We all learn differently. This is especially apparent to a teacher – whether a homeschool teacher or a certified public school teacher. What’s not apparent all the time is exactly which type of learning is best for each individual.
What most educational systems don’t account for is the vast discrepancy between students and their individual learning styles or ‘intelligences’. Some students are great at math or reading, while others are great learning a new sport or a new song. The key to a good education is allowing for all of the intelligences to be built on.
“In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf…”
For Mother’s Day we have a tradition of planting in our garden in the back yard. The kids help pick out what we want to plant while we’re at the nursery, then enjoy digging holes in the garden to plant their favorites.
Have you heard of lapbooking? While it’s a very common method of teaching lately, especially amongst homeschoolers, I’m just now dipping my toe into this gigantic ocean of possibilities.
I’ve decided that I want to focus on butterflies for the month of May, and I’d love to have a lapbook as our final product for all that we’ve learned. So, now, I’m off to figure out exactly what is a lapbook? and how do we make one? and how long it will take? and what is a mini-book exactly?
So, for your learning pleasure, I’ve decided to document my researching trip into this new land of lapbooking. And, PLEASE, add your favorite sites to the comments below. I’m definitely the Dummy needing to learn LOTS more!! 🙂
What is a lapbook?
How do you make a lapbook?
How long will it take?
What is a mini-book?
What are some easy mini-books that I can make?
Starting Lapbooking and what to avoid…
Ballet of the Elephants
by Leda Schubert
rating: 5 of 5 stars
Winner of the 2007-2008 Texas Bluebonnet Award, this book filled with watercolor pictures of the true story of the Ballet of Elephants was captivating. When Igor Stravinsky (composer of The Nutcracker) was asked by George Balanchine (Russian Choreographer) to compose a piece of music for John Ringling North’s circus elephants to perform to, Stravinsky gladly jumped at the opportunity. My 6 year old listened to the story fascinated by the idea of elephants performing ballet, and was even more enthralled at the end when she realized this had been a TRUE story. Great book for introducing Stravinsky as a composer. Continue reading…
A bit about the book…
Laurence Anholt has done a beautiful job of telling the story of Matisse and his nurse, Monique, who became a nun, in a way that children can relate to and enjoy. Since I didn’t know anything about this artist, I also enjoyed getting to learn more about his personality and his art, too.
What we loved…
While the illustrations were quite unique, I also loved the way that the author used typesetting to help ‘illustrate’ certain passages. During a passage about “diving in tropical lagoons and rowing on blue-green seas”, Anholt typesets the words in curves that go around the fish in the picture behind the words to hint at the motion of swimming and waves. But, more than anything, it was the story itself that captured both my attention and the attention of my six year old. There’s just something fascinating to me personally about an artist creating a chapel in a new and different way.