Homeschool Hacks

Free Online Virtual Fieldtrips

I found a wonderful site with free virtual field trips!

Here is the list of all the topics-

Art Art Gallery Basilica of the National Shrine Byzantine Art Nobel e-Museum Sistine Chapel The Louvre Visit France! Fun Fireworks! Grades 4-12 Roller Coasters Online Whale Watching Geography Great Buildings Part 1 Great Buildings Part 2 Oregon Trail Virtual Antarctica: Glacier Invitation History American Presidents Ancient Egypt British Monarchy Deep Undercover! The FBI Gold Rush The Pentagon The Pentagon 2 The White House Titanic World War II Literature American Sign Language Treasure Island William Shakespeare Math Bureau of Engraving and Printing Mathematics! Music MIDI Classical Music Symphony for Kids! Western Composers Science Aeronautics Learning Laboratory Anatomy and Physiology Benjamin Franklin Forces and Weather! How Stuff Works! - Email and The Internet National Zoo Oceans Alive Sea Lions The Inside Story Submarines! Secrets and Spies!! The Human Body!

If you need me, I'll be playing on this site for the rest of the day! The boys can play learn tomorrow!

Mini Unit Study in One Amazing Afternoon

Amazing Afternoons is a new service that offers worksheets providing a complete "afternoon" of special activities designed around a favorite children's book or bible story. Targeted to preschoolers, each worksheet includes an introduction to an excellent book and author or information on the bible story, craft idea, creative snack, a hands-on science project, fun math, games, questions to chat about, and places to find even more resources.

The worksheets are offered on a subscription basis and are emailed to you weekly. Check out a worksheet sample here!

I personally love this idea. It's a great way to get preschoolers excited about reading and show them how a book can be a springboard to so much more.

World History Unit Studies

CarmoLearning.com offers nine world history units, ranging from Mesopotamia to World War I, for grades 6 through 10. Students can read, write, map, and do art activities with these fact-filled and enjoyable units.

According to the site, each unit takes about ten class periods to complete.

A Recipe for Unit Studies

Unit studies are a wonderful learning tool. The central idea in unit study method is to focus on a theme, and then create a learning plan that incorporates this theme in all subjects for a period of time. For example, a unit study on the Middle Ages would not be limited to just studying the history. A unit study would incorporate lessons on the literature and poetry from the period. You would cover the religious turmoil and the geography of the reason. Investigations into the common beliefs in science and medicine of the period would provide more information. There could be a lesson on architecture of castles, as well as the art and music of the period. You may choose to take field trips to museums, or to a Renaissance Fair. You may visit craftsman and learn how to blacksmith, make candles, or soap as was done in the period. The ideas are endless.

Unit studies are general created to reflect multiple age levels as well, so they provide an opportunity for the entire family to learn together. This is especially fun when you are creating projects and taking field trips. As the whole family is learning about the subject, the learning often continues long after the lesson. Memories of my children recreating the Nile and building pyramids in their sand boxes when we studied Ancient Egypt shows how inventive children can be.

Unit studies provide flexibility and diversion for older students. As their academic studies become more focused, we use mini-unit studies throughout the year to study subjects that are significant and interesting to us, without sacrificing continuity of their major subjects. A mini unit does not incorporate every angle, but focuses on two or three, and can be done successfully in one day, one week, or even each afternoon for several weeks. The beauty with units is that you decide what to study, how much to study, and how long you study.

A Recipe for Unit Study Success
I use the word "recipe," giving props to my daughter Reagan’s clever analogy while helping me plan a unit study years ago. She surmised that it was a lot like baking as I was taking a little of this and a little of that and mixing it all together. Creating a unit study is indeed like a recipe, for it is filled with various ingredients blended together to make a delicious result. The ingredients of a successful study are as varied as the topics.

1. Selecting A Topic:
Selecting a topic for a unit study is quite simple. What is your child into? Does he love dinosaurs, or is he into trains? Does your daughter never stop talking about horses, or is she fascinated with Japan? By selecting a topic that reflects their interests, you will have an eager and willing student.

Unit studies are my favorite way of teaching science and history. By immersing ourselves completely in a topic, I find that my children are more excited and retain more than if we had chosen a surface study of merely facts and figures. If you are teaching more than one student, it is always important to consider the interests of all in planning topics. For years, we had brainstorming lessons about the topics we wanted to study. As we each (yes, me too) made our selections, I organized them fairly, reflecting holidays and special field trip opportunities. It was always fun to see them both enjoying the others’ chosen topic!

2. Setting Time Limits:
Setting the time limit on the unit study is the second step in planning. Important factors in deciding how long or how in-depth you study a subject are your children’s ages and attention span. Although you could make a study on Ancient Greece take all year, do you really want to limit yourself to studying only one thing? Do you think your child will still be interested after four months?

In my experience, I find that two (three) weeks is a generous period for planning a unit for elementary (middle/high) school children. This span allows you enough time for exploring many aspects of history, literature, science and art. It gives the student enough time to complete a variety of writing assignments. It also provides time for field trips, with pre- and post-trip activities.

3. Selecting the Ingredients:
Books, both fiction and non-fiction are an obvious place to start. We often make a library trip the first priority after deciding on a topic. By looking through books we often find ideas of subjects we want to pursue more. Even picture books can provide some interesting visuals into a subject.

One of my favorite unit study resources is a book titled All Through the Ages by Christine Miller. This book is really a giant list of excellent books pertaining to various time periods. Not only are the lists divided by era, but also grade/reading level, so you can find something for everyone in the family. I use this resource every time I plan a history study. There are many online book lists that can be found using a search engine and typing in "reading list + your topic." Additionally, don’t be afraid to ask your librarian for suggestions. These people live books, and are a wealth of helpful knowledge.

The Internet is by and far an irreplaceable tool in planning and implementing unit studies. By heading back to that search engine and typing in "unit study + your topic" or "lesson plans + your topic," you may find that someone else has already done a unit on the same topic. Check out Sassafrass Grove, which offers a large list, although some of the links may be out of date. Although I rarely use these studies as is, I often find wonderful internet links and ideas on fine arts and other fun activities.

There are also many interesting unit studies available for purchase that are written directly for the homeschooling community. If you are new to this method, it may be a smart choice to select one of these in order to gain a better idea how unit studies work. Some of my favorites are Dinah Zike’s Great Science Adventures and Learn ‘n Do Unit Studies by Kym Wright. Although these can be longer than a few weeks, they are wonderful!

I also love using Internet-based field trips as a visual part of our study. Although I would love to be able to travel to each and every place we study, it is not possible. Most museums and historical sites have extensive photos and activities online. And don’t forget History and Discovery Channel shows on a subject. Many of these can be obtained through the public library or Netflix for watching in your home.

4. Organizing the Study:
Now that you have your ingredients, it is time to organize them into a time-frame. I usually use blank week calendar pages to plan it out, and give myself as much as a week to compile and organize the resources. I take into consideration the time needed to complete any reading requirements. I then decide on the writing assignments, and add them giving adequate time.

I consider the topics I want to cover, and add them in directly. I always try to take care to make the lessons interesting as well as educational. A child will fondly remember that which they enjoy, and quickly forget something dry and monotonous. We love field trips, so I make sure to find one or two that can tie in to the study. Try to make sure that lessons touch all learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile.

Make sure to gather any supplies and books that you will need, so that you can have an easy flow between activities. Remember to just use the ideas that reflect your students learning styles and interests, and don’t feel you have to do everything!

5. Record Keeping:
As you work through your unit, make sure to record the things you do each day, even the reading and internet sites. This is important not only for those that have to maintain records for their child’s portfolios, but also for you to look back on in years to come. Don’t forget to take pictures! We have often created scrapbook-style displays of all the things we learned in a unit study. By creatively cutting and pasting, we add book lists, journaling, written narrations and photos.

What about math?
Math is that optional subject when you discuss inclusion in a unit study. Personal choice reigns here. Some families will not want to take a break in their standard math curricula and will continue with it throughout the unit study. Others will want to take a break from traditional math, and incorporate it in the study.

Math can be added to your unit, although you may have to be a bit more creative. There are many ways in which to add calculations, measurement and geometry to your unit through projects and art activities. See this link for more math ideas.

create unit study, lesson plans, homeschooling

Backyard Science

James of me autem minui shares a great hack for nature-study-challenged folks who don't live close to big forests or natural waterways. In his post, Backyard Science, Dirt Cheap, James offers simple ideas, along with detailed instructions and resources, for attracting wildlife and augmenting your surroundings. Bird feeders, container ponds and gardening are just some of the topics he explores.

Preschool and Kindergarten Resources

With the cold weather upon us (or many of us, anyway!), you may be looking for some fun indoor activities to engage your preschoolers. These resources should keep you busy.

1. Letter of the Week: Organized and comprehensive guide for teaching letters and having fun with it. Also provides a Letter of the Week Book List.
2. Jan Brett's Home Page: Children's author offers coloring pages, games, and activities galore.
3. DLTK's Crafts for Kids: Crafts, printables, coloring and more.
4. KidZone: Reading, math, science, geography, and animals are covered at this site, featuring games, lesson plans, and loads of printable worksheets.
5. Gayle's Preschool Rainbow: Crafts, games and activities for a variety of holidays, seasons and themes.
6. Preschool Activities from Teachers and Families: Interactive, at-home activities, worksheets, coloring pages, and book listings for many themes such as gardens, shapes, sports, water, senses, as well as seasons and holidays. Bonus found on this site for your older child: Harry Potter study activities! Very cool.

History Scribe

History Scribe books enhance your history studies by inviting your children to draw pictures of and describe what they have learned using their own words. The workbooks, spanning grade school to high school, cover American, classical and religious history, science, geography and more.

As pointed out over at Mother Crone's Homeschool,these books provide children with a wonderful space to "simply record their thoughts and ideas on a topic." And that can encourage further thought, research and learning.