Smart Choices: Saying "NO" to Drugs & Alcohol Project Pack is a ready-to-assemble lapbooking-type unit study. It contains both the lesson plans and the reproducible activities needed to complete the unit. The spiral-bound book contains information on how to use the project pack, how to assemble the file folder lapbook, pictures of sample lapbooks, 15 lessons, 20 hands-on activities, and a vocabulary list. The target age range is Grade 3 and up.

The lessons are written to the student. Many students could read through the lessons on their own. The lessons could also be read aloud by the parent. Younger students might need some help with the reading, as some of the vocabulary will be unfamiliar to them (words such as barbiturates and hallucinogens ). The theme of the book is to encourage children to say no to drug and alcohol use and to give them the information they need to stand firm in this decision. Lessons cover such subjects as what drug abuse is, drug withdrawal, common drugs, peer pressure, and how to seek help for an addiction. Many of the pages have sidebars with relevant Scripture.

The reproducible activities are intended to be completed, cut out, folded, and attached within a file folder lapbook. Folding instructions are included for each one. Younger students might need some help from a parent to do this, but older students will be able to complete the activities on their own.

I found this book to be very well done and easy to use. Everything is included with the exception of the file folders, scissors, and tape/glue. Little or no preparation is required from the teacher beyond reproducing the necessary pages ahead of time. Permission is granted to reproduce student materials for noncommercial individual or classroom use, so a homeschool family should be able to use this project pack for each child in the family if desired. I would recommend this unit study to any family interested in an easy way to cover drug and alcohol abuse information with their children.

Product review by Whitney Dunahee, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August 2010