Unit Studies are a wonderful way to immerse your children in learning about one topic. It allows them to take an in-depth look at whatever subject you have chosen. You might choose topics like the Civil War, rain forests, poetry, or classical music. The possibilities are endless!
Did you know we have a whole category of unit study reviews here at The Curriculum Choice?
You can see them all here: Unit Study Resources
Also see our Pinterest Board: Our Curriculum Choice Unit Studies Pinterest board
What Is A Unit Study?
Homeschooling with Unit Studies is a homeschool method in which instead of using a linear curriculum you spend more focus time on one topic at a time, incorporating as many subjects within the unit as possible. For instance you might do an entire homeschool unit on Medieval Times, or Zoo Animals.
“A unit study is defined as an in-depth examination of a topic (space, trees, cars, etc.) that approaches the topic from many academic disciplines—geography, science, history, art, etc. It is a complete immersion into the topic so that the student will see things as a “whole” instead of as disjointed bits and pieces learned throughout his education.” ~ Amanda Bennett
“In a unit study you take one topic and study it in depth, exploring all aspects of it across the curriculum.” Shannon shares what a unit study is in The Unit Study Approach: An Adventure in Learning, which is the first of a three article series on Using the Unit Study Approach.
Unit Study Style Curriculum
You ARE An ARTist Fine Arts Plans are organized by the four-year cycle of history. They are presented as follows but plans for individual grades are available:
- Grammar – Grades 1-4
- Logic – Grades 5-8
- Rhetoric – Grades 9-12
You Are An Artist Homeschool Art Lessons – All you need is online access, paper, and an inexpensive set of chalk pastels and you can be on your way with enriching art lessons!
Lyrical Life Science – Both Lyrical Life Science and Lyrical Earth Science are based on middle school textbooks and information. That being said, many families use the songs for younger children who enjoy the music and pick up on the lyrics easily, so they become familiar with scientific vocabulary.
Answers in Genesis: God’s Design for Science – “Answers in Genesis homeschool science curriculum stands apart from other publishers by presenting the study of science with God’s Word as the starting point. Each science discipline is uniquely focused to teach kids that science confirms the Bible 100% and that we can trust God’s Word from the very first verse. From the study of living things to ecology, astronomy, and human anatomy, you can be confident that your children will build a solid scientific foundation upon which to build their understanding of God’s creation.” ~ from their website
Five In A Row – Five in a Row is a collection of literature-based unit studies. These units are geared towards children ages 4-8, but I have known families who have used this curriculum with younger and older students.
There are four separate volumes of Five in a Row:
- Beyond Five in a Row (ages 9-12)
- Before Five in a Row (ages 2-4)
- More Before Five in a Row (ages 3-5)
- Five in a Row (ages 5-10)
The Ultimate Guide to Home School in the Woods Hands-On History – Not only does it cover all they have to offer but it links most products to reviews here at TCC by our amazing authors!
KONOS Unit Studies – Konos Unit Studies offer hands-on learning with a Christian worldview. They are an all inclusive unit study. Every child, from kindergarten through eighth grade can learn at the same time. Konos is divided into younger, middle and older sections.
My Father’s World – merges the best of Charlotte Mason, classical education, and unit studies with a Biblical worldview.
Individual Unit Studies
Using the Magic School Bus Books for Homeschool Science – “We spent one entire year doing science units that centered around the Magic School Bus books and there are still more left to do! With 5 children at my house this series is bound to have a book to interest each of them.”
Motion and Force Activities for Kids – Science is a perfect subject to add hands-on learning to! Children comprehend and retain more from the learning when it is hands-on, plus it’s more fun! This is a collection of hands-on physical science experiments you can do in your homeschool with your kids for exploring motion and force.
Chemical Reactions Activities for Kids – This is a collection of hands-on chemical reactions activities you can do in your homeschool with your kids.
Sonlight Butterfly Unit – “With this unit study we discovered there are many different types of butterflies. We learned about the four stages in their life cycle, and experienced each by raising caterpillars into butterflies! We also read engaging books and learned interesting facts about host plants, camouflage, and metamorphosis. We even took trip to a Butterfly Conservatory to see and learn more!”
Go for The Gold! Olympics Games – What is the history of the Olympic Games? Who is the International Olympic Committee? Which countries compete in the Olympic Games? Where have the Olympic Games been held? Which sports are included in the Summer Olympic Games? Which ones are held in the Winter Games? What is the history of Olympic sports? What does the Bible say about athletic competition? Find out the answers to these questions and much more as you have fun exploring the Olympic Games.
Amanda Bennett
“Another advantage of unit studies is that they can be used by the whole family, teaching all of the children the same topic simultaneously while varying the assignments based on each child’s capabilities. This saves the parent time and money, not having to buy, assign, teach, and check separate workbooks and text materials for each child.” ~ Amanda Bennett
- Volatile Volcanoes my review and how we enjoyed this study with all our ages from five to 15!
- Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett – review by Kendra. “It was the beginning of a very beautiful thing for us…these unit studies …were nothing short of amazing.”
- Digital Photography – my review and how my daughter enjoyed this study as an elective.
- Gardens – Are you planning a garden? Looking for a great way to teach your kids about gardening? Then the Gardens Unit Study by Amanda Bennet could be just what you need!
In The Hands of a Child
In The Hands of a Child is a company that develops unit studies in which the activities are completed, for the most part, using mini-books. All of these mini-books are meant to be contained in a series of file folders that are attached to one another so that you have a neat, complete and thorough record of the unit contained in one place. All the background information, templates for mini-projects, and directions for completing the units are included. Color pictures are also included to show what the final project should look like.
Broad topics include: social studies, geography, holiday and seasonal, thematic early childhood lapbooks and so much more!
Themed Homeschool Activities for Every Month of the Year
You wouldn’t believe all the themed homeschool activities that can be explored based on the month of the year! You can cover history with topics like MLK Jr. Day and Patriot Day. You can explore the seasons with year round nature studies! Learn about obscure holidays each month like Measure Your Feet Day and National Sewing Month!
Spice up your homeschool studies this year with some fun themed homeschool activities! Take a look at the extensive list we have compiled for each month!
Here are some In The Hands of a Child Product Reviews:
- In The Hands of a Child Grammar Lapbook
- Ancient Greece Lapbook
- Wild Weather
- The Industrial Revolution
- Horses Project Pack
Designing Your Own Unit Studies
Designing your own unit study is easier than you think, and offers a unique style of learning that is hands-on, rich and meaningful.
The process of designing your own unit study does not have to be a scary prospect. You know your students’ personalities, learning styles, and needs better than anyone, so that makes you the ideal candidate for putting together a unit for your students.
The process does not have to be complicated, although it will require some of your time. When you are finished, you’ll see your investment pay off, as you’ll have a tailor-made study that your family can enjoy exploring together.
Unit Study Resources
The authors of the curriculum choice have written often about unit studies and we’re pulling together a giant resource for you in this Homeschool Unit Studies post. You’ll find reviews of great unit study curriculum, instructions for creating your own unit studies, and even links to free unit studies.
Unit studies can be the perfect curriculum option no matter your homeschooling style. Whether you use them as your main mode of learning or throw in a unit study here or there to spice up the schedule, you’ll find they pack a lot of learning!
Two of the biggest resources I used when creating unit studies in our homeschool are the library and the Internet. It is amazing the resources out there now with a good Internet search!
I love to have good books, as well as videos to enrich our homeschool studies!
Homeschool Share houses hundreds of free unit studies, lapbooks, and printables. It also hosts the Tip-Top Printables store where you can purchase additional learning resources for your students. Use their search to find tons of resources for history, science, geography, language arts and math!
Hands-On Unit Study Guides – They are super for background information, hands-on ideas and project ideas – and have become the “spine” of my units many times. In other words, I’ve used these as my main unit planning books many times over.
As you learn more about each book below, you’ll notice varying age recommendations, but each of them are very adaptable for almost any student from K-8. My library has a copy of most of them, but they’re very reasonably priced if you need to buy them.
Science in a Nutshell: Kits for Homeschool science –
Resources for Studying Shakespeare: Grades K-12 – Studying Shakespeare can (and should) be done at an early age with our children. Let me tell you why and give you the resources to do so!
Themed Book Lists for Your Homeschool
Looking for a fun or educational book on a specific topic? Check out these themed book lists! Everything from nature and science to art and music, holidays and more!
I know that especially when my children were younger, I spent countless hours searching for and collecting books to sit and read with them, or to leave around so they could pick up and read them.
Books on bees, flowers, trees, frogs or the human body for science. Books about composers and artists, or poetry. Of course we can’t forget all the holiday books! (Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s and so many more!)
In this collection of themed books you will find themed book lists from our archives {Including some from our sister sites!}. Also stay tuned as we continue to add more!
“Unit studies encourage the use of imagination, creativity, and analytical thinking. In a typical textbook curriculum, the “facts” are simply memorized and regurgitated, only to be forgotten soon after the test. Unit studies teach children how to find the answers to their questions of how something works and why it is that way. They learn to seek the information that satisfies their need to know. They learn how to learn.” ~ Amanda Bennett
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