folds meet.

3.  Now open the paper (there is a slit in the middle of the paper)

4.  Fold the paper “landscape” and you’ll have the slit on top.  Push both ends of th paper together to create a cross section.  By pushing both the right and left sides of the paper, it will automatically create an 8 page book!

Now, let your kids write away!

(here is one more link with graphics, just in case you need further clarification- Think Quest Mini Book 

If you’ve heard the term “lapbook” around homeschooling circles, but just aren’t certain what a “lapbook” is, you are not alone.  Lapbooking is a popular trend amongst homeschoolers, because it is an easy, fun, and highly efficient way of learning.  Sometimes lapbooks may be referred to as “shutterbooks”, but basically, a lapbook is a book that is composed from a file folder that when opened displays numerous mini books, printouts, and other paper cutouts, etc that enhance a study.

 There are numerous ways to fold paper and create mini books.  By using the different paper folding techniques, you can create lapbooks that are rich with information.  I think the viewing a lapbook is the best way to understand what one is, so I am enclosing some links to lapbooks online.

Links to Pictures of Lapbooks Online

Lapbooks and Homeschooling: The Homeschool Shop

Homeschool in the Woods

Folding Instructions for Lapbooks: This is very indepth!