Easiest Unit Studies?

[Paige]

I think my girls would love if we did more unit studies. They love all that crafty and fluffy stuff but I'm not into it. I hated craft time as a child and I'm not crafty now. I like reading, discussing, writing, and math. As a kid, I thought of projects and crafts as a waste of energy and was more of a give me the facts and let me move on kind of kid. They like drawing, projects, acting out, cooking recipes, and music.

 

Is there someplace that sells unit studies for middle elementary that includes everything or almost everything needed to do the "fun" stuff? I know me, and if I have to search for the supplies, and put it all together, it won't happen regularly. I revert to my 10yr old self who thought it was all so not fun, and I will miss that my kids would actually enjoy making a corn husk doll or planning a menu for a feast in the middle ages. If I have paid for and already have everything, I'd use it even if I thought it was not fun, and my kids would surprise me by liking what I wouldn't have liked as a kid. I've seen KONOS and might try Russia in a Bag, but it is so expensive. I'd rather have something that is less expensive in case I fail on follow through and I think we'd do better with shorter units that last about 1 month instead of 3 or more. I have 5, 8, and 11yr old kids and I'd like to be able to include everyone, but I want to aim it primarily at the 8yr olds.

 

Or- is there a company that sells unit study craft kits that I could add onto a unit study guide purchased elsewhere? I like the short and focused Hands of a Child studies, but want a box of supplies to go with it.

[Ellie]

I think my girls would love if we did more unit studies. They love all that crafty and fluffy stuff but I'm not into it. I hated craft time as a child and I'm not crafty now. I like reading, discussing, writing, and math. As a kid, I thought of projects and crafts as a waste of energy and was more of a give me the facts and let me move on kind of kid. They like drawing, projects, acting out, cooking recipes, and music.

 

Is there someplace that sells unit studies for middle elementary that includes everything or almost everything needed to do the "fun" stuff? I know me, and if I have to search for the supplies, and put it all together, it won't happen regularly. I revert to my 10yr old self who thought it was all so not fun, and I will miss that my kids would actually enjoy making a corn husk doll or planning a menu for a feast in the middle ages. If I have paid for and already have everything, I'd use it even if I thought it was not fun, and my kids would surprise me by liking what I wouldn't have liked as a kid. I've seen KONOS and might try Russia in a Bag, but it is so expensive. I'd rather have something that is less expensive in case I fail on follow through and I think we'd do better with shorter units that last about 1 month instead of 3 or more. I have 5, 8, and 11yr old kids and I'd like to be able to include everyone, but I want to aim it primarily at the 8yr olds.

 

Or- is there a company that sells unit study craft kits that I could add onto a unit study guide purchased elsewhere? I like the short and focused Hands of a Child studies, but want a box of supplies to go with it.

Not all unit studies are heavy in crafts. :-) Not even KONOS--you can do a boatload of KONOS activities without doing "crafts."

 

So, do you want a unit study (where you do history, geography, science, literature--everything except math and English skills) while focussing on a certain thing (lighthouses, godly character traits, Little House books, antique carousels...whatever the dc are interested in), or do you want to do artsy-craftsy stuff?

 

For example, a unit study on lighthouses might include choosing East Coast lighthouses; reading biographies about lighthouse keepers, reading any sort of fiction that involves a lighthouse, learning how lighthouses work, reading about historical events that involved specific lighthouses, studying the geographical features of lighthouse locations, learning about the tides or weather which might affect how a lighthouse works, actually visiting some lighthouses and getting your lighhouse passport stamped, finding a copy of a "lightlist" and practicing the different kinds of lights using a flashlight...so far, that's the only "crafty" thing. :-)

 

The short answer is this: Here is Cathy Duffy's list of unit studies. :D

[LittleIzumi]

Amanda Bennet unit studies are pretty self-contained and fun.

[Paige]

Not all unit studies are heavy in crafts. :-) Not even KONOS--you can do a boatload of KONOS activities without doing "crafts." Here is Cathy Duffy's list of unit studies. :D

 

The girls want and love crafts, however. :sad: If the unit doesn't come with the crafts all ready to go, I am not likely to do the crafty stuff they love. Now that I'm not having to really do it and I'm being objective, I can see the value in them because I know how much they enjoy it. I want to make things more fun for them. In the moment, however, when I'm planning my days and thinking of having to go to the store and prepare a bunch of activities, it is so, so, easy for me (because I don't like it) to say that we will just skip it because it really is only fluff and we have other stuff to do. I like the idea of the KONOS bags because they come with what we'd need, but I'd prefer something shorter.

 

I will browse through the Cathy Duffy list tonight.

[Ellie]

Why do you have to have *unit studies* to do crafts? They are not mutually inclusive. :-)

[Paige]

I don't have to do unit studies to do crafts, but I want to. I know that's what they want to do and what they enjoy. They love all kinds of crafts but they really get excited when I have tried to make unit studies for them. We did it for a few months last year and they have asked me to do more and said they missed it. I was going to do Five in a Row, but I think it would frustrate me with all the planning I would need to do. Maybe I'll get an American Girl unit study and get the craft kits that they sell for the dolls.

[JaneP]

I completely understand what you are saying. My dc loved unit studies but I got sick of the planning and even gathering up the supplies.

 

Hope some-one has more ideas to offer...

[kirstenhill]

If being crafty is not your thing, maybe let the kids take more of a lead with it? You plan the academic part of the unit study, and let THEM pick the projects and make a list of items they need?

 

I don't mind crafts, but I am really not skilled at crafty stuff and definitely find other "fluff" more fun than crafting. For a while I tried to "lead" my kids in crafts but DD was so eager for it I could never really satisfy her desires. Whatever I planned, she could want more!

 

I've discovered though that if I provide a cabinet of basic supplies, my 8 year old DD is more than capable of following most reasonable kid's craft directions. I gave her a stack of old "family fun" magazines for random crafting inspiration, and I get from the library craft books that relate to our history studies, and sometimes our science studies as well. I will even pull up Pinterest for her, help her search for a topic, and she will "like" projects she finds interesting, then I can go through and print out directions for her or bookmark them in a folder for her to find easily later.

 

She can browse through the books, find projects she thinks are fun, look and see if we have supplies, and even make a "wish list" for me of items we might not have on hand. For example, she really wanted to make berry ink from a Colonial period activity book, and let me know she wanted strawberries when I could buy them for her. I often ask her to include her brothers when it is reasonable. She always has a running "craft store list" and as much as I sort of dread it, I try to hit the craft store for supplies once every couple months to stock up.

 

I definitely try to answer questions if she doesn't understand the directions or help her if it isn't working out. But I find that the more she does crafts on her own the better she gets at it and she can probably do almost as good a job as I could do anyway (like I said, I'm really not crafty).

 

If it's a recipe she wants to do in the kitchen, I am all about that (cooking IS my thing), so I have her leave me the recipe and I let her know if I think it's something we can reasonably do.

 

If the older two really want to do crafts, I think you can get a lot of help from them to make it happen! If they aren't wiling to do some of the prep work, maybe they don't really want to do it as much as you might think.

[mystika1]

http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/TTS/

This is by far the easiest unit study series that I have ever used. The crafts are all printed off of the cd. You will need basics.(glue, tape and so on) I babysit during the day and do not want to go to the store for tidbits of supplies. This is perfect. I plan to complete a cd then use Konos units in between. This solved my wanting to do history in chronological order and use Konos at the same time.

 

Penny

[Farrar]

Honestly, a craft kit just isn't the same. There are some that are better than others, but you're going to shell out more money and there's not stuff for every good craft idea. I don't know of any for unit studies anyway, but I know kits. Having a preset kit to make a jungle diorama is going to be really limiting and massively less educational (both in terms of content and motor skills and creativity) compared to getting out your own magazines, making your own little animals out of pipe cleaners, etc. etc. Having a kit to make a little Pilgrim hat by taping and gluing and coloring in probably won't compare with making one yourself and figuring out the process.

 

My suggestion would be to do two things: make a huge craft store trip and stock up on all kinds of things, thinking of the future so you have more options for things that can use on hand materials. Second, set aside a large chunk of time that is always for projects. Like, Wednesday afternoon is for crafty projects. Period.

[Robin's Song]

What about Hands and Hearts kits?

[Jaz]

What about Hands and Hearts kits?

 

:iagree: My dc love these kits. They are very well done.

[EppieJ]

... looked at History Pockets / Literature Pockets?

 

http://www.evan-moor.com/Search/Default.aspx?Search=history+pockets

[Paige]

What about Hands and Hearts kits?

 

Those look great! Thanks. A dedicated craft time every week and making things like dioramas sounds like a nightmare to me. I think it could work out if I give the kids the time and then tell them to do their own thing with whatever supplies I haul out. They would have fun surprising me. I'm still thinking about an American Girl unit using some of their craft books.

[kolamum]

You could go free & check out HomeschoolShare.com :)

[singbanshee]

Amanda Bennett Unit Studies

 

They're running some rockin specials all week here She'll have new ones each day this week on sale...great way to stock up cheap!

[Ruthie in MS]

Those look great! Thanks. A dedicated craft time every week and making things like dioramas sounds like a nightmare to me. I think it could work out if I give the kids the time and then tell them to do their own thing with whatever supplies I haul out. They would have fun surprising me. I'm still thinking about an American Girl unit using some of their craft books.

 

 

If the American Girl study you're talking about is "Portrait of an American Girlhood" then the American girl craft kits won't work for that. PoAAG is a study based on the AG books and that time period (ex. Felicity is right before the Revolutionary War) but the snazzy AG craft kits you see in the stores are more for modern times (scrapbooking, jewelry making, etc.) and modern girls. None of the kits that I have seen are based on the historical characters (which the unit study is based on). Just thought you should know.

[Paige]

If the American Girl study you're talking about is "Portrait of an American Girlhood" then the American girl craft kits won't work for that. PoAAG is a study based on the AG books and that time period (ex. Felicity is right before the Revolutionary War) but the snazzy AG craft kits you see in the stores are more for modern times (scrapbooking, jewelry making, etc.) and modern girls. None of the kits that I have seen are based on the historical characters (which the unit study is based on). Just thought you should know.

 

I didn't get the Portraits of American Girlhood as it seemed a little pricey for what you get. I got a set with a Samantha cookbook, Samantha's crafts, her paper dolls, and a theater set. I also got Welcome to Samantha's World or something like that. I'm going to make it a very, very light fun study. We'll read the books, talk about the history, maybe watch some videos, and do a craft, cooking, or theater project once a week or so until we are finished. I told the neighbor girl she could come too so it will be after school. I'm really excited about the theater kit and I think we'll have more fun and have a better chance of following through if I don't make it a significant part of "school."

 

I might get a few of those Amanda Bennet studies for later. Those are great deals right now! After the AG Samantha stuff is finished, I want to try the Hands and Hearts kit. I promised DS we could do something not completely girly next.

 

I really appreciate all the ideas posted. :)