Regions of Texas

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What's Schoolin'?

How Did You Do That??

I made accordion booklets for youngest's Texas studies - one for each region.  These will be a part of a lapbook (she has several volumes for Texas History already!).  I made a blank template of three connected rectangles per page using the tool box that pops up at the bottom of my word processor (I use Open Office but I'm sure Word would have it as well).  You can group these by shift-clicking them; then right-click and select "group."  Then you can copy/paste all three together for several pages.

Once I had my blank template I used text boxes and pasted my info in those.  Be sure to right-click and anchor to page or things can flip to other places as you add more things or fiddle with it.  I had to do this with each text box in the first booklet but it's worth the 2 seconds per box.

After I made the first booklet and saved it I then went to "file" and selected "save as" the new title for the next booklet.  That way I was just switching out the info in the text boxes. The anchors transferred to this new file so I only had to anchor new text boxes.

I used this Texas Parks and Wildlife site to insert into my accordion booklet.  Much more printer-efficient than printing the webpage and physically cutting and pasting into a booklet.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/kids/about_texas/regions/

This technique of making booklets, whether accordion or conventional, could be used to make information booklets to keep with shelf materials as well.

Shelf Work Extension:

I have a huge felt Texas Map for Montessori-inspired Texas shelf work.  The works are in a Texas Box in the Geography cabinet.  Somehow I want to make the regions a shelf-work also.  So far I have the control that I found at Enchanted Learning (printed on cardstock):

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/texas/naturalfeatures/7labeledcolor.shtml

Here is a blank outline map of the regions (also from Enchanted Learning).  She can label and color it for her lapbook (printed on regular paper) and also use it as a guide (printed on cardstock) for marking the regions on the felt map (somehow... I'm still deciding how...):

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/texas/naturalfeatures/7unlabeled.shtml

You can see several of their options for Texas Regions maps here:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/texas/naturalfeatures/

I really like these maps because they are more detailed than the 4-regions maps but not as intricate as some of the other maps out there.  The last ones on their page above are too detailed for our needs right now.