Creativity Meets Curriculum: World History II Lap Book Kit from Sonlight
After almost 18 years of homeschooling, I know that finding a curriculum that engages your child’s imagination while teaching them vital knowledge can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. When it comes to history, the stakes feel even higher. You want your kids to understand how the past shapes their world, but how do you make ancient civilizations, wars, and world-changing events come alive?
We believe in the power of living books and hands-on projects to accomplish this in our homeschool and it has worked very well for us for years. The World History II Lap Book Kit from Sonlight is part of that solution!
This kit doesn’t just teach history—it transforms it into an interactive, hands-on journey through time. From constructing detailed projects to showcasing history in a visual and creative format, Sonlight’s lap book kit invites your kids to be active participants in their learning experience. It’s just the kind of thing we love in our delight-directed, creative homeschool.
What is included in the World History II Lap Book Kit?
This is another selling point for me — everything you need to get started is right there in the kit, other than scissors and colored pencils. You don’t have to do any extra planning. You don’t have to hunt down your supplies. Just open the box and get started!
Sonlight World History II Lap Book materials include:
- A 42-page clear and detailed instruction booklet, with many full-color photos that illustrate each project
- Pre-made lap book folder
- A wide range of paper in different colors (white, yellow, tan, blue, green, red, orange) and weights (i.e. cardstock, regular printer paper), according to the requirements of each project
- All the pre-printed materials necessary to complete the lap book
- Additional materials: double-sided tape, 2 glue sticks, 3 paper fasteners, a piece of Velcro, 1 bottle of glue, and glitter
One of the things we first noticed was the size of this project. It’s really a collection of different projects combined into one lap book. The base file folders are already prepared for you, which makes construction much easier.
As with all things homeschooling, you can work at your own pace and pick and choose which projects to do and in which order before putting it all together in the folders. This can be a good project for independent study time or even morning time together.
Keep in mind that this kit is consumable and meant to be done by one student, so buy extras if you have more than one child working through it. In our family, my daughters are so close in age and ability they often work on big projects like this together, dividing it up as they go along. So far my youngest daughter has been doing most of it on her own, though. It has just happened to work out this way in the timing of our studies at the moment.
The project guide is one of the best features of the kit, in my opinion. It’s a full color workbook that shows each finished project included, as well as instructions for how to put it together. It makes the assembly seamless, preventing frustration for my daughter and for me.
This particular kit, World History II (Level H) is meant for ages 12-15, so don’t assume that lap books are only for early learning. This kit is meaty and my daughter (age 14) is enjoying putting it together while learning world history. It’s not a quick project that you complete at one sitting. There is no reason to rush it!
Making History Engaging: Why It Matters
Let’s face it—traditional history lessons often fall flat. There’s only so much excitement you can expect from memorizing dates, names, and events from textbooks. History feels distant and disconnected from your child’s everyday life. It’s no wonder kids might see it as just another dry subject they have to get through.
But what if history lessons could be transformed into something kids look forward to? Something that isn’t about facts and figures but is about stories, creativity, and hands-on learning? That’s where Sonlight’s World History II Lap Book Kit excels. It helps your child become a storyteller and creator, not just a passive learner. By integrating fun, interactive projects with essential historical content, the lap book makes history feel like an adventure.
For example, the Postcards from Famous Folks project in the kit really humanizes historical facts through the eyes of people who lived it. This is my daughter’s favorite part so far.
World History II Projects Include:
- Postcards from Famous Folks
- The Three Great Unifiers of Japan
- Strangers & Saints in Plymouth
- The Slave Trade
- The Defenestration of Prague
- Louis XIV “The Sun King” of France
- The Universal Laws of Newton and Locke
- Emperor Chi’en-lungs Library
- The U.S. Constitution
- The French Revolution
- Napoleon Rises to Power
- The Luddites
- South America After Independence from Europe
- The Trail of Tears
- The Gold Rush
- David Livingston
- The Dominion of Canada
- Thomas Edison
- The Suez Canal
- The Scramble for Africa
- The Russian Empire
- The Spanish-American War
- WWI Military Weaponry
- The Great Depression & Route 66
- Hitler’s Climb to Power
- The United Nations
- Five World Conflicts
- Science & Invention in the 20th Century
The Power of Hands-On Learning: More Than Just Busy Work
We’ve all had those moments in homeschooling where activities feel more like busy work than real learning. That’s what makes the Sonlight Lap Book Kit so refreshing—it’s packed with intentional, hands-on projects that not only reinforce what your child is learning but also deepen their understanding of history.
From folding flaps and constructing 3D models to designing intricate timelines, the hands-on aspect of the Sonlight World History II Lap Book Kit is where the magic happens. These aren’t just crafts for the sake of keeping little hands busy. Each project serves as a building block of knowledge. When your child constructs a medieval castle or crafts a timeline of major world events, they’re engaging with the material in a way that a textbook alone could never accomplish.
Hands-on activities like these tap into multiple learning styles—visual, kinesthetic, and tactile—helping concepts stick in their minds longer. Kids learn by doing, and the Sonlight lap book takes full advantage of that, turning history lessons into interactive, memorable experiences.
The illustrations are gorgeous and detailed, drawn by homeschool mom Amy Pak from Home School in the Woods. We absolutely love her artwork!
Creativity and Imagination Take Center Stage
Sonlight’s World History II Lap Book Kit emphasizes creativity and imagination. Whether your child is piecing together an interactive map of ancient trade routes or crafting a model of the Great Wall of China, these activities allow them to think critically while having fun.
Imagination shouldn’t be stifled by rigid lesson plans, and the lapbook kit is a breath of fresh air in that regard. Your child isn’t just filling out worksheets or answering quiz questions—they’re actively using their creativity to explore the past. This creative outlet enhances their engagement and curiosity, making learning more enjoyable for everyone involved.
It’s this blend of creativity and learning that makes the Sonlight lap book stand out. Each project is carefully designed to align with the historical content, so every task your child completes reinforces what they’ve learned while allowing them to express themselves.
A Visual Portfolio of Learning
Another plus of the Sonlight World History II Lap Book Kit is how it provides a visual representation of your child’s progress. As they complete each section of the lapbook, your child essentially builds a portfolio that showcases their learning journey. This is not just a beautiful keepsake but a useful tool for reinforcing and reviewing historical concepts. Another reason we love lapbooking in general!
Imagine opening the lapbook and seeing a carefully constructed timeline spanning centuries, with flaps that reveal key events. Or perhaps a detailed map showing the spread of ancient civilizations, complete with notes, images, and illustrations your child has added. This isn’t just helpful for your child—it’s a confidence booster for you as a homeschool parent. You’ll be able to see their progress, track what they’ve learned, and even have a way to review it later on.
Bringing History to Life: The End Goal
The ultimate goal of the Sonlight World History II Lap Book Kit is simple: to bring history to life. It’s about more than just memorizing dates and events; it’s about understanding the human stories that shaped the world. When your kids engage with history through hands-on, creative projects, they begin to see the past not as a list of facts but as a living, breathing narrative.
By the end of your journey through the lapbook, your child will have more than just knowledge—they will have experienced history. They will walk away with an understanding of not just what happened, but why it matters. They will have learned to connect the dots between different time periods, cultures, and events, seeing the bigger picture of world history.
Why Choose Sonlight’s World History II Lap Book Kit?
If you’re on the fence about adding another component to your homeschool routine, consider this: the Sonlight Lap Book Kit doesn’t just teach history—it makes it an adventure. It’s not just another workbook, but a creative, hands-on experience that your kids will remember long after the school year ends.
So, why should you choose the World History II Lap Book Kit from Sonlight for your homeschool?
- Hands-on projects that engage and excite
- Creativity and imagination are at the forefront
- A visual portfolio of progress that tracks your child’s learning
- Deep understanding of historical concepts through experiential learning
- Fun and interactive activities that make history come alive
If you’re ready to bring history to life and make learning an exciting journey for your children, the Sonlight World History II Lap Book Kit could be the perfect addition to your homeschool curriculum.
With Sonlight’s World History II Lap Book Kit, history is no longer just a subject to get through. It’s a hands-on, creative adventure that your kids—and you—will genuinely enjoy.
Learn more about Sonlight
Of course, Sonlight offers more than just history choices. They also offer full curriculum packages, Bible, literature, Language Arts, and more. You can see all of their curriculum choices on their site and read more about their educational philosophy. Their motto is “Love to Learn, Love to Teach” and I believe that’s true. They even back it up with a 100% money-back guarantee, so head over and check out all the options today!
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