Homeschooling in Hawaii… Sort of

Blog writing duties this time are brought to you courtesy of my wife.

At a recent homeschool association meeting, one of the guest speakers presented ideas that homeschooling moms could use to “shake up” their homeschooling routine.  One idea was to temporarily set aside your regular curriculum and teach a unit study for a week.  I decided to give it a try.  

At first, conducting a unit study seemed like quite a bit of work, but I have found that using an occasional unit study can be a valuable and memorable learning experience for my children that can cover multiple areas of study in one themed, educational “package”.   It also adds fun & variety to the weekly routine.  I write this article to share my experiences in the hopes that I can help and encourage other homeschooling parents to consider using unit studies as well.

This year I am teaching our children about United States geography with a focus on select states.  Using this a starting point, my girls and I recently conducted a unit study on the state of Hawaii.  To get ready for this, I took a trip to the library to gather some books and then spent some time doing research on the internet.

I found two great books that helped tremendously.   The first was Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park by Sharlene Nelson.  This book was a simple read for all ages and it was filled with a number of great facts that were very helpful in the teaching process.

A is for Aloha by U’ilani Goldsberry was another valuable book used in my preparations for this unit study.  This text is unique in that it uses every letter of the English alphabet to present a topic, object or concept that is related to Hawaii.  I was able to use this book to teach the children about the history and culture of Hawaii, as well as a number of other facts.

The thing I like most about unit studies is the ability to teach multiple subjects with a common theme.  Here’s a few of the subjects and activities we conducted during our Hawaiian unit study.

Science

To teach science, I taught the children about volcanoes and followed that up with a hands-on experiment to help reinforce the lesson.  Using the instructions found at TeacherVision, we created our own mini volcano in our backyard!  This experiment was easy enough to involve all the children and they were not disappointed.  They loved it!

Geography

Using assorted maps of Hawaii obtained from here and here, I was able to teach the children about key islands, landmarks and cities.  I also used blank maps to quiz them on what they learned at the end of the week.  The older children could use those same maps to point out the latitude and longitude of each of the Hawaiian islands and key cities. Art For our art project, the children made their own leis out of paper, plastic straws and string.  Instructions for this simple, yet fun craft were found at DLTK’s Crafts for Kids.

Spelling & Vocabulary

Using words from the texts that I used used for this unit study, I was able to compile and teach an assortment  of words associated with Hawaii. I had the children define and memorize them in anticipation of a spelling test that I gave them at the end of the week.  Our oldest child was also given the assignment of writing a short story after having read the book, Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell.  She chose to write her own own survival story by pretending that she was stranded on a deserted island, just like the main character, Karana.

Celebration

To cap off the week, we had a Friday night Hawaiian “luau” together as a family.   The kids couldn’t wait for Friday to come.  The children assisted in planning the menu and meal.  We prepared shredded pork, fresh sliced pineapple, salad and a tasty macadamia nut cream pie with coffee.  The kids decorated the tables with hibiscus flowers and assorted backyard flora as well as candles.  We ate the meal outdoors on our patio, while playing a Hawaiian instrumental soundtrack.  We also took photos for their homeschool portfolios.  Needless to say, this meal event was a hit.  

Our kids will never forget their week long unit study of Hawaii.  We’ll likely do another soon.   A unit study may seem like a lot of work and an interruption to your normal teaching schedule, but when you consider that you can integrate science, geography, art, science, grammar, literature and spelling into a single, themed education event, it is well worth the perceived sacrifices.  As an added bonus, each child can participate.  And, if you craft it properly, they can each be challenged at their own level.

What are your thoughts?