Over the past few years, I have sort of gotten the reputation as “the unit study” mom in our area. I’ve even had the privilege of speaking about my passion for unit studies at local homeschool meetings and our state homeschool convention. I even helped start a unit study style homeschool co-op at my church.

Most of you probably know that we used unit studies off and on (mostly on) since preschool and we love them. I enjoy talking to other homeschool moms about them. I think you could say I’m passionate about unit studies. When I have the opportunity to share about this passion, one of the first questions I get is, “how do you put them together?” I usually respond with, “you don’t have to!” And it’s true, there are many resources available for those of you who want pre-written unit studies. Some are free, like Homeschool Share, some are literature-based, like Five in a Row, some are downloadable, like Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett, some are very specific, like the nature unit studies from NaturExplorers.

However, you really can just put together your own unit studies. All you need is a library card, few school supplies and some ideas of what you wish to teach. You can have a fun, exciting time, learning about subjects that interest your students, without investing much money at all. Although I have used all of the resources I listed above, I have also put together my own unit studies many times. So, I am going to tell you how you can do it yourself, and I hope you’ll give it a try. If you do, please come back to share with me all about it!

How to Plan Your Own Unit Studies

Choose a theme

Of course, the first step to putting together your own unit studies is choosing subjects to study. You really can choose just about anything. Are you a geography-loving family? Maybe choose a country or state to learn about. If history is your thing, you could choose an event in history or an historical figure to study. Science is also a great area of study. From space to weather, there are so many fun topics in science! Holidays, seasons, animals, airplanes, biomes . . . anything that your students find fascinating will make for fun unit studies.

Gather your materials

The number one thing you need to maximize your unit studies is your library card. Look for picture books, fiction and nonfiction books, chapter books to read aloud, videos, music, anything that your library offers. Give yourself a couple of weeks if you can order your items online so that you have plenty of time for everything to come in. A computer is a great resource as well. Google the word, “kids learn about . . . ” and see what you come up with!

Plan your time

Jot down a rough plan of what you wish to do each day. You may want to determine ahead of time how much time you’ll spend. Or maybe you’ll just run with it for as long as the kids are interested. There is no wrong way to do this. But I feel that I must warn you — expect some rabbit trails. I’ll never forget the year we began learning about horses and ended up on a detour to ancient Egypt. Once you begin a topic, the doors will fly open to all kinds of things to learn about that you probably never even thought of. Your kids will want to go there. Be flexible enough to let them. This is when they will really learn! This is the beauty of unit studies!

Plan activities to go along with your unit studies

Cooking a new dish is always a hit at my house. We also love jigsaw puzzles, art projects, mapping activities like salt dough maps, dioramas, science experiments, word searches, and field trips. Sometimes my son enjoys putting together a Power Point presentation. The possibilities are endless. Be creative. Think outside the box. Allow your kids to explore unit studies is less conventional ways.

Record your fun

Lapbooks and notebooks are a great way to keep a record of your unit studies. You could also have your kids record a daily journal, maybe even a blog, of what they did and learned. If you make some awesome creations that can’t be easily kept, be sure to take pictures (with your kids in the photo!) and add them to your lapbook or notebook.

Whatever you do, have a blast with unit studies. Ask your kids for ideas. Get messy. Smile and laugh a lot. Have fun. You can do it. I know you can! Your children will thank you.

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If you found this article helpful, you might also enjoy reading my article in the 2016 Print issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine — Understanding the Unit Study Method (available digitally by clicking on the image below.

Make Your Other Emails Jealous

How To Plan Unit Studies for Your Homeschool