I have wanted to study the Wonders of the World with my kids for a long time, so when we had the opportunity to review a product from one of our very favorite vendors that offered a study on them, I jumped at the chance. Home School in the Woods is known for their detailed, hands-on history curricula. We have used various resources from their many product lines over the years and have loved each one. From their Project Passports to their Activity Studies to their Hands-on History Lap-Paks to each À La Carte item, the choices are full of information, high quality, and so very fun.
Home School in the Woods is a family business that was started as a way to make history real, understandable, and applicable. Using timelines and realistic illustrations as a foundation, they've created many resources to make learning history an enjoyable process.
The Wonders of the World study is part of the Hands-on History Lap-Paks series. Each Lap-Pak is a complete study of a specific topic with multiple projects and accompanying text.
The download (also available as a CD) comes as a zip file. Once you open it, and see the multiple folders, click on the "start" file. At that point, the entire program will open in your browser, making it very easy to use. Instead of clicking through multiple folders, trying to bounce back and forth among the resources, everything is laid out as you need it.
There are full step-by-step directions for everything you need. The text is given in 2 ways: printed and audio. The printed form can be chosen for a booklet format or a full-size binder format. The audio is the word-for-word version of the printed text and is divided into 2 sections with each topic listing the time index, making it simple to advance to the needed place.
The study includes Wonders from four categories:
The suggested ages for the study is grades 3-8. My kids are in 8th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st grades. I'd say it is definitely perfect for my three older ones, but my little one had no issues following along. I chose to read the text to my kids, instead of listening to the provided audio. I find that they can focus better on me than a recording. Plus, I like stopping and adding my own thoughts or rabbit trails, looking up pictures, and discussing various aspects as a family. These Lap-Paks are both fantastic stand-alone studies and also great starting points to be enhanced with further resources.
Each Wonder of the World has a description about it, including where it was/is, when it was built, how it was built or created, why it came to be, and in some cases how it was destroyed (just ask my kids what they think about earthquakes, ha). They talk about people, materials, measurements, purposes, and all sorts of other fascinating details.
Along with the description is a hands-on project for the Lap-Pak or lapbook. The activities can be as simple as a picture of the Wonder with a description glued to the back to more complicated parts like moving gladiators, swinging gates, or 3D stones. Most of the necessary materials are things like white and colored paper and cardstock, colored pencils, glue, and tape, but a few of the projects add some extra attention to detail by incorporating cardboard, salt, cotton ball, brads, and watercolors.
When the study is complete, all the projects are glued into the Lap-Pak. My kids love looking at these lapbooks from past studies we've done. They have fun opening flaps, spinning wheels, lifting folds, and moving parts. But even more than having fun, the kids remember more details about what they've learned. Seeing all those pieces in the Pak reminds them of the information they studied and helps them to recall so much more than if they simply sat and listened to me read. This Lap-Pak is an extremely important part of the study.
If you've never used the materials from Home School in the Woods, it can be overwhelming at first. Expect a lot of printing. And cutting. And coloring and assembling and organizing. It is work, yes, but many important and well-done things are. When your child raves about a study--even during the summer months--talks for days about the information they've learned, or even picks up a project they had studied years before and can still recount many of the details, you will know that it was worth it.
This is why this company is one of our favorites. Their history materials are packed full of information. Their projects are creative and fun. The combination of the two makes the Hands-on History Lap-Paks a perfection addition to our learning. We can't wait to finish learning about the last few Wonders in the study.
The Wonders of the World study is part of the Hands-on History Lap-Paks series. Each Lap-Pak is a complete study of a specific topic with multiple projects and accompanying text.
The download (also available as a CD) comes as a zip file. Once you open it, and see the multiple folders, click on the "start" file. At that point, the entire program will open in your browser, making it very easy to use. Instead of clicking through multiple folders, trying to bounce back and forth among the resources, everything is laid out as you need it.
There are full step-by-step directions for everything you need. The text is given in 2 ways: printed and audio. The printed form can be chosen for a booklet format or a full-size binder format. The audio is the word-for-word version of the printed text and is divided into 2 sections with each topic listing the time index, making it simple to advance to the needed place.
The study includes Wonders from four categories:
- Ancient
- Great Pyramid of Giza
- The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
- The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
- The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- The Colossus of Rhodes
- The Lighthouse of Alexandria
- Medieval
- Stonehenge
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa
- The Colosseum
- The Hagia Sophia
- The Great Wall of China
- The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
- The Lost Porcelain Pagoda
- Modern
- The Channel Tunnel
- The CN Tower
- The Empire State Building
- The Golden Gate Bridge
- Itaipu Dam
- The Panama Canal
- The Netherlands North Sea Protection Works
- Natural
- Mount Everest
- The Grand Canyon
- The Northern Lights
- The Harbor of Rio de Janeeiro
- The Great Barrier Reef
- Paricutín: The Volcano in a Cornfield
- Victoria Falls
The suggested ages for the study is grades 3-8. My kids are in 8th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st grades. I'd say it is definitely perfect for my three older ones, but my little one had no issues following along. I chose to read the text to my kids, instead of listening to the provided audio. I find that they can focus better on me than a recording. Plus, I like stopping and adding my own thoughts or rabbit trails, looking up pictures, and discussing various aspects as a family. These Lap-Paks are both fantastic stand-alone studies and also great starting points to be enhanced with further resources.
Each Wonder of the World has a description about it, including where it was/is, when it was built, how it was built or created, why it came to be, and in some cases how it was destroyed (just ask my kids what they think about earthquakes, ha). They talk about people, materials, measurements, purposes, and all sorts of other fascinating details.
Along with the description is a hands-on project for the Lap-Pak or lapbook. The activities can be as simple as a picture of the Wonder with a description glued to the back to more complicated parts like moving gladiators, swinging gates, or 3D stones. Most of the necessary materials are things like white and colored paper and cardstock, colored pencils, glue, and tape, but a few of the projects add some extra attention to detail by incorporating cardboard, salt, cotton ball, brads, and watercolors.
When the study is complete, all the projects are glued into the Lap-Pak. My kids love looking at these lapbooks from past studies we've done. They have fun opening flaps, spinning wheels, lifting folds, and moving parts. But even more than having fun, the kids remember more details about what they've learned. Seeing all those pieces in the Pak reminds them of the information they studied and helps them to recall so much more than if they simply sat and listened to me read. This Lap-Pak is an extremely important part of the study.
If you've never used the materials from Home School in the Woods, it can be overwhelming at first. Expect a lot of printing. And cutting. And coloring and assembling and organizing. It is work, yes, but many important and well-done things are. When your child raves about a study--even during the summer months--talks for days about the information they've learned, or even picks up a project they had studied years before and can still recount many of the details, you will know that it was worth it.
This is why this company is one of our favorites. Their history materials are packed full of information. Their projects are creative and fun. The combination of the two makes the Hands-on History Lap-Paks a perfection addition to our learning. We can't wait to finish learning about the last few Wonders in the study.
This study on the Wonders of the World was shorter and very specific. If you're looking for a longer and more detailed study about a time period and place, you would love the entire Project Passport collection.
We've taken "trips" to Ancient Egypt and the Middle Ages ourselves, so I was excited to hear that they recently completed the final installment to the series. Project Passport Ancient Rome will take your family to early Rome and teach you all about the Republic, everyday life, philosophy, education, architecture, religion, science, and so much more. Pack your bags, this will be a trip you don't want to miss!
We've taken "trips" to Ancient Egypt and the Middle Ages ourselves, so I was excited to hear that they recently completed the final installment to the series. Project Passport Ancient Rome will take your family to early Rome and teach you all about the Republic, everyday life, philosophy, education, architecture, religion, science, and so much more. Pack your bags, this will be a trip you don't want to miss!
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You can read more reviews of the many hands-on history products offered by Home School in the Woods on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.
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