In regular school each academic subject is taught in a different class and at times by a different teacher. The same is not necessary in a homeschooling program where the parent can teach the child using unit studies.
What is a Unit Study
The Unit Studies Approach is a Homestudy method that integrates all the different school subjects together under one theme or topic.This is the unit which is studied and teaches the child all that there is to know under that particular topic at his grade level. This method is based on the assumption that a curriculum is not rigid but teaches the child what he needs to learn in a flexible manner irrespective of the subject divide that the academicians have placed on it.
Planning a Unit Study
As a homeschooling parent you would like to know how to plan your own unit studies. First off you need to pick a topic that interests your child. It could be anything that piques his interest. Don’t worry that there may be nothing to make it into a unit study, it will be surprising to see how this integrated study method can link seemingly unrelated study topics.
What can you add?
Now pick the level of depth that you would like to deal with and begin gathering research material to help you plan the unit study. Some basic theory can be covered with the resources you have at hand. Now add to the fun and games by chalking up field trips, hands on activities and internet based games to the unit study. Make sure you keep track of what all you have covered in a journal.
Try and have some schedule so that you cover a set number of items related to the topic in a fixed number of days, but remember to be flexible. Enthusiasm for the topic is the way to go. Once you have covered the unit study completely it would be a good idea to have a celebration of some kind. It could be a presentation or a special field trip or even a small party at home.
