Lapbooking is a subject that has intrigued me since I first became familiar with the term last year. Basically, you take a topic being studied and use lapbooking to incorporate hands-on learning, thereby increasing both learning retention and interest.

In the Hands of a Child describes their Project and Research packs in this manner on their website:

Project and Research Packs give your student hands-on activities that correspond to the lapbook topic. Project Packs contain both the activities and the lesson plan needed to complete the activities. Each Pack requires a file folder that is refolded into a shutter-style. Key points of information from your studies are then added to the folder in the form of reproducible graphics (included) that are miniature books, graphic organizers and other paper projects. They become a collection of your student's knowledge that can be easily stored and available to be reviewed at any time.

They further highlight the fact that these Project Packs help to eliminate much of the planning and investment of time that would be needed to create your own projects, all the while making learning fun! What more could a homeschooling parent need?

While In the Hands of a Child offers materials for all ages and grade levels on more subjects than I could ever detail in this short review, we were provided with a Project Pack to go along with the nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet" (suggested for Grades PK-1). I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that my preschooler had never heard of Little Miss Muffet, but after diving into this Project Pack, it didn't take her much time to learn!

The printed Project Pack is comb-bound and offers a laminated cover for durability. In the Hands of a Child gives permission for a single copy of all written material to be copied, and permission for reproducible graphics to be copied as many times as is needed. This helps to stretch the value of this pack, making it useable for all of the preschoolers in your family--present and future.

In addition to the printed Project Packs, In the Hands of a Child also produces Kit Packs (a Project Pack and the materials needed to create a lapbook), e-books, and CDs. Besides the myriad of topics already available, they will also create a custom project for your specific needs.

Another bonus provided by this wonderful, homeschool-friendly company is a freebie Project Pack e-book (available on their website) to give you an opportunity to try lapbooking with no expense. The free Project Pack changes quarterly, and I would highly recommend taking advantage of the company's generosity to see if lapbooking would fit into your homeschool.

While I appreciated all of the great lesson plans provided in this Project Pack (five days worth), I especially liked the detailed instructions given in the front of the Project Pack. Because I had never created a lapbook before, I needed someone to hold my hand and walk me through the process. This book did just that. I was even provided guidelines for adapting the material to the specific needs of my child, one of the best reasons for homeschooling there is!

A specific list of all needed supplies is provided, as are lesson plans and reproducible graphics and activities. My daughter and I had fun creating everything from a spider craft, to a pocket book, to a mini book. This was a gentle, non-intimidating, and fun way to introduce both of us to lapbooking.

If you are looking for something new to increase learning (and fun!) in your homeschool, I would highly recommend lapbooking. And I would daresay In the Hands of a Child would be a terrific place to turn first.

Product review by Melanie Bunnett, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2007