I've just stumbled across Evan-Moors "Pockets" series. These things are awesome! I feel like, "Why didn't someone tell me about these?" so I am telling you!
Pockets come in "History Pockets","Literature Pockets", and "Theme Pockets", and are available in different grade ranges. The History Pockets cover an event/time period, i.e., Colonial America, Exploration, The Mayflower, and include facts, a picture dictionary, craft ideas complete with reproducibles, writing assignments, like "pretend you're on the Mayflower. write a letter home describing your voyage" (I made that up but you get the idea). Then you assemble all your work together into a folder, or "Pocket".
The Literature Pockets include topics like, Caldecott Winners, Aesop's Fables, Folk Tales and Fairy Tales, and Nursery Rhymes.
"Theme Pockets" cover the months, seasons, and weather.
These are exactly the kind of things I've been looking for. I prefer to read the kids library books as opposed to textbooks, but I need some sort of guideline so I know I'm not forgetting something. Now I can get the Pocket, check out corresponding books, and the cool crafts are already included!
The Pockets run between $10-$15.
Amazon's "Buy now with 1-Click" is very dangerous for me.
you can get Pockets by following this link: gimme pockets!
"I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built upon the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think. Whereas, if the child is left to himself, he will think more and better, if less showily. Let him go and come freely, let him touch real things and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting indoors at a little round table, while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of coloured paper, or plant straw trees in bead flower-pots. Such teaching fills the mind with artificial associations that must be got rid of, before the child can develop independent ideas out of actual experience." -- Anne Sullivan
Those look so fun! We've made some lapbooks before and the kids loved them...but I didn't have a very good plan, I made up a lot as we went along. I will have to check them out!
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