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10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

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Unit study curriculum has ten key benefits. Too, look at my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies for more unit study tips and ideas.

Today, I will identify what is unit study curriculum, how long a unit study should last, and what makes a good unit study curriculum.

Besides identifying what a unit study means, you need to know how to use unit study curriculum with your multiple aged children.

10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

And knowing how to identify what is not a unit study or unit study curriculum keeps you from wasting your time.

First, knowing what is unit study curriculum will help you to see the benefits of it.

Unit Study Curriculum

Unit study curriculum takes one topic and includes as many subjects as possible. It builds an entire curriculum around the topic covering subjects like language arts, math, reading, art, history, science, and geography with hands-on application.

Also, unit study curriculum can build lesson plans around a piece of literature, a famous author or person.

For a history slant, a unit study can be created using an event or learning about a famous person. Regarding science, a unit study can use topics from past or current events, inventions, or focus on a scientist.

Studying character traits is another way to build unit study curriculum. On top of that art can tie in history, science, crafts, and math when art is the main topic.

Extensive Unit Study Curriculum

Next, identifying the differences in extensive versus limited unit studies will help you to make a better choice.

10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

Extensive unit study curriculum can include lesson plans or lesson plan ideas, language arts and maybe math. Math is the only component for both extensive and limited unit study that is normally purchased separately as well as including some aspects of it in daily learning.

In addition, it should include components of hands-on activities and project ideas.

As you can see the topics can be endless, which is a huge appeal to learners of all ages.

A few choices I like for extensive unit study curriculum are:

  • Five in a Row which now includes ages up to middle school and is based on beautiful literature;
  • Konos is another extensive curriculum and is for learners all the way to high school and is based on character traits;
  • Gather Round Homeschool is fairly new to the homeschool world and is for learners to high school and takes more of a Charlotte Mason approach;
  • Tapestry of Grace is another favorite of mine built around the main topic of history, but also has a classical approach intertwined. It too is geared for all ages up to high school;
  • Christian Cottage blends history time periods with science and lots of hands-on activities. Like KONOS and Five in a Row, it has been around for years. Although initially it was up to middle school, it is aimed for use up to high school and is still a wonderful resource; and
  • Trail Guide to Learning blends another favorite subject of ours which is geography with language arts and science. When it launched back in the day it was aimed for middle school and still is a great fit for middle school learners.

Limited Unit Study Curriculum

Next, don’t think because a unit study curriculum is limited that it can’t be of value.

The ideas or content may be excellent starting points or give extensive background knowledge. Perhaps limited unit study curriculum just gives an idea for the day versus a daily lesson plan.

Furthermore, the focus of some unit studies are narrow; that is a huge benefit when too much information is overwhelming.

Not everyone wants day-to-day hand holding, especially if you have an eager learner. You may just want a framework of knowledge on the topic. There are many ways to use limited unit study curriculum.

A few of the ones I like are below;

  • Beautiful Feet Literature is another favorite that I’ve used through the years. Although the history is deep, the focus on other subjects can be limited. For example, Beautiful Feet has a science unit study and learning geography through picture books.

In my 25 years of homeschooling, I’ve seen an explosion of unit studies. Some welcomed by me, others not so much.

What is NOT Unit Study Curriculum

What is not a homeschool unit study is busy work and it’s not an approach you do alongside another approach.

Because there are no rules, you can be as detailed or loose in your planning as you desire. There is no one way to do a unit study.

Additionally, because it’s an integrated thematic study, prepared laid our boxed curriculum doesn’t usually align with this approach. You need less all-in-one curriculum and more topical or thematic guides and books.

What Makes Good Unit Study Curriculum

With that being said, what makes a good unit study curriculum is one that makes your job easier. Too, it should give you support to create a richer education for your children while saving you time and stress.

How Long Should a Unit Study Last

Then, depending on the ages of your children and their interests, your unit study could last anywhere from two weeks to several months.

A few topics my children wanted to study longer, I wanted to move on to cover other topics for the year. Just know that sometimes you’re the one that wants to move on.

However, I’ve had topics planned to do for a month which only lasted two weeks.

A good rule of thumb is to plan for at least two unit studies a month. That way if your children lose interest in one topic which you had planned to do longer, you can easily move on to your next topic.

Another tip for you is to use unit studies with all your children. Having these solid tips will show you how to use unit study curriculum with all your children.

Using Unit Study Curriculum with Multiple Aged Children

  1. Aim for a resource which targets the age of your middle child or most mature learner. Tweaking assignments to meet the needs of younger learners is easier than crafting ideas for older learners. Especially if you’re new to unit studies, this sanity-saving tip will help.
  2. Doing unit studies together does not mean you have to be on the same subtopic. For example, your family may be studying about sharks. An older learner could write a research paper, your middle learner could practice his reading on a book he or she has selected, and your kindergartner may be coloring a picture or crafting a shark. Different activities while you’re on the same topic is the sanity-saving secret. All doing the same lesson plan is not.
  3. Let each younger learner stop when he or she is immersed. The unit study approach is immersion into the topic. Like everything else, your youngest learner has limits when interest has piqued. Keep going with your older learners until their interest is piqued as well. Chances are you’ll cover the topic again later in your journey and the younger ones will pick up where they left off.

10 Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum

Lastly, the best part of unit studies and unit study curriculum are the benefits.

  1. Including all of your children together with each working at their individual levels, maximizes time.
  2. Children are immersed in a topic which they chose or better known as delight-directed studies.
  3. Willing participants in learning instead of forced learning nurtures independent learning.
  4. Moving at your family’s pace allows each child to be masters of their material. They are working individually for mastering not in comparison to other children their age.
  5. Through hands-on activities and living books, learning sticks. Retention is higher because children are doing and not just reading about the topic.
  6. Instead of learning bits and pieces about topics, children stay on a topic long enough to connect their knowledge to the greater body of knowledge.
  7. Separated curriculum with various topics have no unifying effect unlike the unit study approach.
  8. One giant reference book which spans many ages can be used with your multiple children saving a budget strain. In addition, the books can be used for several years unlike grade level curriculum.
  9. Learning is a privilege and should not be rushed to stay in step with scope and sequence. Using the unit study approach makes the approach fit your family, not keep up with a curriculum schedule.
  10. My favorite benefit is that the whole family is together with a relaxed pace and fostering sibling togetherness. The focus is on maximizing the time and your kids can easily lose track of the time spent learning. Fabulous!
10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

ULTIMATE UNIT STUDY PLANNER FREE PAGE

I would love to give you a copy of one of my pages from my Ultimate Unit Study Planner! It is a page I start with when I call bubble planning. I plan my thoughts and possible subjects around the main theme. You can see a sample of it here How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study – Step 2: Separation.

10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

Now, how to grab the freebie.  It’s a subscriber freebie.

HOW TO GET THE FREE UNIT STUDY PLANNER PAGE

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

What do you think? Are you ready to give unit study curriculum a try?

Here are some more unit study helps:

10 Key Benefits of Unit Study Curriculum (free printable)

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m sharing 10 homeschool kindergarten curriculum. You’ll love my other tip for kindergarten homeschool curriculum.

Besides homeschool kindergarten curriculum should be both affordable and complete, so you set a strong foundation for learning.

However, it’s hard to know which curriculum is better when you’re just beginning. There are many choices and you want to have some basic guidelines so you know what is the difference between them.

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

In addition, curriculum providers follow different homeschool approaches. Charlotte Mason, workbook, unit study and classical are a few homeschool approaches.

It’s important for you to know a few subtle differences because each family has different circumstances.

For example, some families may only have one child while others may have several children under five years of age.

So your time may be divided when you’re managing more during the day.

In addition, some families prefer to not have all days planned while others prefer plans.

While affordable and complete kindergarten homeschool curriculum varies with opinion, learning at this age shouldn’t.

Learning hands-on, through movement, and playing are three of the things I look for in a curriculum at this level.

Kindergarten Curriculum Supplements

Too, not all curriculum providers supply all the crafts and supplies you’ll need or want.

And if you’re teaching several children under 5 or 6 years of age, you want extra supplies and crafts.

For example, games for kindergarten should be at least half of your day along with reading aloud.

A few board games to get you started for kindergarten are

Also, fill your home with other kinds of writing materials besides pencils.

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

Children this age need practice with fine motor skills but that doesn’t happen by holding a regular pencil.

We used crayon rocks quite a bit because they’re fun to do arts and crafts with while strengthening fine motor skills.

Beginner Reading Choices

Also, here are some great books to get your child reading.

Beginner Reading Books For Kindergarten

A homeschooled kindergarten child’s reading diet should still be a mix of repeated texts or phonics readers and beginner readers.

This way your child’s basic reading skills continue to be strengthened while your child’s reading level is advancing.

Next, look at these affordable homeschool curriculum for your kindergartner.

KINDERGARTEN HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM

You determine what else you may want to add.

1. Blossom and Root.

One reason Blossom and Root is affordable is because there is a list of books you buy or check out from the library.

So unlike other complete curriculum, you don’t get hard copy books. In addition, the math is light.

For some kids this works great, but for other kids they may need a stand math program.

But I love this curriculum because it’s play based, and nature based.

2. Rod and Staff.

Rod and Staff is a no fluff, straightforward and wonderful program.

It has been around for years and parents who want to add more crafts and play based ideas love this curriculum.

3. Five in a Row

Five in a Row is yet another we’ve used in the early years because I love using beautiful literature from the beginning.

Although your child learns math, you will want to add a solid math program.

4. The Good and the Beautiful.

We used The Good and The Beautiful for part of kindergarten and love their approach and price.

It had just the right balance of hands-on activities with teacher help.

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

5. Oak Meadow.

Oak Meadow is another provider that is based on individual opinion regarding price.

Although not the cheapest, they are play based and have options for your purchase. This too is all inclusive.

6. Christian Liberty Press.

In addition, Christian Liberty Press is another no fluff straightforward curriculum.

A lot of providers similar to Christian Liberty Press have options for enrolling on line or buying the kit.

Unless you live in a state with restrictive homeschool laws, you should be able to purchase the kit and go your own pace.

7. MasterBooks.

Next, Masterbooks is another favorite. While it’s not only affordable but has options for what you want to purchase.

With their Charlotte Mason approach and gentle fun activities for kindergarten, it’s a great choice

8. Horizons.

Additionally, Horizons is another one we have used and loved.

I wanted everything laid out and had a framework where we could add our own activities.

9. Easy Peasy All In One.

Easy Peasy All In One is a free online curriculum.

If you want to take a slow start to kindergarten while learning the ropes, then having this laid out curriculum will give you a solid boost.

10. Lifepac.

We have used lifepac too for concise worktexts when we needed them.

Not only are they complete, but laid out.

Other Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Resources

You’ll love these other resources

Moreover, add more of these homeschool curriculum resources.

10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum

Free Lapbook Argentina for Kids Who Love Hands-on History

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a free lapbook Argentina. Also, look at my pages Homeschool Lapbooks – Powerful Tools For Mastery Learning for more lapbook ideas. And look at my page South America Unit Study Resources for more ideas about South America.

From the icy glaciers of Glaciar Perito Moreno to the roaring waterfalls of Iguazú Falls, it’s a country of dramatic contrasts.

Argentina is one of the largest countries in South America.

Free Lapbook Argentina for Kids Who Love Hands-on History

Also, an Argentina lapbook is a fun way to study the history of Argentina. Your children can learn about Spanish colonization and the war for freedom led by José de San Martín.

Argentina was home to Indigenous groups such as the Diaguita, Guaraní, and Mapuche peoples.

Too, adding information about landmarks like Iguazu Falls and famous cities like Buenos Aires helps your children to understand different cultures.

BOOKS ABOUT ARGENTINA FOR KIDS

Next, add some of these books about Argentina to your reading library.

5 Books Set in Argentina or About Argentina

Grab one or two of these books about Argentina to add to your reading day.

Then, add some hands-on activities to your study.

HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES ABOUT ARGENTINA

Also, look at the minibooks included in this free lapbook.

ARGENTINA LAPBOOK MINIBOOKS

  • Exploring Argentina
  • Mate Gourds, Leather Crafts, Soccer (Football)
  • Life on the Pampas
  • Nature & Land
  • Animals of Argentina
  • Fun Facts
Free Lapbook Argentina for Kids Who Love Hands-on History

Now, how to grab the freebie. It’s a subscriber freebie.

HOW TO GET THE FREE ARGENTINA LAPBOOK

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me

Free Ocean Unit Study Lapbook Covers

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have free ocean unit study lapbook covers. However, the whole ocean lapbook is complete now and you can grab it below. Also, I have more ideas on my page Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook.

Normally, I don’t share the lapbook covers and decorative clip art pieces for the lapbooks so early in our unit study.  But today I am sharing the ocean unit study lapbook cover choices because excitement has set in around here.

Free Ocean Unit Study Lapbook Covers

Because I am not sure how fast our house will sell, I want to share my printables with you sooner even if we aren’t ready for them yet in our unit study.

I went ahead and took a picture to show you what I mean when I call the downloads, decorative pieces. 

Though you can use them anywhere, even in notebooking, I normally create them size wise to fit on the outside file folder of the lapbook cover. 

OCEAN BOOKS FOR KIDS

First, look at some of these ocean books to use on this unit study.

16 Ocean Books for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Choose a few of these ocean themed books to go along with your study of the Oceans. Whether you're looking for a spine for a unit study or literature, you'll love this roundup.

Too, like I do for most of my lapbooks, I try to give your child a few choices in covers. 

The cover above is for the kid that is not interested in coloring right now.

OCEAN LAPBOOK FREE COVERS

I have a few of them too sometimes. Though this time Tiny decided he wanted to color something.

So with the donations I get for the lapbooks, I buy clip art for the unit study and share the coloring pages with you.

I purchased this picture of carp for some general coloring when studying about geography and rivers.

When Tiny saw it, that was what he wanted to color and he did.  It sparked a huge debate around here because Tiny had his mind set on coloring it for this unit study.

After I questioned him about whether carp are found in the ocean or not, it ignited a huge flurry of research, which I loved of course.

That is the part of learning that I enjoy about unit studies.  Sometimes the best parts of learning a unit study is the part you stumble upon.

You can download the pages below and yes, including the carp. It is a valuable piece of information he learned about what carp need to survive.

SOUTH AMERICA MOVE UPDATE

FINALLY, after months and months(and did I say months, okay, about 8 months) of decluttering and selling just about all of my stuff like a wild woman on Craigs List (I might have to share my pro tips one day), our house was officially listed this morning. 

And tomorrow, we have our first showing!  I am beside myself.  I am trying to be laid back about all of it because I am over the top tickled if we sell it in a few months.

staged house

We were ready to list our house a few weeks ago, but we had to interview realtors.  Then, because some of the last big pieces of furniture sold quickly, it left our house a bit bare.  Along with the realtor, we decided we better bring in a company for “staging”.

Of course there is no way with my family size that I could ever have just that few pieces of things to sit on, but again this is just for “staging”.

So we had more strange people in our house and she brought in totes of accessories, because I sold just about all mine.

 

 

Oh well, I just wanted to show you a few of the final pictures which have made me so completely exhausted but exhilarated feeling over the last few months.

Ocean Lapbook Cover Collage
Free Ocean Unit Study Lapbook Covers

Ocean Lapbook Cover 1
Ocean Lapbook Cover 2

Ocean Lapbook Cover Coloring 3

It’s a subscriber freebie.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE OCEAN LAPBOOK INCLUDING THESE LAPBOOK COVERS

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Biology Kits for High School & How to Do a Shark Dissection

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Biology kits for high school can take a few pages in a textbook and transform them into a memorable hands-on experience. And look at my page How to Choose the Right Homeschool High School Science for more fun teen ideas.

Also, look at my page Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook and Seashore Beach Watching Unit Study and Seashore Lapbook for more fun ideas.

This might look like observing prepared biological specimens under a microscope and analyzing what they see or dissecting a shark like we are doing today.

Biology Kits for High School & How to Do a Shark Dissection

Dissecting a shark is much more than a science lab, it’s an adventure into the mysteries of the ocean. By seeing how each system works together, your high schooler gains a hands-on understanding of marine biology and anatomy.

Whether they’re planning to be a scientist, it’s part of their requirements, or they simply love the sea, this experience opens the door to a deeper appreciation for life beneath the surface.

Beyond the dissection, we are going to look at the benefits of biology kits for high school, some fun facts, and a peek into a variety of kits themselves.

MORE HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HOMESCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE

MARINE BIOLOGY BOOKS FOR KIDS

8 Marine Biology Books for Teens

Choose a few of these ocean themed books to go along with your study of the Oceans. Whether you're looking for a spine for a unit study or literature, you'll love this roundup.

Next, using biology or science kits offers many advantages beyond textbook learning.

8 BENEFITS OF BIOLOGY KITS FOR HIGH SCHOOL

Some of the main benefits include:

  1. Accessible biotechnology experiments – Some newer biology kits utilize freeze-dried, shelf-stable components, allowing advanced molecular biology experiments (such as protein expression) to be conducted without the need for a full lab setup.
  2. Hands-on learning & deeper understanding- Kits let homeschoolers do real experiments (dissections, microscopy, DNA work, etc.), which helps solidify abstract concepts.
  3. Increased engagement & curiosity- Your student will enjoy exploring on their own, asking “What if…?” and trying variations of the experiments.
  4. Bridging theory and practice- Kits help them see how what they read in textbooks actually looks in real organisms or processes.
  5. Developing scientific thinking- Working with kits teaches them to make observations, form hypotheses, analyze data, and troubleshoot experiments.
  6. Safe and structured exploration- Kits are designed to include safe reagents, instructions, and controlled variables, making experimentation more accessible and less risky.
  7. Preparation for advanced study/careers- Students who use dissection kits or molecular biology kits get early exposure to tools and methods used in college-level biology, medicine, biotech, etc.
  8. Convenience for parents- Kits usually come with pre-measured supplies, instructions, and support materials, so you don’t have to source every component yourself.
Biology Kits for High School & How to Do a Shark Dissection

Also, look at these biology kits.

BIOLOGY KITS FOR HIGH SCHOOL

Also, look at these facts about shark.

FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT SHARKS

Before we explore sharks inside and out, here are a few facts to share and consider when dissecting your specimen.

Sharks don’t have vocal cords, so they never make sounds; they communicate and sense their surroundings entirely through body language, electrical signals, and vibrations in the water.

There are more than 500 species of sharks, from the tiny dwarf lantern shark (about 8 inches long) to the whale shark, which can grow over 40 feet.

Sharks constantly shed their teeth—some lose up to 30,000 teeth over their lifetime!

Unlike bony fish, sharks don’t have swim bladders. Instead, their large, oily liver helps them stay buoyant.

HOW TO DO A SHARK DISSECTION

If you have a high school marine biology dissection kit, it may include a dogfish shark, a smaller species that’s ideal for studying anatomy.

You will need:

  • A specimen
  • Dissection tray and tools (scalpel, scissors, probes, and forceps)
  • Gloves, goggles, and a lab apron for safety
  • Reference diagrams or anatomy charts
  • Notebook or lab sheet for observations and sketches

*Always work in a well-ventilated area and follow all safety instructions, including proper handling of the specimen.

First, gather all the necessary items in one place, including a large tray to hold your specimen and supplies.

Biology Kits for High School & How to Do a Shark Dissection

Begin by looking at the shark’s outer features. Identify the fins (dorsal, pectoral, pelvic, and caudal), the gill slits, and the mouth. Feel the texture of the skin—covered with tiny tooth-like scales called dermal denticles that reduce drag as the shark swims.

We compared our shark to a diagram, and using a stick, I had my high schooler point out each external part of the shark.

Biology Kits for High School & How to Do a Shark Dissection

8 BENEFITS OF BIOLOGY KITS FOR HIGH SCHOOL

Sharks’ eyes are equipped with a reflective layer called the tapetum lucidum, which helps them see in dim light—similar to a cat’s eyes.

Sharks can detect a single drop of blood in millions of gallons of water due to their powerful sense of smell.

Biology Kits for High School & How to Do a Shark Dissection

Carefully open the body cavity. You’ll find major organs like:

Biology Kits for High School & How to Do a Shark Dissection
  • Liver- Large and filled with oil, helping with buoyancy.
  • Stomach and Intestines – The spiral valve inside increases surface area for digestion.
  • Heart and Gills – Show how oxygen travels through the body. Sharks have five to seven pairs of gills instead of lungs.
Biology Kits for High School & How to Do a Shark Dissection

Depending on your specimen, they might observe male or female organs, helping to understand how sharks reproduce.

  • Oviparous – Laying eggs (like the catshark).
  • Viviparous – Giving birth to live young (like hammerheads).
  • Ovoviviparous – Eggs hatch inside the mother before live birth (like dogfish).

Unlike bony fish, sharks have cartilage instead of bones. Students can feel the flexibility and strength of the cartilage and discuss why it helps sharks move efficiently.

Biology Kits for High School & How to Do a Shark Dissection

As you study, compare shark anatomy to human or other vertebrate anatomy. Notice similarities in the digestive and circulatory systems—this helps highlight how all living things share certain biological patterns.