Independence Day is a wonderful opportunity to combine history, hands-on learning, and family traditions. If you’d like to explore the stories behind the 4th of July together, our Independence Day unit study will help you and your family celebrate.
The Fourth of July is just around the corner.
For many of us, it means cookouts, sparklers, parades, and staying up a little too late to watch fireworks light up the sky. It’s one of those holidays that brings families together almost effortlessly.
But somewhere between the hot dogs, red-white-and-blue decorations, and backyard celebrations, there’s also an opportunity to slow down and encourage your child’s natural curiosity.
Who were the people who signed the Declaration of Independence?
What risks did they take?
What did freedom mean to them?
And why do we still celebrate these events 250 years later?
The Stories Behind the Fourth of July
It has always amazed me how naturally curious our children are about these questions, especially when they begin to realize that history is really the story of real people who lived, struggled, and made difficult decisions.
In fact, we created our Independence Day unit study to help families explore those stories together. Throughout the study, learners discover the history behind the 4th of July while learning about Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and other patriotic figures who helped shape our nation.
More Patriotic Unit Studies for Homeschool
It’s time to get out the red, white, and blue, and get ready for some patriotic celebrations!
You probably know what it means to be patriotic, but do your children? Designed to spend one week on each holiday, this unique and interactive study covers these American patriotic celebrations for grades K-12
As you study together, they also build a lapbook filled with reminders of what they have learned (something you can return to in your homeschool long after the fireworks have faded).
With unit studies, you have a very powerful tool to build a strong tree of knowledge for your children. Your homeschool curriculum can be a shaping tool!
Empowering, enlivening, energizing – all words that bring to mind a sense of power and energy – invigorating. The power of homeschooling is all of that and more for our generation as parents, the generations that we are teaching, and many yet to be born. I don’t know about you, but homeschooling gave this small-town girl the confidence to think independently, not follow the crowd, and to speak up.
While learning to think and wonder and not conform to an ever-changing society, a funny thing happened along the trail of homeschooling – the children learned these lessons, too! From veterinary college to mock trial championships, our children have been empowered by homeschooling, right along with their parents.
I used to be a typical working mom, employed outside the home, struggling to find any time to catch my breath, while juggling schedules, family demands, finances, and dreams of retirement. With the switch to the amazing position of homeschool mom, I discovered both the rewards and fascination of following our interests, from studying the stars to tracking the ocean tides, from planting a vegetable garden to learning to cook, from following the routes of the explorers to tracking the paths of the men that walked on moon, from learning to quilt like the pioneers to learning how to build a fire, and so much more. No one ever made learning “interesting” for me when I was a child, but I’ve discovered that this is a powerful gift that I can give our children on a daily basis – a gift that will keep on giving for the rest of their lives.
How Your Homeschool Curriculum Can Be A Shaping Tool
In the beginning, homeschooling was a nerve wracking choice – am I doing the right thing, what will I teach them, what books shall we use, will they be able to get into college, and on and on. Then, through trial and error, we hit upon unit studies – and the light turned on, and away we went. The choice of homeschooling is a wonderful choice to make for many families, and the combined power of learning and following interests together is a life-changing force.
First, let me tell you just a bit of my story. We began homeschooling in the middle of a school year, so we chose to keep using the textbooks that the children had been using in school. That was an easy enough decision, but it quickly became obvious that they were well-trained in the use of textbooks – they read for bolded and italicized words, answered the questions at the end of the chapter, and memorized just well enough to take the test. There was no interest in schoolwork other than getting it done – no joy and certainly no curiosity.
Another problem that I became painfully aware of was that there was not much long-term retention of the material covered in the textbooks. Rote memorization of textbook material is no replacement for thinking skills and logic when it comes to leading a satisfying and fulfilling adult life. If the knowledge isn’t there to stay, there is no foundation or framework to build on for the rest of their lives. For example, if they memorize the names of the parts of a plant, but never get to take one apart and experiment with the pieces, studying them under a magnifying glass or microscope, how will the controversy of genetically engineered crops ever begin to make sense? If the framework isn’t there, the new information isn’t connected to anything, and it is difficult to use new information in a meaningful way.
With unit studies, we found a very powerful tool that has helped build a strong tree of knowledge for our children. Remember, your curriculum should be a shaping tool, NOT a vice grip. In my opinion, the strength of a unit study approach is that the student looks at a topic from all different directions. For example, when studying gardens, we look at the basics of plant science, the history of gardens, the gardens around the world, the art of Monet and other artists who were famous for their garden paintings, and much more.
How Unit Studies Can Make a Difference in Your Homeschool
To show the difference in textbook learning and unit studies, realize that nothing ever occurs in the vacuum of just being a historical, geographical or scientific event. When something happens, it happens in a particular place (geography), at a particular time (history), involving certain people (biographies), and has an impact on life in many ways (art, science, economics, etc).
However, when using a history textbook, events are presented chronologically, in a somewhat condensed and dry format. When we read about the first American landing on the moon, the typical history textbook will not include any information about the exciting scientific discoveries that were made to achieve this great feat. In this same textbook, we probably would not read about the astronauts and their individual contributions and sacrifices. The textbooks usually won’t include the thrilling descriptions of all that has been gained from putting a man on the moon – from the world of computers to the amazing breakthroughs in medicine. These exciting and interlinked accomplishments aren’t typically included in the brief paragraph on the American space program.
See what we would have missed if we had relied on a typical history textbook to learn about the space program? And yet these missing pieces are the ones that open up the world to our children, and show them how to dream big dreams and understand how all things work together.
Unit studies for middle and high school invite students to move beyond simply completing assignments and into engaging with ideas.
At some point, almost every homeschool parent I know (including me!) has asked the question:
“But what about high school?”
Can unit studies prepare students for high school?
It’s one thing to embrace creative, connected learning in the early years. But when transcripts, credits, and college preparation come into view, everything can start to feel more serious.
We worry that it has to be more structured, more traditional and rigid.
It’s understandable.
We want to make sure our children are truly prepared for what comes next. So it makes sense that we would also ask how unit studies fit into a high school homeschool.
Are unit studies academically rigorous?
Here’s what I have learned first hand and what I want you to know:
Unit studies don’t water down a high school education. They deepen it.
When done well, a unit study approach at the high school level invites students to move beyond simply completing assignments and into engaging with ideas.
Do unit studies meet homeschool requirements?
Instead of memorizing information for a test, students begin to:
Analyze complex topics
Evaluate different perspectives
Make connections across disciplines
Communicate their thinking clearly
Unit Studies for Middle and High School
This is the kind of learning that colleges, careers, and life actually require.
Consider this…
A traditional approach might cover history, literature, and writing as separate subjects. A unit study brings them together.
Are unit studies suitable for college-bound students?
It is not less rigorous, but it is more integrated and often more meaningful and lasting.
In fact, many homeschool families find that unit studies create stronger transcripts through rich, project-based work and can better prepare students for college-level expectations.
At this stage with unit studies for middle and high school, the goal isn’t just covering material. It’s developing a confident learner with strong critical thinking skills. And that’s exactly what a well-designed unit study helps cultivate.
Tricia (and Amanda) P.S. If you are nervous about the high school years, please, let me reassure you… Some of the most meaningful moments of our homeschool years happened in high school. You have so much to look forward to!
Here is how unit studies can help discover your child’s gifts and talents. Unit studies help us to help them discover their own gifts and talents, as they learn about the world while we are right there beside them.
First and foremost, remember that every child is a blessing, uniquely gifted by God. I’ll never forget the time that the chemistry experiment blew silver nitrate all over my brand new white curtains, and just how our daughter looked when it happened! I will never forget the thrill of the kids when they met some of the astronauts in person, and heard about some of their space adventures.
To use unit studies is to begin a trail of discovery for both you AND your children – a powerful journey of discovery.- Amanda Bennett
How Unit Studies Can Help Discover Your Child’s Gifts and Talents
Give your children a chance to follow their interests and you might just be surprised at the outcome. With unit studies, our children have obtained a better understanding of the way things work, the history of the world, their own abilities, and much more. I am always asked about “holes in their education” if unit studies are used. First, I ask the audience if anyone ever remembers completely finishing a textbook when they were a child – not many hands have ever been raised. I share my personal experience that we never finished a textbook when I was a child, and I was so disappointed – the “good” stuff was always toward the end of the book!
The concept of education is not just to fill their heads up with any and all information available – that would take hundreds of years in these days of ever-expanding information. The concept of a good education, in my opinion, is teaching the child to be able to think, to help them build a sound foundation of learning – a strong tree of knowledge where they can place more information over the course of their lives. I will never be able to teach my children about all things, BUT, I will teach them how to think, to investigate, to research and dig for answers. In the years ahead, it is my opinion that this will be a priceless education for those who will be successful in a rapidly changing world.
Unit studies can do just this, and that’s my intention when I write them and use them – getting the child to think and explore, letting curiosity get the best of them. Try to help them develop a love of learning and enjoy the wonder of the world – it’s quite an empowering accomplishment. As powerful as homeschooling can be, it is not a result of all homeschooling families being just alike. Realize that you will never be “just like” other families in your homeschool group or those at your state convention.
I’ve traveled all over the country as a speaker at homeschool conferences, and I’ve met all kinds of people. I am frequently asked by many parents, “Are we like typical homeschoolers?” I have to smile at this point – I don’t think I’ve ever met a “typical” homeschooler. That would be like having a “normal” day of homeschooling, whatever that is. Enjoy the uniqueness of your family and your approach to homeschooling. Some families use textbooks, while others use unit studies. It isn’t as important to follow the crowd anymore, now that the crowd is just you and your clan – what a blessing this is for all of us.
Our family has done so many things since we started homeschooling – we’ve traveled all over, met some amazing people, and followed our dreams to all kinds of places, and I can honestly say that we’ve never had a boring day – and certainly not a “normal” day, and that is not our goal.
As a former corporate engineer, I am well-aware of the concept of having goals and a mission statement. What is my mission statement these days? To help the children discover their own gifts and talents, whether in botany or veterinary science, athletics or orthodontics, who knows what the future holds! Now, as a homeschooling mom, what is my goal? To work myself out of a job by helping them become self-motivated learners – to have them out there, learning and challenging and thriving within the realm of their own very unique gifts and talents.
What is interest directed learning and how can you use it to help your homeschoolers grow and develop their special gifts and talents?
Interest-Directed Learning: What Is It?
You hear so much about interest-directed learning these days, don’t you? At our house, we used unit studies based on the interests of our children. I started out on my challenge of following their interests to discover their gifts and talents. Since I was fairly new to homeschooling and still learning how each child is so unique, it took a bit of creative thinking to figure out just exactly what their interests were and how I could capture the ideas and help them grow and developtheirspecial gifts and talents.
I learned to be a better observer of their favorite things to do, their curiosity statements, their tendencies to favor different topics in the library, and so on. Try it out. Make a simple chart of ideas based on things you see in the weeks ahead. Here are a few examples:
Area of interest: Possible life work
Serving others: Pastor, missionary, service organizations, church service
Following clues, putting puzzles together: Detective, food scientist, astrophysicist
History fanatic: Ambassador, politician, leader, professor
Working with their hands: Electrician, finish carpenter, orthopedic surgeon
Working with animals: Zookeeper, veterinarian, zoologist
Working with a camera: Photographer, biologist, scientist, satellite designer
These are just a few ideas and connections that can be made with some of the interests that children display. Make a file on your phone or keep a small notebook handy so that you can record their interests that just happen to pop up—a mention of wanting to know how a lawn mower works to wishing she knew how to sew. By keeping track of these, you’ve got some concrete things to pursue, and you know what to watch for at the next library or garage sale. Enjoy the off-road explorations. They are learning ALL the time!
Spring has a way of making everything feel fresh again. Enjoy a fresh start for your homeschool this spring!
The days grow longer, the air warms up, and suddenly it feels like the perfect time to shake things up a little in our homeschools. If your routine has started to feel a bit stale after the long winter months, a simple spring refresh can bring new energy and curiosity back into your learning days.
And the good news? It doesn’t require a complete overhaul.
Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference in our homeschools. A new topic to explore, a fresh question to investigate, or a hands-on project can spark excitement again for both you and your kids.
That’s exactly why we’re so excited to share three brand new unit studies with you this spring!
New Unit Studies Just In Time For Spring
🌸 Spring Study Bundle: Spring is bursting with fascinating discoveries—from the science of blooming plants to the surprising ways animals and ecosystems change with the season. This study invites your kids to explore the wonders of spring through our Spring Surprises, Twisting Tornadoes, Simply Soccer and Kite Capers units.
⚽ Simply Soccer: Perfect for sports-loving learners, this unit study dives into the history, science, strategy, and global culture of soccer. It’s a fun way to connect learning with an activity many kids already love.
🪁 Kite Capers: Few things feel more like spring than watching a kite soar through the sky. In this study, students explore the science of flight, the history of kites around the world, and the creativity behind designing and flying their own.
Each study is designed the UnitStudy.com way, the way we teach our own children, with one topic explored together across multiple ages while encouraging curiosity, conversation, and deeper understanding.
Sports can add so much to your child’s learning, beyond the obvious physical activity. Here are 4 reasons to embrace sports in your homeschool.
Like many, I remember laying on the living room floor as a kid watching the Olympics night after night with great anticipation. As a family, we cheered, cried and yelled at the TV from time to time. My favorite of the summer events are Gymnastics, swimming and synchronized swimming.
My mom found a local synchronized swimming team in Tampa, FL when I was about ten years old and finally my love of dance and swimming came together. The sport is now called Artistic Swimming. I swam through high school and after graduation moved across the country to compete for a world renowned team. While it wasn’t the Olympics, I did represent the U.S. at the world level in Rome, Italy. Not a bad destination for a competition! We placed second and I’m sure I will always remember the experience.
4 Reasons to Embrace Sports in Your Homeschool
Here are some of the things I love about team sports (and sports in general) that have helped shape the person I am today:
1. Work Ethic
There was no improvement or “gain” without sacrifice and hard work. I still remember when friends would have sleep overs or go to a movie on Friday night and I stayed home in order to go to bed early for Saturday morning practice. I made many sacrifices over the course of my swimming career but really, they were all teaching me how to prioritize.
2. Teamwork
Artistic Swimming is an incredibly challenging sport and you have to be in close communication with your teammates or you will not be in sync. At times, we needed to encourage one another, or allow another teammate to encourage us so we could work together to do the best job possible. We didn’t want to let each other down and that was a strong motivator to keep at something until you got it.
3. Character
Being resolute is a character trait that embodies sports and applies to so many areas of life. You cannot get very far in any endeavor without a fair amount of determination. Especially in scenarios where you might be the underdog or the one going against the odds. Fighting to improve or fighting to succeed grow good character qualities and then you get to discuss how to keep balance between success and doing your best, and also how to deal with the inevitable disappointments that accompany any sport.
4. Confidence
I was very shy growing up. Competing in a team sport that required some showmanship and performance, helped me come out of my shell in various ways. It was not always comfortable and that can be a good thing. Confidence grew as I got used to the challenges and found that I could compete!
Whatever is available in your area to participate in, consider sports an opportunity for development and growth. Perhaps watching and learning about the Olympic Games will be a catalyst for inspiration. Watch for our unit study leading up to the games that will get the whole family ready for all the competition!
More Sports Unit Studies for Your Homeschool
You might also enjoy football and baseball and more!
What do I wish someone had told me when we first began homeschooling? There are no do-overs and this time with your children is not a dress rehearsal.
Homeschool Days Are Long, But The Years Are Short
The days will absolutely fly by, as hard as that is to believe sometimes. Take this day and run with it. Savor the moments, do the necessary, and make the time to do what’s important, kid-wise.
When they ask about tadpoles, take the time to explain and explore. If you can’t answer their questions at the moment of asking, keep a special little notepad or list on your phone of their questions. Make a big deal of recording their questions, and later, make an even bigger deal of helping them find answers.
If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.
—Rachel Carson
Making Every Homeschool Day Count
This moment will never come again.
Listen to your children. Ask questions about their thoughts on things—faith, their Sunday school class, their baseball coach, the dance instructor. Make sure that you encourage their ideas and efforts when they happen, before they get lost in the chaos of family life.
A Picture Each Day
During the year ahead, take a picture a day of your children—just a simple photo each day or week.
At the end of the year, create a photo collage to show how much they’ve grown and changed.
Race across the park with them, or simply stroll around the block with them. Take a break from your planned routine and let them make a plan for the day or week ahead. Step back from studies they struggle with and launch into something that captures their interest.
Adjusting your homeschool plan is a natural and necessary part of creating a learning environment that truly works for your family. In this post, we share practical homeschool planning tips to help you revise your homeschool plan with clarity and purpose.
Remember bringing your first child home, and how you had glowing ideas and great expectations about parenthood?
Before the birth of our first child, we had visions of blissful days, watching our baby smile and coo, and we made great plans for her future. When we brought her home, we discovered just how farfetched our ideas were, and how off base our plans were! The realities of parenthood were astounding, and we had to keep adjusting to handle the journey.
Homeschooling can follow the same pattern. You start out along the homeschool path with certain ideas and expectations, and you make plans for the journey.
Then, while you are busy trying to stick to your plan, your children become the individuals that you have encouraged them to be. They are miserable with your plans and curriculum, and you are miserable with the battles as you struggle to force-fit a plan that isn’t working.
Our Top Tips For Adjusting Your Homeschool Plan
Parenthood is about faith, love, adjustments, and flexibility. Here are a few adjustments that might help along the homeschooling way:
Adjustment 1: Follow your instincts.
If the children are miserable, you know it’s time for a change. Consider changes in plans, curriculum, and/or schedule. Try new choices, new learning tools, or a more tailored schedule. More in How Do You Know It Is Time for a Curriculum Change?
Adjustment 2: Adjust your expectations.
They might not go to Harvard, play professional ball, or follow in the family tradition of engineering. But they WILL surprise you with all that God has packed into them!
Adjustment 3: Stay flexible.
What works today might not work next year. Don’t plan past this year, but DO plan for a great journey!
Be creative as you tweak the plan. I know just how it feels to be in need of a change of course, and I’m thankful to have discovered the flexibility of unit studies.
With topics from baseball to volcanoes, caves to snowflakes, they allow you to capture the children’s imaginations and watch them develop a love of learning!
How do you know when it’s time for a homeschool curriculum change? It’s a question homeschool moms ask all the time.
How do you know when it’s time to get new shoes for your children? When they complain that their feet hurt when they wear their shoes. How about new clothes? How do you know when it’s time to replace the old ones? When their clothes just don’t fit anymore—sleeves too short, shirts not long enough. How about replacing their bikes? When their knees hit the handlebar and their legs are just too long.
When Is It Time For A Change In Curriculum?
In other words, when something doesn’t fit or they outgrow it, you replace it. You know when its time for a change by taking note of the visual or audible cues. You don’t make them wear shoes that don’t fit—you change them, without giving it another thought.
Why would it be different when it comes to our homeschool curriculum?
When Your Kids Don’t Like Your Homeschool Curriculum
Curriculum should be treated the same way, but so often we stay the course simply because we’ve made the investment and it is easier than trying something different.
This is the time of year that so many people have approached me with the same question, asking “When is it a good time to change the way we homeschool? The kids hate what we are doing, and so do I.”
Why don’t they like it?
It’s boring.
There are too many papers to grade.
Kids hate the books.
Moms hate the daily struggles and battles.
Don’t kill the joy of learning for these young minds. If you are getting clues that it is time to make a change, pray about the possibilities. Ask questions. Try a unit study. Roller Coasters? Goofy Gecko? Discover the Senses? Just one. Textbooks and workbooks and naysayers will always be there.
It is possible to store the mind with a million factsand still be entirely uneducated.
