We have very quickly become a unit study homeschool family when it comes to science, geography, history, social studies, nature study, SEL, and more. They are just so fun! It’s always fun to zero in on the topics that my kids are interested in at the start of the year. To plan one, I simply find books at the library, a few YouTube videos, a craft or two, plan a field trip if there is something accessible to us, and we go from there. We have covered such a wide variety of topics since my kids were just 3 and 4 years old. Sometimes we spend a day on something or sometimes a week or more. It depends on interest! But at these elementary ages, we are focused more on exposure than mastery/memorization. That’s why unit studies are wonderful.
I wanted to share a full list of ideas. This is more helpful to me than anything, but I hope that you can also glean some ideas for your back pocket, too. Let’s get right into it.
Spring
- Clouds
- Rainbows
- Lifecycles
- Ponds
- Frogs
- Seeds
- Caterpillars & butterflies
- Birds, nests, and eggs
- Mud and worms
- Rain
- Dandelions
- Flowers
- Bugs
- Dinosaurs
- Earth Day
- Recycling
- Easter
- Mindfulness
- George Washington Carver
- Earth’s Layers
- Volcanos
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Weather
- Memorial Day
- Cinco de Mayo
- Gardening
- Mountains habitat
- Wetlands
- Helen Keller
- Mister Rogers
- Poetry
- Instruments
- Garden snails
- Charlotte’s Web
- Snakes
- Picasso
- Fruits and vegetables
- Rabbits
- Chickens
- Ducks
- Hummingbirds
- Famous explorers
- Patterns
- Wildflowers
- Robots
- Oregon Trail
- Evolution
- Titanic
- Moths
- Shapes
Summer
- Whales
- Thunderstorms
- Sunflowers
- Rock crystals
- The water cycle
- Oceans
- Dolphins
- Coral
- Fish
- Manatees
- Sharks
- Sun
- Octopuses
- Seashells
- Tide pools
- Beach
- Water safety
- The rainforest
- Trees
- Bees
- Strawberries
- Sun safety
- Ants
- Ancient egypt
- Van Gogh
- Nutrition
- Jane Goodall
- Independence Day
- American Symbols
- States and capitals
- Fireworks
- Magnets
- Labor Day
- Sailboats
- Desert habitat
- Grasslands habitat
- Marine life
- Reptiles and amphibians
- Electricity
- Amelia Earhart
- The Wright Brothers
- Endangered species
- Camping
- Fireflies
- Parrots
- Sports
- Grasshoppers
- Fossils
- Lighthouses
- Nocturnal animals
Fall
- Fire safety
- Apples
- Leaves
- Pumpkins
- Spiders
- Owls
- Bats
- Community helpers
- All about me
- Family tree
- Harvest moon
- Birds of prey
- Halloween
- Hurricanes
- Fungi
- The moon
- Corn
- Native Americans
- Thanksgiving
- Cranberry harvest
- Seasons
- Galileo
- Color Mixing/Science
- Gratitude and Thankfulness
- Farms
- Friendship
- Consent and Body Safety
- Elections and voting
- Pilgrims
- Veterans Day
- Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
- The Five Senses
- The Seven Continents
- The Five Oceans
- Domestic animals/pets
- Forest habitat
- Woodland animals
- Transportation and vehicles
- Sacajawea
- Fairytales and Fables
- Lewis and Clark
- Gravity
- Matter
- Mammals
- Germs
- Marie Curie
- Ben Franklin
- Choking Safety / CPR
- Salem Witch Trials
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Winter
- Solar system
- Northern lights
- Evergreen trees
- Winter birds
- Hibernation
- Reindeer
- The arctic
- Winter solstice
- Night
- Orcas
- Polar bears
- Penguins
- Snow and ice
- Maple sugaring
- Animal tracks
- Ice age
- Prehistoric times
- Medieval era
- Art history
- Vikings
- Valentine’s Day
- Christmas
- Hanukkah
- New Year’s and resolutions
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Black History Month
- Kindness
- President’s Day
- George Washington
- Abraham Lincoln
- Human body
- Rosa Parks
- Harriet Tubman
- Ancient Greece
- Greek Mythology
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Music history / genres
- Ancient China
- Albert Einstein
- Mozart
- Simple machines
- Artificial intelligence
- Harry Potter
- Baking / cooking / kitchen science and safety
- Holiday traditions around the world
- Candle making
- Snowmen
- Winter sports
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
- Mythical creatures
