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unit studies

50 Free History Unit Studies–History Lover’s Round Up

May 1, 2014 | 24 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Rounding up 50 Free History Unit Studies, I hope you can use one of these. Also, you’ll love my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

You know history is my first luv, okay maybe planners, well maybe organization or new homeschoolers.

I have a fixation on all of the above, but today like I mentioned I am sharing 50 Free Unit Studies.

Maybe you will find one or two ideas that will spark an interest for you or that you can use this summer or when planning for next year.


50 Free History Unit Studies

Also, you’ll love some of these other hands-on unit studies that I love.

And we’ve also used Home School in the Woods and love them too!

Too, unit studies are not anything unless they have hands-on projects.

I am sharing my favorite series of books that make teaching and learning about history a passion.

Look here at my Amazon Store to see my board or list for favorite unit study books.

Where possible, I tried to list unit studies that listed a few more teaching ideas, hands-on projects or maybe just had an idea or two to spark your creative juices.

50 History Unit Studies

Whether you're looking to switch up your approach or want to focus on one aspect of history while homeschooling, you'll love this round up history unit studies.

Photo Credit: www.proverbialhomemaker.com

George Washington Carver Unit Study

The Groundbreaking, Chance-Taking Life of George Washington Carver

Photo Credit: www.homegrownlearners.com

Benjamin Franklin Unit Study

Our simple Ben Franklin Unit Study has been a lot of fun.

Photo Credit: www.proverbialhomemaker.com

Beric the Briton by G.A. Henty - FREE Unit Study!

But before the Romans brought civilization to Britain, the British were called Britons and they were actually barbaric!

Photo Credit: ourjourneywestward.com

Settling the New World: Colonial History Unit Study

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.

Photo Credit: ticiamessing.com

These courageous explorers changed the course of history, the Age of Exploration

These courageous explorers changed the course of history, the Age of Exploration.

BEST Westward Ho Unit Study and Lapbook!

The trail began as a footpath of the Indians and was later used by explorers, fur trappers, and missionaries.

Between 1841 and 1869 the Oregon Trail was used by settlers, ranchers, farmers, miners, and businessmen migrating to the Pacific Northwest.

Photo Credit: educationpossible.com

Discover the 13 Colonies Notebooking and Activity Unit

This 13 Colonies notebooking unit is a great addition to your middle school history lessons.

Photo Credit: rabbittrailshomeschool.com

The Underground Railroad Unit Study

The Underground Railroad is a topic in history I was excited to cover with my kids in our homeschool. 

Photo Credit: www.homegrownlearners.com

Study of The Adventures of Robin Hood

I am able to pause our reading in The Story of The World for a couple of weeks to work on a thorough study of The Adventures of Robin Hood

World War II Free Resources For a Middle School Unit Study

I rounded up some World War II free resources for a middle school unit study because I plan on tackling this tough part in American history soon.

Photo Credit: homeschoolgiveaways.com

FREE Great Depression Unit Study

Check out this FREE Great Depression Unit Study and start exploring the past–and how it relates to the present–today!

Photo Credit: ticiamessing.com

Looking to get your kids involved in learning about Ancient Babylon?

The Babylonian ruins were particularly fascinating to explore as they had large portions of walls that were intact in the museum to explore.  

Photo Credit: www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com

Ancient Egypt: Mummified Apple Experiment

When beginning a study of world history, it's always best to begin at the beginning...with ancient civilizations.

Photo Credit: raisingroyalty.ca

History Resource: Ancient China

Ancient China is such an interesting historical study

15 Hands-on History Ideas for Kids Studying the French and Indian War

The French and British discovered prior to the French and Indian war that they were claiming lands that were not empty. The Iroquois had been in the New York State for several hundred years before Europeans arrived. The British and French tried to get different Indian tribes on their side, including the Iroquois.

American Revolution Unit Study and Lapbook 1775 - 1783

American Revolution Unit Study and Lapbook 1775 – 1783

Iroquois Confederacy

We found this topic on the Haudenosaunee to be a captivating topic  because of the working thriving nation they were prior to the American Revolution but also because we wanted to view them as Benjamin Franklin would have – contemporaries or as equals.

30 Fun Resources for Learning About Daniel Boone

Today, I have rounded up 30 fun resources for learning about Daniel Boone.  He straddles quite a few epoch time periods in American history.

Photo Credit: ourjourneywestward.com

Presidents of the United States Unit

A thorough Presidents of the United States unit study can be a unique way to learn American history and geography. However, a quick study of one or more presidents can be just as great.

Photo Credit: redheadmom8.wordpress.com

Free 12-Week Greek Mythology Unit Study

Learn Greek mythology as a family with these fun hands-on activities!

Photo Credit: jimmiescollage.com

World War 1 Notebook or Lapbook

We used the Eyewitness WW1 book as our main resource, and I pulled a few chapters from True Stories of the First World War. The stories were not as good as I’d hoped. 

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Pilgrims for Kids

Make learning about pilgrims for kids fun and engaging with this hands on history for kids unit for preschool, pre k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade students! T

Learning American History through the Life of Wyatt Earp - Hands-on Activities

Today, I have the newest lapbook, which is the American history lapbook, learning about The Old West through the life of Wyatt Earp finished.

Marco Polo Unit Study and Lapbook 1254 to 1324

I am so excited to finally share the free Marco Polo lapbook and unit study.

War Between the States Unit Study and Lapbook

American Civil War – The War Between the ‘Tates 1861 – 1865.

Lewis and Clark Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook

Studying about Lewis and Clark has been one of the best ways to study American History. 

Vikings Lapbook Unit Study and Hands-on Activities

Your kids will love this Vikings lapbook and Vikings Unit Study. Barbarians as we use the term today had a very different meaning to the Ancient Greeks. The term Barbarian was coined by the Ancient Greeks and then used by the Romans. 

Medieval Japan Unit Study and Lapbook 1185 – 1600 A.D.

This Medieval Japan Unit Study and Lapbook covers from 1185 – 1600 A.D.{1185 – 1600 A.D.} From the end of the Heian Period to the Beginning of Tokugawa {Edo} Period.

Photo Credit: ticiamessing.com

Paul Revere unit

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. I think that was when my fascination with him started. 

Meso-America Unit Study and Lapbook

Meso-America, meaning “Middle America” is a term used to describe the lands of Central America and Mexico.

Photo Credit: www.embarkonthejourney.com

FREE King Tut Printable Mini-Unit

She loves ancient history, and can’t wait until we start studying Ancient Egypt. She’s excited to build pyramids, mummify an apple, and try to write her name in hieroglyphs. 

Photo Credit: www.proverbialhomemaker.com

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

This year we just happened to be studying Christopher Columbus leading right up to Christopher Columbus Day!

Photo Credit: homeschoolgameschool.com

Hands-On Medieval History Unit Study

Hands-On History for Homeschoolers: Medieval Times Unit Study.

Fun Ancient Greece Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook

About 2,400 years ago ancient buildings in Greece were shining marble temples dedicated to the gods of Mount Olympus. Myths were part of the every day of Greeks. We know about these stories because they have been passed down to us.  Also there is much Greek art that has survived to our day.

The FBI

J. Edgar Hoover was named Assistant Director on August 22, 1921. We focused on the time period around his start with the FBI.

Ancient Civilizations Lapbooks

Nothing better than learning the ancient civilizations in order. Grab free printables and lapbooks.

RMS Titanic Unit Study and Free Lapbook

Grab this fun and free unit study and lapbook.

Pirates Unit Study and Lapbook

Pirates unit study and lapbook. Who hasn’t heard of pirates? They conjure up in our mind scenes of swashbucklers and wealth of hidden treasures untold.

Photo Credit: ticiamessing.com

The Great Wall of China

Little known fact: The Great Wall of China is made of play dough.NO really.  That’s what we learned in our homeschool history lesson this time. It’s a little-known fact from ancient history.

Photo Credit: www.homegrownlearners.com

Learn About Davy Crockett

My son wanted to learn more about Davy Crockett.

Photo Credit: ourjourneywestward.com

Slavery and Civil War Unit Study

While this particular study was mostly literature-based, there were some fabulous materials that provided many of my lesson plans. By mostly literature-based, I mean: we chose really good books and learned about the life of slaves and struggles of the Civil War through the living literature .

Photo Credit: peanutbutterfishlessons.com

Gold Rush FREE Unit Study

It can be presented as a read aloud over about 4-5 days. Or a child that reads at the 3rd grade level or higher could read it over several days.

Photo Credit: peanutbutterfishlessons.com

US Constitution FREE Unit Study

Studying the beginnings of our Constitution always leaves me amazed! A group of people with different ideas of what this country should look like were able to come together and create a framework that has lasted for over 200 years!

Famous and Historic Trees Fun Nature and History Homeschool Unit Study

The beauty of unit studies is the ability to combine multiple subjects. This famous and historic trees fun study combines nature, history, and geography. Add in some art and music and it’s a memorable unit study.

Photo Credit: homeschoolhelperonline.com

Unit Study Based on An American Girl: Kirsten

Learn about what it would have been like to have been an immigrant pioneer by reading the American Girl Kirsten books and completing this free unit study.

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Jamestown for Kids Unit with Fun Activities

Discover what it was like to live in the first permanent English Settlement in America with this fun, engaging Jamestown for Kids unit study.

Photo Credit: faithandgoodworks.com

Learning About Jesse James {A Mini Unit Study Resource}

Here is a round up of resources to help you learn a little more about Jesse James,

Photo Credit: faithandgoodworks.com

Pilgrims and The Mayflower Mini-Unit Study {Part 1}

Unit study about Pilgrims, & the Mayflower,

Photo Credit: homeschoolgiveaways.com

Knights of the Round Table FREE Unit Studies and Printables

King Arthur and his loyal knights of the Round Table is such  a great story and legend to read about when you are studying knights and the Middle Ages. 

Photo Credit: www.mamaslearningcorner.com

Johnny Appleseed Printables and Unit Study Resources

John Chapman, more commonly known as Johnny Appleseed, was a unique man in many ways.  His greatest desire was to spread the beauty and love of the apple throughout our great country.

More Free Homeschool Unit Studies

  • 10 Days of Diving into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together
  • Super Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook
  • Foraging and Feasting Nature Unit Study and Lapbook 
  • A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas

Hugs and love ya,

24 CommentsFiled Under: Other Unit Studies Tagged With: hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, unit studies

Day 10. Unit Study Beginnings. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together.

April 27, 2014 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Last, but certainly not least important is to determine how to begin or open your unit study.  Unit study beginnings matter because you want a hands-on activity that will hook your children onto unit studies.

There are several ways to introduce a unit study besides reading a book though I have used that hook before to get my boys’ interest piqued in our unit study.  Most children will engage when you open your unit study with something that is not expected like a hands-on project.

Day 10. Unit Study Beginnings-1

I have used many different ways to introduce a unit study that moved me outside of the box or in this case the book.

6 Creative Unit Study Beginnings that Stick

Take a look at this last of ways to introduce your unit study that spark an interest in any hum drum unit study.

  • Instead of doing a whole lapbook, just do one small minibook.  When we studied the Native Americans, we started by creating a pop up book.  Instead of a boring quiz on what my boys knew or didn’t know about the Native Americans, we made an interactive mini pop up book.
  • Begin your unit study with a field trip.  Sure, you can save it for the end, but if you have enough places to visit, try to make it your first event too.  The field trip sets the mood for learning that topic and for my boys they could recall what they already experienced by the place we visited.  One year, I did a fall unit study with the boys and instead of reading about what fall is, I took them to a field trip where we could pick our own pumpkins and experience hands-on about fall.
rainforest - homeschool co-op

  • Begin with an easy science activity.  We tested out some plants when we began our Amazon rain forest unit.
Egyptian Game

  • Begin your unit with a game. And if you can’t find one on the topic you are studying, you can create an easy one based off the basic games like Go Fish, Battle or even trading cards.  You are only limited by your imagination.
  • Begin your unit study by listening to music or even doing a drawing, illustration, art or craft.
Moroccan Inspired Meal

  • Begin your unit study by creating a meal or favorite dish.

I hope you have enjoyed this step by step series in helping you to ease down the unit study trail.  As you can see, I feel a unit study is a superior way to teach a child though I never claim it is easy.

Sometimes it is flat out hard, but I always focus on the rewards.  I always look at my return in investment.  When my sons learn research skills early and have a say in what they want to learn with my guidance, I feel it gives them a mastery of material that would otherwise take us a few years to learn.

Doing my part in the process too by using living books, choosing topics they are enthusiastic about and working hard alongside them, keeping it all about hands-on when I would rather it be hands off at times, I have tried to reduce education boredom.

One of the biggest payoffs though is when my oldest son who is now graduated and doing college level work tells me Thank You.  His thank you comes from a place deep down inside because he knows I could have chosen a little easier path and some years I had no choice.  But where possible, I always tried to bring our learning around to a central theme or topic.

It’s true small ideas give a huge payoff.

Did you come up with a theme or try one or two unit studies?

Hugs and love ya,

10 Days of Creating A Unit Study Together

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3 CommentsFiled Under: 4. {10 Days of ... Blogging Series}, Diving into Unit Studies by Creating A Unit Study Tagged With: unit studies

Day 9. Flow of Our Day with A Unit Study Schedule. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together.

April 10, 2014 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschoolers are anything but typical and that difference is reflected in the flow our day with a unit study schedule.

I cringe when I think about sharing “typical homeschool schedules” only because I don’t want to ever give you the impression that this is the best way for the season of homeschooling that you are in right now.

But having said that, I would rather share with you how my unit study schedule works for my day so that you see how relaxed that it can be.  I have had many schedules, even having to schedule to half-hour increments where needed.  And all of them have worked for the various stages of homeschooling that I have been at in my journey.

So sharing the groove to our unit study day, I am hoping that you see that when planning by “blocks of time” if you can, you have more control over your day.  Freedom with a block of time still gives me boundaries and helps me to plug along in the day, but it also allows me to decide if we need to focus on a previous day’s assignment or work on the next assignment in our unit study.

The Flow of Our Day With A Unit Study Schedule

Too, I am an early riser and believe in the value of getting the day started early because I don’t want to waste any time.  No, we don’t have to start schooling right then, but I like having a little bit more time to enjoy quiet mornings.   Believe me, it was not always possible with little ones, but they grow up, trust me.

We start our day early most mornings with school too and I do occasionally begin our day with fun subjects like geography, history and science and especially if we feel a bit of burnout coming.

However, for a majority of our homeschooling years, we begin our morning focused on the 3 Rs.  I have read numerous articles throughout the years and we have experienced the same thing and that is my sons prime time for learning is first in the day.  Tackling tougher subjects first instead of giving left over time to them allows them to not be frustrated on such essential life-long skills.  For most kids tough subjects are usually math and some of language arts like writing.

It is especially important to me to cover math and grammar first because those subjects are harder to cover in a unit study and I don’t want them to suffer.  For the little ones, you will want to focus on phonics first as well.  Too, a fun hands-on project waiting to be done in your unit study is a great motivating factor for you for your kids to finish the skill subjects early.

Relaxing and savoring our moment with our unit study is more satisfying when I know that I don’t have to force a subject to fit. Get it done early and move on to the delight of the unit study.

It has been my experience to not labor subjects like math, grammar and phonics. If they fit in a unit study topic, then fine.  If not, always schedule time for them separately and move on to enjoying your day.

Blocks of time work for us. And I always make sure I have time to give to my youngest son if he is struggling and allow time for them to finish up an assignment that might have taken a little longer to cover.   A block type of schedule allows us longer stretches of time to set up our hands-on materials, work on them and not have to put them away right then for the day.  We can come back later in the day to work on them also.

As you can see from my schedule above, we are either together for out unit study from about 10:00 a.m.ish on or right after we finish our early lunch, which is normally around noon.

I decide each day how we will spend it depending on the previous day’s assignment.

A unit study schedule should have an ebb and flow, but be relaxed and flexible.

Do you think you can create an easy unit study schedule based on the tough subjects that you need to tackle first?

Hugs and love ya,

10 Days of Creating A Unit Study Together

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Day 7. Unit Study Activity Ideas. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together.

March 20, 2014 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

The hands-on activities that I listed in Day 6. Unit Study Resources that Stir the Imagination. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together  which are for our upcoming Ocean Unit Study may not fit your particular theme.  So today, I want to stretch and expand your knowledge of what other unit study activities and ideas you could use to enhance the topic that you have chosen.

One of the biggest fears about planning unit studies is that activity ideas may run slim to none (not ever the case, but it feels like it anyway) for your topic.  So having your quiver full of ideas avoids stuck-itis when it is time to plan your unit study.

Day 7. Unit Study Activity Ideas. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together

Also though depending on what subjects you want to emphasize in your unit study, the ideas here will give you options to choose from for each subject.

Unit Study Activity Ideas

In other words, I have organized ideas by subjects and have added activities for a variety of ages/grades.  You can decide which activities works best for your children’s abilities regardless of age.

One last thing about the activities listed below and that is I have tried to keep the ideas as general as possible to use with any topic.  But some ideas don’t make sense, unless I give you an example of how to use them.  To make the ideas more clear, I give you specifics in how to connect that idea to an actual activity.

Let’s get started.

Language Arts

Math

  • Hands- On Book Report. Did you see the post about a  book report mobile hanger?
  • Build a model bridge.  Make your own abacus. Play Uno.  Start a business for a child entrepreneur who sees no need for math.
  • Make you own themed paper to illustrate/write. Decorate with stickers or draw an art border.
  • Build place value models.  Create visual number lines. Create calendars with number and values.
  • Do a skit based on any piece of literature. {Shakespeare}
  • Make secret codes and decipher them.  Make your own board game for math.
  • Add grammar study points on a “O” ring and laminate.  Anything on an “O” ring makes it hands on instead of worksheets and you have that tool for a longer time to use with younger children.
  • Make your own groups of ten counters by using popsicles and gluing beans or any other favorite object on it.  Skip count by actually skipping and counting.
  • Add bird seed, rice, or beans to a plastic bottle and make I Spy words.
  • Snowflake symmetry.  Design your own tiling patterns.
  • Write backwards like Leonardo Da Vinci.  {Mirror writing.}  Find a penpal.  Start a cookbook.
  • Make an addition wheel, make a paper die to practice use of any of the basic 4 operations.  Create your own problems on the paper die.
  • Puppet Show.  Create a timeline for events in a book.  Round up famous speeches and study them.
  • Draw and cut out templates to show Pythagorean theorem by making them puzzle pieces.
  • Journal with art or journal by pictures only.  Do Mad Libs for grammar.
  • Play store. Create a math dictionary. (We did this one year and it is a great reference tool all year round.)
  • Create a list of proverbs.  Add to it each day.  Do a noun hunt, verb hunt,etc.  Do word dominoes.

 

  • Math card games to teach fractions.
    Kitchen geometry.
Unit Study Activity Ideas

History/Geography

Science

  • Make a compass.  Cook recipes from a place in the world. The Around the World Cookbook: Over 350 Authentic Recipes from the World’s Best-Loved Cuisines
  • Draw/Label a cell.  Build a website. There are plenty of easy free website templates for new programmers.
  • Make passports.  Create a treasure map for geography.
  • Solar System Stickers (Dover Little Activity Books Stickers)
  • Take care of a small pet.
  • Create a timeline on just one event instead of a whole time period.
  • Do a report about a scientist (language arts & science).  Make charts & graphs instead of worksheets.  Do a YouTube video.
  • Make your own board game for your topic.
  • Illustrate an invention.  Raise a tadpole, have a butterfly garden Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden
  • Make a paper mache globe.
  • Create an ocean in a bottle.  Instead of starting a garden, grow one vegetable.
  • Make a ship from milk cartons, or ice cream, or soda bottles.
  • Community service like a garden or visit a habitat.  Do recycling projects.
  • Interview an older person who witnessed a historical event or have him tell about his life.
  • Study an ant hill. Buy a kit for this unless you have a backyard full of them lol. Insect Lore Ant Hill

I didn’t list art or music because those subjects are a bit easier to find activities to do because by their very nature they are hands-on.  I wanted to stick to subjects that took a bit more finesse on your part as a teacher to bring learning alive.

Also, don’t forget to memorize lists or things like continents and oceans, Bible verses, helping verbs, skip counting, quotes for history, science songs, months of the year, days of the week, presidents, 10 plagues on Egypt, the 12 Knights of the Round Table,  50 states, the wives of King Henry VIII (we remembered like this divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived), 12 apostles, the planets, types of clouds and colors of the rainbow as examples.

Collect items like rocks, postage stamps from different countries, arrowheads and coins.  Check out this Squidoo Lens of items to collect.

Though certainly not complete, I do hope this expansive general list of ideas will help you to see how each subject can be brought to life through a number of activities.

But now that we have ALL of this information that we have been gathering, it is time to stream line this baby and create actual lesson plans we can use each day.

Next post, I will show you how to take the information I have given you and create a set of lesson plans!

What do you think? Are you starting to feel more confident about diving into a unit study?  If you have created one before, what advice do you have to add to this list?

Hugs and love ya,

10 Days of Creating A Unit Study Together

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Day 6. Unit Study Resources that Stir the Imagination. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together.

March 9, 2014 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.


You don’t have to be creative to create a unit study that sparks your children’s interests, you just have to be committed.  Like all things that are practiced, the more you design a unit study, the better you become at it.  Gathering resources plays a large part in whether your unit study is successful or just so so.

Day 6. Resources that Stir the Imagination. 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together.

Gathering resources, for me anyway, is a constant factor in my journey.  All teachers plan differently, but I prefer to plan as I go along.  For me, it keeps planning time to a minimal because I already have some basic resources to choose from.

I guess you can call the resources I gather my unit study starters.

You notice how I will change directions on you when we are studying one topic and post my resources that I gather up for another one.  I just did it this week with the few resources I shared about a human body unit study.  My secret to planning is to gather as I go and to plan one or many unit studies while I am doing another one.  It really keeps the planning part from being overwhelming when you can spread it out over a period of time.

Unit Study Resources that Stir the Imagination.

Gathering resources is just one aspect.  Also, knowing which resources will help to create the love of hands-on learning and knowing which ones to ditch will keep your unit study moving along and not stagnant.

Look at my list of things that I got to on a regular basis for my unit study starters.

  • board games
  • apps
  • living books
  • atlases
  • bar charts
  • teacher’s guides
  • student magazines
  • homeschool magazines
  • currclick
  • netflix
  • my pinterest boards

Choosing resources wisely that will capture your children’s interest is not the only caveat to be aware of.

Hands-on or Drooping Hands

While I do whole heartedly agree with the fact that hands-on learning is an inherent part of any well educated child, I do believe that an overload of them or complicated ones can exhaust both teacher and child.

As new unit study converts, sometimes they tend to go overboard with hands-on learning.

Hands-on projects are like seasonings that we add to our food.  Just a pinch of it enhances our food.  Hands-on projects should not be overwhelming or exhausting.

Planning too many or did other things that made them hard to fit into your day can make unit studies turn to blah quickly.

Do you make these 4 mistakes?

Look at some of these tips for adding hands-on resources that will not exhaust you or your kids.

FBI Unit Study Create A Crystal Radio Together
  • Avoid insanity by doing one project per child or grade level.  Do one project for ALL of your children.  Aim for a project that satisfies the middle age range of your children.
  • Avoid complicated projects.  Choose projects that require normal household items you already have on hand.  It is okay to gather supplies you don’t have on hand too, but try to plan ones where you have a majority of supplies on hand.
  • Avoid long term projects.  If you have very little kids {mostly under 8 or 9 years old} choose projects that have an immediate wow factor, i.e. blow up something.  You won’t hook them on hands-on learning if they have to always grow something that takes weeks or months to build.  As they grow older, they develop the love of waiting, watching and observing and then you can choose longer projects.
  • Avoid doing all the work.   If you have older kids, let them gather the supplies, decide some of the projects and lead the projects.  Even when kids are young, they can learn by gathering up items on your list.

Unit Study Online Resources Organized

Key to using your resources is being able to find them after you have gathered them up.

An easy system and one that you can retrieve quickly always works best.  And though I love Pinterest, the Pinterest boards are not really able to be highly organized at this time.  Pinterest really needs sub-boards.

My top way of organizing online resources is Evernote.  Evernote is free and I find it way more practical than bookmarks because I am able to copy/paste just about anything onto it.  I organize it and type whatever I need to remember.

I have it on my browser bar so I quickly access it when I need to add a link, picture, or idea.

Easy to find Evernote

If I didn’t blog, Evernote would be the only tool I would need to gather up links, thoughts, pictures, videos and organized them in notebooks.  Notebooks are like files on Evernote.  It is truly a masterpiece way to organize your unit study resources.

Ocean Unit Study Resources Gathered

Here are a few of the resources that I have for the Ocean Unit Study.

Ocean Lapbook Cover Option 1 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Yum. Edible Ocean Layers @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Ocean Vocabulary Words and Wave Pocket @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Message in a Bottle Language Arts Activity @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Ocean Lapbook @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
How Low Can You Go Ocean Lapbook Starter @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Ocean Currents Minibook @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
What is the Ocean Minibook @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Ocean Currents and The Galapagos1
Winter Homeschooling - Look to the Sea. 17 Hands-On Activities for Two to Teens @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus featured
Edible Geography Sea Levels
5 Days of Look Alive Winter Homeschooling. Day 1 Look to the Sea. @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus featured

Though there are volumes of links, I find that by grabbing just a few of the ones that better suit us or the ages of my children keeps me from storing links that we will not use.

Gathering resources is a practiced art no less important than teaching the unit study.  Be selective and choose ones that you think will inspire your unit study.

Do you find it hard to organize your resources or find them for your unit study?

Hugs and love ya,

10 Days of Creating A Unit Study Together

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2 CommentsFiled Under: Diving into Unit Studies by Creating A Unit Study, Hands-On Activities Tagged With: hands-on, unit studies

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