5 Day of Literature Unit Studies ~ Field Trips

The piece of literature ... The themes ... The corresponding books ... The activities ...

We almost have everything we need for a great unit study. But something is missing. In fact, it's that "something" that oftentimes starts me down the path for a particular unit study in the first place.

It's time for the field trip.

I mentioned in the first post of this series to always be on the lookout for inspiration. Be watching library billboards, community newspapers, blog posts, etc., for something that might spark a particular interest in your kids (or in you .... sometimes just your enthusiasm is all your child needs to get enthusiastic, as well.)

The Secret Garden unit study all started with me seeing a notice on our community blog for auditions for the upcoming community theatre production of the book. The actual play was to take place several months later, so it gave me time to plan the unit, read the book, and do all activities before the production.

I organized a field trip for our Co-op to a fully sustainable nursery in Tulsa, called Grogg's Green Barn. While there, the owner gave us a tour, showed us how they water their plants, talked about composting and "good" bugs, and then let the kids each make a "green" Easter basket.

To conclude our study, my friend (who was doing the study with her girls) and I took our three girls to have lunch at a local tea house. While there I purchased Brynne her very own tea pot, tea cup, saucer, and the loose leaf tea of her choice.

Then we took the girls to see the play. (We had previously watched the movie, so Brynne was really excited to see the story live.) It was a wonderful conclusion to our unit.

For Charlotte's Web, a trip to a farm is a perfect field trip. We have a wonderful farm in a nearby town that is owned by a Christian family. They do tons of educational classes, teach weaving, knitting, have a pumpkin patch, and a Nativity scene. It's beautiful! They allow children to come in and see their barn. It is exactly what I would imagine Fern's uncle's farm looked like in the book.

For Ice Age 4, we will be going on a field trip to the Tulsa Geoscience Center for geological lessons on earthquakes and plate tectonics. We have been there before for a unit on fossils. It holds a wealth of information and the volunteers are always willing to provide us with some great lessons.

Sometimes we just go to the movies to conclude a unit, like we did with The Lorax to conclude our unit on the book and Earth Day.

I hope you have enjoyed this series, have found it helpful, and have been inspired to plan your own units. Using this system has enriched our homeschool experience in ways I can hardly describe. We have learned SO MUCH, it is incredible! I absolutely cannot wait to see what is in store for us this next school year, and even this summer if something pops up.

If you have not commented on each of the posts in this series, you still have time to do that. Each comment will provide you with an entry into my giveaway for my copy of the Classic Starts version of The Secret Garden, which includes the book on cd. I will also mail you my (very well used) copies of the resources I used for our unit study. I will accept comments up until Monday morning when I will draw a name (the old fashioned way) for the winner.

Here are all of the other posts from the unit:

Day 1 ~ Choosing a Piece of Literature
Day 2 ~ Choosing the Themes to Study
Day 3 ~ Choosing Corresponding Books from the Library
Day 4 ~ Choosing Corrsponding Activities

And you really should take some time this weekend to visit some of the other 65 bloggers from The Homeschool Crew who had their own 5 Days series.

  

Thanks for joining us!