by Mary Leppert
Early in our homeschooling, we lived in the South and attended a small homeschooling conference at a church. The many workshops offered included one presented by a company that was a very popular Christian unit study homeschool program. The workshop included a demonstration using the human ear as the topic of study. The presenter made a mock-up of an ear by strategically draping a table with a cloth and showed us how we could duplicate the inner ear for our children with basic materials found around the house.
Unit Study involves taking a particular topic — such as ancient Rome — and studying it for a month or longer. During your study of Rome , you can incorporate different academics — by using Roman games, coin values, numerals, literature, history, and even Latin — to gain insight into the Roman world. You can also cook and eat Roman food; go to a museum to see Roman artwork; read history about Julius Caesar or the great orator Cicero; or read the poetry of Virgil (you get the picture!).
Another unique aspect of Unit Study is that you can do it from an unschooling approach, by allowing your child to choose what to study. If you unit-study astronomy and your child is more interested in the planets than the constellations, you can concentrate on that aspect. Unit Study is very flexible, yet effective.
If you prefer a different approach and want to utilize Unit Study, you can create your own unit about the Romantic period (1820–1900) in European history. You can design your own timeline of Europe , showing the great achievements in art, music, and thought, and study the cultural atmosphere, the attitudes of government, and the people around the Continent during that time.
You can study Renoir’s paintings and artistic methods for a few days and perhaps read a book about his life. Or you might listen to Beethoven’s music and read biographical material about him. Or read the writings of Goethe and study the changes in the empires and political upheaval going on all around these great artists. While reading of them and their lives, you would learn about their food, which could lead to cooking a number of fine, authentic meals from this period of excellent cuisine. Imagine a Beethovian meal of sausages, coffee, and Viennese pastry! For an enjoyable twist on academic activity, give the Unit Study approach a chance.
