Fun, FREE Hands-on Unit Studies
Have you been looking for fun, free hands-on unit studies? Each of the below unit studies is filled with active projects that are both educational and fun! Included are over 30 unit studies compromised of more than 170 lessons! This is over 6 years worth of science and social studies lessons! Click on the individual lesson plans to see the dramatizations, art projects, cooking, singing, science experiments, and/or lapbook ideas! Also included are our favorite “living books”/picture books that compliment each lesson.
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***CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW EACH PICTURE TO GO TO THE LESSON.***
UNITS LAID OUT IN YEARLY SCHEDULES
If you would prefer to see the below unit studies laid out in the order that I did them, check out these links:
Homeschool Unit Study Schedule for Preschool or Kindergarten
Homeschool Unit Study Schedule for Year 2
Homeschool Unit Study Schedule for Year 3
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SCIENCE UNIT STUDIES
Choose from astronomy, earth science, anatomy of the human body, simple machines, five senses, bridges, plants, forensic science, meteorology (weather), zoology, insects, genetics, floating & flying (ships & airplanes), and chemistry.
EARTH SCIENCE (6 lessons)
Make an edible model of the earth as you study the Earth’s layers, bake cookies that demonstrate how sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks form, create fossil casts, build marshmallow structures that can withstand a jell-o earthquake, carve gullies and valleys in sand using wind, water, and ice, make presentations on various aspects of the Earth, and more during this hands-on unit study of Earth Science!
SIMPLE MACHINES AND INVENTIONS (6 lessons)
Race cars down ramps as you study inclined planes and wedges, build and test catapults as you study levers and screws, create waterwheels as you study wheels and axles, lift each other using pulleys as you study gears and pulleys, use static electricity lift hair and separate salt and pepper as you study electricity, devise Rube Goldberg machines to place toothpaste on a toothbrush without touching either one, present on famous inventors, and more during this exciting hands-on unit study on simple machines and inventions!
HUMAN BODY (7 lessons)
Create edible DNA models, made models of the insides of bones, dissect deer organs, create a working model of the respiratory system, play immune system freeze tag, and more in this fun unit on human anatomy!
ASTRONOMY (4 lessons)
Make planet pizzas as you study planets, form the lunar phases using Oreo cookies as you study the moon, study and paint Van Gogh’s “Starry Night ” as you study stars, build and blast off rockets as you study space exploration, make presentations on individual planets, and more during this hands on unit study on the solar system.
FLOATING & FLYING (SHIPS & AIRPLANES) (5 lessons)
Build an aluminium foil barge that can hold the most pennies, experiment with what floats and sinks and why, create working models of various ships and a submarine, create a variety of airplane and parachute models, and more during this 5 week unit on floating and flying.
BRIDGES (2 lessons)
Build grape and toothpick truss bridges, piece together a play-doh arch bridge, act out the forces involved in bridge building and suspension bridges, paint famous bridges, hold a bridge-building contest, and more!
PLANTS/BOTANY (3 lessons)
Go on a seed hunt, act out germination, create seed mosaics, make and eat a plant parts salad, dissect a flower, decorate sunflower cookies, compete in a photosynthesis relay race, got on a plant scavenger hunt, and more during these fun lessons on plants!
FIVE SENSES (4 lessons)
Build a crawl-through ear as you study hearing, play scales on water glasses as you study music and sound, dissect a cow eye ball as you study sight, try to identify mystery objects simply by their smell, present on various aspects of the five senses, and more during this four week hands-on study of the five senses.
ZOOLOGY/ANIMAL CLASSIFICATION (5 lessons)
Examine pond water and yeast cells under a microscope, test out various insect mouths, dissect a fish, create an egg model, perform a play about mammals, present on a specific animal phylum or genius, and more during this five week unit study on animal classification!
WEATHER/METEOROLOGY (4 lessons)
Make tornadoes and clouds in a bottle, create and use rain gauges, dramatize a storm front, design and eat clouds, race against prevailing winds, and more during this exciting 4 week unit on weather and meteorology!
GENETICS (1 lesson)
Use M&M’s to determine genetic traits, extract DNA from a strawberry using normal household materials, create edible DNA strands using marshmallows and licorice, design dog breeds as you select alleles, and more in this fun lesson on Genetics!
FORENSIC SCIENCE/DETECTIVES/CSI (1 lesson)
Analyze fingerprints and hair samples, take mug shots, solve a real crime, and more during this one week lesson plan on detectives!
POLES, OCEANS, & MOUNTAINS (3 lessons)
Make ocean floor pies, carry “eggs” like a penguin, sketch Mount Everest, compete in a “Base Camp” relay race, prepare and eat pemmican, and more in the exciting 3 week adventure as we explore the poles of the Earth, the heights of the mountains, and the depths of the oceans! This unit includes habitats, food chains, earth science, oceanography, and more!
INSECTS (4 lessons)
Make and eat edible insects (no, they’re not made from real insects), create numerous insect crafts, follow the phenomenon trail of an ant, dance like a bee, migrate like a butterfly, and more in this fun 4 week study on insects.
YEAST: THE SCIENCE OF BREAD (1 lesson)
Bake bread, compare whole wheat and white flour, blow up balloons using yeast and baking powder, and more in this 1 week unit on yeast and the science of bread!
CHEMISTRY (3 lessons)
This module features the books and YouTube video clips we found most helpful during our 3 week unit on atomic research/chemistry. We relied heavily on a particular book for activities, that in lieu of listing our activities, I am recommending the book. To give you a peek at the fun we had using this book, I have included some photos of our activities and experiments.
Teaching Chemistry to Young Children
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HISTORY UNIT STUDIES
Choose from Explorers, Early American Settlers, American War for Independence, George Washington & The Constitution, Native Americans, and Westward Expansion & Pioneers. Fun units on the Tabernacle, Medieval Period, & Leonardo da Vinci are also included!
TABERNACLE (1 lesson)
Make an edible model of the tabernacle, draw the articles used in the tabernacle, create a walk-through tabernacle using household articles, and more in the fun 1 week study of Ancient Israel’s Tabernacle.
MEDIEVAL PERIOD/MIDDLE AGES (4-5 lessons)
Bake medieval meals, create a medieval village, hold a jousting tournament, and more during this 4 week hands-on study of the medieval period!
LEONARDO DA VINCI (3 lessons)
Recreate and test out some of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions, begin an observation notebook, apply his art techniques as you study his art work, and more in this exciting 3 week study on Leonardo da Vinci: The Artist, Scientist, & Inventor!
EXPLORERS (5 lessons)
Build Viking shields and swords and “sail” to Vineland with Leif Erikson, walk the route of Marco Polo (through your house) and collect the items that he saw on his journey through China, go on a compass treasure hunt, dramatize Columbus’ journey, make Da Gama Portuguese land markers, create Montezuma’s headdress, go on a conquistador hunt for gold, bake constellation bar cookies, dress up as and present on famous explorers, and more during this unit study on Explorers!
EARLY AMERICAN SETTLERS (4 lessons)
Build a waddle and daub house like they did in Jamestown, create pilgrim costumes, set up a beaver trading post as you study Dutch settlers, cook a batch of William Penn’s applesauce, perform a play on the Pilgrims, eat a semi-authentic Thanksgiving feast, and more during this fun unit study on Early American Settlers.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION/ AMERICAN WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE (6 lessons)
Make tricorn hats and mob caps, “brew” root beer with Samuel Adams, hold a tea party as you study the Boston Tea Party, reenact the Battles of Lexington and Concord, make ink and quill pens in order to sign the Declaration of Independence, cook hasty pudding, drill with Baron von Steuben as you study Valley Forge, write a secret code and seal it with wax as you study Benedict Arnold, present on the people of the American War for Independence, and more during this exciting unit study!
GEORGE WASHINGTON & THE CONSTITUTION (1 lesson)
Dance a minuet, cook and eat Nelly’s Hoecakes, go on a “fox hunt,” create the three branches of the Constitution, and more during this lesson on President George Washington and the Constitution!
NATIVE AMERICANS (4 lessons)
Hunt for arrowheads, build tepees, paint totem poles, draw Pueblo chalk drawings, present on specific Native American tribes, and more during this fun four week hands on study of Native Americans.
WESTWARD EXPANSION AND PIONEERS (4 lessons)
Fry up Daniel Boone’s favorite fried chicken recipe and talk a walk outdoors in search of tracks and you study frontiersmen and tracking. Dramatize the purchase of Louisiana from France and more as you study Lewis and Clark! Build a pioneer wagon and the transcontinential railroad. Pan for “gold” and deliver mail on the pony express (using bicycles rather than horses). Wrap up the unit on Westward Expansion and pioneers with a wagon roundup dinner and presentations on various frontiersmen and pioneers.
U.S. Presidents (22 lessons)
Check out our favorite books, YouTube clips, recipes, lapbooks, and worksheets on each President. Also included is a timeline of major events and an overview of each man’s presidency.
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GEOGRAPHY UNIT STUDIES
Looking for fun, hands-on methods of studying geography? “Visit” 26 countries in 26 weeks as you study a country for each letter of the alphabet. Make Japanese crafts and food as you learn about Japan. Create African crafts and foods as you study Africa. Explore, create, and cook your way through a 9 part unit on the 50 States of the United States. Dramatize, draw, and cook your way through an 8 part study on Russia.
WORLD GEOGRAPHY (26 lessons)
Study a county a week as you visit 1 country per letter of the alphabet. Locate the county on a map, color the flag, cook an ethnic meal, create an ethnic craft, read a book about the county, and more! All the maps, flags, recipes, craft ideas, etc. are already listed! All you have to do is follow the weekly lesson plan.
50 STATES (9 lessons)
Cook and eat regional foods, play rodeo games, enjoy a luau, dance zydeco, celebrate a Southwest Fiesta, and more while studying the 50 States of the United States. Since there were so many great resources we found for each individual state, I’ve also created a webpage featuring our favorite books, YouTube clips, & more for each state. You can find the links for each state on my 50 States Lesson Plans lens.
JAPAN (1 lesson/2 options)
Make an origami paper crane, a carp fish kite, a Japanese meal, a Japanese doll, and more during this lesson on Japan!
AFRICA (4 lessons)
Dramatize the mummification process, carve clay cartouches, eat a Tuareg-style meal, act out an Ashanti tale, dramatize the historic gold and salt trades centered in Ghana, paint watercolor paintings of the animals of the Congo, make Nigerian-style tie-dye shirts, hunt like a Pygmy and act out the Pygmy Honey Dance, enjoy an Ethiopian-style feast, create Zulu shields, and more!
RUSSIA (8-10 lessons)
Cook borscht and blini, study and paint like the famous artists of Russia, perform a miniature “Nutcracker” ballet performance, dramatize a Communist lunch (complete with sentencing to “Siberia” for the non-compliant), and more in the fun 8 part study on Russia!
POLES, MOUNTAINS, & OCEANS (3 lessons)
Make ocean floor pies, carry “eggs” like a penguin, sketch Mount Everest, compete in a “Base Camp” relay race, prepare and eat pemmican, and more in the exciting 3 week adventure as we explore the poles of the Earth, the heights of the mountains, and the depths of the oceans!
Dive into the Ocean: An Oceanography Lesson for Children
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ART LESSONS
Choose from lessons on Leonardo da Vinci, Medieval art, Sculpting, and Pottery. More art lessons will be added as time allows.
PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN LESSONS
These are fun, hands-on lessons that I did when my oldest son was 4. We always invited over his friends, who were ages 3-6 at the time, for these “educational play dates.”
Explore horse breeds, gaits, diet, and more through games, cooking, and activities in the lesson on horses. Create a model lighthouse, play a lighthouse game, read books about lighthouses, “tour” lighthouses using YouTube, and even eat a lighthouse in this fun, hands-on lesson on lighthouses. Act like privates while training at boot camp, paint camo-style hats, set up a tent, battle using army men, and more in this exciting lesson the military.
HOLIDAY LESSON PLANS
Choose from Thanksgiving, Christmas, or St. Patrick’s Day. I am uploading more holiday lessons and units as time allows.
THANKSGIVING (3 lessons)
Create pilgrim costumes, make stewed pompion (pumpkin), plant corn, eat a semi-authentic Thanksgiving feast (authentic recipes are included), perform a fun play on the pilgrims, and more!
CHRISTMAS (2 lessons)
Act out a nativity play, make edible Christmas gifts, form salt dough Jess Tree ornaments, and more!
ST. PATRICK’S DAY (1 lesson)
Cook an Irish meal, watch YouTube clips on Ireland, read books about St. Patrick, and more in this 1 week lesson on St. Patrick’s Day!
Ireland: Giant’s Causeway, Irish Stew, & the Blarney Stone
SUMMER FUN
Hosting a Homemade Ice Cream Contest
Back to School Clothing Swap
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LOOKING FOR MORE?
Yes, I have posted more pages!
Click here to find links to my 8th Grade US History Lessons.
Click here to find my links to my posts on Homeschool Helps & Childhood Development Posts.
Click here to find my favorite resources (books, video clips, lapbook pages, etc.) for each state when you Teach the 50 US States.
Fun, FREE Unit Studies 