Inspired Family of 5: Unit Studies

Showing posts with label Unit Studies. Show all posts

Monday, January 4, 2016

6 Unit Study Themes for a Year

One of the ways I've approached homeschooling is aiming for weekly themes, so that we can focus our studies on one major concept per week. I have come up with many ways to do this, and by using several different subjects. I am currently switching off amongst these unit studies and I allow my daughter to pick out what she would like to learn about. I figured after all my research, it would be nice to share the unit studies I've organized. Feel free to use them and fine tune them to fit your family preferences. All of these subjects can easily be researched online and through your local library. My favorite search engines are Google and Youtube. Let me know how it goes and if you need any help.

*Based on 36 weeks of lesson plans.

LETTER & NUMBERS:

Weeks 1-26: A - Z

Weeks 27-36: 1-10

ANIMALS :

September - Farm Animals

1. Pigs

2. Cows

3. Chickens

4. Sheep

October - Nocturnal

5. Owls

6. Mice

7. Bats

8. Spiders

November - Insects

9. Ladybugs

10. Ants

11. Bees

12. Butterflies

December - Reptiles

13. Lizards

14. Snakes

15. Turtles

16. Alligators

January - Mammals

17. Bears

18. Elephants

19. Tigers

20. Gorillas

February - Birds

21. Parrots

22. Flamingos

23. Penguins

24. Peacocks

March - Domestic Pets

25. Cats

26. Dogs

27. Rabbits

28. Goldfish

April - Dinosaurs

29. Triceratops

30. Brontosaurus

31. Pterodactyl

32. Tyrannosaurus Rex

May - Ocean Life

33. Dolphins

34. Whales

35. Seals

36. Starfish

CLASSIC FAIRY TALES:

September

1. The Three Little Pigs

2. Jack and the Beanstalk

3. Chicken Little

4. Tortoise and the Hare

October

5. Three Billy Goats Gruff

6. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

7. Goldilocks

8. Hansel and Gretel

November

9. Cinderella

10. Beauty and the Beast

11. The Nightingale

12. Alice in Wonderland

December

13. Snow White

14. Peter Pan

15. Snow Queen

16. Gingerbread Man

January

17. Peter and the Wolf

18. Sleeping Beauty

19. Pinocchio

20. Puss in Boots

February

21. Rapunzel

22. Aladdin

23. The Twelve Dancing Princesses

24. The Little Mermaid

March

25. Frog Prince

26. Princess and the Pea

27. Rip Van Winkle

28. The Little Red Hen

April

29. Little Red Riding Hood

30. Rumpelstiltskin

31. Thumbelina

32. The Ugly Duckling

May

33. Emperor’s New Clothes

34. The Pied Piper of Hamelin

35. The Sorcerors Apprentice

36. The Elves and the Shoemaker

TIME PERIODS IN AMERICAN HISTORY:

September

Colonial America (1492-1763) - How America began.

October

Revolutionary Period (1764-1789) - The American Revolution.

November

New Nation (1790-1828) - Establishing the government--the Federalists and the Republicans become first political parties.

December

Western Expansion & Reform (1829-1859) - Presidents aim to expand the borders of America westward.

January

Civil War (1860-1865) - Southern states set up an independent government--the Confederate States of America; outbreak of the Civil War.

February

Reconstruction (1866-1877) - North defeated the South in the Civil War; work to unite the country again.

March

Gilded Age (1878-1889) - Industrial work and a wave of immigrants marked this period in American history.

April

Great War & Jazz Age (1914-1928) - Foreign affairs and musical rebellion.

May

Depression & World War II (1929-1945) - Stock market crash leads into the Great Depression. World War II leads to the introduction of the atomic bomb.

FAMOUS ARTISTS:

1. Alexander Calder
2. Leonardo DaVinci
3. Mary Cassat
4. Edgar Degas
5. Jacob Lawrence
6. Paul Gauguin
7. Winslow Homer
8. Katsushika Hokusai
9. Paul Klee
10. Michelango
11. Georgia O'Keefe
12. Piet Mondrian
13. Georges Seurat
14. Pablo Picasso

15. Andy Warhol
16. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
17. Grant Wood
18. Faith Ringgold
19. Henri Matisse
20. Pierre-Auguste Renoir
21. Jackson Pollock
22. Wassily Kandinsky
23. Frederic Remington
24. Marc Chagall
25. M.C. Escher
26. Norman Rockwell
27. Edward Hopper
28. Paul Cezanne
29. Joan Miro
30. Henri Rousseau
31. Rosa Bonheur
32. Claude Monet
33. Frida Kahlo
34. Edvard Munch
35. Rembrandt Van Rijn
36. Vincent Van Gogh

SCIENCE:

Here is a link that can be broken down into doing one science experiment per week:
46 Fun Science Experiments for Kids

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Camp Google - A FREE Online Summer Camp for Kids!

I am over the moon for Camp Google! And how appropriate, being that we just finished Space Week. ;) This was a hot topic amongst some local homeschoolers and I was grateful to hear about it from friends. I also did a live broadcast on Periscope to inform my followers about this awesome educational opportunity for our kids. I had a great response and followers were excited to share the info with their friends. My Periscope review can be found HERE (minus the live comments and adorable floating hearts, haha).

Camp Google is an educational summer program that is completely online. The program is targeted for children ages 7-10, but the content can be modified for any age level.
Camp Google provides four weeks of themes and activities for the participants.
1. Ocean Week
2. Space Week
3. Nature Week
4. Music Week

Each week consists of one live streamed video, allowing the kids to interact with educational experts on each of the subjects. If the live streaming is missed, no problem! The video is still available to watch later on.
Each themed week will also provide three opportunities to earn badges. There are usually a couple hands-on activities or experiments and an educational video to watch in order to officially earn the badges.

The badges are adorable printable paper badges that the children will cut out and paste to their "badge tracker." The badge tracker is also printable and can be found on the website. Here is how I displayed Marley's badge tracker:

Marley is only 5 years old, but she has been having a great time participating in Camp Google. She looks forward to it every day and is very excited when she earns a badge. Honestly, I've been enjoying the experience as well! The content is simple, but interesting. The activities are very quick and easy. We have been learning and working together as a family; it's been a lot of fun. I highly recommend Camp Google. Stop by and check it out! We will be starting Nature Week tomorrow. Yay! Join us.

Friday, July 3, 2015

You're A Grand Old Flag - American Flag Lesson Plan

In honor of our National Independence Day, I introduced Marley and Dylan to the significance of the American Flag. We started out by watching a few episodes of Liberty's Kids which is not 100% historically accurate (or so I've heard), but gives a good foundation for historical timing and the general idea behind the beginning of the USA. Children love these cartoons too! We made our own flags and discussed the symbolism of the flag. We also started memorizing some flags from other countries as well. Here is my lesson plan laid out: