Looking For Something New?
Something To Look At
In our first year of homeschooling, I was eager to explore all the classic thematic units- Seasons; Apples; Pumpkins; Leaves...
popular and great topics for a reason.
We certainly explored the classics and enjoyed them to their fullest. The only thing was that after we completed the classics, and the obvious holiday seasons topics passed, what should we move to next?
With my belief that learning can be found in all things, all around us, I knew there were some amazing topics just waiting to be looked at; topics that seemingly may be simple at face-value, or that may be hiding in plain sight, largely taken for granted. With the beauty of homeschool, though, we could dig deeper into a wild array of topics to reveal a wealth of knowledge, history, and applied learning concepts-
all we had to do was look around!
If you are desiring some new, seemingly odd, topics or searching for some ideas to springboard your topics in the future, I have started a brief list of some of our wild learning adventures, that I hope can inspire you too. These are genuine thematic units we have explored in our years of homeschool that we love and highly recommend!
Shoes
We slip them on and off each day, and don't give them a second thought...shoes! You may be questioning how to build a complete unit study on the topic of shoes, but this unit proved that you can take off running with it, and still have more information to chase down.
Rubber
We were bouncing through our study about rubber- literally! This topic brought up so many related core learning topics, along with giving us a great look into molecules and compounds, and that was just the starting point.
Cereal
There are topics that frequently float around in my head that even make me wonder if there is enough information surrounding it to grow a weekly unit. There was so much learning that unboxed from this lesson, that we were delighted! Cereal week was full of fun, but beyond that, valuable core concepts. This thematic unit left us wanting seconds!
Textiles
Often overlooked, but always on us...textiles! Textiles is absolutely worth growing a lesson plan on. We enjoyed this topic because it is such a fundamental item, with a long story throughout history. There were so many great projects, crafts, and science to get hands on with, and also wove in flawlessly with core learning topics. This is a unit that I wouldn't mind revisiting together, as there is so much still to learn about this topic.
Visit this link to get the unit on Textiles.
Soap
I was blown away with just how much information and fun there was surrounding soap. Investigating the properties and applications of soap really had us deep in suds! Applying the soap theme into our math, language, and writing topics was a clean sweep.
Visit this link to get the unit on Soap.
Wax
Wax is amazing! It goes beyond the obvious candles, and is used in such a variety of ways, it really kept us thinking. We had so much fun learning about wax, from its beginnings to its advancements and purposes. Adding the wax theme throughout our learning activities for the week melted our minds- in a great way!
Visit this link to get the unit on Wax.
Tea
Possibly one of my top five favorite units of our second year, was the Tea Unit. Being a huge tea fan/addict, had us exploring the history, purposes, and tastes of various teas. Geography and health concepts were also steeped into this "tea-rrific" thematic unit.
Jelly
The ever-popular lunch pairing, jelly, truly was deserving of a unit study. There is so much science stuck to this topic that my kids found fascinating. Beyond science, we investigated jelly recipes in the kitchen and with learning activities centered all around the sweet stuff. There is far more than a week's worth of learning inside a jelly jar!
Fireworks
Learning about fireworks may seem a bit out there, but there is so much learning to "oooh" and "ahhh" over! If the concept of fireworks ignites you, be sure to include the history, origins, and certainly the chemistry behind them.
Click this link to get the unit on Fireworks
Ornaments
If you're looking for a new festive thematic unit for the holidays, include ornaments in your learning. There are a variety of ways to include the topic of ornaments into weekly learning activities and games to cover core subject material. Along with that though, learning about the evolution and traditions of ornaments is a great to kick off the Christmas festivities.
Click this link to get the unit on Ornaments
Gourds
We absolutely loved learning about gourds! This unit is a great topic to cover anytime, but choosing it for the end of our fall units worked really well. The life cycle and applications for gourds is fascinating, and getting to gather our own made for a special keepsake. The more you research gourds, you'll quickly see how math, science, and language concepts can easily grow this thematic unit.
Click this link to get the unit on Gourds
Soda
Soda! Such a fun and engaging unit study. From learning about who invented soda, to its health disadvantages, to the science involved, soda has a gallon of information about it. This unit cracked open several other learning topics in our core subjects, that related to soda perfectly. I highly recommend taking a learning adventure all about soda pop!
Ghosts
A ghost thematic unit is anything but scary! Obviously in line with the October units, but also great for developing writing, language, and math skills, in captivating themed activities and games. This theme also allows for festive but concrete science applications.
Click this link to get the unit on Ghosts
Comments