| When you are homeschooling, there are so many | | | | unit studies. |
| decisions to make. From curriculum choices and | | | | Most homeschool parents want their children to do |
| scheduling, to field trips and extracurricular activities, it | | | | more than simply memorize a bunch of facts only to |
| is all in your hands. Most homeschool parents relish | | | | forget them later. Homeschool parents want their |
| the opportunity to have real influence on the minds | | | | children to fully experience the joy knowledge can |
| of their children and seek to instill in them a true, | | | | bring. They also want them to retain as much of the |
| lifelong love of learning. If this is your homeschool | | | | information they absorb as possible. |
| goal as well, unit studies can help you to accomplish it. | | | | Unit studies can help homeschool parents make |
| Unit studies are very popular as a homeschool | | | | subjects really live for their children. Often, unit |
| teaching method. They are essentially thematic units | | | | studies use a variety of living books, making the |
| that work to encompass all or most subjects through | | | | subject more interesting and exposing the student to |
| the study of just one topic. For example, a | | | | a mix of resources geared toward the chosen topic. |
| homeschool history unit study might contain history, | | | | Unit studies allow homschool parents and children to |
| math, reading, writing, geography, spelling and more. | | | | immerse themselves in a hands-on approach to a |
| Instead of studying several separate subjects, a unit | | | | particular topic, studying it from all conceivable angles. |
| study allows the homeschooler to learn several | | | | They also provide for more interaction between the |
| different subjects as they relate to one another. | | | | homeschool parent and the child by providing |
| All too often, especially in traditional educational | | | | interesting topics for discussion. Often, activities lend |
| settings, students become bored and lose their | | | | themselves to collaboration. |
| natural love for learning. Instead of really absorbing | | | | Unit studies can be used for just one homeschool |
| information, they begin to memorize for the sole | | | | student or a whole group of them. Instead of using a |
| purpose of passing tests. Though it may seem that | | | | different unit study for each homeschool child within |
| students have learned because they earn good test | | | | a family, unit studies allow parents to study the same |
| scores, they actually end up forgetting much of what | | | | topic with children at different age levels. All the |
| they memorized. This is because they weren't able to | | | | homeschool children in the family can participate in |
| develop any real enthusiasm for the topic. | | | | learning the same topic. They simply use materials |
| Furthermore, many textbooks and other types of | | | | and do activities geared to their appropriate levels. |
| curriculum materials cover subjects only briefly, never | | | | Furthermore, unit studies can even help homeschool |
| giving the student the chance to really learn or | | | | parents teach children with different learning styles |
| develop an authentic appreciation for it. This is not | | | | within the same family. |
| the case when parents choose to homeschool with | | | | |