It’s an election year, y’all. And everyone will be talking about elections non-stop until it’s over. My son, now ten will be aware of this for the first time. It seemed like the perfect time for him to learn how elections work in the U.S. So, to help this process I was so excited to get to review Home School in the Woods lap book that is all about elections: HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections.
Review
I was particularly excited to review this because way back in the day when I first started homeschooling, HSITW was one of the the first websites I used to help supplement our history. All these years later, they are still going strong! They are passionate about making history relevant and understandable to our children. Plus, I really like their name. I feel old-fashioned and a little like Ma on Little House on the Prairie when I go to their website- but don’t let the name fool you- they use digital downloads, audio CDs, and all the modern conveniences to teach our children, but at the same time provide a hands-on approach.
First, this is a lapbook. If you are not familiar with these, it’s a parent/student created book of information wherein all the te
xt is printed, completed by the teacher and/or student. The final result fits into a folded file folder that you can put into a filing cabinet.
Inside there are all kinds of pockets filled with smaller units of information. In this case, there are pockets for everything from campaign advertising, forms of government, Inauguration Day, a description of what key offices are elected (and their roles). Some of it is pre-printed, and some of it the student completes. Each section opens up, and additional information will open up on flaps as shown below.
Here’s a complete list of what is covered: |
 Definition of “Election” Different Forms of Government The American Experiment The Three Branches of Government Suffrage Who Do We Vote For? Terms of Office A “Handful” of Political Parties Caucuses & Primaries National Conventions The Presidential Campaign: Platform |
The Presidential Campaign: Stump Speaking The Presidential Campaign: Media — News Source The Presidential Campaign: Campaign Advertising — Spreading the Word! Raising Money Statistics Election Day The Electoral College Inauguration Day The Electoral Race! The “Vocabinet” |
How do they know what to fill in? Well, this is my favorite part: There are high quality audio lessons that go along with the lapbooks. So, my son gets to listen to these lessons while coloring or filling in the information for his section, which we then affix to the lapbook. David loves audio lessons. He will listen to them during play time, at bedtime, for schooltime. He will listen in the car. But the hands on cutting and coloring part was not his favorite. And the amazing price of this product made the audios a great bargain, even if you don’t use the printable portion. 
Full disclosure:
It’s my fault our lapbook is not complete.
For those mamas who use lapbooks all the time: You amaze me. The printing. The cutting. The gluing. The affixing. It’s not my thing. And really, it’s not David’s either. In fact, I can’t wait until my Rebecca is the age to do this because that girl lives and breathes to cut and color and paste and stick things. David, however, was content to listen to the audios and stare out in space. But, I wanted to make sure he was learning the material, so we used the printables as a review- we talked about them, touched them, discussed them. But not one ever made it into its adorable folder configuration. I’m committed to homeschooling, but I have to rely on other people to take pity on my artsy children and give them glue and glitter and crayons at their house.
Non-techy mom thoughts: I had a little trouble getting things to print onto the pages properly. the pictures would print part of the way onto the next page. Unfortunately I had sent many things to the printer before I realized this problem. So, word to the wise: Check each print out before you print the rest. I ended up having to call in my very tech savvy husband who did some finessing for me to get everything printed properly.
Overall, I was pleased with the product, and David learned all he needed to learn about elections and how they work. He can now speak intelligently on this matter and will be a better citizen as a result. I am a firm believer in participating in our election process, and appreciate the fact that our children are being trained in the nuances and the importance of it at a young age. One of my daughters will get to vote for the first time this year! This should spark some interesting dinnertime conversations, and now David (10) will be able to participate and understand. Here is David’s video review of this product:
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