A Compelling Living History Unit Study For Your Homeschool
Are you searching for a living history unit study that will make learning about the past irresistible for your homeschoolers? Then, you’re in the right place! I’ve pulled together a compelling literature-based history unit study you won’t want to miss.
From Columbus and the Age of Exploration to Neil Armstrong and the Final Frontier, your family will love Exploring History as they learn about the people, places, and events included in this history curriculum. There are plenty of great books to read together, games to play, and movies to enjoy. Plus, lots of fun printable activities for hands-on learning practice too.
Taking A Literature-Based Approach To Learning History
Choosing the right curriculum for history can be a challenge! There are so many different ways to teach history in your homeschool. Many programs focus on memorizing dates and building timelines.
History curricula like this can feel dry or boring. But there’s a way to homeschool history filled with engagement and fun. We have discovered a literature-based approach to learning history is the best way to bring the past to life for our family.
Teaching history in this way helps make the characters and events real. Instead of memorizing names and dates, your homeschoolers will get to experience what it would have been like to live during that time and get to know historical figures in a way that’s exciting and realistic too!
We have created a new living history unit study to help you and your adventurous homeschoolers explore history with a literature-based approach. It’s filled with opportunities for adventure. This homeschool history curriculum will make history come alive for your family.
EXPLORING HISTORY: A Living History Unit Study Through The Eyes of Adventurous Explorers
Exploring History: A Living History Unit Study Through the Eyes of Adventurous Explorers is crafted from living books that bring the people, places, and events to life.
This unit study provides a literature-based approach to history, telling the story through the eyes of 12 fascinating explorers from the past! The curriculum is divided into 12 mini-unit studies all tied together to take your homeschoolers on an epic journey through time and space. Along the way, they’ll meet amazing explorers and develop a deeper understanding of the roles these figures play in our history.
Topics covered in this living history unit study include the Age of Exploration and Discovery, Manifest Destiny, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Early 20th Century Modernization, and the Final Frontier (Space Exploration). Similar to our other literature-based unit studies, you’ll get lots of awesome resources to use as you explore history together.
Book Lists
I’ve included book lists for each topic including titles like What Was the Age of Exploration? by Catherine Daly, Who Was Sacagawea? by Dennis Brindell Frandin, and Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed. These books range from beautiful picture books to early chapter books.
YouTube Playlists & Video Lists
You’ll get curated YouTube Playlists with videos to bring the topics to life for your homeschoolers. These videos are great for kids to watch during learning lunches or to keep reluctant readers engaged in the lesson.
There are lots of fun family movie night ideas too. There are lots of great historical documentaries and movies from this period in history to share with your kids. While learning about Ernest Shackleton, you can watch video clips from the Antarctic Program.
Pinterest Boards
Each mini-unit study has a specially curated Pinterest board to match the topic too. These boards are filled with ideas for extra activities to encourage hands-on learning and increase retention. For example, the Ferdinand Magellan board contains crafts, drawing activities, LEGO history, and instructions for crafting peg doll explorers.
Games
We’re big fans of gameschooling here at The Waldock Way! Gameschooling gives kids the opportunity to learn through play, squeeze in real-world practice, and build problem-solving skills.
That’s why I’ve added game lists to each of the 12 mini-unit studies in this Exploring History Curriculum. Some of our favorite games include The Oregon Trail, Ravensburg Explorers, and Ocean Bingo. Discover more fun ways to practice gameschooling history and geography with more of our favorite history games for your homeschool.
There are lots of easy printable games and activities included in this living history curriculum too. You’ll get word search activities, crossword puzzles, timeline matching games, and trivia cards for all 12 topics.
More Printable Activities
In this Exploring History Unit Study, there are tons of custom coloring pages, and copywork pages including tracing, print, and cursive. There are historic notebooking pages as well. All these activities will give your homeschoolers a chance to practice fine motor skills, develop strong writing skills, and practice narration.
Plus, you’ll find printable timeline worksheets to help your homeschoolers understand what was happening around the world during these exciting times. The map work will help kids master the geography of all the fascinating places explorers like Magellan and Shackleton traveled to during their adventures. The best part is that this history curriculum is arranged with sample lesson plans for different learning schedules so you can make it work for your family with lots of flexibility and fun built-in.
Unit Studies For Every Subject In Your Homeschool
Unit studies like these are perfect for deep diving into the subjects your kids are really curious about together. With a strong foundation in literature, your homeschoolers can explore their passions while having fun.
These unit studies aren’t just perfect for teaching history, they’re great for science, geography, and so much more! Discover more of my favorite unit studies for every subject in your homeschool.
Survival Unit Study
Do your kids love camping? Then, they’re going to love our Survival Unit Study! This science-based unit study includes 15 unique lessons in wilderness survival using Bear Grylls’s Adventure book series.
This family-style unit includes engaging lessons, educational videos to enhance learning and hands-on activities. Lessons include everything from building a fire to surviving an avalanche.
Who Would Win?
If your kids love animals, they’ll love this Who Would Win? series! These mini-unit studies bring animal biology and the study of life sciences to life for homeschoolers with fascinating and engaging lessons in animal behavior, anatomy, and adaptations. Plus, they’re full of hands-on activities!
Greek Myths
Greek Heroes and Myths is a Percy Jackson-themed unit study with lots of mythical excitement, games, and engaging hands-on activities. It’s the perfect way to explore the history of Ancient Greece and learn about mythology with your homeschoolers.
So what’s your favorite unit study for exploring history? Which of these exploring history topics are you most excited to learn about in your homeschool? Tell me all about it in the comments. I can’t wait to read them!