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Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

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

We are time traveling to Ancient Greece in Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time The Third Journey Through Time. And we’re building a fun Greek water clock. Be sure to grab more Geronimo Stilton Books ideas and crafts on my page.

Our favorite adventuring mouse gets to wander through Athens in 434 BCE. He meets Xanthippe, the wife of famous philosopher Socrates, and Socrates too.

After exploring the Greek alphabet, he visits The Symposium.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

He is really living his best life, isn’t he?

These books give amazing vocabular and detailed descriptions of clothing for the period.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time The Third Journey Through Time

In addition, they show architecture and important people of the time to give the young reader a fun glimpse into whatever historical era he ends up in.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Before we make the water clock, look at some of these resources.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

I have many resources to make this wonderful book a full literature unit study.

Ancient Greece Resources

Add these resources to your day to make learning come alive or do a full unit study.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

In addition, I have many crafts to go with some of the books in the Geronimo Stilton series.

Other Geronimo Stilton Chapter Book Activities

Next, look at these other crafts to go with the books.

Then, here are a few more facts about The Greeks.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Amazing Ancient Greek Facts

  • Roughly one third of Ancient Greeks were slaves.
  • Greeks called themselves Hellenes.
  • The Ancient Greeks invented the Yo-Yo.
  • The Greek alphabet came into being around about 1000 BC.
  • Many Ancient Greeks wore a chito which is a long shirt made from a single large piece of cotton.
  • The Greeks really loved to learn. They felt that learning was one of the best ways you could spend your time.
  • The basic crops that were grown in Ancient Greece were wheat, barley, olives, and grapes.
  • Romans were considered big copycats of the Greeks. They copied a lot of the Greek culture.  Everything from their gods, to architecture, language, and even what and how they ate.

Finally, look below at how to make this fun water clock.

We are going to create our own version of a Greek water clock.

A water clock or clepsydra was used in Ancient Greece to measure time by regulating the flow of water.

As water moved from one vessel to another in a certain period, they measured it.

Water would drip through a hole in the bottom of a filled container into the bottom one.

Often, the bottom container was marked with the hours of the day so that they could tell time by how full the vessel became.

Basically it is an hourglass with water instead of sand to simplify it.

It also happens to be one of the oldest ways to tell time from the ancients.

How to Make an Ancient Greek Water Clock

You will need:

  • Two 16-20 oz. bottles with lids
  • Water
  • A sharpie marker
  • Hot glue or e6000
  • A timer
  • Drill/small drill bit.
Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Pull the label off both bottles and wash the bottles well (especially if they were soda bottles).

Remove the caps and drill a small hotel through both caps, in the center, and line them up as close as you can.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Glue the two caps together, flat top to flat top, take care not to get glue in your holes and plug it up. You can reverse this order if it’s easier to line up the holes after gluing.

Start with 1 cup of water and pour it into one of your bottles, mark the line where the water stops. 

You may want to open the bottle backup and add more later if you want the timer to go longer.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Screw the glued tops onto the empty bottle and then flip it and screw it onto the bottle with water.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Get your timer ready, as soon as you flip the bottle and the drops begin to go through, start the timer.

Mark the water line in the bottom bottle at 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.

Reverse the bottles and do the same on the other side.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

You now have an awesome low tech timer for games, quizzes, or cooking and a little better understanding of how time was kept in Ancient Greece.

What do you think? Ready to make this?

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

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

Geronimo Stilton Out of Time The 8th Journey Through Time we make a visit to Sir Francis Drake. You’ll love the other Geronimo Stilton Books and crafts on my page.

I am so enamored with this little mouse and his wild adventures through time to meet famous figures.

At least we get to have a peek through his stories, right? 

In this book, Geronimo visits Alexander the Great, Queen Cleopatra, Mozart, and our focus today Sir Francis Drake. 

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

If you are not familiar with Francis Drake, he was an English explorer.

But he was also a sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. 

His biggest claims to fame are having a major role in England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth.

About the Geronimo Stilton Series

Geronimo Stilton is full of fun facts presented in a colorful and interesting way for even the child that is reluctant to read.

The series is a younger version of a graphic novel and a great way to introduce history to your child. 

This book has jokes, a seek and count page, maps, and lots of fun pirate terms to learn.

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

Too, colorful words in different fonts and sizes keep kids interested in the story while learning new vocabulary and placing emphasis on what is important.

Activities for Learning About Sir Francis Drake

Besides the wonderful activities in the book, look at some other ideas for learning about Sir Francis Drake.

Then, add some information about the differences between a pirate and a privateer.

What is the difference between a pirate and a privateer?

A pirate attacks and robs ships at sea for their own gain.

Privateers are pirates that were hired by the government to do the same thing.

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

However, they keep part of what they steal for themselves.

Other Geronimo Stilton Chapter Book Activities

Next, look at these other crafts to go with the books.

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

Finally, look at how to make a Sir Francis Drake ship craft.

How to Make a Sir Francis Drake Ship

Here is a list of supplies.

  • White Paper plate
  • Brown craft paint
  • Black, white, and brown construction paper/cardstock
  • Two wooden skewers
  • Red marker
  • Hot glue gun/glue sticks
Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

First, cut a paper plate in half, hot glue the two sides together.

You can do this with regular glue instead of hot glue if you’d like it to be an entirely child lead craft but it does take a lot longer for the glue to dry.

So, you may choose to just hot glue it so they can get on with the craft quicker.

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

This is what it should look like at this point.

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

Let your child paint both sides of the boat as well as the inside if they like and allow it to dry completely.

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

While you’re waiting for the boat to dry cut out three small circles of brown construction paper.

And cut three slightly smaller circles out of black construction paper.

Then layer them to create the little portholes on the ship.

Next, take white card stock and cut two smaller trapezoids.

Also, cut two larger trapezoids for the sales as well as a small rectangle for the flag and you can see what that will look like below. 

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

Help your child to poke the top and bottom of the trapezoid through the skewer.

Bend it out a little bit to look like it has a little wind and it sails of course with a larger trapezoid on bottom and the smaller trapezoid on top.

Attach the flag to the top of one with glue.

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

Glue portholes to the side of the ship.

Geronimo Stilton Out Of Time Fun Sir Francis Drake Ship Craft

Slip the skewered flags inside the ship and attach with hot glue, this will make certain it is secure and allow it to be ready faster.

Once the glue is cooled your ship is ready to set sail for adventure.

What do you think? Ready to try another fun Geronimo Stilton activity?

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

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

Geronimo Stilton adventures abound. And your kids will love the Geronimo Stilton book, The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time for the next time travel adventure.

Too, I have a hands-on history Ancient Rome Colosseum craft idea for this book.

Not only is this activity a great way to use up some of those Amazon boxes, but it is a great hands-on way to study one of the most famous historical landmarks and Ancient Rome.

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

Your child can learn about the advanced building techniques, the events, the people, their homes, clothes, and more through eyes of that fun loving mouse, Geronimo Stilton.

As you peek into ancient Rome through the eyes of Geronimo Stilton in The Second Journey Through Time, he travels to Ancient Rome in the year 45 BCE.

Hands-on History Activity

While the Colosseum wasn’t built until later than is depicted in this Geronimo Stilton story, you can hardly talk about the incredible architecture of Ancient Rome without mentioning the Colosseum.

This gives you the perfect opportunity to talk about when each building was created and perhaps even make a timeline to help make it more concrete. See how naturally a unit study grows from a topic of interest?

Geronimo Stilton gives a colorful and interesting view into the Circus Maximus, Roman mythology, a great visual of Roman attire and a Roman House.

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

These would all make great unit study topics taken from The Second Journey Through Time.

The books are thorough on the topics they cover and pull kids in with pictures and words. This is just part 1 of 3 parts of the book.

Also, Safari Toobs are a great addition to hands on homeschool activities.

They can be added to simple or complex sensory bins, used in dioramas, or as art inspiration.

And the toobs set can be a visual for people and landmarks of those times or even to make our cardboard Roman Colosseum come alive.

Ancient Roman Colosseum Facts

Next, look at some Ancient Roman Colosseum facts to share while you’re teaching this hands-on cardboard history craft.

  • The Colosseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater
  • It was completed in the year 80 AD
  • In medieval times the colosseum was used as a church
  • The Colosseum is made of travertine stone and thousands of iron clamps.
  • It’s oval not round as it tends to look in photos.
  • Beneath the Colosseum is the Hypogeum, a complex network of tunnels that animals, gladiators, and prisoners were kept prior to events.
  • The last record of gladiator battles in the Colosseum are from the year 435.

These books also make fantastic supplements to an Ancient Rome Unit Study and round it out nicely

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

Look at these other books.

Easy Books about Ancient Rome

Where is the Colosseum?  Perfect for read aloud or independent reading time.

Tools of The Ancient Romans – This has some fantastic information as well as hands on activities for the time period.

Again, they make great add-ons for this unit study and to compliment the Geronimo Stilton adventures.

How to Make An Ancient Rome Cardboard Colosseum

Finally, here is what you will need to build your own Cardboard Roman Colosseum:

  • Corrugated cardboard boxes
  • Packaging tape
  • craft paints
  • Straight edge cutter
  • Baking soda
  • paint brushes, sponge brush

You will need a larger box or several to join together to create the largest piece

First, slice your cardboard into a large strip.

Because mine had flaps already on it, I just left one that I trimmed down rather than cutting it off and reattaching it to create the taller portion of the Colosseum.

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

I found that if you cut the bottom flaps off the box from the inside so that your hand/knife rests on the bottom it is much easier to cut a straight line.

Peel off as much of your tape and labels as you can.

If some doesn’t come off its okay, the textured paint will help cover these up.

Score from the top to the bottom down the inside the long piece about every 4-6”.

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

Make sure you just go through the first layer of cardboard as this will make it easier to create the curved shape of the exterior.

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

Paint a basecoat of white all over the box template.

Allow to dry on one side and then repeat on the other. Allow to dry partially before moving on to the next step.

Create a mixture of 3 parts paint to 1 part baking soda. This combo gives a great texture like limestone or plaster to make it a little more realistic.

Ancient Rome Project

I added a little bit of brown to mine to dull the brightness of the white as well. 

Paint this on thickly, tap with brush and do some areas thinner and thicker to create an aged effect.

You only need to paint this on the outside of your structure but you can do both if you like. Allow to dry completely.

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

Draw on the many windows with a pencil and then paint them in.

This technique is easiest and the best choice for younger children. You could make it even easier by using a paint pen or just a black sharpie to color in the windows.

For older children you may choose to pencil in the windows and have them cut them out with a sharp blade.

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

Another option is to cut out a bunch of hte rounded windows and let your child glue them into place.

Curve your cardboard template into a circle shape and tape the back seam, you can use clear packing tape or box tape on the inside.

Geronimo Stilton Adventures The Journey Through Time #2: Back in Time (Colosseum Craft)

Other Geronimo Stilton Adventures:

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

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

Creating these homeschool high school literature suggestions for teens is more satisfying now that my teens graduated. Looking back, I know their love of reading came from being exposed to a variety of genre. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School.

Having a variety of genre to choose from is just one element of keeping teens reading into adulthood.

Beyond reading to fill a high school credit, use your time with your homeschooled teens to shape and develop their thinking.

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

Contrary to what some educators think, teens are still questioning beliefs. Their thinking is not fully matured. Issues raised in literature gives you the opportunity to analyze beliefs.

Too, high school and college courses require your teens to interpret literary terms and techniques.

I found this was best done by classic literature.

The point is whether your teen is reading American, British, or World literature he is gaining a greater understanding of the world.

That is something which will stick with him well into adulthood.

This high school literature list will give you a starting point in choosing the best literature for your family.

Moreover, don’t fret if your teen is still not loving to read.

Some of these books will ignite a fire and did I mention some are short?

Whether you have a teen who is a voracious reader or who is an unenthusiastic reader, I have some high school literature suggestions for all.

Homeschool High School Literature

Also, it’s important to remember that there is so much more going on when a teen engages with a book

Books for your High School Teen

For example, when a teen reads

  • and the genre is historical fiction it can make the time period come alive;
  • and the prose is challenging, it can raise his reading comprehension;
  • his vocabulary is expanded; and
  • critical thinking skills are introduced.

Knowing that so much more is involved then filling a credit at the high school level, be choosy about what your teen reads.

Also, what helped me at the high school level are the self-paced online classes, Literary Adventures for Kids.

We covered a poetry unit for one of my teens in a fun way.

Look at my post Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved).

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

Teens Reading List

See, I had to learn the hard way that a teen should have a choice in what he reads.

I remember being in English class in middle school and reading about boring topics.

I was a good reader, but not an enthusiastic reader until I read The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. He’s not an author I thought I would be drawn to as a teen.

However, his stories and poems invoked a love for reading detective stories along with his great storytelling. I loved everything about that poem, the figurative language, the dynamics, and the theme.

Homeschool High School Reading

The point is I would have never picked up his book on my own when evaluating my choices.

So your teen needs your help. It literally takes one book your teen can’t put down for your teen to look at reading differently.

Now as a parent, it is a learned balancing act when each teen got to the high school level.

I tried to find their interests and themes they loved to weave that with other genre they weren’t interested in or thought so at the time.

Also, another way to engage your high school kids is to learn through a theme.

We love history in our house and learning history through living literature has been one of our very favorite ways to learn history.

For 10th Grade

We love Beautiful Feet History, and have used their high school literature.

They suggest the following sequence which we mostly followed which has changed too.

Grade 9  |  Early American

Grade 11  |  Medieval History Senior High

Grade 10  |  Ancient History Senior High

Grade 12  |  Modern U.S. and World History for Senior High

Books for High School Readers

Although my teens had choices, I also had requirements because I wanted to invoke conversations to get my teens to think about the broader picture.

Learning to think critically means to know how to support your ideas from the book. It’s not always easy to do with just books they chose to read.

Why Some Homeschoolers Choose to Read Banned Literature

Next, I also had to decide how I wanted to talk to my teens about sensitive subjects.

A lot of homeschoolers, including myself, reject some modern reading lists.

However, the similarity stops there when choosing literature. Families and teens differ in how they want to handle sensitive topic.

When you research about banned books, the Washington Post stated, “The American Library Association launched Banned Books Week in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read.”

However, every since then, the topic of banned books sparks controversy for any education.

You too have to decide if you’ll present these banned books to your teen.

It’s been my experience that the sensitive subjects in books allows me the chance to direct my children about mistakes of the past.

I didn’t want to cover up mistakes in history, but to expose them so we learn from them. Most important that we don’t repeat them in the future.

Children relate to everyday things and some kids lives have had painful turns they couldn’t control. Although my kids didn’t experience the sadness of divorce and death at the time, they had friends who did.

Homeschool High School Books

It helped my sons to form a compassion for their friends. Every child has a different maturing rate and I was sensitive to each teen’s emotions.

The point is that you are the only one to know whether you want your children to read banned books or not. Me? I will do the choosing for my family and determine the values; you probably feel the same way.

Homeschool High School Reading List

I want the opportunity to help my sons’ learn from the past, but not be promoting ideologies which conflict with our worldview.

That is not always easy to do, but being familiar with literature your teen is absorbing is essential.

As you see from this quick list that the books reflect personal tastes of each teen. In the end, you want your child to enjoy reading.

I stressed way too much about balancing the genre when my focus should have been on the short time I had with each teen.

Besides being forced-fed never worked for any reader. So use this list to begin your list for your unique teen.

Lastly, this is by no stretch all that each kid read in high school.

As I pore over my huge amount of books, I’ll update this post for you.

The point today was to get this quick glance to you.

In the end what matters is creating a lifelong reader.

Remember what Francis Bacon said “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few are to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”

Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens

I know you’ll love these other posts:

Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

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

Homeschool unit study spines can make or break your unit study.

While you can use any living book for a great unit study, some resources are more helpful than others to help you plan quickly.

Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

Too, I’ve used many resources through my years of planning unit studies; choosing a spine is key to a successful unit study.

Before I jump into listing some helpful unit study spines, look below at the definition of a spine.

What is a Homeschool Unit Study Spine

A homeschool unit study spine can be a living book, magazine, mentor, reference book or chart, art or art object, play, musical piece, brochure, movie, encyclopedia, or any other type of book, object, or person which is the main reference or authority for your unit study topic.

In addition, a unit study spine is used to launch your lesson plans, topics, and sub-topics.

To easily plan, a superior spine will support additional ideas, projects, objectives, and concepts about the main topic.

It guides you down a trail to dive deep into the topic.

Look at my video How to Choose a Useful and NOT Useless Homeschool Unit Study Spine on my channel How to Homeschool EZ to understand what they are and how to choose them.

All research revolves around your spine; it is the backbone of your study and it is the main resource for your chosen theme.

Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

Additionally, depending on the type of unit study, some resources will be more helpful than others.

For example, if you’re doing a literature unit study, a beautiful dictionary is a must.

Also, as I moved away from all-in-one language arts, I used bar charts and quick study guides to zero in on skill subjects. To learn the difference between a skill and content subject read What Homeschool Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them? Part 1 of 3.

Now look below at a few handy charts which promptly get to the nitty-gritty of language arts skills.

Further, while comparing and choosing books, here are features I look for when choosing a superior resource:

  • Background information about the topic in the text.
  • Ideas for hands-on projects.
  • Anecdotes.
  • Words for vocabulary.
  • Diagrams or charts.
  • Questions in the text or at the end.

With that being said, look at the breakdown for the different types of unit study spines which help you to plan in a few hours.

The very first reference books I started with were DK Eyewitness books.

They’ve improved through the years; they’re timeless. A wonderful collection is an inexpensive way to prep for a unit study beginner.

Science Homeschool Unit Study Spines

One of my favorite and timeless publishers is Nomad Press. They have many books which make for great themes. Look at some of them below.

Another set of books are the DK Smithsonian Encyclopedia which are keepers for science unit study spines.

Look at some of the timeless ones we have used below along with some new ones.

17 Favorite Unit Study Spines

I love to pair a living book about a topic with a reference book to use as spines. Sometimes, it’s easier to use a reference book as a spine and add living books as we go along. These are some of my favorite science spines.

Moreover, there are no shortages of books and references for nature; I prefer field guides which are concise nuggets while teaching a nature unit study.

Of course taking the guides to our outside classroom is the best reason.

Nature Homeschool Unit Study Spines

Further, many times I’ve used two unit study spines as companions.

For example, the resources I’ve listed above are reference books. I find reference books are extremely easy in helping me to plan a unit study because they put topics in a nutshell.

Living Books For Homeschool Unit Study Spines

However, along with a reference book, some unit studies are better taught alongside a living book.

I find when I add a living book, language arts becomes a natural fit and not a forced fit.

Living books contain two main important things.

  1. The book is written by an authority on the topic; and
  2. They are written in a narrative form meaning a book would explain events and give vivid details in a story form which engages the mind of readers.

In addition, a living book should stir a reader’s emotion and imagination even doing so in a picture book.

However, one of the best features of a living book is that a reader doesn’t realize that he is learning facts in a natural way. Living books are opposite of textbooks.

Lastly, I look for classic books, but they aren’t always living books. Foremost I look for a well-written book which has a high literary quality.

Adding a living book alongside a reference book has been the key to my family covering almost all the subjects in a unit study.

Below, I’ve listed just a few books we’ve used through years; I want you to have examples of living books for the various ages.

I’ve divided the living books into three sections or lower, middle, and upper reading levels.

Also, keep in mind I’m giving you examples of them and then you can decide where to add them to topics.

Living Books for Beginning Reading Levels

Living Books for Middle Reading Levels

Additionally, look at these examples of living books for middle school.

Living Books for Upper Reading Levels

Moreover, a series of books like the Shakespeare Can Be Fun introduces sophisticated literature to younger kids in a fun way.

Let a young learner’s introduction to Shakespeare be one he understands. There is plenty of time in middle and high school to learn about literary terms.

Next, I want to share a few more reference books which I’ve used plentifully. The books below are by Chicago Review Press.

Even though these resources are some of my favorite, they are by no means an exhaustive list. My focus in this roundup is to give you visual examples of unit study spines which ease lesson planning by giving you a plethora of examples.

How Unit Study Spines Are Cost Effective

In conclusion, but certainly not less important is knowing the value of unit study spines. Homeschool unit study spines are cost effective for several reasons:

  • spines cover many ages and that means I divide the price by how many years I’m using it or by how many kids are using it for one year,
  • there is less waste of resources because we choose exactly what we want to study,
  • because unit studies are a mastery approach, less money is spent on covering one topic for several years, and
  • spending less time on curriculum which may not cover our specific educational goals and focusing exactly on my kids’ needs is not only a huge savings, but an outstanding education.

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

You’ll love these other unit study helps:

Hugs and love ya,