After reading favorable reports about Live and Learn's Learn 'N folders, I was excited to try the product. This 42-page tool, designed for K-3 children, provides a method to create a theme based folder. In this case the product focused on birds.

The first twelve pages give how-to directions and ideas for the bird folder project. A variety of activities are suggested, including making the folder/display board, flap books, a poof book, and charts. Subjects include fun activities like jokes, recipes, and board games as well as vocabulary, endangered species, beak differences, and skeletal system. These items will be displayed on the folder.

Bird information is provided as well as website addresses for additional sources of help. For those who enjoy following a comprehensive, if not tedious at times, step-by-step plan that involves cut and glue type projects, the Live and Learn group provides a choice of subjects. If however, like me, you find yourself a bit directionally challenged, you may become frustrated. After completing a folder and learning the system you may really enjoy making more of these.

I'd recommend this product to the family that appreciates making a packaged product, people that prefer something mechanical rather than creative. Some of this feels a bit like busy work to me, yet children like a finished product to show Grandma. An appealing feature is that after the process is complete, all the information is in one nice neat place.