Review: Homeschool in the Woods–HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections (TOS Review) @HSintheWoods #HSReviews #HistoryUnitStudies #HomeschoolHistory

This review came along at such a great time, with the upcoming election this year!  We could have been more thrilled to get a chance to try HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections from Home School in the Woods. 

I honestly do not remember a lot about the election process from when I was in school.  So, I thought this would be a great time to learn myself (as I often do, while homeschooling). 

We received this product as a digital file, it includes all you need to complete the lapbook, as well as a list of additional materials to add in (if you choose) to compound on the study of US Elections.

For this review, we only used the provided reading material (also provided in audio digital format), and the lap book materials.

Many of the activities for the lapbook provided two options; one to fill in the information yourself (or for your child), or one that was already filled in (the one my son always prefers).  I used this with my 9-year-old.  He enjoys making lapbooks, but the excess writing that is sometimes associated with lapbooking really takes the fun out of it for him.  I was grateful for the already filled in options, so that it did not have to be an issue.   This allowed us to be able to focus on the process and learning. This also makes this lapbook adaptable for a wide range of ages!

We used this product an average of 3 days a week, in addition to our regular studies.  It was really easy, and did not add a lot of time to our school day (minutes only, really) to do just one section of the lapbook each day. 

We have not completed the lapbook yet, but will continue working on it.  We both have learned a lot during this unit. 

Each lesson consisted of me reading a section of the provided booklet (or you could listen to the audio portion), while my son cut out the corresponding lapbook materials, pieced them together and then set them to the side.  We collected all materials first, then put the lapbook together.  Though we aren’t finished yet, we did put together what we have done so far, to show for this review. (SEE Below)

For printing the materials, I just put a wide variety of colors (in no apparent order) into the printer and print all of them at one time.  You could use a more precise means of doing this, but for me this was the easiest way. 

I did not have to purchase any special materials for this product, we had everything on hand already, and honestly even if you didn’t have colored folders or paper, it could be done with manila folders and white paper and crayons (markers or pencils).  There is room for flexibility of materials, so do not feel like you have to buy special stuff.  It’s up to you!

We have used Homeschool in the Woods products before (see our Civil War review) and this product was just as great!

Since the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primaries took place during our review of the product, as well as some debates…we kept abreast of those events through News O Matic (a FREE news app for kids). 

Here is what we have done so far!  Can’t wait to finish it!

The downloadable product is available for $18.95 and is recommended for grades 3-8.  My son is 4th grade (age 9). 

There are 21 lapbook projects total in this unit, so at one project a day, this project would take 21 days.  Some projects are quick, meaning you could easily do more than one in a sitting, additional resources added in to extend the lessons.  It is really flexible! 

I highly recommend this project based unit, particularly as we head into this election year!

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