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Lapbooks

Mini Volcano Book and Label Layers of Earth Mini Book

March 23, 2015 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We are finally getting caught up on our Earth’s Structure lapbook.

So today, I am sharing two more minibooks that go in our latest lapbook.

They are the mini volcano book and label layers of earth mini book.

What is a Volcano

Earth's Layers

Free Homeschool Lapbook – Earth’s Structure

Also, I am using the free Focus on Earth Science textbook

Unit Three: Plate Tectonics and Earth’s Structure and Unit Four: The Shape of Earth’s Surface are the chapters that I hone in on to prepare these minibooks and they are the ones your child will need to focus on when researching to find the answers to the minibooks.

Additionally, like most of my minibooks, I give you some facts that you can add to the minibook or like I mentioned, you can add your own from your research.

The volcano is a simple fold minibook and the label earth’s layer book is an open faced page.

Minibooks/Topics in the Earth Science Lapbook

  • Why Are Beaches Sandy
  • Summer Beaches Versus Winter Beaches
  • What is a Natural Hazard
  • Energy Sources for Natural Hazards
  • Features of Rivers & Streams
  • Plate Tectonics trifold book
  • Earth Structure Lapbook Cover
  • What is a Volcano
  • Earth Layers Book
  • Extreme Winds
Free Earth Science Lapbook & Unit Study Ideas

Next, add some more of these earth science activities.

Earth Science Hands-on Activities

  • Hands-on Geography Wool Earth Craft to Celebrate Earth Day
  • Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts
  • 40 Awesome Earth Science Movies for Kindergarten
  • Celebrate National Vinegar Day With A Hands-on Study of Volcanoes
  • Free Homeschool Volcano Unit Study and Fun Apple Volcano

How to Get the Free Earth Structures Lapbook

Now, how to grab the free printable. It’s a subscriber freebie.

When you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

 1) Sign up on my email list to follow me and get this freebie and many others.
 2) Grab the printable.
3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox as a follower. Glad to have you.

You’ll love these other earth science activities!

  • Erosion Hands-on Easy Homeschool Science Activity
  • EASY Hands-on Earth Science: Fun Water Testing Kit
  • When You Are Afraid of Homeschool Science Gaps

Finally, check out:

Middle School Homeschool Science 50 Free Spring Activities

Free Middle School Science Curriculum and Magazine

Mini Volcano Book and Earth's Layers Mini Book @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

1 CommentFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Lapbooks, Middle School Homeschool, Science Tagged With: hands-on, handsonhomeschooling, middleschool

Middle School Hands-on Science : Extreme Winds + Free Minibook

February 27, 2015 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, in sharing middle school hands-on science: extreme winds, I wanted to kick off our unit study with an easy hands-on activity and to use materials I already had in the house. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

You know I told you we were using a free middle school earth science book.

Too, since I like to always flesh out what Tiny is studying about, I add in enrichment, which of course are our lapbooks or notebooking pages and add in some of my own hands-on activities too.

Wanting to expand more on Tiny’s study of the earth’s structures, we honed in on studying about extreme winds.

Middle School Hands-on Science : Extreme Winds + Free Minibook

Look at this short list of supplies that you probably have around the house too that gives an easy visual about weird weather or extreme winds.

  • shoe box
  • plastic wrap
  • scissors
  • tape
  • 2 short candles if you have a regular shoebox or 2 taller candles if you have a taller shoe box like I had.
  • matches
  • sharp knife (to be used by mom or dad only)

Extreme Winds: Hands-on Activity

Start by gathering the supplies above.

Extreme Winds 1Extreme Winds 2

I had a bigger shoe box, but a smaller shoe box works just as good.  Depending on what kid of shoe box you have, either cut off the front or take off the lid.

If you have a normal size shoe box, turn it long way with the opening facing toward you.

Then cut 3 holes in it.

One hole is on the top (No. 1 on the right picture above) and one hole is on the inside bottom (No. 2 on the right picture above) and you cut them about 1/4 of the way over from the right edge and cut them about 2 inches wide.

You want them big enough for your candle to fit through.

Then cut a hole on the left side (No. 3 on the right picture above) about halfway about and about 2 inches wide as well.

Extreme Winds 3Extreme Winds 4

Next, cover and seal the opening with plastic wrap.

Be sure to tape it real well so no air can escape, but be sure to not cover any of the holes.

Then light one candle and place the box hole on the bottom gently over the top of the lit candle.

*Be sure the flame does not touch anything.

Extreme Winds 5Extreme Winds 6

Light the other candle and move it slowly over to the left side where the hole is.

Get the candle as close as you can to the hole without the flame touching the box.

Middle School Homeschool Science

Look at the picture above right where the flame on the left is already being pulled toward the right or toward the heat that was building up inside the box.

Middle school hands-on science: extreme winds science activity, I wanted to kick off our unit study with an easy hands-on activity and to use materials I already had in the house. We’re using a free middle school earth science book. Add this to the Free Earth Structure Lapbook. #middleschoolhomeschoolscience

What causes the air to move and the wind to blow? The point is to notice the second candle. When it’s lit, the flame is straight up.  But as you place it near the hole, it will move toward the hole.

When the first candle was lit, it heated up the inside. As the air was heated, it rose and of course became light.

When you blow out the second candle, the smoke moves in toward the hole, across the box and out the top. I didn’t put a picture of it because it was harder to capture the smoke, but be sure you watch which way the smoke goes after the candle is out on the left side.

So cooler air is also pulled in.  Just like the sun’s rays heats the earth and water.

Warmer air starts to rise. Because some of the earth’s surface is more heated than others, like over a desert, then some of the air rises faster.

The Santa Ana, shamal and sirocca winds all form over deserts.

Also, look at this mini weather station.

Middle School Science Activities

Look at these various winds and their easy definitions:

  • The Santa Ana winds in southern California are strong, hot winds that blow from the desert to Santa Ana Pass and out into San Pedro Channel beyond Los Angeles.
  • The Shamal winds are summer winds that blow over Iraq and the Persian Gulf.
  • The Sirocco winds are warm winds that blow over the Mediterranean Sea from the Sahara Desert.
  • The Gregale wind is a strong and cold wind that blows from the northeast in the western and central Mediterranean area mostly in winter.
  • Haboob is a strong wind that occurs primarily along the southern edges of the Sahara in Sudan and is associated with large sandstorms and dust storms.
  • Matanuska is a strong, gusty, northeast wind which occasionally occurs during the winter in the vicinity of Palmer, Alaska.

Grab my free minibook on our newest unit study on the earth’s structure.

Middle School Hands-on Science : Extreme Winds + Free Minibook

You’ll love these other posts

  • Middle School Homeschool Science 50 Free Spring Activities
  • 10 Best Science Movies for Middle School
  • Free Middle School Science Curriculum and Magazine
Middle School Hands-on Science : Extreme Winds + Free Minibook

Minibooks/Topics in the Earth Science Lapbook

  • Why Are Beaches Sandy
  • Summer Beaches Versus Winter Beaches
  • What is a Natural Hazard
  • Energy Sources for Natural Hazards
  • Features of Rivers & Streams
  • Plate Tectonics trifold book
  • Earth Structure Lapbook Cover
  • What is a Volcano
  • Earth Layers Book
  • Extreme Winds

How to Get the Free Earth Structures Lapbook

Now, how to grab the free printable. It’s a subscriber freebie.

When you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

► 1) Sign up on my email list to follow me and get this freebie and many others.
► 2) Grab the printable.
►3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox as a follower. Glad to have you.

Middle School Science Hands-on Science Extreme Winds @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus-1

4 CommentsFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Hands-On Activities, Lapbooks, Middle School Homeschool, Science Tagged With: earthscience, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, middle school, middleschool, science

Free 27 Week American History Study through Lapbooking In Chronological Order

February 4, 2015 | 16 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have rounded up 27 free American history lapbooks to keep American history fun, hands-on and covered in chronological order if you choose to cover American History in order too. There are enough lapbooks here to turn this easily into a year long study on American history.

Free 27 Week American History Study through Lapbooking In Chronological Order @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Free 27 Week American History Study through Lapbooking

Some lapbooks have more resources added to them and others less. Some topics have two or three lapbooks, but then again, the topics like the American Revolution and presidents, you could spend two or three weeks on.

American History Lapbooks | Christopher Columbus
American History | Christopher Columbus Lapbook
American History | Colonial America Lapbook
American History | Colonial America Lapbook
American History | Benjamin Franklin Lapbook
American History | George Washington Lapbook
American History | George Washington Lapbook
American History | Kaya an American Girl Lapbook
American History | Revolution Lapbook
American History | American Revolution Lapbook
American History | American Revolution Lapbook
American History | US Constitution
American History | Bill of Rights
American History | Lewis and Clark
American History | Abraham Lincoln Lapbook
American History | Oregon Trail Lapbook
American History | Annie Oakley Lapbook
American History | Pony Express
American History | Civil War Lapbook
American History | Amelia Earhart
American History | FBI Lapbook Study
American History | Titanic Lapbook
American History | World War 1
American History | World War 2
American History | Pearl Harbor
American History | Martin Luther King Jr.
American History | September 11, 2001

Also, you’ll love these other history resources

  • 35 Simple But Powerful American History Homeschool Resources K to 12
  • 100 BEST Hands-on Free Native American Resources
  • 50 Free History Unit Studies–History Lover’s Round Up.

Hugs and love ya,

16 CommentsFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Hands-On Activities, History Resources, Lapbooks Tagged With: american history, hands on history, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, lapbook

What I Learned From a Chicken When Lapbooking

December 1, 2014 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

As soon as I graduated high school and could afford my first reliable car, I drove the 10 hour drive each summer to my Granny’s house in the woods of Mississippi.  My fondest memories are waking up early at her home each morning and watching her tend her beautiful garden and beloved chickens.

What little I knew about chickens, I knew enough to know that they always made their way back to her after they took their time free-range feeding and my Granny made sure her chickens had plenty of space to roam.

Lapbooking reminds me of my Granny’s much loved chickens.  The freedom to roam cage-free without restrictions on what we want to learn and with plenty of time to explore topics we like no matter how random drew us to lapbooks.

The freedom to peck unhindered at various topics and to demonstrate it through lapbooks has still not lost its appeal even though my boys are older.  If anything, I think I have been more undeterred to use our lapbooks as enrichment because of the appeal to visual learners.

My boys did not change their learning style because they got to middle school and high school.  So what I am saying is that I never have hailed to the thinking that lapbooks are for the crafty young sort of type of kid.  You can certainly use it that way, but again the allure for us has always been the choice to study and display what we want to remember about a topic.

Another unexpected advantage was that leaping into lapbooks was the first step in switching my homeschool approach.

At the time, it seemed less daunting to try a lapbook or two than it did to say I was officially adopting a more unit study approach after leaving a strictly classical approach to homeschooling.

Like a lot of new lapbookers though, I made the same newbie mistakes of making my sons cut all the minibooks and coloring every single picture.

Stepping back from lapbooks for a while after I almost hit burnout, it took me time to re-evaluate what we liked the most about lapbooks.  After many years, here are 4 things that make lapbooks keepers in our homeschool journey.

All ages of my children can work on lapbooks.

Part of my foundational homeschool goals when I took Mr. Senior 2013 out of kindergarten was to foster sibling relationships.

It was not only important that he and I have a strong bond, but that he interact with his siblings as we schooled together.  Working on the same theme and sharing tidbits of knowledge to add to each of their lapbooks encourages sharing learning time together.

Importance of family projects and learning.

Another sanity saver change I made was determining ahead of time the number of lapbooks we were going to do.

Because the boys were younger when we started lapbooking, each one still needed my help in putting final touches on their lapbooks.  When we spent more time gluing than learning, I felt some of our actual learning time lagged.

I learned that one jointly shared lapbook did mean less satisfying time for each child.

A joint family project is just as fulfilling, if not more so because each child contributes a meaningful share.  Did I mention the younger child is learning from the information that the older child is contributing and the older child is reviewing basic facts he may have forgotten? Priceless!

Look at my American Civil War lapbook where all my sons contributed different parts.

Mr. Senior 2013 at that time was interested in Morse code and war technology.  Mr. Awesome was interested in war money and then my littlest sweetie was only interested in games.

I added a board game to the lapbook for him also.  As the teacher, part of my goals were to be sure my sons knew who the key players were in the American Civil War.  We added the section Famous Leaders of the Civil War to satisfy my goals.

We were able to add tidbits of information that sparked the love of learning for each son and satisfy my teacher requirements and compile it into a timeless family treasure.

Lapbooks Fullfilling Family Projects

It doesn’t mean we haven’t prepared a lapbook for each child, we do many times.  The rainforest was one unit study and lapbook that my sons absolutely were not going to share.

It does mean that lapbooks are a tool to wield in your family for the way your children need them.

When you have limits on your time or even feel you are lack luster in energy, then unknowingly a joint family project can be just as a satisfying.

Captivating hands-on tool.

Because I never felt like the bomb-mom when it came to hands-on activities, I knew that lapboooks could always make up the spine of our hands-on learning.

No matter the age of a learner, the lure of minibooks and folds still draws in any age learner.

Freedom to roam caged-free.

I just couldn’t help but share this main reason again with you about what we are passionate about lapbooks because it is so utterly inspiring for me and my boys.

From a deep down place of no holes barred learning is where I try to draw from each time we prepare a new lapbook.  I am real too.  So no, not every time do I feel as inspired, but then again, I remind myself of how learning is unbridled and I get giddy all over again to try another one.

The freedom to choose not only what we want to learn but for your child to relive that information as he comes back time and time again through the years to interact with his timepiece is a satisfaction that is hard for me to explain with mere words.
It may sound a bit dramatic (yes I have an edgy dramatic side) but I can’t imagine homeschooling without lapbooking.

Though my grandmother has been passed for a while now, I have never looked at the humble chicken quite the same each time we lapbook.

What about you? Do you lapbook? What are you favorite topics to lapbook about?

Hugs and love ya,

2012Tinasignature Winter Craft Ideas for Middle School

Beware of the 3 C’s of Lapbooking

What is a Lapbook? Video

Lapbooking Resources

Easy Hands on Homeschooling Ideas When You’re Not the Bomb Mom

5 Signs That You Need to Switch Your Homeschool Approach

Check out my chapter on lapbooking in the Big Book of Homeschool Ideas!

It is 562 pages of sweet homeschool goodness!!

Do you want some other creative ways to homeschool? Grab this Big Book of Homeschool Ideas. You’ll Love It!!

The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas by iHomeschool Network

What I Learned From a Chicken When Lapbooking

 

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Lapbook, Lapbooks Tagged With: lapbook

Oceans Lapbook Starter

July 11, 2014 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Sharing the oceans lapbook starter today for my Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook,

So we were able to get a bit of school done this week and I was also able to create minibook four today, which is How Low Can You Go. 

Tiny was reading to me the other day about how deep the ocean is and we were trying to picture how far a diver could go.  This next easy minibook gives a visual example of the depth of a diver and also of submarines.

With a little bit of supervised research on google, your child should be able to arrange the pictures or clip art in order from the top of the page or sea level to the bottom of the page or the deepest. 

Then glue the pictures on the page.

Too,  we have started to arrange minibooks 1 – 4 on the file folder.  Above is the beginning layout or lapbook starter of where we have decided to place the minibooks so far. 

Too, when we place them, we try to arrange them so that we have as much room as possible for the rest of the minibooks.

I have some notebooking pages coming up too because this a big unit and I think it needs a bit more research by Tiny.

Are you following along or are you breaking right now for summer? If you are, then you can save this unit for when you start back to school.

Other Ocean Unit Study Resources:

  • Super Easy and Fun Aquarium Jar Craft For Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers
  • Fun Making Ocean Layers Soap | Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers
  • Beware of Ocean Pollution: Fun Science Activity for Kids

HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE OCEAN LAPBOOK

It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access my subscribers library.

However, not all of my freebies are in the library (wink).

I like to keep up to date with what is valuable to you so I can give you more, some freebies you must sign up again on the form below even if you are already a follower.

It’s the only way I have of freely delivering them to you. Just follow the steps below.

Free Ocean Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas

► 1) Sign up on my list.
► 2) Go to your inbox and confirm your email from the automatic reply I sent you.
►3) Last, look for my reply AFTER you confirm your email.

3 CommentsFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Geography Based, Lapbooks, Science Based Tagged With: lapbook, ocean

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