Although there are many different homeschooling methods, unit studies are a favorite of many people. They are easy to do, almost everyone enjoys them and if you create your own unit studies, they can be specific to the needs and interests of your family.

Making your own unit studies is not difficult and is a great way to teach your children. Whether you choose to use them as enrichment to your other curriculum or as the main curriculum, they can be an effective teaching tool.

One of the reasons that writing your own unit studies is so effective is that you have the opportunity to tailor it to your child’s unique needs and interests. No matter what her age, you have the ability to pique her interest and make her thirsty for more information. Although there are thousands of different unit studies that are available to homeschoolers, making your own unit study is satisfying.

When you write your own unit study you can take your child’s learning style into consideration. If you have a very active six year old boy, for example, studying bugs will get him out in nature and keep him interested. Your teaching style is also important to consider. Do you like to read aloud? Concentrating on reading good books may work for you as the primary way that you do unit studies. Do you like to do crafts? Perhaps doing more hands on activities is what you will enjoy the most.

It is important to know both your teaching style and your child’s learning style to get the most out of the unit study method.

Another benefit of writing your own unit study is that you are able to focus on a particular area of interest for your child. Some hobbies that make excellent unit study models are:

• Sports
• Horses
• Crafts
• Art and Artists
• Shells
• Bird watching
• Music
• Gardening

If you are looking for a frugal way to homeschool then you have another reason to take a good look at unit studies. Generally you will be able to use mostly free materials from the Internet and the local library for your curriculum. When it costs 400.00 or more per child to buy standard curriculum, using unit studies can be a huge savings.

You will need to take a few days off from school in order to get the curriculum written. If you have older children ask them to entertain the younger ones so you can concentrate on writing your study.

First decide on a subject. If this is your first unit study you can make it very easy on yourself by creating a unit study around a favorite book. As you page through the book think of subjects that fit into the theme. For example, in the picture book, A House for Hermit Crab, the themes and subjects are:

• Hermit crabs
• Ocean life
• Months of the year
• Counting

By concentrating on a different theme every week you would have a very thorough study for younger elementary students.

Of course, you wouldn’t just read the book. You might visit an aquarium or even the beach if you live near one. You could practice writing the months. You might even learn the names of the months in another language. If you have an older student that is involved in the unit study you might also study the origins of the Julian calendar.

Once you get started it is easy to come up with ideas. In fact you may find that you come up with so many ideas that you have too many.

Subjects that you will want to include in your unit study are:

• Social studies
• Language arts
• Math
• Science
• Art
• Music

As you create unit studies you will learn more about how your child learns and each unit study gets easier to write.

Don't be afraid. Just take that first step. Rather than deciding to do a unit study for a whole year just do a short week long study to see how it works for your family. The most important thing is that you have fun and work together.