U.S. Elections Lap-Pak REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Whether you are a lap book person or not, you may want to check out the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak (grades 3-8) from Home School in the Woods.  We have reviewed several of their lap books in the past and have loved every one of them.  This curriculum can easily be used as a stand-alone or as a supplemental project.  I received a free copy of this downloadable product.  You will need internet access for the download as well as a printer to print out the projects and instructions.  Other supplies needed are your general school supplies such as colored pencils, crayons, markers, glue, scissors, etc.  You may also prefer double-sided tape for some of the projects.

When you download the zip file you will need to fully extract the folder to have access to the curriculum which is viewed and printed through the free Adobe Reader program.  I was really excited and impressed to use the "audio file" feature which I have not had before in any of their products.  There are audio files as part of the lessons and I really like that Little Bug can listen to them as we work on the individual projects that will eventually compile her lap book.

Audio files included in your download

Sample complete lap book (NOT our lap book)

A few of Little Bug's completed projects

The curriculum has a suggested grade level of 3-8 and I think this is pretty accurate.  Little Bug is in 2nd grade and she is enjoying it tremendously but a few of the projects have been a little more in-depth for her.  She has been apprehensive about a few but once we get it going and she completes it she is so proud of her accomplishments!  We are trying to complete a project a week (there are 21 included in this packet).  As we work on the project (they are really quite simple and easy to complete), we spend more time learning about the specific topic, including reading additional material we find online (our local library is open, but the Covid cases in our area are on the increase so we try to keep home as much as possible).

She is so excited to be learning about the election process.  She really is getting it and she just loves learning about our president and how elections work and what government is all about.  Some topics covered include:

• Definition of election
• Different forms of government
• The three branches of government
• Suffrage and voting
• Who do we vote for?
• Terms of office
• Political parties
• Caucuses and Primaries
• National conventions
• Presidential campaigns
• Statistics
• Election Day
• Electoral College
• Inauguration day

I love the Charlotte Mason flair to this wonderful hands-on history curriculum.  The timing of this couldn't be better!  With elections just around the corner, I love that she will have a better idea of what is going on.  Big brother is close to voting age so this has been a great refresher for him to when he chooses to listen to what she is learning.

As I stated there are 21 individual "projects" to be completed that will eventually all be compiled together into a nice, neat little lap book.  I just love lap books because they are fun to make, simple, concise, take up little space, and are packed with information that your littles generally remember better because of how they put it together.

Lots of great information included

Looks a little daunting to you? Not at all! There are step-by-step instructions included that walk you through the entire process. They even instruct you on what type and color of paper to print on. It really couldn't be any easier unless you purchased pre-printed and cut out material, but what fun would that be?!

Very detailed step by step instructions

Little Bug said she is having fun and we give this wonderful U.S. Elections Lap-Pak two thumbs up!  You can connect with Home School in the Woods on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST.  Be sure to also check out my fellow Crew members' reviews, especially since we reviewed different products.  Click on the graphic link below to read the other reviews.  You can also learn more about the Elections Lap-Pak on their blog post.

And last but not least, please be sure to take advantage of the FREE PRODUCT, Greek Life! File Folder Game.  Use the coupon code TOSGameNight at the checkout through the month of August!  Enjoy!

Middle Ages World History Study REVIEW

I was so excited to get the opportunity to review HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study: Middle Ages by Home School in the Woods.  I had looked at this curriculum in the past and thought it would be interesting to work through. We received a downloadable copy of the program and it was very easy to download and use. Once unzipped the program loads all the necessary files you need that are accessed via your web browser.
This series of studies currently has four time periods (Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, The Middle Ages, and Renaissance and Reformation) with a fifth one on the way.  Ancient Greeece is the newest study with Ancient Rome scheduled to be available in 2018. The study is available as a downloadable file or on a CD.

The series is recommended for grades 3 - 8 and could be completed in as little at 5 weeks but that would be a pretty intense schedule.  The publisher recommends an 8 - 12 week time schedule.  The Middle Ages study consists of 25 "stops" that would each be considered a lesson.  You could complete a lesson or "stop" per day but as I mentioned, that would be pretty intense.  The stops are not all the same length and some are longer than others.  The first two stops are pretty intense as far as time goes since you are basically "setting up" your curriculum.  I had planned on completing 3 lessons per week but have found that 2 works better for us.  My son is not a strong writer and dislikes it very much. I had hoped that with all the hands on activities he might be more engaged but it has proven a slight challenge. The variety and depth of material is wonderful!  There are lots of hands on activities that include:

• cutting and pasting or taping
• coloring
• assembling a timeline and post card rack (paper project)
• building with sugar cubes
• creating a newspaper
• cooking
• and many more

Binder created to store lesson plans

Scrapbook of Sights binder

Each stop has a 2-3 page Guide Book Text that gives you the lesson story for the day.  There is also a Travel Itinerary which provides the instruction for what needs to be done for the day's lesson that includes projects. As stated before, this is all very hands on and does a great job at engaging the student through assembly of projects, coloring, and even cooking. The activities included in each lesson vary and you do not have to complete every activity in a lesson.  It allows for variation and customization for your particular circumstance.  

Assembled Luggage Folder

The flexibility and ability to use this with multiple ages at the same time make this a perfect fit for multiple age households. I liked it because even though my son detests writing, we can still learn a lot from this curriculum.

Assembling the passport

As I stated before, stops 1 and 2 take a little longer because you are basically setting up the framework for the study.  You will do quite a bit of printing to  create:

• Scrapbook of Sights
• Moment in History Timeline
• Passport
• Luggage Folder
• Medieval Times Newspaper
• Post Card holder and postcards

Finished passport

Everything you need is in the program with links to print all the pages.  The Travel Itinerary gives you instructions on what type of paper to print on and what needs to be done for each project. It is user friendly and the instructions are clear. You will need some extra items like notebook binders, glue stick, colored pencils or markers, laminating pages, colored card stock paper, colored paper, and hole puncher.  I think that if you are on a tight budget you can certainly improvise in many areas.

We like this curriculum because of its flexibility and ability to learn through short lessons and hands on activities. I really like the timeline that we chose to create in an accordion style so it lays out flat in one long page.  There are also instructions to just hole punch the pages and put them in a binder. The art and craft type projects really engage the student and help to create variety in each lesson.  I would recommend this study especially if you like unit type studies and hands on craft projects. I think the children learn better and retain more when they are more involved and are able to be fully engaged in the projects that are present in this study.

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Check out some of the other reveiws on the different studies available