Snow As A Unit Study

Snow As A Unit Study – A Homeschool Review Crew Review

My kids love the outdoors, and they enjoy unit studies and so we were excited to review two great unit studies: Snow Unit Study and
Pine Trees from Creation Illustrated.

We focused on the Snow Unit Study which comes with access to the Winter ’18 Digital Edition of Creation Illustrated magazine.

The other unit study we received was the Pine Trees Unit Study that includes access to the Fall ’17 Digital Edition of Creation Illustrated magazine.

They are both fantastic, and we were planning a family trip to play in the snow so we chose to focus on the Snow Unit Study. It ended up snowing so much that we got snowed-out of our snow trip, but I included a picture from the last trip we took to the Sierra Nevada mountains to play in the snow. Incidentally, I could swear that the picture for the cover of the Pine Trees unit study was taken from the same spot that we were playing. It really looks like the same tree to me. What do you think?

Will It Enhance Your Homeschool?

Unit Study Built on Fascinating Resources including Creation Illustrated Magazine

The unit study begins with a set of five resources to read and six YouTube videos to watch. These are materials that provide you child with all the information they will need to complete the rest of the unit study. The videos, however, are listed as optional. I did notice that if your child is not a reader by nature, you can get a good deal of the information you need from the videos.

Full Set of Activities Cover Wide Range of Subjects

Beyond the reading resources and educational videos, the unit study includes sections for children to use the information they read and watched and practice

Writing & Penmanship
Vocabulary & Spelling
Bible Study
Science
Math
Geography
Art
Puzzle & Activities

The unit study ends with a 3 page ‘Teacher’s Answer Key’ that makes it very easy to follow up on your child’s work with grading.

Video Resources

I noticed that one video in the resource section, The Science of Snowflakes from the It’s Okay To Be Smart, may contain material you do not wish to share with your children. This video begins with two men. They get into a jovial argument and one tells the other to, “shut up.” Then the narrator describes William Bentley, the man who spent years cataloging snow flakes as “sitting in the snow freezing his bentley off.” Also in the middle of this video, the narrator states that, “snowflakes look like they are beautifully designed, but we all know that there is no design in a snowflake.” These issues make this particular video one you might want to skip. Since the videos are optional for this unit study it is easy to leave out any you wish to avoid.

The only other video with content you may wish to know about before viewing with your child is Let it Snow – The Secrets of Nature that has an extended discussion of global warming.

What Comes With This Product?

PDF file that you can print or view with a tablet

The unit study comes as a 17 page PDF file that you can print or use on a computer or tablet. I did notice that the links to the Creation Illustrated Magazine article work best if you have the file open on a computer and not a Kindle Fire Tablet.

Other than that, this unit study is really very flexible and can be adapted to any family.

Suggested Pacing

If you are using this unit study with teenagers, as I did, you can easily adapt the material into an afternoon activity. The articles and most of the videos are fascinating and you can orally go through the vocabulary, geography, and science sections. If there is snow outside, this might make a great way to turn a snow day into a homeschool day.

If your children are younger, you could go through one section a day or each week on Fridays. Then you would complete the unit study over the course of a week, or if you did it only once a week, it would take 2 months to complete.

No matter how you use it, your children will enjoy this activity and are sure to learn something no matter how old they are!

Time Required To Teach This

Preparation Time: 0-30 minutes (Depends on whether you like to dive in a learn alongside your children or feel more comfortable reviewing the material on your own first.)

Teaching Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour per section, depending on the age and interest level of your child

Grading: There is a Teacher’s Answer Key at the end of the unit study for easy grading.

How We Liked It & How We Used It

Overall you are sure to be fascinated by the detail and content in these unit studies. My children are teenagers, but my son is fascinated by the snow and we were planning a trip for an afternoon of snow play. So this unit study, grounded with its strong resource content and built around a fantastic magazine, was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with my son. We read the materials through and discussed the content. I chose to ask him questions orally and draw out ideas he had as a result of the readings. In that way we were able to easily adapt this unit study, designed for younger children, to teenagers.

Additional Resources To Discover

Creation Illustrated has a full line of unit studies and a wonderful digital (and print) magazine filled with wonderful articles for the whole family. Think of what National Geographic could be like if it had a biblical viewpoint, and Creation Illustrated is what you have.

Current Spring 2018 Edition available now in print!

Features included in the NEW Ad-Free Keepsake Edition:

Creation Up Close: Nature’s First Responders –by Evelyn Sayler
Creatures Near and Dear to Us: Butterfly Birth –by Rosanne Pallini-Veriezza
Re-Creation Outdoor Adventure: Trekking Through Myanmar –by Janae Bowman
Creation Day 4 of the Creation Story: Sun, Moon, and Stars –by Nikolas Grosfield
Creation Highlights and Creation Stewardship news briefs
My Walk with God: Redeeming the Desert –by Shirley Conley
Gardens from Eden: A Season of New Beginnings –by Joanne Taylor
Genesis Cuisine: Korean Treats Recipes –Korean 3-Radish Noodle Salad, Korean Mung Bean Vegie Pancakes, Korean Sweet Rice Cakes.
Children’s Story: Bumblebee Rescue –by Tatiana Claudy
Creation Character Building Lesson: Service and Ministry –by Terry & Jean McComb
New Coloring & Photo Contests for all ages
Photo and Coloring Contest winners
Study Guide, Spring Family Fun Activities
Poetry: All Creation Sings –by Bret Suarez
And more!

Summary of Snow Unit Study and Pine Trees Unit Study from Creation Illustrated .

General Features

Easy to Adapt To Your Homeschool
Student Can Use The Course Independently (no or little parental involvement required)
Stand-Alone (no additional textbook required)
Works with Gifted Children
Great for Dyslexic Children

Works with these Age Ranges

High School (9-12) – if using with older children, you can use the resources and adapt the activities to suit their interests.
Middle School (6-8)
Elementary (3-5)