Makin' Money

I don't know if I'll be able to keep it long term, but my goal is to keep the drudgery out of school work as much as possible this year.  Of course Math is Math and is not very fun, and there are other subjects that we just have to buckle down and do.  History and science, however, offer a little more freedom, and I am taking advantage of this as much as possible.

This is where our nifty new lapbooks come in!  It takes a lot more planning on my part than just following a textbook would, but it really is worth it in learning payoff.  My boys are eagerly listening to all the information I give them, recording new facts in their books without complaint, and they know that something fun is coming at the end of the lesson.

Our History study for the first nine weeks of school is Ancient China.  I found my lapbook inspiration here.  There was a great list of books to accompany it, most of which I ordered from Amazon, because I wasn't on the best of terms with the local library.  After the library came groveling for my forgiveness I paid my fine, I found some more great supplementary books there.  Also, much to my delight for those uninspired days which I know are looming in my future, Netflix has a whole host of documentaries about the Great Wall, Terra Cotta Warriors, etc. on their instant streaming list right now!

The best thing about lapbooks for my crafty little family is the opportunity they provide to make and do.  Our first craft with this book, besides assembling our actual book, was making replica coins.  We started with sculpey clay and a couple of pictures from our books by which to work.

After they baked and cooled, we hit them with a coat of metallic spray paint I had on hand from some other long abandoned and forgotten craft project, and voila! Authentic looking ancient moolah!

I love seeing how excited the boys are about school each day, wondering what we will learn and do.  Even more, I love how excited they are to share their new knowledge and their handiwork with anyone who will listen! Here's to hoping this awesomeness can last!