Great Lapbooking Resources - for Free!

Lapbooking may sound like a profound concept, but it is really quite easy to embrace, even for newbies.

Lapbooks can be as simple and straightforward as you want them to be, or as elaborate as those expensive pop-up books at the bookstores. Put simply, lapbooks are touch-and-see records of what your child has learned or done for a particular theme or topic, all organised to fit into a folder (or maybe two, if you wish). Many seasoned lapbookers recommend using manila folders, but there is really no hard and fast rule about this. Use a plastic folder if you wish, or just 2 cardboards if you are on a tight budget.

The main idea is - the lapbook should be a reflection of your child's learning journey. You can add drawings, magazine cut-outs, photos, pressed flowers, a dead ant or perhaps even the exoskeleton of a grasshopper (seal in a small zippered plastic bag, please!). As for facts and figures, you can organised them into little booklets and added to the folder as well.

If you need tips on how to start making lapbooks, these websites will serve you well -

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php
This website provides an exhaustive list of templates for practically every need. You can even pick the templates according to how many pieces of information you wish to present.

http://simplest.lapbook.ever.com/
Need a website to start you off on your first lapbook? Well, this website pretty much has it all. It is targeted at newbies, but I'm sure the photos provided are sources of inspiration for many lapbookers.

http://www.squidoo.com/lapbooking
This is a comprehensive website on lapbooking. The page is very long, so slower connections could take a while to load. And you will probably take a while to totally digest all the information given. There are also many links to other websites, so you can get diverted, but the rich content is well worth it.

If you are looking for free ready-made lapbooks, check these out -

http://www.homeschoolhelperonline.com/lapbooks.htm
This website provides free lapbooks that are categorised according to subjects such as history and social studies, mathematics, language arts, science, sports and the arts. Excellent for newbies as it also provides lapbook templates.

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/index_lapbooks_master_list.php
Check out this website for a whole list of lapbook themes listed alphabetically. Comes with ready PDFs that you can print and use directly. Great if you have a color printer as many of the illustrations are in color.

Happy lapbooking!