Do you enjoy exploring topics with your kids? I have the perfect solution for you on how to create simple Unit Studies for you and your kids!
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I really enjoy finding a topic and then pulling it all together with research, finding websites with info, YouTube clips, a TON of printables, then add in a field trip and “wa-lah”, a complete Unit Study.
The problem was the execution!
Anyone else?? Am I the only one who loves the planning part, but struggles with execution?
Well, even if that is not you, even if you don’t like the planning either, I have got a simple solution for you!
![Creating simple Unit Studies](https://www.bloggymomma.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Unit-Study-Plan-683x1024.jpg)
I was totally over-complicating things!
Often, I would just have too many printables, or coloring pages, or even too many books to read from. Then my expectations would just be off the map, thinking that we could accomplish 4 weeks’ worth of study in a week’s time.
What happened time and again is that we started a Unit Study and never finished. Total drag!
WHY CREATE SIMPLE UNIT STUDIES?
As a homeschool mom, you spend a lot of time “teaching” your kids. When you create simple unit studies you get to spend time “learning” with them!
This is one of my favorite things to do with them.
Related Post: Beach Scavenger Hunt
We love to see our kids get excited about a topic and want to dig into it. They know it means field trips, experiments, and crafts – things they fully enjoy!
Creating simple unit studies opens up more opportunities to connect with them!
Time with our children is so precious! We have but a brief time with them while they are little. When we get to learn and explore right alongside them there are deeper bonds and memories formed.
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HOW TO PLAN SIMPLE UNIT STUDIES
I have learned that less is more when it comes to creating simple unit studies that will truly inspire my four littles.
My children are at different learning abilities due to their ages, and their interests vary too. So, by simplifying our Unit Studies we learn more and enjoy it so much more too.
Keep scrolling for the FREE “How-To” Printable.
What I include in a Simple Unit Study consists of:
- Books to read and with visuals
- Coloring Pages
- Hands-on Activity
- Other Crafts
- YouTube clips
- Websites for kids to do their own research
You can get a them each new folder with clean paper, new colored pencils, and other topic appropriate gadgets like magnifying glasses, compasses, nature guides.
All of it this is part of the fun!
SIMPLE UNIT STUDY TOPICS
Nature is always a great place to get a simple topic, but there are some good history and other fun science topics too! It is a great way to take a break from the routine, or do a fun unit over the summer months.
Here is a simple list of fun Unit Studies:
- Ocean Seashore
- Trees & Leaves
- Birds
- Butterflies
- Worms
- Snow Science
- Rocks
- Vikings
- Knights
- Magnets
- Weather
- Biomes/Ecosystems
We have really enjoyed so many of these topics and we revisit them regularly. (See where I put my units once we complete them here).
UNIT STUDY SAMPLE
An example of a simple unit study could be on the topic of Butterflies. What kid doesn’t love watching and chasing butterflies, right?
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You can easily learn the Butterfly life cycle from egg, to caterpillar, to cocoon, to butterfly by using one book, one life cycle printable – grab my FREEBIE below, and watching a YouTube clip from SciShow Kids (one of our favorites).
![butterfly life cycle](https://www.bloggymomma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/life-cycle-of-a-butterfly.jpg)
From there you can easily add a single craft to make a butterfly with a coffee filter – The Simple Parent has a cute how to. That’s it!! You could easily complete this in one afternoon with different aged kids.
They retain so much more than I realize when I add just a few different dimensions of learning and let them get their hands “dirty” in the process and explore.
I have found that the less time I spend pulling together a simple unit study, the more my kids (and me!) actually enjoy it.
UNIT STUDIES THAT GROW
You can make a simple study more elaborate. Some topics just naturally grow into areas of more interest. When you see that your child has a greater interest in something – keep on it and explore further.
The possibilities are endless.
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One summer my son could not get enough of digging for worms! So, I hopped online, checked out a few books, and got a little YouTube clip on the parts of an earthworm. He LOVED it. We even made a worm jar so that we could watch the patterns the worms made as they dug through different layers of dirt. So simple, yet he talks about it all the time to this day and can’t wait to get back out there.
There are seriously amazing resources out there to create simple unit studies! I have tried to pull some of the best – and simple – ones together for you in each of the Units I put together above.
Remember FUN! By trying to focus on the fun of learning about a topic, it helps limit the resources.
Below is one of our FAVORITE books used to explore many of the topics above – Nature Anatomy. It has beautiful pictures with simple details that the kids can sketch themselves.
![NATURE ANATOMY](https://www.bloggymomma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240213_135601-1-scaled-e1707852122543-1024x766.jpg)
I hope this spurs your imagination with ideas and helps you to remember that enjoying the learning process is more valuable than teaching about the topics.
To help you get started here is a simple printable to get you going too!
What are some of your favorite Unit Study Topics? Have you tried any of these, or what should I add to my list? Drop me a comment below!!!
Happy learning,
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CHECK OUT OTHER THE UNIT STUDIES
Wiggly Worms Unit Study
Weather Unit Study
Ocean Shore Unit Study
Butterfly Unit Study
Bird & Nests Unit Study
Snow Science Unit Study
Clouds Unit Study
Changing Leaves Unit Study
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