We’ve used A LOT of curriculum over the years. Really good curriculum, mind you. But, when it comes to history and science in the elementary and middle school years, nothing has quite matched the success of unit studies in our homeschool.
The reasons? SO much learning can take place in a reasonable amount of time. We can read wonderful living literature, take amazing field trips, and include as many (or as few) hands-on projects as we like. We can include whatever lessons from other subjects that we like – research, writing, experiments, cooking, art, poetry – the possibilities are endless.
Unit studies can be fully planned from the beginning or flow based on students’ interests. They are wonderful to use with project-based learning. And, best of all, they can easily be used with multiple ages. In the articles that follow, you’ll find several unit study plans, how-to’s for creating your own unit studies, tutorials for project-based learning, and tips for successful interest-based studies. Have fun!
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine sent out some freebie units not too long ago from Highlights of Homeschooling and one of them worked perfectly for our Pilgrims unit study. It’s called The Mayflower Unit Study. This isn’t the typical unit that we do around here, as it’s very language arts led and didn’t required much by way of…
For those of you who know Melissa from blogging, consider yourselves blessed. But, if you’re lucky enough to know her in person, how much more blessed you are! It was such a treat to spend time with her last week. Not only that, she took on all three of my children while I spoke at the THINK meeting AND…
(This post contains affiliate links.) Native American Unit Study Our Native American unit was a tad more independent than most units we’ve done in the past. I’m trying to allow Mahayla to take on the freedom in learning that she desires, while pushing Caleb toward taking more responsibility for his learning. A Book and an…
Unit studies have been a wonderful method of multi-age learning in our homeschool You can fit in so much goodness in such a nice chunk of time! This post contains affiliate links. Early American Explorers Resources In our late elementary/early middle school quest to learn Early American History this year, we began by studying the…
Our final unit study of the year turned out to be a great one – even if it was on the lighter side of book learning. We had just finished an intensive study of the Middle Ages, which naturally covers a lot of Renaissance history. So, the main purpose of this study was to tie…
We’re having so much fun studying Medieval history! After reading about various aspects of life, we’ve been doing a project every day or two to go along with that aspect. The picture above shows the kid’s projects after learning about knights and armor. Sorry, but after that picture the camera pooped out again. The kiddos have also made…
Last week we finished up a short, but successful unit on our state. I think all involved liked the change of pace this time around. Mahayla practically completed her readings, worksheets and projects on her own, while Caleb and I tackled his work at our own pace. Here are just a few highlights. Kentucky Notebooks Using several…
Our Middle Ages unit is going to be so much fun! This is one of my favorite time periods to study, and I have to admit that it’s going to be hard to tame the fun down to a manageable unit. Here are the books I’m using as I plan our activities. Two helpful websites: A…
I’m straying from the typical sort of unit study we do around here. This Kentucky unit will be mostly worksheet-based, with final projects being research-based. Why? Well first, I want the unit to be fairly quick. Second, Mahayla has covered this topic before at co-op, so it just made more sense to provide them each…
After perusing Christmas websites, going through my Christmas file folder and searching my computer files for Christmas ideas, I’ve put aside some things that I hope to use this December. You may be surprised to find this out about me, but when I plan a unit, I very rarely make detailed plans. Yes, I know,…
Co-op gals – Here’s the basic outline from the unit study presentation. I posted this same blog last year, but have added some new websites, a section about grades, and a couple of other things. Have fun learning! What is a unit study? A unit study is really any subject that you spend time learning about. Many times a unit study…