A lapbook is a project book that fits in the child's lap.

Lapbooking is a wonderful hands-on homeschooling tool - a kind of scrapbooking meets homeschooling -though more than home educators use it.

A lapbook is an inexpensive portfolio or collection of mini-books, flaps, and folded display material,
 that provides interactive space
  for drawings, stories, graphs, graphics, timelines, diagrams, and written work,
   from any topic, unit study, book you choose,
     gathered, glued, and creatively displayed 
      in a coloured standard sized cardboard folder,
        often folded in a "shutter-fold" (though our family doesn't),
         that fits in your lap.

Each lapbook is an original creation, will be different according to topic and creator, and will be a treasure for years to come. There is no right or wrong way to lapbook.

The term "Lap Book" was first coined by Tammy Duby, a homeschool mother and writer from Virginia, USA. She named it that because the whole project could fit into a "book" that fits in the child's lap.

When you make your own - it's cheaper, more creative and unique. You learn a lot by doing the research and more thought is put into them. There's an unlimited number of subjects, since you are not depending on what others have already come up with.
To use pre-made lapbooks - you can save time and it's easier to complete a lapbook. It is an easy start especially when you're new to lapbooking and may be intimidated by the choice. A pre-made provides a ready guide for the children so they don't get overwhelmed. Of course, you can always alter a pre-made and make it your own!

Visual people especially will need to raid the websites and get a look at examples. Check out http://www.google.com and look in IMAGES for something like lapbook OR lapbooks OR lapbooking. Right click OPEN in new tab/window for pictures you want to see bigger.

On this website http://lapbooking.wordpress.com - plenty of ideas, process, and links to work your way through.

Sign up and check out the FILES and message archives of:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lapbooking101/ - a lapbooking starter independent webgroup that's not selling you anything.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lapbooking - over 4000 members, photos, ideas! Search archives.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lapbooking7up/  - for lapbooking with 12 yo +

The best advice I can give you for lapbooking is "Just Do It"! No one will be grading you.
Get out your supplies, put on your thinking caps and have fun! You will be amazed what you and your family can come up with together.

Johanna W, Hamilton, NZ, Sept 2004