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Free France Lapbook for Kids Who Love Hands-on History

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Fill this free France lapbook with my printables or add some your child created. Too, on my Homeschool Lapbooks – Powerful Tools For Mastery Learning page you can find more free homeschool lapbooks.

Because France is a country with fascinating history, beautiful castles, famous landmarks and delicious food, it makes for a fun unit study too. Also, look at my page Free Quick France Unit Study and Make Easy French Bread to use this lapbook and free France unit study for a whole study project.

Free France Lapbook for Kids Who Love Hands-on History

France is one of the countries that make up Europe and has coastlines along the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Studying France gives kids a chance to see how people in another country live

Also, add some of these fun books and resources.

BOOKS & RESOURCES ABOUT FRANCE FOR KIDS

We prefer living books when we find them. But add one or two to your day for a read aloud.

Books and Resources for Studying About France

Add some of these books and resources to your unit study about France or the French Empire.

In addition, France has a long and fascinating history.

Kids can explore important periods and events, including medieval France, the French Revolution, and the reign of famous kings and queens.

And include famous landmarks, French art, discover French food and learns some French alongside the free French lapbook.

MORE ACTIVITIES ABOUT THE COUNTRY OF FRANCE

Free France Lapbook for Kids Who Love Hands-on History

Additionally, look at these other lapbooks about countries.

FREE COUNTRY LAPBOOKS FOR KIDS

Last, look the minibooks included in this free download.

FREE FRANCE LAPBOOK MINIBOOKS

  • Discover France Where is France
  • Let’s learn French
  • French Fashion
  • Famous French People
  • Fun Facts About France
  • Famous Places

Now, how to grab the freebie.

It’s a subscriber freebie.

HOW TO GET THE FREE FRANCE LAPBOOK

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

How to Make a Coat of Arms Activity & Free Printables (Middle Ages History)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We’re learning how to make a coat of arms activity and I have some free printables at the end of the post. Also, look at my 4 Week Free Middle Ages Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas for more activities.

I’m extremely fascinated by the Middle Ages. I know that the reality of that time was far less romantic than novels and films make it seem, but the castles and the jousting tournaments and the costumes are just wonderful to think of.

How to Make a Coat of Arms Activity & Free Printables (Middle Ages History)

In those years (and in the years since), royal and noble families have had a coat of arms to show what they’ve accomplished in their history.

And, while the coat of arms is often associated with Medieval Europe, it’s actually been used all over the world – from China to Senegal.

To learn more about how these designs were used and passed down through families, we decided to make our own coat of arms! See how you can do the same for a hands-on history lesson!

BOOKS FOR KIDS ABOUT THE MEDIEVAL AGES

Next, add some living books to this hands-on history craft.

9 Medieval History Books & Resources For Kids Who Love Reading and Being Read To

Add a few of these books to your Middle Ages or Medieval unit study.

Hands-On History: Make a Coat of Arms

A coat of arms is a special design made for a distinguished person or family. The design varies, depending on the family’s (or person’s) accomplishments, titles, and positions.

Each part of the coat of arms actually has a name.

The top third is called the “field” and the bottom two-thirds is called the “escutcheon”, which is actually a small shield within the larger shield.

How to Make a Coat of Arms Activity & Free Printables (Middle Ages History)

Everything on a coat of arms is significant and meaningful. The colors, symbols, choice of animals, patterns, and designs can all denote something different.

The design of a coat of arms can vary greatly, according to family or country. For example, this is the coat of arms of the country of Botswana.

Coat of arms of Botswana

Now compare that one to this one that belongs to the Duke of Westminster.

Coat of Arms of the Duke of Westminster without Order of Garter

There’s a lot going on there, right?

For our coat of arms, we went with a much, much simpler design, but it incorporates some of the significant colors, symbols, and patterns we read about.

To do the activity yourself, you’ll need the following:

  • Printer paper
  • Cardstock
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Blank coat of arms printable (add your email at the bottom and get the freebies instantly)
  • Coat of arms animal symbols printable
  • Mirror facing coat of arms animal symbols printable
Simple Coat of Arms Activity

Start by printing out the coat of arms and the animal symbols.

Coat of Arms Printable Craft

I didn’t have white cardstock, so I printed ours on a white piece of printer paper and then glued it on the grey cardstock we had. Then we cut it out.

If you have white cardstock, you can skip that step and just print the coat of arms directly on that.

Making a Coat of Arms

Now, it’s time to choose your animal symbols! I only included four in this printable, but there are truly scores of different animals that have been used on coats of arms through the years. And they all have a different meaning.

The animals in the printable mean the following:

  • Griffin – means valor & bravery
  • Pegasus – means poetic genius (as an English major, I had to include that one)
  • Horse – means ready for battle
  • Bird – means peace & affection
Creating a Coat of Arms

Then it was time to choose our coat of arms colors! As we learned, blue means truth & loyalty, so we colored the “field” blue.

Choosing Animals for a Coat of Arms

Then we added our animals.

Choosing Colors for a Coat of Arms

And we surrounded them with orange, which means “worthy ambition & work”. Also because it looked cool.

DIY Coat of Arms Craft

Finally, we learned that furs denoted nobility, so you could add a fur-like pattern to your coat of arms to show that you were of the upper class of society.

One of those fur patterns was white with black spots – like a Dalmatian. We went with that.

As I kept looking at it, though, it just didn’t look right. Then it hit me! The animals are supposed to be facing each other!

Finished Coat of Arms Craft

Ahhhh….that’s better!

Be sure to print both pages of the animal symbols so that you can choose two animals that will face one another on the coat of arms.

This was so neat to do! We didn’t know that the coat of arms was so full of meaning, so this was a great hands-on lesson to learn about that.

Looking for an easy hands-on middles ages history activity? Your kids will love making their own coat of arms. Scoot by and download the activity at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus!

The printables are subscriber freebies.

HOW TO GET THE FREE BLANK COAT OF ARMS, ANIMAL SYMBOLS & MIRROR FACING ANIMAL SYMBOLS PRINTABLES

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Check out these other hands-on history projects kids can do!

Written by Selena at Look! We’re Learning!

How to Make a Hanging Banner & 9 More Knight Crafts

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Knight crafts are a creative way to explore the medieval world of heroes and what it took to become one. Also, look at my 4 Week Free Middle Ages Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas for more activities.

If your homeschool has been deep in a knights-and-castles unit lately, you know how quickly the craft ideas pile up. We started with a simple hanging banner project.

How to Make a Hanging Banner & 9 More Knight Crafts

And it ended up being one of my favorite things we’ve made all year, both because it turned out beautifully and because it gave my son a chance to think about who he is, not just what knights were.

To give the crafts more meaning, we spent some time talking about who knights actually were, since the pop-culture version (shining armor, dragons, damsels) is only loosely connected to the history.

BOOKS FOR KIDS ABOUT THE MEDIEVAL AGES

Next, add some living books to this hands-on history craft.

9 Medieval History Books & Resources For Kids Who Love Reading and Being Read To

Add a few of these books to your Middle Ages or Medieval unit study.

Then, learn about knighthood.

QUICK GLANCE AT KNIGHTHOOD IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE

Knighthood grew out of medieval Europe, roughly the 9th through 16th centuries, as feudal societies needed mounted, armored warriors who owed loyalty to a lord in exchange for land.

Becoming a knight was a process, not just a title.

Boys often started as pages around age 7, became squires in their early teens serving an existing knight, and were finally knighted (often by being tapped on the shoulders with a sword, the “accolade”) in their late teens or twenties.

Knights were expected to follow a code of chivalry- ideals like courage, loyalty, honesty, and protecting the weak- though how well any individual knight lived up to that varied a lot, just like any code of ethics.

Armor evolved a lot over the centuries, from chainmail to the full plate armor most people picture, and it was expensive, which meant knighthood was tied closely to wealth and social class.

How to Make a Hanging Banner & 9 More Knight Crafts

The Knights Templar, which inspired one section of our banner, were a real military-religious order founded in the early 1100s to protect Christian pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem.

Their symbol was a red cross, which is why that’s such a recognizable “knight” image even today.

Tournaments (jousting, sword fighting) weren’t just entertainment; they were how knights trained and kept their combat skills sharp during peacetime.

This is a great time to introduce the idea that “history” and “legend” often blend; a lot of what we picture as knights (dragons, wizards, damsels in towers) comes from medieval and later storytelling, not documented history.

Below, I’m sharing how we made our banner, a little bit of the knight history we covered alongside it, and some movie and show recommendations to round out your unit.

KNIGHT RESOURCES

Add some fun books, movies, figurines and other items to help bring your knight unit to life.

Then look at these other crafts about knights.

MORE KNIGHT CRAFTS

  1. How to Make a Knight Templar Helmet for Fun Medieval Times Crafts
  2. Knight Costume from Made Cardboard Amazon Prime Boxes – Sugar Bee Crafts
  3. Knight’s Armor Engraving Craft
  4. Fairy Tale Castles Art Project | Deep Space Sparkle
  5. DIY Knight Costume for under $20! – Sweet Anne Designs
  6. Color Your World: Fun and Easy Dragon Stained Glass Project
  7. Easy Dollar Tree Cake Pan Knight Shield Craft
  8. DIY Dragon Eggs
  9. 5 Usborne Knights And Castles Books | How To Make A Medieval Toilet Roll Castle

Finally, look at how to make this cool hanging knight banner.

HOW TO MAKE A HANGING KNIGHT BANNER

You will need:

  • A canvas banner (ours came from Hobby Lobby)
  • Paint pens
  • A pencil for sketching guidelines first
  • A ruler or yardstick (optional, for dividing the banner evenly)
How to Make a Hanging Banner & 9 More Knight Crafts

First, divide the banner into four sections.

Using a pencil, lightly mark the banner into quarters.

This gives you a simple grid to work within so the design doesn’t feel overwhelming, and it’s an easy way to fit several symbols onto one banner without it looking cluttered.

How to Make a Hanging Banner & 9 More Knight Crafts

Allow your child to choose their symbols; this is the part that made the project special.

Instead of a generic “knight” design, we picked four images that were specifically about my son:

  • A dragon wing (he’s obsessed with dragons)
  • His initial
  • A sword (for courage/knighthood)
  • A Knights Templar cross (tied into what we were learning about medieval knighthood)

Sketch each design lightly in pencil inside its section before committing to paint pen. This lets you fix proportions or placement without any mess.

How to Make a Hanging Banner & 9 More Knight Crafts

Trace and fill in with paint pens.

Paint pens are great for this age/skill level because they give clean lines without the drips or bleed-through you’d get with regular paint and a brush.

Go back over your dividing lines with a paint pen to give the sections more emphasis. Allow the paint to dry before hanging.

How to Make a Hanging Banner & 9 More Knight Crafts

The banner I bought from Hobby Lobby did not come with anything to hang it.

How to Make a Hanging Banner & 9 More Knight Crafts

So, I added ribbon loops through the holes and ran a large dowel rod through them, securing with hot glue.

Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Horse anatomy for kids is wonderful for the horse-crazy learner, and hoof anatomy is one of the most satisfying topics to dig into. Also, look at my page Free Horse Unit Study for Your Horse Loving Kids.

A hoof looks like a solid block from the outside, but it’s actually built in layers, each with its own job, like protecting bone, absorbing shock, and helping a 1,000-pound animal move quietly across almost any terrain.

Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

This felt hoof craft turns those hidden layers into something kids can see, touch, and stack together with their own hands.

Horses are prey animals built for speed, and everything about the hoof supports that.

It’s often summed up as “no hoof, no horse”, a phrase farriers and vets use because a horse’s whole body depends on healthy feet.

Making a model helps kids grasp why each layer exists instead of just memorizing these labels.

BOOKS ABOUT HORSES FOR KIDS

Also, look at some of these books about horses for kids.

9 Books and Resources for Horse Loving Kids

Whether you add a book or two to use as a spine for your study or just for fun, your horse loving kids will enjoy them.

Before we get to the craft, let’s look at some facts and get some more horse themed ideas to round out a fun, interest-based unit.

HORSE ANATOMY & LEARNING ACTIVITIES

ABOUT HORSE HOOF LAYERS

  • Hoof wall- The hard, curved outer shell, made of the same material as our fingernails (keratin). It extends from the coronary band and bears most of the horse’s weight.
  • Coronary band- The soft band right where hair meets hoof, where new hoof wall constantly grows from, similar to the base of a human nail.
  • White line- A thin, pale ring on the underside where the wall meets the sole. It’s a helpful landmark farriers use when trimming or shoeing.
  • Sole- The slightly curved underside of the hoof. It protects the sensitive inner structures but isn’t meant to bear much weight on its own.
  • Frog- The soft, V-shaped rubbery pad in the center of the underside. It helps the hoof grip the ground and cushions each step.
  • Digital cushion- A springy pad tucked inside, above the frog, that absorbs shock every time the hoof hits the ground.
Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

This felt hoof layers craft is a perfect craft to learn the structure packed into one foot.

FELT HOOF LAYERS CRAFT

You can go as simple or as detailed as you like on this depending on your child’s age and ability.

They can just the labels for wall, white line, sole, and frog, or go deeper and have them create and label the toe, bulb, heel, digital cushion, collateral groove, central sulcus, etc.

You will need:

  • Felt sheets in several colors – black, cream, white, pink, brown, tan
  • Scissors
  • Fabric glue or a hot glue gun 
  • A pencil and paper to sketch a hoof outline
Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

Sketch and cut the base shape. Draw a rounded, slightly oval hoof outline (view from underneath) about the size of your child’s palm out of black felt. Cut this shape from the felt; this becomes the hoof wall layer.

Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

Add the white line. Cut a thin ring of white slightly smaller than the wall shape and lay it inside the wall’s edge, so a sliver of it peeks out all around.

Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

Layer the sole. Cut a cream-colored oval, a bit smaller than the white line ring, lay it on top,  leaving the white line visible around the edge.

Cut the frog. Using pink or gray felt, cut a “V” or wedge shape and glue it in the center-back of the sole, pointing toward the front of the hoof.

Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

Get all your pieces ready to assemble.

Glue each layer together if you wish; I prefer to leave it loose so it can be built and rebuilt over and over.

Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

Label it. Have kids write the name of each part on a small paper flag or sticky note, turning the finished craft into a working diagram.

Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

While it is optional, it is fun to add a piece to the horse’s leg using a brown piece of felt to give the impression that you are a farrier standing behind the horse, lifting its foot up toward you.

Horse Anatomy For Kids: How to Make Hoof Layers Craft

I also really like to present these activities on a nice tray with a supporting book, images, models, etc.

Free Isaac Newton Lapbook for Kids Who Love Hands-on Science

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I have a free Isaac Newton lapbook. Also, look at my pages Homeschool Lapbooks – Powerful Tools For Mastery Learning for more lapbook ideas.

Learning about Newton is a wonderful way for kids to discover how curiosity and observation can lead to amazing discoveries. Creating an Isaac Newton lapbook gives kids a fun, hands-on way to organize everything they have learned.

Free Isaac Newton Lapbook for Kids Who Love Hands-on Science

Isaac Newton was an English mathematician and scientist who lived during the 1600s and 1700s. He made important discoveries in several areas, including physics, mathematics, astronomy, and light.

Studying Newton encourages kids to look at ordinary things and wonder why they happen.

After learning about Isaac Newton, a lapbook is a fantastic way for kids to put their knowledge together.

BOOKS ABOUT ISAAC NEWTON FOR KIDS

Too, we love living books when we can find them to add to our reading day and in preparing our lapbooks.

Grab one or two of these for reading or to use as a spine or main text in your study.

7 Books For Kids Who Love Learning About Sir Isaac Newton

He was one of the most important scientists of his times. Your children will love adding some of these books to their reading day.

Then, we love hands-on activities to use along with creating the Isaac Newton lapbook.

Look at some of these to add to your day.

ISAAC NEWTON HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Free Isaac Newton Lapbook for Kids Who Love Hands-on Science. I have a free Isaac Newton lapbook. Also, look at my pages Homeschool Lapbooks – Powerful Tools For Mastery Learning for more lapbook ideas. Learning about Newton is a wonderful way for kids to discover how curiosity and observation can lead to amazing discoveries. Creating an Isaac Newton lapbook gives kids a fun, hands-on way to organize everything they have learned.

Then, look at the minibooks included in this lapbook about Sir Isaac Newton.

MINIBOOKS INCLUDED IN THE ISAAC NEWTON LAPBOOK

  • Who is Newton
  • Think like Newton
  • His Discoveries
  • Did You Know
  • Newtons 3 Laws of Motion

Now, how to grab the freebie.

It’s a subscriber freebie.

HOW TO GET THE FREE ISAAC NEWTON LAPBOOK

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me.