Longer Unit Studies

I have decided that a week just isn't long enough to do a good unit study. So we are going to continue our pirate study this next week. Some of the themes I have planned for this summer will be fine doing it in a week but most of them will be two week plans. I even found an awesome unit study book at the library that is filled with tons of ideas on crafts, songs and book suggestions. I'm going to try finding some more and hopefully get some more ideas.

Ahoy there, Matey!

This week we are studying Pirates! We have a bunch of books to read, a few movies to watch and a new song to learn. I'm really looking forward to this unit study. The kids and I are going to paint and decorate our treasure chests and have a treasure hunt with 'real' treasure maps.

BOOKS:
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (RA)
Pirates 'Most Wanted' - John Matthews
Treasure Hunts - Lenny Hort
How I became A Pirate - Melinda Long
100 things You Should Know About Pirates - Andrew Langley
Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End - Look & Find
Pirateology - Candlewick Press
Pirates Past Noon - Mary Pope Osborn (RA)


MOVIES:
Pirate Treasure - Backyardigans
Pirates of the Caribbean 3


SONG:
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything - Veggie Tales

The Birdhouses

We finally got the birdhouses done! Don't they look good? Devons' is the barn style with the horse. Surprised? The two sides you can't see have a white picket fence on them. Ryans' is the blue and red one with all the shapes on it. He put different shaped stickers on it and Dad painted over them with the blue. When we removed the stickers it still showed the yellow bottom coat. Regan has the tall green and yellow birdhouse. The back has a flamingo on it. Tomorrow I'm going to run to the craft store to buy her some hibiscus stickers to add to the front and sides. Then we'll hang them out in the front yard.

Birds

This week we are studying birds. We have several bird feeders that we'll be be filling and setting up. The kids each have a bird house that they are going to paint and put out in the front yard. We'll be reading books, watching a video and doing some indoor crafts also.

BOOKS:
Birds of North America - Usborne Spotters Guide

A Field Guiode to Little Known & Seldom Seen Birds of North America - John Sill

Birds - Usborne Discovery (Internet Linked)

Birds - ASPCA Pet Care Guide for Kids

Birds (A First Look at Animals) - Dianne James

Birds - Malcolm Penny

Birds of Prey - Denny Robson

Birds in your Backyard - Barbara Herkert

Birds - Reader's Digest Pathfinders

Dinosaurs!

This weeks theme is Dinosaurs. Every week I will have a new theme that I'm teaching the younger two (Devon is welcome to join us) that will include books, movies, games, crafts, etc. So for our dinosaur lessons here are a few of the resources I'm using:

BOOKS
Dinosaurs by Gail Gibbons

Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast by Jack Prelutsky

Dinosaur Roar! by Paul & Henrietta Stickland

Two Dozen Dinosaurs by Catherine Ripley

Walt Disneys 'Dinosaur' A Read Aloud Storybook

Dinosaurumpus by Tony Mitton

The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible by Paul S. Taylor

MOVIES

Stanley's Dinosaur Round-up

The Great Dinosaur Rescue

The land Before Time 3&4

The craft we did today was a dino collage. We took an outline of a dino and glued squares of tissue paper all over it.