I have some questions for those who do unit studies and lapbooks (not necessarily that do them together LOL.) If you do unit studies, how do you determine what units you will do and when? For instance, do you have a big list and follow it in order? Do you have a big list and pick from it depending on what you or the kids feel like? Or do you just sort of wing it from unit to unit? I don't think I could wing it completely, but I could probably wing it from year to year. Also, how long do your units last? I was assuming they were six to nine week units, but it appears that many people do 1-3 week units? I was looking at building the unit more around a historical aspect/period, so I was thinking there would be so much information available that it could easily swallow six weeks... I can see where, for younger kids especially, a 1 week unit on frogs or a state would be better. And, last, if you homeschool multiple ages/skill levels - do you still use one unit study for everyone? I was thinking I should be able to do so. I do think that it will require quite a bit of tailoring in some areas (my 7 going on 8 year old is on an end of Kindergarten level so he would need some fairly simple projects that would build foundational skills, my 9 year old could be advanced if she applied herself and the 12 year old is above level for reading.... I think they could handle more detailed work and do some research and writing on their own to build out what they are doing.) I also want to try to build in field trips (tons!) to our units, my kids learn best by being out and doing ... so do I! ... how do you count that in your curriculum? For instance - a trip to the Indian burial mounds could count as history, loosely science (if you study the area/animals of the area/plants of the area), and PE (it is a BUNCH of walking), right? What else? Language Arts if they compose a paper/story on the trip? Art if they draw or build some of what they see?
We do not really do unit studies. They really did not work well for us, so I will let someone else address that. I will say that we do use unit studies for specific things that may come up. For example, we went to the Grand Canyon earlier this year. Before going, we did a unit study about the Canyon. For our everyday schooling, though, we do not do them.
Okay, lapbooks, they have me a little confused LOL This appears to be like a supplement to what you are learning, correct? So, taking the Indian idea again... I could have them each build a lapbook about a different aspect of Indian life and each lapbook would be appropriate to their skill level? So my youngest could do one on something like a general way of life and have lots of drawings and simple sentences, he could have some "crafts" that he makes and puts in there.... The older ones could pick a more narrow topic like hunting, or marriage ceremonies, or the life of an Indian Chief and then do more advanced things. They could research each topic in smaller areas and have little fold outs that break them down... etc...? I'm just wondering if lapbooks would be of better use for the younger one, it sounds like it might be a little difficult to make the older ones age appropriate. I've looked online at the lapbook materials you can print out, they seem to be for younger children (mostly coloring pictures, little books in the shapes of things) Does anyone have examples of an older child's lapbooks? The Indian thing was just an idea, LOL, it isn't even a unit I'd likely start out with.
We love lapbooking and notebooking here. We use it mostly as a form of review. Notebooking may work well for your olders. Notebooking has many of the same elements as lapbooking (minibooks, etc) but it also allows for more writing -- more areas for the student to put things they have learned in their own words. Think of it as a cross between lapbooking and journaling.
To answer you questions though. You could do as you mentioned in your post or have them do the same but maybe have your older ones write in more details. There are many sites out there that offer notebooking pages (some free and some not), but here is an example of what it looks like.
http://www.squidoo.com/notebookingexhibit
Like I mentioned though, we use it as a review and to re-enforce the things we have learned. It is also nice to have them come evaluation time. 
Oh, and one last question (for anyone who has brought one home from PS) ... If we come home mid-December, to correspond with the school break ... We would probably start back up with "something" about the time school goes back into session. However, since my kids need to go back a year (or more for ODS) in math and are good LA students ... would you spend that first "unit" just as a review? I would think practicing basics that are at the top of their math level for a while would be beneficial. I want to make sure that they have what they know "down" before we start trying to move beyond it. Also, they are good LA students, but so much has been left out or glossed over. I can think of many things I think they should know right now but they either don't or just have the most basic knowledge of it. I was thinking we could brush up on some of that.
Take some time to "de-school." Spend some time just enjoying reading together, etc. When you are ready to start up, I think a review is a good idea. You really cannot depend on grades, reports, etc, to let you know how they were doing and where they are. My youngest always received good grades and progress reports in school, and I was shocked at how much she did not know when she came home. Come to find out there were a couple of little boys in dd's class that were always willing to "help" her with her work -- read: give her the answers. Anyway, she did not know things I was led to believe she did, so a review is a good idea just to see exactly where everyone is.
Aaah, I lied
This is my last question (for this post
): If you go "year round" what is your schedule? I wasn't so much interested in a PS-type 6 wks on/3wks off schedule as just splitting the long break we get in the summer up into 2 shorter breaks and taking them at a different time (maybe fall and spring? or late summer and mid winter?) Does anyone do something similar? I have to have 180 days of instruction and 4 hrs for each of those days. I think that should be fairly easy to cover...
I mean,...that's just me, and people even way back in elementary made fun of me for being 'smart' or for reading so much..I am NEVER without books to read.So....do y'all think so too? I mean, do y'all here that as much as I do?
I'm so sorry you and your son are having to deal with this.
