My children don't typically jump for joy when given a writing assignment. Do yours? I've found several ways over the years to take writing from dreaded to enjoyable in our home, though. One of the most beloved of those ideas is writing newsletters. Several years ago, I wrote the monthly newsletter for our church. I realized what a fun and meaningful activity it would be for my children to create their own newsletters for our homeschool. We decided to document our day-to-day adventures in what we called The Westward Gazette and send it out to immediate family members. Writing newsletters was not only a big hit with my children, but the (sometimes skeptical about homeschooling) ... Read More
Unit Studies
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 your 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!
How to Use Informational Books as History Curriculum
Do history textbooks ever fit into a living literature-based homeschool? Of course they do! But, if we're being honest, they often don't fit in very well because dry text isn't the name of the game in the Charlotte Mason style. Think about this, though. If we only used living literature when teaching history, for instance, we'd certainly leave out some very important key facts, events and people from the "real story." Historical fiction books are magnificent for drawing my children into a time period (or event.) They make history come alive and place us in the very midst of the action. They spark discussions and give us unique perspectives. I am all for living literature! But, ... Read More
A Simple Machines Unit Study
I love to teach simple machines through hands-on, experimental lessons. While it took just a bit of time to gather materials, the engagement factor made this quick and simple unit study a hit with my children. Simple Machines Unit Study Before even reading the first book about simple machines, I set up some little centers for self-discovery. The kiddos had to visit each center over the course of a few days and complete a few thought-provoking questions about what they learned. After visiting each center, we talked about the particular machine types more thoroughly and thought about when, where and how we use these simple/complex machines daily. Center #1 - Levers In this ... Read More
Our Journey Westward Unit Studies
We're a Charlotte Mason homeschooling family, yet we enjoy learning history and science through unit studies. Can those two things go together? If you're a Charlotte Mason purist, the answer is no. Remember, though, I've said for years that we are "eclectic Charlotte Mason homeschoolers with a dash of Classical education and unit studies thrown in for good measure." Because our unit studies are based on wonderful works of living literature - historical fiction, biographies and nonfiction - they definitely have a Charlotte Mason flair. With living books as the backbone, we can add in whatever additional activities that float our fancy - from hands-on activities and project-based ... Read More
Realistic Cave Paintings: An Ancient History Art Project
Eli and I have just begun our ancient history studies for the year - and I'm very glad to report that I might have another history lover on my hands! This post contains affiliate links. Oh, how I have missed Story of the World. It's just such a well-rounded program. The living text, narration questions, maps, timeline cards and great book suggestions make this eclectic Charlotte Mason homeschooler happy. I mentioned in this post that we would be going through the curriculum at our own pace and may or may not linger over the hands-on activities. My little guy isn't about time fillers, so any hands-on activity we do has to have real purpose. I found a hands-on activity last week ... Read More
More Than Just a Dinosaur Unit Study
My little man and I just finished a Creation-based dinosaur unit study that led to some amazing rabbit trail learning! What started out as a great "boy topic" to end 2nd grade with a bang, turned into so much more. And, without my pre-planning, it's given him a great foundational understanding of events leading up to ancient history - which is our focus next school year. (This post contains affiliate links.) Dinosaur Lapbook My original plans were to simply go through the free Creation Based Dinosaur Lapbook and Printables from Homeschool Share. The prepared study was perfect for a 2nd grader and I already owned the "spine" book, What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs? by John ... Read More
Settling the New World: Colonial History Unit Study
During the elementary and middle school years, our history studies - for the most part - take place as unit studies. In a relatively short amount of time, we can cover SO much material in fun and interesting lessons. And this unit was no exception! Over the course of about six weeks, our Colonial History unit study covered everything from the first colonies of Roanoke, Jamestown and Plymouth to the settlement of the 13 original colonies to life in colonial times. (This post contains affiliate links.) Colonial History Unit Study Notebooking We used two main “spine” books during this unit. Hands-On History: Colonial America provided us with fantastic notebooking activities! The ... Read More
Elementary Astronomy Unit Study
(This post contains affiliate links.) Elementary Astronomy Unit Study The study of astronomy with my 7 and 10 year old children was surprisingly fascinating! As usual, we used bits and pieces of this and that, with lots of living literature, a field trip and projects to learn tons about our solar system. I hope you find something useful to add to your own astronomy unit study! The Teaching Resources and Hands-On Activities Exploring Creation With Astronomy was our main teaching text. We didn't complete every single chapter, but the ones we did were top-notch. {balloon solar system model; the sun's power to melt chocolate; moon crater simulation} Beyond the text, I also added in a ... Read More
Elementary Middle Ages Unit Study
(This post contains affiliate links.) The Lesson Ideas Studying the Middle Ages is so much fun! And, it really keeps the attention of my children with all the excitement of knights and castles and such. To keep our unit to six weeks, I pulled the best-of-the best hands-on ideas from the two reference books below. After adding in some living literature and a great end-of-unit project, we ended up with a very in-depth tour of medieval life. Are you wondering how I organize a unit study using so many materials? This post should help explain my method. The Living Books If you know me at all, you know living literature was a huge part of our middle ages unit. I use informational ... Read More
The Bluegrass State: A Kentucky Unit Study
(This post contains affiliate links.) The Main Lessons Our Kentucky unit study was mostly worksheet-based, with final projects being research-based. Why did this hands-on, literature-based momma choose to use worksheets?? Well first, I wanted the unit to be fairly quick. Second, my oldest has covered this topic before at co-op, so it just made more sense to provide each kiddo with worksheets covering different topics. And third, for the oldest (age 10), I wanted her lessons to be completed independently as much as possible. Not to mention, the worksheets in The Big Kentucky Activity Book are really fun. Kentucky Unit Study Notebooks All the worksheets were compiled into unit ... Read More