Lapbooking Made Simple

thebusymom.com

Lapbooking Made Simple by Heidi St. John has changed the way I do homeschooling. Heidi St. John has changed the way I view homeschooling in general. Her blog “The Busy Mom” has really been an inspiration to me. She is a Christian homeschool mom, who has written several books, teaches conferences and ministers to families. I have also subscribed to her on Facebook, and her daily insight to being a mom and wife has been a blessing to me.


Lapbooking is something that I am just learning about. Apparently homeschoolers have been doing this for quite some time. The process takes your learning material; turns it into hands on, visual, interactive pieces. Have you seen the science fair boards? They are mini versions of those that will fit in your lap; hence the name, lapbook.


In this book you will be introduced to the topic of lapbooking. She gives helpful hints on where to begin. The different elements are explained and visuals are given. The difference between notebooking and lapbooking is gone over. Heidi also gives you mini-book templates. This step by step book will get you hooked on the process and excited too.


We have started using lapbooks in our homeschool process. I can already see the children are learning even more than they would be if we just read the material and had questions to answer. This is all happening without prompting. They have dug much deeper into the subject matter, used their creative processes, design and even taking care in their handwriting. The last is something I couldn’t get them to do EVER. I am so glad that I have been introduced to this method. I hope this can be a help to your family too.

Power to the Group!

Just thinking of the power behind a group compared to what I can do by myself. Glad to be a part of Big Level Baptist Church, they are such an encouragement to me.  It's awesome to gather with a group of believers. The Lord knew what he was doing when He placed me in this area. Included in this bigger group, is a smaller Women’s Group. We have been able to collectively put together a huge number of shoeboxes, do outreach in the community and within our own church. I could never do these things myself but together we have achieved many things for God.  

Also within my church family we have come together as Women once again, to meet for a Bible Study. I certainly would not have been able to purchase the DVD’s of Beth Moore on my own, but as a group we are growing in the Lord. There are many other groups that come up under the church family I am grateful for such as; Sunday School, training union, activities for my children, the list goes on.

I am also thankful to be a part of a fairly new group called Changing Lives Mom’s Group. This is a group for Mom’s to get together, let our children play and learn, as well as have fellowship with other Mom’s. We have had  seminars to help us remember to take care of ourselves, go on outings & just have play dates. This has been another group of Christians friends that I have been blessed to meet.

The local library is another group that has been a blessing to me. It is awesome to have my children be involved in an educational time. Stories, songs, educational games and crafts, have helped my little girls interests grow. I love books so I feel so at home there. There are also other mother’s that attend. While there last week it was neat to realize; I remember when they were pregnant with their son and now he is two.  

Thinking back on groups I have been involved in, in my past. For my college friends there was "The Group." Yes, we were all that mattered! I am so thankful for the groups of friends I have had throughout my life. I am thankful for my group of friends around me now as well as the group of friends I have been able to stay in contact with through Facebook. 

There are a few other groups I am involved in but I think one of the most important is the family group. This group was given to us by God. We can’t pick our family, because God already did for us. He knew what He was doing when He put us where He did. Without our family, we wouldn’t even be born. Think of the strength, love and support you receive from your family. There is power in the group.