• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

  • HOME
  • How to
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
    • Middle School
    • High School
  • Planner
  • Lapbooks
    • Trioramas
    • History Games
  • Shop
  • GET STARTED NOW!
    • Learning Styles
  • 7 Step Planner
    • DIY Best Student Planner
    • Free & Easy DIY Home Management Binder
  • Unit Studies
    • Creation to Ancients
    • Middle Ages to Reform
    • Exploring to Revolution
    • World Wars to Today
    • Science
    • Free Art Curriculum Grades 1 – 8
  • Curriculum
    • More Unit Studies
    • Geography
    • Writing PreK to 12th
    • Geronimo Stilton
  • BootCamp
    • Resources
      • Dynamic Subscriber Freebies
      • Exclusive Subscribers Library
      • Ultimate Unit Study Planner

unschooling

Interest-Led Learning Made Easy: 12 Free Topics to Keep You Inspired All Year

March 24, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Whether you’re following an interest led learning model, unschooling or child-led, you’ll love this newest free printable I have today. Also, look at my page Homeschool Learning Styles to learn more about learning styles.

Through the years the terms interest-led learning, child-led learning and unschooling hasn’t really changed. It’s that the homeschool education world has finally caught on.

In my mom’s time the only way for a child to learn was through traditional curriculum. Or rather that was the view touted then.

Interest-Led Learning Made Easy: Free 12 Topics to Keep You Inspired All Year

Interest-led learning is a homeschool approach which prioritizes a learner’s personal interests and passions ahead of any curriculum.

Some families use curriculum, others not so much. But all families use resources which interest their families.

For example, they can utilize online learning, living books, life experiences, YouTube, classes, and dictionaries.

Also, they may use reference books, games, history enactments, science labs, interview professionals, or ordinary people who are knowledgeable, have much experience along with a passion for a topic.

As you can see there are many ways for a family to pursue topics that they want to know about instead of what is laid out in a curriculum.

So, I have created a free printable to give you a year’s worth of topics that your passion filled child may want to learn about.

RESOURCES FOR INTEREST-LED, UNSCHOOLING OR CHILD-LED LEARNING

But first, I have rounded up some resources on various topics which may interest your child.

16 Interest-Led, Child-Led & Unschooling resources

Because you can use a variety of books on topics that interests your child, I've included some subjects you child may find delightful.

The Water Cycle!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

Drip―Drop―Splash! Water is essential to all forms of life. So let’s learn all about it! The Water Cycle! With 25 Science Projects for Kids captures kids’ imaginations with a deep look at the world of water. Combining hands-on activities with history and science, The Water Cycle! invites kids to have fun learning about the water cycle, water resources, drinking water and sanitation, water pollution and conservation, water use, water folklore and festivals, and the latest in water technology.

Skulls and Skeletons!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

What would happen if you had no bones? You might fall over flat on the floor!

Bones are those hard parts of our bodies that make up our skeletons and skulls, and we need them in lots of different ways. In Skulls and Skeletons! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, readers learn about the bones in their bodies and why we can’t live without them. And bones aren’t just good for humans―many animals can’t live without them! But do all animals have bones? No, they don’t! And why do fish look so much different from birds, even though both have bones? Organisms use their bodies in different ways to successfully live in different habitats. For example, a bird’s light bones are great for flying, but would not support them deep in the ocean.

Weather and Climate!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

What’s it like outside? Is it a day for building a snowman, constructing a sandcastle, or planting a garden? Weather and Climate! With 25 Science Projects for Kids introduces kids ages 7 to 10 to the fascinating world of meteorology and all of the ways what’s going on in the atmosphere above our heads can affect us here on the earth! Plus, discover how weather and climate change are linked but not the same, and figure out ways to be part of the solution to the problem of global warming.

The activity in our atmosphere plays a critical role in our lives and in the health of our planet. Today’s weather determines what clothes you wear and what you are going to do after school, while the local climate influences what kind of car your parents drive, what kind of house you live in, and―believe it or not―what foods you eat!

Rivers and Streams!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

Did you know that without rivers, human life might not have developed as it did? We might be a very difference species if it wasn’t for rivers, as would the other plants and animals who depends on rivers and streams for food, transportation, water, and power!

In Rivers and Streams! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, readers ages 7 to 10 dive in and discover how rivers change the shape of the land while plants, animals, and humans change the shape of
rivers. Through fun facts, engaging content, and essential questions, kids learn about the vital role that rivers and streams have played in human history and explore the ways rivers and streams might affect our future. Science experiments that promote critical thinking and creative problem solving encourage kids to make their own discoveries about the waterways they might pass every day.

Kitchen Chemistry: Cool Crystals, Rockin’ Reactions, and Magical Mixtures with Hands-On Science Activities

Bring chemistry to your kitchen with a book that offers hands-on science activities that can be done with ingredients from your pantry and the refrigerator!

What’s going on when you cook in the kitchen? Science!

In Kitchen Chemistry: Cool Crystals, Rockin’ Reactions, and Magical Mixtures with Hands-On Science Activities, readers ages 9 to 12 discover that the cooking, mixing, and measuring you do in the kitchen all has its roots deep in science―chemistry to be exact!

Explore Rivers and Ponds!: With 25 Great Projects

Explore Rivers and Ponds! with 25 Great Projects, introduces kids to the fascinating world of freshwater habitats and the creatures they contain. Combining hands-on activities with ecology and
science, kids will have fun learning about the freshwater biome, including lakes and ponds, streams and rivers, and wetlands. Entertaining illustrations and fascinating sidebars illuminate the topic and bring it to life, while Words to Know highlighted and defined within the text reinforce new vocabulary. Projects include assembling an ecologist’s field kit, creating a fishless aquarium, pouring casts of animal tracks, and building a watershed replica. Additional materials include a glossary, and a list of current reference works, websites, museums, and science centers.

Robotics!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

Where was the last time you saw a robot? Did you read about one in a book or see one in a movie? Maybe you saw one in a video game!

Some people think robots exist only in our imagination, but actually, robots are all around us right now. Robotics! With 25 Science Projects for Kids offers readers ages 7 to 10 an introduction to the history, mechanics, and future use of robots! Readers explore the history of robotics and discover how the first types looked and moved and what people expected they could do. Compare these early robots to those we have today, some of which don’t even have bodies! Kids discover how robots have changed as decades have passed and see how they now look, think, sense, move, and do things.

Gutsy Girls Go For Science: Astronauts: With Stem Projects for Kids

Hands-on space science projects help launch kids ages 8 to 11 into learning about fearless female astronauts who broke barriers across space and gender in this full-color book full of real-world connections!

Do you dream of going into space? Do you wonder what it’s like on the moon? In Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Astronauts with STEM Projects for Kids, readers ages 8 through 11 explore the lives of some of the world’s most amazing female astronauts, including Bonnie Dunbar, Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, Sunita Williams, and Serena Auñón-Chancellor―all pioneers in the field of space exploration. Their hard work and dedication to science and experimentation gave the world much new knowledge about space, biology, and more. These brave women took risks and pushed the limits of what we know about life in space.

Energy: 25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power & How We Get It

Energy is a vital part of our lives. It powers our computer, lights our home, and moves our car. It also costs a lot of money and pollutes our environment. In Energy: 25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power and How We Get It, kids ages 9–12 learn about the history and science of the world’s energy sources, from nonrenewable fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas to renewable sources such as solar and wind power.

Zoology: Inside the Secret World of Animals (DK Secret World Encyclopedias)

This visual reference book starts with the question "what is an animal?" and takes you through the animal kingdom - mammals, reptiles, birds, and sea creatures. It uses a unique head-to-toe approach that showcases in spectacular detail special features like the flight feathers of a parrot, the antenna of a moth, or the tentacles of coral.This visual encyclopedia is filled with clear and fascinating information on everything about the social lives of animals. Read exciting stories like how animals communicate, defend their territories, and attract mates.

The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth (DK Our World in Pictures)

This inspiring children’s reference guide welcomes you to the animal kingdom where you can meet more than 1,500 species, ranging from ants to zebras and everything in between. Stunning pictures bring you face to face with giant predators you know and love, including polar bears and tigers, as well as mysterious microscopic life, including amoebas and bacteria.

Space A Visual Encyclopedia (DK Children's Visual Encyclopedias)

From the Moon, Sun, and planets of our Solar System to space exploration, black holes, and dark matter, this completely revised and updated children’s encyclopedia covers all you need to know about the cosmos. The most up-to-date images from space agencies such as NASA and ESA combine with info panels, timelines, interviews, diagrams, and activities you can do at home to help you understand the majesty and wonder of space. 

Backyard Biology: Investigate Habitats Outside Your Door with 25 Projects

BIOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF LIFE. Life is everywhere, thriving in the city and in the country, teeming in ecosystems around the planet—in deserts, oceans, and even the Arctic. And life is right outside your door! Backyard Biology invites children ages 9 and up to investigate living things —especially in yards, parks, nature areas, and playgrounds. Trivia and fun facts bring animals, plants, and microorganisms to life, in all their wonder.

Inventions: A Visual Encyclopedia (DK Children's Visual Encyclopedias)

This stunning visual guide explores and explains the greatest inventions, ideas, and discoveries throughout the ages, and introduces their inventors. From fire, stone tools, and the wheel to ploughs and paper, discover the first inventions that shaped societies and grew mighty civilizations and empires such as those in ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and ancient China.

The Arts: A Visual Encyclopedia (DK Children's Visual Encyclopedias)

From the first strokes of paint on prehistoric caves to contemporary street art in the 21st century, every artistic style and movement is explored and explained in stunning detail. Special features celebrate the lives of groundbreaking painters, sculptors, and photographers, from Dutch master Johannes Vermeer to photography pioneer Julia Margaret Cameron. Many best-loved pieces of art are showcased in iconic images. Marvel at Leonardo da Vinci's mysterious Mona Lisa, the most famous painted lady. March alongside China’s statues of the Terracotta Army, and gaze in awe at Barbara Hepworth's stunning Pelagos sculpture.

Ocean: A Visual Encyclopedia (DK Children's Visual Encyclopedias)

From the shimmering surface to the darkest depths, this breathtaking visual encyclopedia presents our blue planet as never before. Stunning photography, accessible information, and fascinating facts are spilling over in this essential guide to the oceans. Take a dip in all the world’s waters to experience their incredible diversity. Make a splash in the icy Arctic waters before warming up in the tropical Indian Ocean. Experience the super size of mighty whales compared to swarms of tiny krill. Cast your eyes to the skies to see circling sea birds before diving down to meet mysterious creatures of the deep. 

Next, look at some hands-on activities which are a huge part of learning.

These activities will pair with the topics I’ve included in the free interest led printable of 12 topics.

HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES FOR INTEREST-LED LEARNING

  • How to Make a Cool Greek Mythology Triorama With Kids
  • Greek Mythology Unit Study and Greece Lapbook & Fun Hands on LEGO Zeus.
  • How to Create a Minecraft-Like Paul Bunyan Craft With Graph Paper
  • 8 Earth Day Facts | How to Make a Recycled Robot
  • Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning
  • Fun Facts About Mold Fossils & 4 Types of Fossil Activities For Kids
  • Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study
  • Exciting Books About the Great Barrier Reef| Faux Coral Craft
  • Free Homeschool Volcano Unit Study
  • Ancient Civilizations Unit Study

Finally, look at how to grab this freebie.

Interest-Led Learning Made Easy: Free 12 Topics to Keep You Inspired All Year

HOW TO GET THE FREE YEAR OF CHILD-LEARNING PRINTABLE 12 TOPICS

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

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

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

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

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

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Tips for Learning Styles Tagged With: child led, freeprintables, interest led, learning styles, unschooling

How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List

July 12, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Putting your own middle school nature study together fits an unschooling, unit study, Charlotte Mason and eclectic homeschool approach. Also, you’ll love more ideas on my How to Homeschool Middle School.

I’m showing you how to put together a middle school nature study.

Besides, once you learn the general framework of a unit study, you can spend as much time or as little as you want on it.

You’ll learn how to do it easy peasy, make it a little more challenging, cover more than just simple nature study, and give you a list of wonderful books and other resources to go along with it.

How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List

While nature study is wonderful you may want to be able to make it more well-rounded and use it as credit for their sciences.

It is possible to do that with a little more intentional planning.

How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study

You can still enjoy the carefree times of nature walks, simple observations, and nature-based art but it’s time to kick those things up a notch.

1. Expand What the Term Nature Study Means

First, build your curriculum on more subjects than just nature.

See how you can expand it.

While nature study is important and wonderful, you want to make sure that you are giving them access to multiple streams of learning.

For example, look for interesting videos, living books on a variety of topics, and deeper study into topics,

In addition, include parts of science that are not naturally in nature studies.

Encourage study and find ways to incorporate learning about electricity, rocketry, chemistry, anatomy, microbiology, and other topics.

2. Nature Journals Become Science Notes & Labs

These can be a great way to work on art and creative writing.

However, nature journals can easily turn to lab notes and physical documentation of what they have been learning.

How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List

Too, journals show progress and can be used to highlight what interests your child.

More Nature Study Activities

  • How to Create a Fun Yosemite National Park Camping Curriculum | DIY Firestarter

But at this stage, you can start expecting a little more out of them, a little more writing, more challenges with their artwork, and expanding their interests.

How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List

Instead of just drawing, take the next step to nature photography or classifying rocks with bulleted lists, add a bit more structure to the expectations.

3. Keep Records

No matter what your homeschool style you may or may not have kept more of a record than the smiling photographs and jotted notes that you needed.

You can also “reverse plan”, which just means you write down what you accomplish after it’s done rather than what you plan to do in advance. 

How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List

This helps you get a feel for if you are doing enough.

And I find it really encouraging to look back on all we accomplished that I might not have remembered without writing it down. Grab any notebook or paper pad and start writing it all down.

4. Offer Learning Baskets

Gather different types of books and resources like field guides, tools, specimens, and picture books, with a broad nature study scope as well as some specific to certain topics.

Then put them all together in a basket to create interest.

Next go with a specific nature topic of a mix to see where the current interests lie. You never know they may find a new passion!

5. Expand the bookshelf

Don’t sell those picture books yet!

There are many amazing nature study picture books that will appeal to middle schoolers and teach them so much more than any dry textbook would.

Don’t discount those books you may consider picture books and too young for middle schoolers. They are still a great resource and wonderful to use for art inspiration, identification, and research.

How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List

Then here are more nature study activities and resources.

Other Nature Study Activities and Resources

  • Fun Outdoor Activities For Middle Schoolers Geocaching and Nature Study
  • 26 Free Nature Unit Studies for Multiple Ages
  • Famous and Historic Trees Fun Nature and History Homeschool Unit Study
  • How to Make an Easy Nature Paint Brush With Kids
  • 20 Nature-Inspired Kids’ Novels to Nurture Interest In the Outdoors
How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List

Also, add one or two of these fun nature lapbooks to your nature unit study for a hands on project.

How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List
  • Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart
How to Put Together a Middle School Nature Study With Book List
  • Dynamic Famous and Historic Trees Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic Famous and Historic Trees Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart

6 Nature Study Books and Resources

Add one of these resources or books to your study about nature. They all give you a starting point or use one or two of them as a nature spine.

Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World

See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.

Handbook of Nature Study

The Handbook of Nature Study is a classic Charlotte Mason text. A big book full of information on pretty much every area of nature study from tools to birds, weather, and rocks.

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

This beautifully packaged facsimile of Edith Holden’s original diary is filled with a naturalist’s masterful paintings and delightful observations chronicling the English countryside throughout 1906. As one of the few true records of the time in print, the handwritten thoughts and paintings contained in The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady transport readers to a more refined, romantic, and simpler time.

Botanicum

Filled with both recognisable, and tropical flora, Botanicum is the ultimate companion guide to the variety of plants, and how they have evolved and grow.

Curiositree: Natural World: A Visual Compendium of Wonders from Nature - Jacket unfolds into a huge wall poster!

Discover the interconnectedness of the natural world and learn why living things look and behave the way they do in a series of visually compelling information charts, maps, and cutaways, all illustrated in a nostalgic, vintage style. Packed with incredible facts about the natural world and the animals that populate it, the whole family will enjoy the full-page spreads grouped into the categories of habitats, species, and adaptations.

Nature Study & Outdoor Science Journal: The Thinking Tree Presents: A Creative Book of Observation, Drawing, Coloring, Writing & Discovery

The Thinking Tree presents: A Creative Book of Observation, Drawing, Coloring, Writing & Discovery Through Nature, ideal for all ages (even adults!)

Creativity and discovery at its best, this journal is a bestseller among The Thinking Tree publications! Your nature-loving student will treasure this journal designed to ignite their wonder of the outdoors. With more than 180 lessons and beautiful illustrations, the Nature Study Journal invites the student to read, write, draw, color, explore and appreciate the outdoors while covering a variety of subjects such as science, poetry, observation instructions, and more.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Nature Based Activities Tagged With: botany, Charlotte Mason, life science, middleschool, nature, nature study, science, unit studies, unit study, unit study approach, unschooling

Primary Sidebar

Footer

Privacy Policy | About Me | Reviews | Contact | Advertise

Categories

Archives

Tina Robertson is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 · 5 TNT LLC · Log in · Privacy Policy