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unit studies

Beethoven & The French Revolution Minibook (Music Unit Study)

January 5, 2014 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

French Revolution & Beethoven Collage

So you know we have been trying to get one more unit study in before we have to think about moving. {I think we can, I think we can.}

Zeezok Publishing Review

But, one thing I have not told you about yet that we love, is that I have been reviewing The Music Appreciation Collection by Zeezok Publishing.

Before I say anything else, let me just pause and say “Wow”!  I had no idea that we would love it so much and that it would be so extensive with background information on the life of each music composer and not just music CDs.

Zeezok Publishing Review Beethoven Lapbook and Reader

Though I do say it from time to time, I want you to know too that I do not accept every offer made to me for free curriculum to review.  But, when I do accept I am thinking it would make a great fit for our family and this curriculum is no exception. 

It tops the favorites list too and we are not finished with it yet.   One thing that appealed to me right away are the lapbooks on each composer as well as the beautiful readers.

Zeezok Publishing Review Activity Book

(activity book with a variety of extensive activities)

I won’t be posting the review until next month, but just wanted you to get a sneak peek.

Because we have been learning so much from it, I wanted to share a connection to our French Revolution unit study and that is about Beethoven. 

We were delighted to know that our composer study lined up with our unit study.  I had no way of knowing that of course when I accepted the offer.  So this was a nice surprise.

Though I recalled the time period that Beethoven lived in, I knew he was not from France.  But, after using Zeezok’s Music Appreciation activity book we realized that the French Revolution did affect Beethoven. 

Sure he knew about the French Revolution because it was a significant event of that time period, but I didn’t really know any details.  The activity for the lesson pointed out that he could not travel to Vienna because the city was not safe because of the uprising.

Too, he very much was affected by the bombing of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Though technically, Austria was bombed when Napoleon Bonaparte was emperor, it had its roots in the French Revolution.

French Revolution & Beethoven @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Because we are doing a full lapbook from Zeezok on Beethoven coming up next month, I created this free minibook to go with our current unit study about the French Revolution. 

We are using it to note a few facts about Beethoven so that Tiny remembers he lived during this time period.

Download the free minibook on Beethoven here.

I love it when we discover an unplanned music tie in to our unit study.  Do you seize those moments too?

Grab these other fun things

  • French Revolution 1789 – 1799 Unit Study & Lapbook
  • Homeschool Music Curriculum on the Beat
  • How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare
  • Shakespeare Unit Study Starters
  • Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved)
  • Relax! How to Easily Add Art and Music to Your Homeschool Day

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: History Based, Science Based Tagged With: music, musicappreciation, unit studies

Free Fall Unit Study Ideas– For Older Kids Too

September 22, 2013 | 7 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have free fall unit study ideas for older kids today. Also, I have this page Fall Unit Study {Pumpkins, Leaves, Corn, & More} for more fall ideas.

If I close my eyes and wish real hard, cool air may blow into my back yard here in Texas.

Though today is officially the start of fall, the truth of it is that I am sitting here typing this in my shorts and sandals.

However, I’ve rounded up some free fall unit study ideas and some of older kids too.

Whenever cool weather gets here, we always take time to do something special. It could be simple poetry reading or a craft or two.

Last year, heaven forbid, we don’t cover an apple unit before we complete homeschooling, we finally did one.

Free Fall Unit Study Ideas

This year, since we are focused on South America some poetry and delish sounding fall recipes are looking good.

So I decided to round up some free resources and construct a unit study for you.

Too, because there seems to be a gazillion things for preschoolers, (you know I love them) but not many free resources to include the older kids, I have included some ideas for them too.

Even if you aren’t a unit study lover, I know everybody likes to get off the beaten path and this gives some variety and pizzazz to the day when you need it and well, it’s FREE. Have to love that.

Free Fall Unit Study Planning Ideas | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Free Fall Homeschool Unit Study Ideas

I am using one of my planning pages from my Unit Study Planner to show you how ideas can be taken from an idea to a study topic.

You can see above at how I fleshed out my thoughts and I still did not have enough boxes to cover a few facts under history too.

More Fall Ideas for Teens

  • How to Make Pumpkin Spice Body Scrub & 7 Fall DIY Crafts For Teens

The life of Johnny Appleseed could make for a mini geography report on the states he traveled through without making it babyish.

First, there are many subtopics that can fit under fall and some of them are:

  • leaves,
  • trees,
  • pumpkins,
  • autumn-flowering plants,
  • migration, affect of weather on animals,
  • apples,
  • early time keeping,
  • sundials,
  • fall fruits,
  • even wine making or picking grapes,
  • getting sap from a sugar maple tree; and
  • making syrup.

Sometimes just a fact or two about the subtopics can spur the creative juices in both you and your children. Everybody will want to study something different each year to keep it lively.

Next, look at a few of these quick facts or ideas for each subtopic.

Awesome Autumn Vocabulary

Vocabulary ideas for learning about studying about fall for both younger and older children.

  • equinox
  • conifer/deciduous
  • seasonal growth
  • camouflage
  • sugar maple tree
  • Fall or Autumn?
  • supply/demand regarding farming commodities like corn
  • enzymes
 

Autumn Animal Study/Quick Facts

Some oral narration or a mini report focused on one of these animals would work for your animal lover.

Arctic Fox –  It’s fur is brown in the summer to match its surroundings, but in the fall, it sheds it fur and grows a new white fur for camouflage in the upcoming months.

  • Look at my Winter Season Unit Study to learn about the Arctic Fox.

Frogs – In the spring, they are part of the pond food web. In fall, they move onto land and become part of the meadow food web.

  • Look at my Frogs and Toads Unit Study to learn more about frogs.

Dormouse – It feeds eagerly in fall to store up body fat for the winter

The Basement Workshop Store

Autumn Tree Study

Coniferous Forests – Pines and firs make up coniferous forests. These trees are evergreen providing shelter for animals all year long.

Deciduous trees – Their leaves fall off, but their berries, fruit and nuts provide food for the animals in the coming winter.

Maple Sugar – How to tap a maple sugar tree for sap.

Fall Flowering Plants

How does a scientist study in the fall? Preserving plants now to study later.

Do a hands on project and some nature art by sketching the plants, then putting them between two white sheets of construction paper and put a heavy weight on it and wait.

Retrieve them in the dead of winter when there are fewer plants to study and observe.

A chrysanthemum is normally a fall flowering plant and the topic could make a plant study.

Look at my Unit Study Historic Trees to put a history slant on studying about trees.

Fungi Great Decomposers

Field mushrooms – During the fall, field mushrooms spring up overnight in damp pastures and meadows.  Great topic for older students.

History in Autumn

The Ford Motor Company introduced the Model T in October, 1908. Check out the free printable and information.

The Panama Canal was turned back over to Panama in the fall. This would make an excellent topic for older students concerning the engineering feat of this project.

Links: Fall Printables & Lesson Ideas

  • Look at Harvest of the Month Educator’s Corner to tie in an health element or study.
Fall Apple GrowingFall Apple Printing
  • This site, Yakima Valley Museum has a 32 page download A is for Apple with the ideas and information pictured above for an easy craft for the younger kiddos and some for older kids.
  • Fun Autumn Internet Hunt for those that just want to enjoy and not write.

One of the links is not working, but the others are on this scavenger hunt around the net about autumn things. The YouTube video is a math rap song by a teacher teaching perimeter. I ‘m impressed. But I am easily impressed because BELIEVE me you don’t want me singing, much less doing a math rap.

  • Fall Poetry
  • Easy matching fall vocabulary printable
Decomposing
  • Free Lesson Plan/Background Information for Older Students to Learn about What happens to all those dying leaves.

The decomposition column looks like a great idea for a fun and easy hands on project too.

  • This next site has some nice printable flashcards for the younger kids. Click on the pictures on that site to download.
  • Here is an adorable recipe card and canning labels.
Our Journey Westward
  • Fun Notebooking Pages .
  • Check out this Lesson Plan with clickable diagrams about trees. Nice and useful.
File:Leaf morphology no title.svg
  • Helpful pdf on the background of solstice and equinox and making a sun model.
  • Another very useful lesson plan is the Exploring the Solar System toolkit.
  • Lesson on understanding leaves and photosynthesis with answers again. Thank you.
Handprint Autumn Tree Craft
(Photo Credit: Free Kids Craft)
  • Nice keepsake autumn hand print idea
  • And oh my goodness! More chocolate. Dare I admit that I am a football fan too? So when autumn comes around, that is what you catch me doing on Sundays. Look at this recipe from Sweet Simple Stuff.
Football Snack Mix
(Photo Credit: Sweet Simple Stuff)

Autumn Music

We love classical music in our home and so we listened to The Four Seasons by Vivaldi on YouTube and that would make a great music focus.

Listen to Autumn at 20:59 or close to that number.

And then finally don’t forget that I have two full page here of free printables.

I have poetry, lapbooks, apples and art.

What do you think? Either you are hungry, ready to be inspired, or exhausted from reading all these ideas.

Winter NaturExplorers 735x1102 (Pinterest)

Do you have some fall activities you are doing or lined up?

Fall Ya'll Ideas for A Fall Unit Study - Ideas for Older Kids too. Click here to grab them!

Look at these other ideas:

  • Fall Homeschool Learning Resources For Middle School
  • Fall Y’all:Pumpkin Pie in a Bag (Easy Homeschool Co-op Idea)
  • 21 Hands On Homeschooling Ideas to Keep the Winter Chill Off {Activities for Tots to Teens},
Free Fall Unit Study Ideas - For Older Kids Too.

Hugs and tuck this away for when you need it, love ya,

7 CommentsFiled Under: Free Homeschool Resources, Hands-On Activities, My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}, Other Unit Studies, Science, Science Based Tagged With: earthscience, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, middleschool, science, teens, unit studies

South America Unit Study Resources

September 6, 2013 | 8 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have many South America Unit Study resources. Grab more ideas on my Lapbook ideas, and on my Best Homeschool Unit Studies pages.

My first step as far as planning is to determine what I have in my home and what I can find online. 

Planning my unit studies is a lot like cooking from scratch.

First, I like to dig out what is in my pantry, then take a look at what others have too in their “pantry”.

South America Unit Study Resources

Too, at the beginning I decide whether we will do a lapbook or if we will just do some minibooks and keep it notebooking style. 

Besides, a lot of our units we do both a lapbook and some notebooking pages.

Also, I decide if our unit study will be just enrichment to what we are doing day to day or if it’s all we focus on for a while.

SOUTH AMERICA UNIT STUDY

My objectives affect how long we stay  on a unit.

Next, here is my short list for my objectives in this unit and a few goals.

  • Comprehensive overview of the physical geography
  • Focus on landforms like Andes, Machu Picchu and some reminders on the Amazon Rain Forest
  • Understanding the influence of the Spanish Colonial Empire and the key influence Simon Bolivar had in Latin America’s struggle for freedom

  • Build appreciation from our prior study of the Amazon that it is a life line for many and essential to our planet
  • Appreciate a unique design has a Designer by introducing the Galapagos
  • Allow time to immerse in the culture of people living in South America and the similarities and differences of each country though they are all considered Latin America.

We will be doing a lapbook and notebooking pages. I guess you could say for the first unit of the year, we are going all out.

South America Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Basically, South America has 12 countries and 2 dependent territories so we have more than enough to keep us learning for quite a while.

You'll love these South America Free Resources Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

After all, we will spend time looking at what we have covered up to this time, so I can build my unit study on that foundation.

My South America Unit Study Resources

South America and Rainforest Free Notebooking Pages @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I have a total of 12 notebooking pages right now on my page on the Amazon Rain Forest which I could use in this study.

I have free Rainforest lapbooks too on my site.

However, because I want to focus on the other parts of South America and because the boys are a bit older, I already see that I will need some more printables. So I will be sharing those with you soon too.

You'll love these South America Free Resources Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
After I gathered the books I had on South America which happen to be mostly atlases, I know I need a trip to the library.

You'll love these South America Free Resources Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

However, the library didn’t have as many as I would have wanted in the adult section.

Besides, they had some and that is more than enough to start a good thorough unit study.

SOUTH AMERICA UNITY STUDY ACTIVITIES

In addition, look at the resources and activities I have on my page.

  • Free Machu Picchu Mini Book & Completed South America Lapbook
  • South America Unit Study– Colorful Free Printable Map
  • How to Memorize the Countries of South America & Mountain Climate Zones Minibooks
  • South America Unit Study–Vocabulary & Copy work
  • Free Mini Layered Book – South America Galapagos Islands
  • Free 8 Page Fan Book–Animals of the Galapagos Islands
  • Humboldt Who? Hands On to Understand Ocean Currents & Their Effect On The Galapagos Islands
  • How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft
  • Fun Chocolate Unit Study and DIY Chocolate Candy Bar Activity
  • How to Make Paper Mache Mountains to Celebrate Chimborazo Day
  • South America Geography Salt Dough Map + Printable Pennants
  • Negrinho From Brazil–South America Unit Study
  • Appreciating the Culture of South America Through Dance
  • 8 Small Things About Traveling to Cuenca, Ecuador that Make a Big Difference
  • 5 Things I Love About Cuenca Ecuador
  • Everyday Life in Cuenca, Ecuador
  • We Arrived in South America!!!!
  •  Free South America Country Reports for Kids Notebooking Pages
  • Effigies Celebrations and Customs of Cuenca Ecuador
  • How to Make a Felt Mountain Craft | 7 Andes Mountain Facts For Kids
  • Galapagos Islands Animals Fun and Simple Watercolor Flamingo Tutorial
  • Free South America Printable Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Unit Study Ideas

  • Llama Love And Creative Machu Picchu Crafts for Kids

South America Unit Study Ideas to Borrow

Additionally, there are so many talented teachers in the homeschool world, we can see what else we find. I have linked some of my favorite resources here.

1. Heather over at Blog She Wrote starts with a Geography Quest on Brazil. It starts with a treasure hunt and ends in Brazil. Then they did a map of the watershed of the Amazon River.
Geography Quest on Brazil Answers and a video.

2. Jolanthe over at Homeschool Creations has some great stuff too. She has some printables for a country study on Argentina, Chili, Peru and Venezuela.

3.  Then of course I always love Amy’s stuff over at Homeschool Share.

  • Brazil Lapbook
  • Colombia Lapbook
  • Ecuador Lapbook

4. Heidi over at Homeschool Room has a nice collection of geography resources on studying Brazil. Geography Resources for Studying Brazil

South America Unit Study Resources. I have many South America Unit Study resources. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas, and on my best homeschool unit studies pages. My first step as far as planning is to determine what I have in my home and what I can find online. Planning my unit studies is a lot like cooking from scratch. First, I like to dig out what is in my pantry, then take a look at what others have too in their “pantry”. Too, at the beginning I decide whether we will do a lapbook,
South America Unit Study Resources. I have many South America Unit Study resources. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas, and on my best homeschool unit studies pages. My first step as far as planning is to determine what I have in my home and what I can find online. Planning my unit studies is a lot like cooking from scratch. First, I like to dig out what is in my pantry, then take a look at what others have too in their “pantry”. Too, at the beginning I decide whether we will do a lapbook,
South America Unit Study Resources. I have many South America Unit Study resources. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas, and on my best homeschool unit studies pages. My first step as far as planning is to determine what I have in my home and what I can find online. Planning my unit studies is a lot like cooking from scratch. First, I like to dig out what is in my pantry, then take a look at what others have too in their “pantry”. Too, at the beginning I decide whether we will do a lapbook,
South America Unit Study Resources. I have many South America Unit Study resources. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas, and on my best homeschool unit studies pages. My first step as far as planning is to determine what I have in my home and what I can find online. Planning my unit studies is a lot like cooking from scratch. First, I like to dig out what is in my pantry, then take a look at what others have too in their “pantry”. Too, at the beginning I decide whether we will do a lapbook,
South America Unit Study Resources. I have many South America Unit Study resources. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas, and on my best homeschool unit studies pages. My first step as far as planning is to determine what I have in my home and what I can find online. Planning my unit studies is a lot like cooking from scratch. First, I like to dig out what is in my pantry, then take a look at what others have too in their “pantry”. Too, at the beginning I decide whether we will do a lapbook,
South America Unit Study Resources. I have many South America Unit Study resources. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas, and on my best homeschool unit studies pages. My first step as far as planning is to determine what I have in my home and what I can find online. Planning my unit studies is a lot like cooking from scratch. First, I like to dig out what is in my pantry, then take a look at what others have too in their “pantry”. Too, at the beginning I decide whether we will do a lapbook,
Ocean Currents and The Galapagos1
South America Unit Study Resources. I have many South America Unit Study resources. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas, and on my best homeschool unit studies pages. My first step as far as planning is to determine what I have in my home and what I can find online. Planning my unit studies is a lot like cooking from scratch. First, I like to dig out what is in my pantry, then take a look at what others have too in their “pantry”. Too, at the beginning I decide whether we will do a lapbook,
South America Unit Study Resources. I have many South America Unit Study resources. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas, and on my best homeschool unit studies pages. My first step as far as planning is to determine what I have in my home and what I can find online. Planning my unit studies is a lot like cooking from scratch. First, I like to dig out what is in my pantry, then take a look at what others have too in their “pantry”. Too, at the beginning I decide whether we will do a lapbook,
South America Unit Study resources

HOW TO GET THE FREE SOUTH AMERICA LAPBOOK

Finally, look at how to grab the free lapbook. This is a subscriber freebie.

Also, look at these minibooks which come in the free South America lapbook 27 page download.

  • Vocabulary Pocket and Vocabulary Words
  • Animals of the Galapagos fan book which includes the Giant Tortoise, Lava Lizard, Marine Iguana, Green Turtle, Galapagos Penguins, Magnificent Frigate Bird, Blue-Footed Booby, and Blue-Banded Goby.
  • Comparing Mountain Climate Zones
  • Simon Bolivar Copywork
  • Map of South America to label and one labeled
  • Machu Picchu – Lost City of the Inca
  • Negrinho – A dessert from Brazil
  • How to Memorize the Countries of South America and Dependent
  • Map Flags to put on your salt dough map
  • 2 – The Galapagos Island layered book. One prefilled with facts and one blank to add your own information.

 1) Sign up on my list and get this freebie at the same time.
 2) You’ll instantly be directed to download the printable.
3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox as a follower. Glad to have you following me!

8 CommentsFiled Under: Geography Based, My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}, Science Based Tagged With: hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history, homeschool, homeschoolgeography, south america, unit studies

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