Unit Studies are when you choose a topic to research and explore, then incorporate all or most subjects to create a more interesting way of learning.
Several all-in-one curricula use the unit study format. There are also stand-alone units you can purchase based on the topic.
You can read all about the different homeschool curriculum companies that offer these types of learning kits at the Cathy Duffy Reviews website.
What Are Homeschool Unit Studies?
Most include core subjects like reading, writing, history, science, and literature. Some also include music, art, home economics, and more.
Some unit studies take just a week to complete, while others can last several weeks. It depends on your pace and how deeply you want to go into each topic.
These are popular with ‘delight-directed’ homeschoolers since you can let your students choose the topic they want to study. When they are interested in learning, it will make it fun.
Create Customized Unit Studies
- Choose a topic.
- Gather books & DVDs related to the topic from the library or your bookshelf.
- Utilize the internet and YouTube with supervision.
- Go on field trips or take classes for an up-close and hands-on experience.
- Use notebooking pages and/or journals to allow the students to record notes and draw sketches as they learn.
- Plan activities such as science experiments, arts and crafts, cooking and baking, reenacting, hosting a themed dinner, etc.
- Use the dictionary to look up new words along the way for vocabulary and spelling.
So, what might that look like in real life? Let’s say we chose to study mummies.
We’d read nonfiction books and watch documentaries about Ancient Egypt, and learn why mummies exist (reading, history, world religions).
Do a mummy experiment (science).
Use the internet for research (PC skills).
Visit a museum (culture, arts, history, etc.).
Learn to draw or build pyramids (arts and crafts).
Get in the kitchen and make Egyptian foods (math, science, home ec skills).
Write a short mystery story about a mummy and include hieroglyphics (writing skills).
Read living history books (literature, history).
And so on.
And you can do this with just about any topic that interests your child!
Unit Study Resources
Handbook of Nature Study
Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World (Julia Rothman)Handbook of Nature StudyThe Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your KidsThe Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical EducationGive Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time
Now that you know what homeschool unit studies are and how you can create your own, you may consider incorporating them into the next homeschool year. Have you ever used unit studies in your homeschool?
I LOVE unit studies! It’s as much fun for me, most of the time, as it is for my son. It’s also worked really well for his learning style. He’s definitely one that likes to dive into a subject deeply.
This post is great and has given me some additional ideas to consider for next year as well. Thank you!