I have a free horse unit study for your horse loving kids. Also, look at my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies for more ideas.
If you have a horse loving middle school kid, I have a collection of resources for you.
I’ve herded up (corny pun intended) enough amazing resources to put together a fun and full horse unit study that will knock their saddle off.
You don’t have to have horses to have a horse lover on your hands, there is still plenty they can learn even if they can’t get out and ride.
Choose a few items from each category to celebrate December 13th which is National Day of the Horse.
Or enjoy them in an equine themed unit study.
While I did gear this unit to mostly middle schoolers I included a few resources that can be enjoyed by all ages.
Books about Horses
First look at one or more of these books which can easily be a spine.
9 Books and Resources for Horse Loving Kids
Whether you add a book or two to use as a spine for your study or just for fun, your horse loving kids will enjoy them.
A Homeschooling Journal for Horse Lovers! 365 Lessons and Activities. This Journal has a special focus on learning through logic and creativity!! It also covers every required subject! Perfect for 2nd to 4th grade, but fun for all ages.
This is the perfect Fun-Schooling Journal for students who love horses!
There are 365 activities in this book, and you can require your student to use 1, 5 or 10 pages per day, along with 6 library books, and your favorite math, history and science curriculum. You are free to use it any way you wish. That is the joy of fun-schooling with Thinking Tree Books.
Did you know that a miniature horse weighs just a few pounds, while a giant draft horse can weigh well over a ton? Or that from a standstill a mule can jump, kangaroo-like, more than five feet high? With answers to hundreds of questions about behavior, physiology, training, and special breed characteristics, Knowing Horses has all your horse quandaries covered.
This book is designed for all those who love horses. Tracing the evolution of equines, this guide also explains the difference between horses and ponies, looks at how different breeds evolved or were selectively developed, and examines equine anatomy and behavior. Packed with 250 vivid full-color photographs of more than 100 horse-breeds, it uses a systematic approach from Dorling Kindersley and the Smithsonian Institution to train readers of all experience levels to identify and appreciate the wide variety of horses in the world.
Learn the difference between a farrow and a barrow, and what distinguishes a weanling from a yearling. Country and city mice alike will delight in Julia Rothman’s charming illustrated guide to the curious parts and pieces of rural living. Dissecting everything from the shapes of squash varieties to how a barn is constructed and what makes up a beehive to crop rotation patterns, Rothman gives a richly entertaining tour of the quirky details of country life.
The complete beginner’s guide to horses and riding for kids 8 to 12
This ultimate guide to horses for kids teaches you all about the basics of equine care―from anatomy to housing to bathing and feeding. Whether you’re just starting out or already have a horse of your own, you’ll learn how to ride, how to stay safe around horses, and how to develop a healthy and friendly relationship with them.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Black Beauty is a perennial children's favourite, one which has never been out of print since its publication in 1877. It is a moralistic tale of the life of the horse related in the form of an autobiography, describing the world through the eyes of the creature. In taking this anthropomorphic approach, the author Anna Sewell broke new literary ground and her effective storytelling ability makes it very easy for the reader to accept the premise that a horse is recounting the exploits in the narrative. The gentle thoroughbred, Black Beauty, is raised with care and is treated well until a vicious groom injures him. The damaged horse is then sold to various masters at whose hands he experiences cruelty and neglect. After many unpleasant episodes, including one where he becomes a painfully overworked cab horse in London, Black Beauty finally canters towards a happy ending
Marguerite Henry’s beloved story of a wild horse’s gentle colt—winner of a Newbery Honor!On the island of Chincoteague, off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland, lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely-seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her—that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can’t live without her.
Horse and book set: National velvet is Enid Bagnold's unforgettable tale of a horse-loving girl with aspirations of jumping Glory. A story about perusing dreams and taking chances, National velvet follows the adventures of 14-year-old velvet Brown.
Whether you are a veterinary nurse or student preparing for an exam or just an ordinary horse lover seeking to learn more about this amazing domestic animal called ‘horse’ this colouring workbook is for YOU!
This book has been designed and structured to make you learn horse A&P easily and effortlessly. By colouring the images contained in this book, you will easily make visual associations with key terminologies and concepts.
Moreover include hands-on activities in your horse unit study.
Hands-on Activities about Horses
Include fun hands-on activities every chance you get for maximum impact.
When kids of any age are engaged and having fun with a subject, they love they will always learn more!
If you don’t have horses, sign up your child for horseback riding lessons in your area.
If horseback lessons are out of your budget or you just want to let your child work for it a little more, consider reaching out to a local barn and inquiring about work programs.
Sometimes they trade out manual labor (like mucking stalls and washing horses) for riding lessons.
Additionally, print this Free Horse Lapbook to offer a little structure to their lessons, learn about breeds, horse vocabulary, horse diet and more.
Here are a bunch of horse worksheets to print and work into your horse unit study for some writing practice.
Also, use How to Draw Horse. Even older children can benefit from drawing for developing fine motor skills and art appreciation.
Make this amazing Horse String art for an activity that will brighten up the walls.
More Hands-on Horse Unit Study Resources
Then put together a Horse Jigsaw Puzzle over the course of your study.
The middle schooler that loves crafting will adore this Felt Horse Stuffie Craft.
Label the parts of a horse. You can use a Breyer or other horse figuring and sticky note strips to have your child label the various parts of a horse rather than just filling out a boring old worksheet.
This Pool Noodle Hobby Horse Craft is geared to young children but what about having your tween or teen make some to donate to a children’s hospital or women’s shelter as a community outreach project?
If you do have a horse, have a friend with one, or visit a farm or stables you can assign this How to Make Molasses Horse Treat recipe to include some cooking to the unit study.
MORE HANDS-ON HORSE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Further, add games to your study.
Horse Themed Games
Games help important facts stick and can make a boring day come to life.
4 Horse Games
Themed games should be a required part of every theme in my opinion.
HORSE-OPOLY is a property trading game based on our equine animal friends. It's a game that actually encourages horseplay!
Includes paper money and a game board
Take the reins at a real-life ranch and build your dream stable!
Quick and fun to learn with 6 levels of play for all ages
Fantasy ranch: ages 13+, play time 30-60 minutes
Fun & Educational Toys: Horse Academy features 80 challenges for ages 7 – Adult.
Brain Games Build Skills: kids and adults can build upon their spatial insight, planning and problem solving skills while playing Horse Academy.
Puzzle Includes: Game board, Horse with Rider, jumping gates, booklet with 80 challenges.
2 Horse set includes a red roan Stallion, and his Chestnut Pinto foal.
Authenticity: Breyer horses are sculpted in every color and breed imaginable with unmatched realism. Breyer model horses, which begin as artist’s sculptures, are handcrafted and hand-painted with airbrushes and paintbrushes – a process which is still done by human hands, not machines. Even today, No two Breyer models are ever exactly alike!
Finally, look at these videos.
Combine fact filled videos and movies about famous horses, inspired by real events or completely fictitious stories to your horse unit study to make it exciting and less like work while they learn.
