Fourth of July Lapbook~A Journey Through Learning

My oldest daughter Lora, loves lapbooks.  She enjoys the cutting and gluing and coloring.  However, her favorite part of lapbooking is the information she learns. 

She started this lapbook back in July with another homeschool friend while she was visiting there.  However, this week she started back on it and finished it. 

The Fourth of July lapbook included a study guide.  She would read a page and then write the information on the mini books of the lapbook.  This covered the history of the Fourth, bits of information about several of the relating documents, and many more aspects.

We put our lapbooks together differently then some.  We don’t use file folders.  We glue each minibook onto cardstock.

We lay out each mini book on pieces of card stock to see how they are best arranged.  This makes lapbooks a great problem solving activity.

Then she starts gluing the mini books onto the cardstock. 

Laying out the mini books on the cardstock

For now we just use glue sticks to glue our projects together.

We use both front and back on each sheet of cardstock.

Fronts of the three pieces of cardstock

Backs of the three pieces of cardstock.

We then use my comb binder to punch the holes to comb bind them.  Now, you will need to make sure you don’t attach your mini books to close to the edge of the paper, so they don’t get punched. 

If you are able to predict how much cardstock you will need, you could put the book together and then add the mini books.  However, you also risk the extra bits of glue on things sticking the pages together.

Front of the book with comb binding on the left.

Next two pages.

Last two pages.  If it works out just right, you can use the back of the last page as your cover.  If it doesn’t you will want to add a cover. 

Why do I use my comb binder instead of a file folder? 

• The pages turn easier
• They are easier to store
• I can write the name of the lapbook on the binding, making it easier to find
• In my rural community, I can’t purchase file folders locally, but am able to find card stock
• If you are able to find the combs on sale, and have a binder, it is cheaper.

I am planning to do a few preschool pages with my two and three year olds.  When I do them, the copy or tracing pages and other write on type, will be laminated so they can use dry erase crayon on them, making them reusable.

Though, I have been given AJTL products to review, this product I actually purchased.  I can’t recommend their products enough.  Our family has a whole list that we would like to do.

Related posts:

1. First Glance Review for A Journey Through Learning’s TruthQuest Binder Builder We have been using TruthQuest History for two full years...
2. How to Make an Obedience Lapbook By now, many of you know that I like to...
3. Joining the A Journey Through Learning Team I have a job, a real paying job!  The best...
4. Organizational Week~Getting the Homeschool Ready We all have them, days when we walk through the...
5. Our Honey Bee Lapbook Our first spring lapbook was about Honey Bees. My oldest,...