Unit Studies Bundle

Weather on the Move Unit Study - $17.00 Value

Students discover the extraordinary intricacies of God's amazing weather machine as they observe and record the weather around them, grow crystals, conduct simple science experiments, track hurricanes, and so much more with Weather on the Move.

This is a FUN, NO PREP, 7-week unit study appropriate for grades 2-12. You will assemble and maintain a weather journal while exploring meteorology, observe and record weather data, try your hand at weather forecasting, track hurricanes, conduct simple weather related experiments, construct and utilize simple weather instruments and much more!

Do you have a Boy Scout in your family? He will fulfill the majority of his Weather Merit Badge requirements while completing Weather on the Move with the rest of his family. American Heritage Girls fulfill the majority of their Young Meteorologist Badge requirements.

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Homeschool Legacy

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Delightful Planning: A Unit Study Planner for Every Homeschool - $15.95 Value

Delightful Planning: A Unit Study Planner for Every Homeschool is designed to assist you as a homeschool mom with creating unit studies no matter what homeschool method you prefer. Excite your students with fun and interesting unit studies every day, once a week, or for summer fun -- whatever works best for your family!

Delightful Planning is flexible, containing the tools you need to make planning unit studies simple and effective with our step-by-step instructions and useful planning pages. Delightful Planning is truly the unit study planner for EVERY homeschool!

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Marcy Crabtree

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Revolutionary Ideas: The Story of the American Revolution - Retail $17.00

This is a FUN, NO PREP, 7-week unit study appropriate for grades 2-12. Choose from a wide variety of quality, library reading selections that focus on the French and Indian War, classic literature, colonial life, revolutionary heroes, battles and events, the Declaration of Independence and its signers, our Founding Fathers, the turning point in the war, and our march to victory.

Your students will create and maintain a history timeline notebook and explore significant world events leading up to the Revolutionary War, including the French and Indian War. Watch great documentaries, and explore fine art while getting to know some famous revolutionary artists.

Children will examine King George’s many intolerable acts, get to know our Founding Fathers and other amazing leaders of the time, as well as learn about the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party and the Treaty of Paris.

Included are creative writing assignments, geography study, and so much more! There are so many exciting things your children will study during this unit study; this is just a partial list.

Do you have a Boy Scout in your family? He will fulfill the majority of his American Heritage Merit Badge requirements while completing Revolutionary Ideas with the rest of his family. American Heritage Girls earn half the requirements for Dawn of Our Country badge.

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Homeschool Legacy

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"Any Novel" Novel Study Guide - Retail $14.95

Do you spend a small fortune on novel study guides for each novel your child reads? Or does your child read a novel, but you never know if he or she really gets anything out of them?

The truth is you don't need to purchase expensive guides for each novel! Your student can learn MORE about how a novel is structured and MORE about the individual novel by using this generic study. It teaches how to:

• Analyze a novel
• Analyze characters
• Find the theme
• And chart the plot

It doesn't replace specific novel studies - it's superior! What Does the Any Novel Novel Study Guide Include?

• Chapter by Chapter Exercises
• Vocabulary
• Theme Sheets
• Step-by-Step guides to analyzing Themes, Plots and Characters
• Weekly Projects
• Maps, charts, and graphs
• Timelines and diagrams
• And other activities that use different parts of the brain!
• All to be completed in a four-week cycle! Analyze eight novels a year easily using this study guide!

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Sheila Wray Gregoire

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See The Light: Sunflower Unit Study - Retail $9.99

A Dynamic Unit Study Built Around the SUNFLOWERS Art Projects DVD (sold separately, but not a necessary component.)

Contains everything the busy home educator needs to have a well-rounded, comprehensive plan for an entire month! With SUNFLOWERS Art Project at the core, this unit study-guide provides integrated instruction in many disciplines for the student ages 10 and up - and can be tailored with more challenging research assignments for the high-schooler.

Components of the SUNFLOWERS UNIT STUDY:

• Bible
• Science
• Literature
• Vocabulary
• Writing
• Social Studies(History and Geography)
• Math
• Art History/Art Appreciation
• Music
• Foreign Language

SUNFLOWERS UNIT STUDY also includes a "Week at a Glance Plan" as well as the daily plan. There are Internet links and suggested reading lists.

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: See The Light

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We the People: Getting to Know Your Constitution - Retail $17.00

Discover America’s Christian heritage with this thought provoking unit study. Walk beside the Founders as they explain in their own words their Christian beliefs and hopes for our nation with We the People: Getting to Know Your Constitution.

Choose from a wide variety of quality, library reading selections that focus on the Founding Fathers, classic literature, the Constitution, our Bill of Rights, the three branches of government, the voting process, the amendments, and our national symbols.

Your high schoolers will walk beside the Founding Fathers as they tell you in their own words their Christian beliefs and hopes for our nation. They will also discover our first form of government as they examine the Articles of Confederation.

They will read and analyze the United States Constitution, memorize the Bill of Rights while playing a game, discover the branches of government and the roles each were designed to perform, learn about our system of checks and balances, and examine the requirements and oaths of office for each branch.

Students will compare current events with the boundaries established by the Constitution, study the voting process, explore geography while learning about the Electoral College, discover the amendment process as you learn about the twenty-seven amendments, enjoy creative writing assignments, watch great documentaries, and MUCH MORE!

This is a great compliment to the other resources in this bundle!

Do you have a Boy Scout in your family? He will earn his Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge while completing We the People: Getting to Know Your Constitution with the rest of his family. American Heritage Girls earn requirements for both Citizenship and Government and Our Flag badges.


Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Homeschool Legacy

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You Can Make Your Own Unit Study Using Charlotte Mason Methods - Retail $29.95

Have you ever wanted to learn more about Charlotte Mason methods and how to use them in a practical manner in your homeschool? Have you been attracted to the idea of unit studies, but don’t know how to get started planning your own unit study around a topic of your choosing? Do you like the idea of following a unit study, but wish to combine Charlotte Mason methods like using "living books", "narration", "dictation", and "copywork?" This training will help you accomplish all of this!

Here's what you get in the Audio Seminar Set!

• 9 MP3 Audio files (approximately 30 minutes each)
• Handouts and Notes to accompany each workshop session
• Sample and Blank Unit Study Brainstorming sheets, Subject Area and Goal Planning sheets, and Lesson Planning forms
• Powerpoint slide shows to accompany workshop sessions to highlight the main points discussed in each session

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Katie's Homeschool Cottage

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Foes, Fiends, and Failures: A Study of the Bad Guys of Pilgrim's Progress - Retail $7.49

Foes, Fiends, and Failures is a study for teens that focuses on the most memorable villains of Pilgrim’s Progress. Bunyan had a knack for creating memorable characters, and in this story we meet many devilish, deceptive, and dangerous characters on our way to the Celestial City. From the battle with the demonic creature Apollyon to the trial at Vanity Fair to the dark dungeons of the Giant Despair, teens will be given an in depth understanding of these and other villains and their relevance to our lives today.

What this study guide includes:

• A brief introduction to the book itself
• A brief biography of the author, John Bunyan
• 13 lessons, each providing detailed outlines and character sketches
• Reading assignments for each lesson
• A list of Scriptures to explore with each lesson
• A list of application questions for each lesson

Don't own a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress? Don’t worry.
Christian Classics Ethereal Library provides Pilgrim's Progress for free online.

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Intoxicated on Life

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Book Traveler: China - Retail $5.99

Book Traveler: China is an ebook devoted to the study of our world, for children in grades K – 4th. They will learn hands-on about the history and culture of the Chinese people, the geography of China, read about the animals that are native to the country, and much more!

If you are a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, this would be the perfect study for China, because it has many of its methods. If you are not a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, don’t worry! This ebook is perfect for all school types, methods, and is great for students of all learning styles.

This unit study includes: book lists, narrations, copywork & dictations, vocabulary, geography, nature study, history & landmarks, math, art & music, and games & activities.

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Beyond the Inspiration

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Our American Government and the Election Process Grades 2-5: Lapbook with Study Guide - Retail $8.00

Our American Government and the Election Process Lapbook with Study Guide has everything your student needs to understand the election process, voting and so much more! It makes the complicated process of elections seem easy as it is written with the child in mind. Every booklet in this lapbook has an information page with all the information needed to easily complete the booklets.

Includes graphic and color coded directions on how to construct your file folders into a lapbook, how to put together each booklet and where to put them in your lapbook. This lapbook is 3 folders big!

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: A Journey Through Learning | read more about this product

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Cricket Unit and Nature Study - Retail $2.50

This unit study will help your children learn a bit about crickets and gain a little more interest in some of God’s creation. They will learn the parts of the cricket, habitat, what they eat, and more. When your children bring you a cricket grab these pages and turn it into a learning experience.

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Betty Eisenhour

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Dolphin Unit Study - Retail $8.00

The Dolphin Unit study is a 68 page study with bible, science, history, language arts with creative writing, phonics, spelling & vocabulary. Learn about dolphins in ancient Greece and enjoy a geography study of that area. Writing prompts, and hands on creative activities are built right in to this unit. There is a 3 day lesson plan for multiple ages which can be spread out over the week or used once per week for a month.

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Wildlife Adventures

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Pirates - Retail $21.00

Arrr, matey! Have you found yourself caught up in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" frenzy? Would your child be thrilled to be able to study about pirates? How about learning about pirates and then having a great project to show others when he's finished? If you answered AYE to any or all of those questions, you need our Pirates Learn 'N Folder ™ ! Your child will learn about famous pirates, where pirates operated and when, how pirates did their business, and much more.

This Learn 'N Folder ™ is made up of 36 mini-books that fill 3 folders.

Go to this Bundle | Publisher: Live and Learn Press

Science4Us.com (Schoolhouse Review)

Our two youngest kids really enjoyed using  Science4Us.com this last month.  As I was preparing to write this review I was thinking about what a blessing it has been for us to have this program.  You see my kids have really been sucked into the computer game craze that is all around us.   Everyone plays computer games and they seem to be constantly asking to play.   I don't really approve of many games for various reasons.  I was really wanting to fill that desire to play computer games with something "good for them" or educational.  With Science4Us.com Online Subscription I found just what I needed.  Something fun but educational.  They were asking to "play" science:)

This program is intended for grades K-2, but children in grades 3-5 can use it as a review of earlier science material.  Although it can be used as a review,  my older kids felt that they were too mature for it.  My two younger children, ages 5 and 7, were able to use it completely with their own log in and user ids.   Below is what their initial page looks like after they log in:

Science4Us.com is an complete online interactive science program.  All the lessons are animated, with their own simulations, songs, and games.  I was really impressed with the extensive lesson plans and  professional development videos that are available for the teacher.  Science4US.com covers main topics like Science Inquiry, Earth/Space Science, Life Science, and Physical Science and others.

Below is a sample of what the teacher page looks like after log in:


The curriculum is broken down into books, units, modules, and activities.  It allows the teacher to set the pace and assignments for each student.  This is a sample page from the Book: Physics, Unit: Matter, Module:  States of Matter, with the activity "Contain It".

As you can see the graphics are very fun and engaging.  My 5 year old was walking around talking about solids, liquids, and gases after this module.  I love how the kids are having fun "playing" science while really learning some important facts.  Here is another screen shot of the Activity: Take a note, from the same Module "States of Matter".


As I was typing this, I gave my daughter a quick quiz (She completed this particular module 3 weeks ago).  She aced it with flying colors and was able to explain the 3 states of matter. This kindergarten science curriculum passed the test.  It is teaching my kids for me.  I Love it:)

Product Summary

Cost for membership:  $7.95 per child per month

Teacher/Parent Dashboard:  A private area for lesson planning and professional development.  There is also an area where you can keep track of your student's progress and make assignments.

Student Digital Notebook:  This is a notebook that your students can add to as they progress through each lesson. Students can add their own notes, charts, and diagrams to their personal notebook.

Over 350 lessons: Covering Inquiry (science tools), Earth/Space Science, Life Science, and Physical Science.

Uses 5E Inquiry-Based Instruction Module:  Uses Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate throughout each module.

Literacy and Math Integration: Each module integrates these core subjects through poetry, songs, figurative language, charts, and graphs.

Common Core Aligned:  Complete Science curriculum with integrated language arts and math skills.

Science Worksheets & Experiments:  Printable activities and online experiments that go along with each module.

Review Summary

Pros:   Child friendly, Teacher friendly, many teaching options and subjects available.

Cons:  Kindergarten, first, and second grade earth science is approached from a millions of years world view instead of from a Biblical world view of thousands of years.

You can find Science4Us at the following sites: 

Twitter 

Pinterest 

Facebook

G+

I hope you found this review helpful...What are you using for your Science Curriculum?  Please share in the comments below. I would love to hear from you:)

Thanks for traveling with us,

KinderBach Piano Curriculum Review (FREE Coloring Books!)

The  KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner was a really fun product to review.

It is a complete online Piano program geared for children ages 3-7.  These early music lessons can work for homeschool  piano students  or in music classes in a school setting. It includes short interactive videos, accompanying worksheets, and teacher instructions.  The only things you really need are a computer, some sort of keyboard (we have a $40 piano keyboard that worked just fine:), and a printer.  I was able to download everything I needed on-line, which was wonderful for us.

My 5 year old mainly used it and had loads of fun.  We printed out the whole book and put it in a binder so it was ready to use.  They also have an easy link with each lesson so you can print as you go.   We would watch the lesson, participate in the activity (tapping, pressing the keys, and/or answering questions), and then enjoy the accompanying worksheet.  Most of the time we would watch 3 to 4  lessons at a time because we enjoyed it so much.

There are 6 levels of music curriculum to choose from.

Since we didn't have any prior music knowledge we started at Level 1.  It took a few lessons for me to get the hang of it and to really see what the program was all about.  I have to say I was impressed.  While the older kids would walk in and think it was silly, my younger ones loved it.  The characters are a boy named Frisco, Dodi the Donkey, Carla the Caterpillar, Edward the Eagle, Felicity the Frog, Gracie the Gorilla, Alan the Alligator, and Bob the Bear. Through the characters  a story is told and the children are taught corresponding music concepts.  (e.g.  Dodi lives on the D key, etc.)

Cost for membership:  $130/yr (Special Offer – currently only $95.88/year)

Where to find it: Kinderbach.com

What you get

Early Music Lessons:   Beginner piano video lessons that can be streamed to PC, MAC, tablets, ipads, and smartphones.  (Available for purchase in DVD format and Levels 1 to 3 are available in an iPad/iPhone app. along with 6 ipad games.)

Interactive Worksheets with almost every lesson:  You receive interactive worksheets that can be printed out to be put in a notebook or printed individually.

Teacher Corner:   Downloadable materials that include tools for instructors, whole group lessons, and additional resources.

Meets Kindergarten Common Core Standards:  Common Core standards are met for Kindergartners in the areas of  reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and math.  You can get more specifics and each common core standard that it meets on their website.

Piano Pal Storybooks:  These are full color storybooks that go along with the lessons.

Songbooks:  4 different songbooks (hymns, Christmas,  Patriotic, and Everyday) are included with their MP3 accompaniments.

And So Much More:  There is so much more I have yet to learn and explore on their website.  I really look forward to learning more with my little guys.

Review Summary

Pros:   A very thorough piano curriculum that is effective in getting the students interested and engaged.

Cons:  Some of the songs and surfer guy accents are a little outdated.  Older kids catch on right away and make comments but the little guys don't have a clue.

Here is a fun, little video that gives you a sneak peak of the product:

There is a free two week trial that you can sign up for.  Just click on any of the pictures to hop on over.

And now for the FREE...

Just click on the this link -Free Coloring Books and copy/paste the codes in at check out.  Enjoy:)

"A House for Dodi" book - use the Coupon Code: DODIHOUSE

"Train Stations" book -- use the Coupon Code: TRAINS

You can connect and say thank you to KinderBach for these cute coloring books at these sites:

Facebook

Facebook for Teachers

Twitter: @KinderBach

Pinterest

YouTube

Have you found anything in this resource that might interest you?  Why would you or would you not choose this product in your classroom?  Please share any thoughts you might have in the comments section below.  You can read more reviews from the crew here.

Thank you for traveling with TheTravelingclassroom ... I hope you found this review helpful:)

Homeschooling Essentials -Teacher Friends: A Giveaway!

  One of my most important homeschool essentials is you - fellow teachers who share their experiences & resources!   You provide me with inspiration and encouragement everyday.  I am hosting this giveaway on my blog but it is part of a bigger blog hop of  89 homeschool bloggers through TheSchoolhouse Review Crew sharing their "homeschool essentials".

 During the past year I have found an essential resource that I just couldn't do without: collaboration with other teachers.  Teachers always seem to be willing to help and give advice.  At times I have found my curriculum is lacking something my kids really are in need of.  This is an absolutely essential resource that I have come to appreciate greatly this past year.  I love this about the digital age.   All you need is an online connection and a printer.  The resources are right at your finger tips.

I asked some of my teacher friends if they would be willing to share some of their resources with you - AND THEY SAID YES!!!   We have all agreed to give away a gift certificate to our on-line shops so you can browse around and see if there is something you can use with your kids!

Win a Gift Certificate to one of these fabulous stores!  There are 13 teacher friend stores, 13 gift certificates, and there will be 13 winners!  Click on any of the store pictures to visit their stores and enter the widget below to win!

$20  TheTravelingclassroom

$10   Zanah McCauley

$15 Tweet Music

$10 K is for Kinderrific

$20 Selma Dawani

$10 The Fun Factory

$15 My Happy Place

$10  Second Grade Smiles

$5 Emily Gibbons

$10 Rebecca Reid Line upon Line Learning

$20 Fun Times in First

$20 Life Over C's

$10 SOL Train Learning

Please enter the giveaway in the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 That's not all I have also asked some of  my other teacher  friends to leave links to some freebies in their stores that you might find helpful.  So if you are looking for some homeschooling essentials I am sure you will find it here!

Wanted:   Teacher Stores to link up their freebies that are "homeschooling essentials" below. 

If you have a freebie that you think homeschool teachers can benefit from please link up below:

Don't forget to visit some of the other homeschoolers  who are sharing their homeschooling essentials...

 Lori @ Special Connection Homeschool

 Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool

 Jennifer @ Royal Little Lambs

 Sarah @ My Joy-Filled Life

 Debbie @ Debbie’s Homeschool Corner

 Lisa Marie @ The Canadian Homeschooler

 Laura @ Four Little Pengins

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses

Dawn @ Guiding Light Homeschool

Erin @ Water on the Floor

Thanks for traveling with us,

Family Friendly Field Trip ( Surf Trip) - Playa Venao, Panama

Thetravelingclassroom decided to kick off the summer season by taking a surf trip.  (Summer arrives here in Central America in December, after the rainy season:)  We just could not wait to get some surfing in.  We drove 5 hours from where we live in Boquete, Panama to Playa Venao, Panama.   Playa Venao is more of a dry rain forest with a slightly different climate (warmer) and different animals (more bugs and reptiles).  We were able to stay for 7 days - woo who:)

Days 1 & 2:

 During our first few days we were greeted with rain.

 Did that stop us from surfing - no way!  We have some mud stained white board shorts and rash guards to prove it.

Days 3 & 4:

 We walked up and down the beach exploring.  We found a great little place called La Playita. (the next beach cove over) They have free roaming pets: emu, ostrich, red loured parrots, ducks, doves, monkeys, and a huge iguana. There is also a quiet cove where you can snorkel.

Days 5 & 6:

We perfected our surfing, found some cute critters, and went out to eat at the Playa Venao Resort Restaurant. Playa Venao is best surfed at mid to high tide.  During low tide you can typically find close outs. (Waves that are not very surfable).  Our days were scheduled around the surfable tide.  When we could surf, we surfed.  When we couldn't surf we found some other fun activities to do.

 Day 7:

 We enjoyed our last beach hours before heading back to the mountains.  So sad because we were not ready to go home...the water was clearing up and a new swell was arriving...

We came up with ten fun things that you can do with kids, other then the typical tourist activities (pool time, tours, restaurants, boat rides to islands, etc.)  Any kind of guide you can bring or get your hands on can make your time away from the waves even more interesting.

10 Fun Things To Do If You Can't Surf:

1.  Birding:   Birds can be found all during the day but you can find more during the first light of dawn (if you are not heading out for dawn patrol surfing) and at dusk.  We found some great birds (woodpeckers, hawks, herons, sea gulls, etc.) sitting by the pool and walking down the road looking in the trees. I would suggest bringing along a bird guide if you have one.

2.  Reptile hunting:  Reptiles like to hide.  The Central American Whiptail  we found was hiding behind a trashcan.  You never know what you might find when you take out the trash:)

3.  Amphibians:  Tree frogs like to find a safe spot to sleep.  We found our blue eyed tree frog in the shutters of the windows.

4.  Sand dollars:  A careful scan of the beach might lead you to find some hidden sand dollars.  If you are tempted to take some home make sure they are not alive.  You can tell by the little hairs on the sides and if you watch closely you might even see them moving in the sand.  The dead sand dollars are usually white with no hairs on them.

5.  Rocks & Sea glass:  Finding pet rocks and sea glass of different colors can be loads of fun.  We found a lot of different colorsaround the river outlets into the ocean.  Everyone started their own collection.

6.  Trees & Flowers:  Take a look around and see if you notice any different trees or plants.  The tree we found was a young Kapok or Ceiba.  There were some pretty hibiscus flowers around as well as banana and papaya trees.  Unfortunately we did not find as many coconut trees as we had hoped.

7. Crabbing:  While walking on the beach we found red crabs, sand crabs, and ghost crabs.  Just look for the little holes in the sand.

8.  Insects:  From dragonflies flying over the beach sand to lightening bugs flashing in the overgrown brush at night...this climate was perfect for insects.  Watch out for scorpions, neuro-toxin caterpillars, and venomous spiders hiding behind couches, in board bags, in shoes, or under towels.  We did find one of each while we were there and we safely disposed of them:)

9.  Shells:  While we were visiting there were not a lot of shells.  We did find a few though.  It's always fun to add a few to the jewelry making collection.

10. Sea life:  A few times we observed fishermen running down the beach, casting their fishing lines into the water; trying to catch a fish in the fish frenzy just off the shore.  The pelicans looked like they didn't have a problem catching a fish or two.

  We also saw a sting ray or two jumping out of the water.   One of the kids even got a little surfing ride on a sting ray back when she accidentally stepped on him ---oops sorry little guy:)  I was just so glad she didn't get stung.  If you ever do get stung make sure to ask for the "lingua de suegra" (mother-in law's tongue)  plant and cut it up and put it in boiling hot water.   Then put the stung area in the hot water solution as soon as you can stand it.  This help deactivate the poisons and decreases the pain.  We learned this tip a few years back when we encountered a sting ray and needed some help.

Did we miss something you like to do when you can't surf?  Please share.  Do you have a  favorite beach or surfing spot?

Thanks for stopping by and traveling with us....