Ramblings...

Yesterday I posted a link on my FB page to HLN’s section of Free Unit Studies. Well not only do they have free unit studies but get this, they are also having a sale on their regular unit studies as well! From now until September 30th if you go in and order regular priced Unit Studies then enter 1buck in the coupon code area during checkout each Unit Study is only A BUCK! How awesome is that? These Unit Studies are downloads, so no shipping and handling. If you aren’t sure that you would like their Unit Studies, check out the free ones you have until the 30th to take advantage of the one buck offer.

I love free/discounted resources, they make schooling on a budget possible. Yes ladies and gentlemen I really am that easy to please.

**Disclaimer: All information on homeschooling methods will be just a generalized and very brief *if I can help it* overview of the method. Every family who uses these methods will of course work them to fit their needs. After each overview I will discuss some of the things I do and don’t like about the method in relation to our family. **



*I already had this typed up and completely forgot to post it before the Unschooling Method post. Anyways, enjoy!*

We are currently experience some “lovely” weather, so hopefully I can present you with two of the last three homeschooling methods posts. I make no promises, but we are new school year quickly approaching I need to churn these out in order to give myself time in the evenings for lesson prep.

So without further adieu here is the Unit Studies Homeschooling Method.

The unit studies method isn’t a set of guidelines, but instead it is a way of handling subjects. With unit studies you take a topic you want to cover, lets say weather, and then you incorporate it into every school subject. Literature would have to deal with weather, Science would discuss the ins and outs of weather, for History/Social Studies you could cover the way weather events have impacted people, and so forth. Unit studies are ideal for families with more than one child *especially large families* the reason for this is because you can pick a topic and then pick the materials that are appropriate for each child’s abilities. Instead of in the traditional method where you cover multiple subjects, with unit studies you are just covering one topic/subject and forming your lessons around that subject.

So instead of having to plan for multiple subjects that all cover various different aspects, you are just planning for that one subject and tweaking the books, hands on activities, etc., for the child who will be using it. Unit studies can also be used with something called lap books, which are basically project books made out of folded file folders and the child fills it with things they have done during the unit, or facts they have learned during the unit. There are kits you can buy or you can do it yourself, whichever works best for your family and your budget.

In some families unit studies are child-led where the child picks the subject/topic they want to learn about and the parent brings in the various elements, unit studies are good for those doing child-led homeschooling but still want some sort of structure/direction in the things being taught.


So a quick recap:

Basically unit studies allow you to teach a topic through the various core elements of schooling (literature, science, history, social studies, math, art, etc.) getting rid of the extra cost in having to buy traditional textbooks or boxed curriculums. Lap books are also used sometimes in this method to help reinforce what has been taught and to also act as a way for the child to look back on what they learned.


So would this method work for us? Yes and no. While it would allow me to just plan for a chosen subject instead of for each grade level, I do like having each individual subject at least in the elementary years. It ensures that we get the basics down, once the boys enter the middle grade levels then I could see us using the unit studies method. It wouldn’t just allow us to save money on textbooks, but also allow us to be on the same page with what we are learning. We wouldn’t use just unit studies though because there are books I want the boys to read that may not fit into an actual unit. Unit studies would also be ideal for our summer learning. In fact that would probably be when it would be used the most if we incorporate them in our learning.

It would allow us to still get in some light schooling that would be mostly reading and hands on activities. I like the idea of lap books and had planned to do something similar to it *like the Good Books advocated in Waldorf Education*.

Could we be strictly unit studies though? No. Not in our heavy schooling times. Textbooks give us a base to spring from, we also don’t teach completely opposite topics. The way we have science and history laid out Child #2 will be learning what Child #1 is learning, he just won’t be expected to retain the things Child #1 will be expected too, at least not yet.

By the time Child #2 is ready for formal lessons he will have a good background just from being present while Child #1 is learning. For instance when formal lessons start for Child #2 we will be back to covering Ancient History so Child #1 will be going more in depth with it while Child #1 is actively learning(retaining) it for the first time. So I will be planning for the same topic just on varying levels *like unit studies, but it will just be for each individual subject*.

I like being able to mix and match things in our schooling, so if they are at the reading level for a great novel like Huck Finn, we don’t have to worry about planning our history around that time period. We can just enjoy the book, learn about it, discuss it, and let it take us wherever. All while still having our separate history lessons that take us where they will take us depending on the time period. For us each subject is like its own separate little world, occasionally they collide, but not always.

So can it work for us: yes to some extent, is it a perfect fit for our family: no. If we had a larger family I could completely see using unit studies exclusively, because it is cost effective, time effective, and does produce great results. But for our goals it alone wouldn’t work.

**Disclaimer: All information on homeschooling methods will be just a generalized and very brief *if I can help it* overview of the method. Every family who uses these methods will of course work them to fit their needs. After each overview I will discuss some of the things I do and don’t like about the method in relation to our family. **

Unschooling is a simple concept, it is completely non-school in any traditional sense. No classrooms, no dictating what will be learned and when, it is child-led 99.99% of the time. Unschoolers believe in learning in the moment, they follow the child’s desires with the aim of sparking a continuous love of learning. There is a lot of real world applications in unschooling. Instead of learning money from a textbook unschoolers may opt to go on a grocery shopping trip and allow the child to handle the money.

When an unschooling parent wants to teach a certain subject they may rely on unit studies. Unit studies offer unschoolers a way to bring structure into their day if they *and most importantly their children* desire *or need* it.

Unschooling will be different for every family taking part in it *some families are more “radical“ in their approach and others dance the line between traditional school at home and unschooling*. Just as homeschooling is different in every family, even those who use the same method. Unschooling especially is different in every family because each child is different. Being child led one child may be into robotics and another may be into nature. So even among the kids in the family one child may be learning the ins and outs of robotics while another is learning how nature works.

Now would this method work for us? No. I’m sure you all already had that answer figured out from my previous posts. While I’m all fine and dandy with letting my kids follow what sparks their interest *and will allow for time in our day where they can study whatever floats their boats*, there are still core things I expect to be learned. Due to the fact that I expect them to learn these things, I expect myself to ensure they are taught. This means using textbooks and most importantly a schedule. Our days are way more affective with a schedule. While we do have days where it gets thrown out the window, all in all if we are attempting to meet learning objectives we need our schedule.

I can see the unschooling concept being great for small children or even as a last year of schooling before the boys embark on college, as a way to unwind before the work of paving ones future career really starts.

But during the main schooling years, I don’t see it working for our family. Alas nothing seems like a perfect fit, but there is still one more method to go over! Until then enjoy your summer ladies and gentlemen!

Unschooling Disclaimer: Everyone has seen unschooling in the media at some point in time, all I have to say is this, television is television and should be taken with a grain of salt. Yes they will hunt out the ones who prove their point so they can fill their hour long show with their thoughts and opinions. The same can be said for homeschooling, if you look at the media 9 times out of 10 homeschooling families are religious fanatics who shelter their children from anything they deem filled with "evil". Is this the whole homeschooling community? No it's not, is that how we are shown though, yes. While unschooling isn't for our family, there are families who make it work. Just like with any other method out there.

Ah…my poor blog it has been a while. So what have we been up to? Well we have started our first lapbook in honor of the 4th of July. Our first lapbook *while still a work in progress due to all the fun we have had this weekend* will feature 3 mini-books. The 3 books will be symbols of the 4th of July *which we have already completed*, a timeline of some of the events that lead up to the 4th of July, and lastly a book with information on the five writers of the Declaration of Independence.

We did learn that mini-books can take some time *the first one took us about 2 hours* so they should be planned for accordingly. Other than that they are a fun way to incorporate interactive learning into your homeschooling.

This week *today actually* we attempted to start our first day of schooling for the 2010-2011 school year, but due to The Spouse being off for a four day weekend things didn’t pan out as planned. Honestly though this isn’t a bad thing, given The Spouse’s job we are just happy to have him in the country and not having to work on a holiday *like almost every holiday for the past…well…its been a while*, so we will just start adding a subject here and there, and then Monday get right into our full day schedule. The goal is to be completely on our school schedule by the end of the month.

Here’s to all of our new learning!

Upon digging into homeschooling I discovered that there are various ways in which to instruct your child/children. Every family, in fact every child, is different. Even if two families are using the same method it will still vary based on what best fit’s the needs of the family implementing it. That is the beauty of homeschooling, no need for a one size fits all approach, this also invites frustration in locating the method(s) that work best for your family. As we come to a close on our first full year of schooling, I’m still working out what method(s) we will use and what we won’t. So as I work my way through it all I will be posting one post a week for the next eight weeks that will give a brief overview of the featured method, a list of books or other resources that relate to that method, and a list of pros and cons of the method in relation to our family’s needs.