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Since it is an election year, I wanted to do something about the election process with my kids. I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to review the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak from Home School in the Woods. I knew it would be a fun hands-on history study, and it certainly has been.
So, you may be wondering about Home School in the Woods. Homeschool in the Woods has many hands-on history materials for families to choose from. We started their Project Passport: Ancient Greece studies in the spring and fell in love with their products.
I am excited to share with you our experience with the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak. It may be just what your family is looking for.
What is the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak
The U.S. Elections Lap-Pak is a hands-on study of the United States’ election process for grades 3-8. Kids learn a little about the different types of government and work into learning the whole process to becoming an elected official.
I know you may be thinking, ”Ooo, how exciting? Not.”
Well, I have to say the hands-on projects really make a difference.
Let me tell you HOW we used it in our homeschool and SHOW you what I mean.
Hands-On History Fun
So, can learning about the election process be fun?!
Yes!
My kids are in 6th and 8th grade and are enjoying it a lot! Considering one is a teenager, and she is enjoying it, that says a lot.
Since we homeschool year-round, it was easy to incorporate the election studies into our summer schedule. We have been working on this lap-pak three days a week. We tried to do two projects each day. In a few days, we only completed one project. We have almost completed all 21 projects.
Learning the Information
Now, kids have a couple of options to learn information about the election process. Kids can read the material (or mom or dad read it) or listen to the audio recording. We did a combination of both. Sometimes I read the material for the day, and sometimes we listened to the audio. The kids used the printed booklet to help complete their assignments.
I found the audio good quality, and the kids didn’t mind listening to the recording. Some days I didn’t feel like bringing up the audio, so I read it.
The Hands-On History Projects
After the kids listened to the information for the day, we’d discuss the material and work on the projects. The projects are so much fun. My kids loved putting them together.
One really nice thing about the projects is they can be customized depending on your child’s age and abilities. You are given the choice, quite often, to either print out the information or print blank copies for your kids fill in for themselves. Here is an example.
I had the choice to print the information for my kids or have them fill it in. For this project, I did print it out for them. Other times, my kids filled in the information, as in the project below.
The projects are a great way to reinforce the information. I can’t wait to assemble the whole lap-pak. It is going to make such a great reference tool.
Our Thoughts on this Elections Lap-Pak
As I’m sure you can tell, we enjoyed this unit study. I feel the information is just right for this age group (3rd-8th grade). Here are the things we like.
- Hands-On Learning
- Good projects to reinforce learning
- The information wasn’t overly complicated.
- Audio recordings
- Step-by-step project directions with illustrations and pictures
- A fun way to learn about elections
- Multiple ages can work on it at the same time
- You can customize projects by age and abilities
Things to Consider
Since we have used Home School in the Woods before, I knew the activities and products take some time to set up. The company does a wonderful job giving instructions and pictures of how to assemble everything. However, it does take time, and younger kids may need assistance with it.
Another thing to be aware of is if you have a child that doesn’t like to do craft projects, they may not find this appealing. It is a lot of cutting, coloring, and assembling things. For us, this was a plus, but for some kids, this may not be.
For our family, this hands-on history study of the U.S. Elections was a great fit for us. My kids have learned a lot and have had fun doing it.
Find out what other families thought of this election lap-pak and other products by Home School in the Woods by clicking the banner below. You will find other great reviews.
Happy Homeschooling!
