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A Life Better Than I Deserve
Sep. 25, 2009
Review: A Journey Through Learning
Recently I received five lapbooks from A Journey Through Learning. They were: Amphibians, Reptiles, The Desert, Autumn, and The Parables of Jesus. Since our children recently experienced a bit of excitement when we came home from church one Wednesday evening to discover a frog in our kitchen, we decided to study the Amphibians lapbook first. I rationalized that I might as well choose something in which the children already had a bit of interest. (In case you are wondering, no, we never did quite figure out how the frog got in the house, but we assume he crawled under the storm door unnoticed earlier that day when the front door was open!)
Now, unfortunately for me, when I set about to print this lapbook project our color printer croaked! Yes, my inkjet printer turned into a large, expensive doorstop--it had been giving us trouble for some time and its ill-timed failure was unrelated to printing this product. However, since this lapbook project is designed to be completed in about a month's time frame and the funds for a new color printer were not in that week's budget, I thought I would expedite the study by printing this lapbook on my husband's black and white laser printer instead. Well, it worked in a pinch. Yet truthfully, these lapbooks are designed to be printed on white paper and on color printers. If you only have access to a black and white printer, be forewarned. The result will not be as motivating and attractive.
So, after printing the lapbook I considered how to assign out the work within it. The publisher states that this study can be completed in a month or stretched out further. I opted to try to complete it in about a month. I grabbed a couple of extra related nature study resources to store with the printed pages and the file folders, scissors, glue sticks, colored pencils necessary for the assembly, should my children show special interest in some aspect of this study. I then considered which of my children should complete the study. I have an 8th grader, a 5th grader, and a 2nd grader. Since the publisher states that this study is for 2nd through 7th graders, I decided that my 5th grader would have the primary responsibility for completing the work.
Now, for some reason this lapbook project has not been as motivating as some have in our household. I assume it is the previously-mentioned printing problem. My 5th grader did enjoy cutting and assembling all the individual components within the lapbook, and he did that himself the first day while I ran an afternoon errand. It was only later that his interest waned. Actually answering the questions within the little pockets and fold-outs was not quite as engaging for him. My dyslexic 2nd grader was unable to fill out the lapbook either, as it is simply too overwhelming for her trying to remember how to form her letters. So the actual work of constructing the lapbook has been a supervised project, with help from mom or my 8th grade daughter assisting.
So, as much as I love the idea of lapbooking, the theory behind it, the way it can be motivating to children who are more hands-on in their learning style, the way that children can be creative and then finally read and re-read their work, cementing that information in their brains . . . lapbooks continue to remain a struggle in our household. I do think they are worth setting time aside for, planning for, and even helping children create. Yet if we are able to complete one every nine weeks or so, I congratulate myself. I keep hoping each time that my children will be more interested this time and take more personal responsibility for their own learning. Yet in our school it is still an area in which teacher involvement is necessary to keep the project moving along.
Strengths of this A Journey Through Learning lapbook:
- includes a study guide within the lapbook kit (most of this publisher's lapbook kits do include a study guide)
- material seems interesting as well as accurate
- clear directions for easy lapbook assembly
- corresponding notebooking and copywork kits may be purchased for this, and many other, lapbook kits by this publisher
- many different lapbooks (48 in all!) are currently offered by this publisher, and in different formats (instant download, CD, or printed)
Weaknesses:
- best printed on a color printer rather than a black and white printer
- teacher help is still needed for elementary aged children
This product is available in the following formats:
$13 instant download
$14 CD
$21 printed
Copywork prices and notebooking page sets prices for each product, separately:
$8 instant download
$9 on CD
$12 printed
This company does have free shipping, which is always a great money-saver. For another opinion of this product, go here to see what the rest of the Homeschool Crew has to say.
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Posted by
Sep. 28, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Blessings
Diane