Using unit studies to help you homeschool isn’t necessarily a new trick, but this method is often the last considered when wondering how to lighten the load.
I remember early on in my homeschooling journey when following “the book” was the way to go. I purchased the boxed curriculum, attempted to follow everything to a “T,” only to realize I needed something more eclectic. Then entered the world of unit studies.
What is a unit study?
A unit study is a method of teaching and learning that uses a topic or concept to teach a variety of subjects. For example, you may have a child that loves astronomy. You could use that topic to teach English, Language Arts, Math, Science, and Geography.
Unit studies allow you to take homeschooling outside the box because you’re not tied down to teaching a bunch of different lessons about many different topics. Instead, you are focused on one topic (or “unit”) at a time while crossing many developmental domains.
3 Ways Unit Studies Help You Homeschool
Unit studies not only open the door to learning in a unique way, but they also help make homeschooling much easier. Here’s how!
1.) Unit studies help you teach multiple kids much easier.
Because you’re using one unit of study, it is much easier to find and teach from resources that are more giving when it comes to homeschooling multiples. It can get pretty expensive having to buy individual books for each child, not to mention for their specific age and grade level.
Unit study resources often come in formats that make storing, copying, and reusing easier and less pressing on the purse.
2.) Unit studies accommodate many learning styles.
Have a kid that likes to write? Yet another one wants to draw and doodle? Or how about a kid that can’t stand reading? Unit studies give you the opportunity to accommodate just about every learning style.
You are in control of what resources you want to use so you can pick and choose curriculum that offers a bit of everything. Choose a good read-aloud for your morning basket and a good notebooking activity for independent learning. The choice is totally up to you!
3.) Unit studies allow you to be creative.
Let’s say your kids want to learn about Egypt. The possibilities are virtually endless with lots of room for creativity. Here are just a few ideas of what I mean:
- Take a virtual field trip (using YouTube).
- Create makeshift pyramids (using Hands on History).
- Look for books to read about Egypt (at your public library).
- Design a brochure for a trip to Egypt.
- Look up games played in Ancient Egyptian times.
These are just a few ideas, but I’m sure you get my point. Just a few quick searches and you can find a wealth of resources and ideas for just about every topic you can think of. Not to mention, with unit studies you can combine several subjects together which takes the stress of having to mark each one off the list.
How to Plan a Unit Study
Using our FREE Unit Study Planning Pack, you can plan your next unit study with ease. Simply choose a topic of your choice and decide how long you’d like your kids to study it. Then, the fun of finding resources begins. As you find things to use, plug them into your lesson planning page, giving each activity a certain day to complete.
I’ve also given you pages to help note subjects covered, activities per subject, book list, video list, field trips, and more. Everything is conveniently laid out for you to pull and plug! Reuse this pack to plan unit study after unit study – you’ll be glad you did!
Click here to get the Unit Study Planning Pack for FREE!
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