Unit studies make my world go round. Well, my homeschooling world. In other words: we love immersing ourselves in a unit study.
What is a Unit Study?
Well, a unit study is an in-depth look at a subject; any subject you choose. It can be a broad view like “The Ocean” or very focused view, such as “Dolphins” or even “Plankton.” Either way, a unit study incorporates many academic disciplines around a single subject.
My ideas for what to study for a unit typically comes from my children’s interests. We have an on-going “default study” of different countries that has provided a lot of inspiration. When we are in-between Units, we pick up our default study of countries again. For instance, we recently studied Brazil, and the kids became interested in the Amazon Rain Forest. As a result, we studied the Amazon Rain Forest next!
What does a Unit Study consist of?
There are many ways you can plan a unit study as well as places to buy pre-planned studies. Teachers-Pay-Teachers sells many lesson plans on many different subjects or a quick stroll through Pinterest can help you create the perfect unit study for your family.
Steps to create a fun, engaging unit study:
- Pick a subject
- Research books on the subject and find them on YouTube or at the library (or purchase them if you must have them) If your kids are elementary age, aim for this:
- Children’s picture books. Not necessarily non-fiction, stories that will capture their imagination around the subject.
- A few non-fiction books with a lot of pictures. Don’t fret if you are not able to read through a think non-fiction book with your kids. Simply having them to refer to, explore pictures, and read a few pages here and there is enough.
- Audiobooks or podcasts. For California, we listened to “By the Great Horned Spoon,” During a bat unit, we listened to “Silverwing,” and during a space unit, we listened to many space podcasts. Non-fiction or fiction; just keep it related to the subject!
- A Movie or documentary. Its ok to count Coco, Pocahontas, or Hercules if they are related to the subject. We watched Gumby and The Nightmare Before Christmas as we learned about stop-motion.
- A craft or art project (or many projects if your kids like them)
- A fieldtrip. Is there somewhere you can go that is related in some way? Zoo? A Park (with a specific mission, like identify trees or look for tadpoles)? Planetarium? A bakery? A chocolate tour? A Native American center?
- A minecraft or LEGO build. They can build a tree life cycle, I’ve seen it. Or a freshwater vs saltwater aquarium. Or a model of a certain molecule. We use their love for Minecraft to help them learn in any way we can.
- Activities. Studying butterflies? Plan to get chrysalises. Space? Plan a telescope night (or many!). Geology? Buy some geodes to smash open. Experiments pertaining to the subject, explorations, even a themed “party.” Anything hands-on.
Oh My. That’s a lot. How does this look in a homeschool?
I promise, it isn’t as much work as it sounds. It’s definitely not an open-and-go curriculum style, however, it is not bad once you get into the swing of things. You don’t have to get everything from that list and you certainly don’t have to gather it all up front. Start with your topic, gather a resources and a project, add more as you go. Most importantly: follow their interests!
Unit studies are wonderful because you get to tailor them to your kids’ ages and needs. My kids are allergic to writing, therefore we stick to cutting and gluing (interactive notebooks and lap books for the WIN), reading, listening, watching, and doing/going. I take lots of photos for “evidence of learning” and keep a list of books read or listened to.
For my youngest, our unit studies make up most of his schooling. On the other hand, Unit Studies are now just a piece of education for my oldest. These studies can be your entire homeschooling experience, or easily added to core curriculums. They are great for a break from regular studies or to complement your studies. Use them any way you would like!
Need a Map?
Here is a downloadable Unit Study Planner page I use to help me organize thoughts when planning a unit study. Feel free to use it! I find it easier to just plan our own studies to meet everyone’s needs, but there are definitely pre-made plans (paid and free) available out there – so be sure to do a quick search for the subject you are interested in + unit study.
Most of the time when people compliment our fun homeschooling adventures or ask which fun curriculum I’m using…its a Unit Study. They keep our school fun and interesting for all of us!
Be sure to check out our Reading Nook for book, video, and activity collections! With these lists, you could quickly order books or find them being read on YouTube for a simply Unit Study.
Reading Through The United States
Reading Through American History