Take a Break from Regular Coursework and Try a Winter Olympics Unit Study

The Winter Olympics are right around the corner and since they fall right into the middle of the school year it’s a nice idea to incorporate some Olympic stuff into your lessons so you can ~~have an excuse to watch~~ review the live (or taped video).

Have you ever thought of creating a Unit Study for your homeschool from some fascinating subject or interest? I have and I haven’t. They always scare me off. It’s the reason I pay the big bucks for a boxed curriculum.

A Unit Study is like (forgive the use of “like”) where you create a course of study around a particular theme or topic.

The Well Trained Mind defines a Unit Study as a form of homeschooling that “integrates disciplines together, rather than dividing them into separate “subjects” to be pursued at different times during the school day”~The Well Trained Mind

I don’t know why I always think of Little House on the Prairie when I think of Unit Studies but maybe because it sets up a perfect situation for learning in a variety of subject areas.

History – The fact that the stories are based on the historical remembrances of a young girl growing up in a historical time period. You can study what the US was like at the time. The home life, what kinds of jobs people held, how towns were made, the prejudices of the time, clothing, and so much more.

Science – Try some recipes from that time period (also falls under Home ec). Study some of the crops being grown at the time. Take it deeper and study what was considered medicine at the time.

Math – Basic count anything but mostly I think of the measurements in recipes.

This year, in our own homeschooling, I’ve been adjusting here and there in our regular curriculum as the Sweet Peanut has shown interest. I’m still not ready to actually create a Unit Study but using one is on the horizon. I’m thinking the 2014 Winter Olympics might be a good time to inject something new into our homeschool days.

Growing up my sister and I used to park ourselves in front of the t.v. for Torville and Dean (I’m dating myself) not to mention the Ice Jump competitions.