Math, science, geography, history, AND language arts all in one super-fun day of pumpkin school? YES! Skip the textbooks for a few days and enjoy some fall-themed learning with your elementary and middle school students. We have enjoyed one version or another of pumpkin school for years. While you can certainly have fun with without friends, these activities are so much fun to do with a small group. Living Math and Science with Pumpkins Several of these ideas come from my how-to book for parents called Loving Living Math. It's a book that teaches you how to include "living" (real life, hands-on, meaningful, conceptual) math into your homeschool. Pumpkin Math and ... Read More
French and Indian War Unit Study
My 6th grader just finished a mini French and Indian War unit study that was a great pit stop in our regular history studies. I just love the slow and steady pace we're taking to go through the Story of the World curriculum this time around. I used to follow pretty strict 4-year cycles in history, but with this 3rd child of mine, I'm confident that moving at a slower pace and savoring certain events is as good a way to learn as any. As we read through the Story of the World and something strikes our fancy, we take some time to dig deeper. Sometimes through extra reading or a documentary. Other times through mini unit studies. The mini unit studies give Eli a chance to practice ... Read More
A Quick Leonardo da Vinci Unit Study for Your Homeschool
I have always loved teaching a Leonardo da Vinci unit study because it covers just about every single academic subject easily. The Renaissance, various science topics like inventions, simple machines, & the human body, and art & artist study are all easy topics to cover while learning about da Vinci. Add some fun research-based learning activities and good books and you have yourself a really fabulous unit study! Get a printable copy of this unit study below. Leonardo da Vinci Unit Study Taking two or three weeks to study the life and impact of da Vinci just might inspire your kiddos to dream big and do hard things. His incredible inventions, discoveries, critical thinking, and ... Read More
Shiver Me Timbers! You’ll Love This Pirate Unit Study
Do you remember when Eli and I took a short detour from our regular Story of the World studies to learn more about Vikings? Well, we detoured again - this time with a mini pirate unit study. Should I have been shocked? I mean, what boy (and even lots of girls) wouldn't love some extra time to hang out with pirates? This quick pirate unit study will give you just enough for a detailed deep dive without expecting weeks of your time. Pirate Unit Study One of the best things about homeschooling is the freedom to linger over a topic when it lights a spark of curiosity. I've always been happy to oblige my children with learning detours, but it's especially true with this third and final child ... Read More
Your Kids Will Love This Quick Viking Unit Study
Eli and I have certainly enjoyed a meandering pace through Story of the World for history. Because we're never rushed to move on to the next chapter, it provides plenty of time for rabbit trails when he shows special interest in a topic. One of those special interests this year was the Vikings. We had so much fun taking a quick unit study break to focus more deeply on Viking history! Viking Unit Study I think it was likely the strength with which Vikings are portrayed that may have first caught my son's attention. Or, the story his brother told about Viking funerals and burning boats. Either way, Eli was very motivated to learn more. And, I was happy to oblige. That reminds me: Don't be ... Read More
A Writing Assignment Your Children Will Love
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
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
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
Westward Expansion Unit Study
Westward Expansion Unit Study Our time spent learning about pioneers and the Westward Expansion was so full, fun and meaningful. As with most of our unit studies, this one was very literature-rich and included a healthy portion of project-based learning. What Did We Learn? I tried to pulled together a unit plan that was as thorough and chronological as possible. While there might be a few holes here or there, or even some overlap, I felt like my upper elementary and middle school children soaked in a great deal of understanding about the time period. The person or event listed in bold was the focus, while the following events or people were covered with lesser importance. Daniel Boone ... Read More