I had the pleasure of reviewing a Once-a-Week Unit Study: Christmas Comes to America from Homeschool Legacy as part of the Homeschool Review Crew.
This was a precious e-book that came to me via email.
I had the option of choosing that one or any of the following:
Once-a-Week Micro-Studies:
Pirates or Privateers: You Decide
Cooking up History with the Founding Presidents
Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims
I realize it’s not Christmas just yet, but our family is already preparing for Christmas because I like to do things early, and that included using this book to make preparations for an organized Christmas. I also did not want something that was too complicated. If you have read my earlier reviews, you may know I am not usually a fan of unit studies. But I thought this would be a perfect way to use one- it’s a specialty topic that is fairly flexible and short-lived.
I love that this Unit Study is appropriate for many ages. There are activities and information suitable for all my children to do and learn. Also, if you have a child in Boy Scouts or American Heritage Girls, there are activities specifically designed to earn badges.
The first thing I did was look at their recommended reading lists and went straight to our library’ website and ordered several of the books that looked intriguing or appropriate.
This study covers how the early settlers of our country brought their own Christmas traditions with them, and how these developed into the traditions we use today. It starts with a brief introduction of several countries of Origin (Dutch, English and German) and the traditions utilized in those countries, some coming from pre-Christian or even Pagan rituals which were then incorporated into Christian Christmas celebrations.
For each country, you are provided with reading selections, many of which I found easily at our library. There are also scripture passages to be read each day which I appreciated.
Then, as is normal for unit studies, this ebook then draws in other disciplines such as history/geography, traditions and cultural studies, life skills/gift-giving and making, music, possibilities for field trips and further independent research. It also includes movie and music suggestions which were pretty easy to find via Amazon Prime, Netflix or the library.
The final section of the unit study includes tons of ideas for ways to celebrate and learn more on the theme of celebrating Christmas.
I absolutely love this high-quality, well researched, well organized Unit Study book and am thrilled to give it a high recommendation. It has actually made me rethink my previous dislike for unit studies, and I am considering ordering the thanksgiving one to use RIGHT AWAY! I feel certain I can still get it and put it to use prior to thanksgiving, especially since I can download it instantly on my computer and start on it immediately.
How I’ve used this: I went through the study and looked at the suggested materials for each week. I chose several and ordered them from the library. I also had the children gather up some of the resources that we already owned. Then, for each of the four weeks prior to Christmas I added the read aloud, movies and scriptures we will cover on that date in my calendar. As the read-alouds and movies and music arrive from the library, I will go into the calendar and mark their due dates so I can renew them if needed. I also looked through the field trip ideas and went online to check dates, times and the expense so I can decide what will be best for the children- since I have children in ages ranging from pre-school through college age, we won’t do all of them together- some will be more suited for certain ages and the oldest girls have complicated schedules!
I am now really looking forward to making December extra special this year and really keep the focus of our entire month on Christ and his birth, even while we enjoy some of the fun traditions that have strayed from that into the secular.
