Studying the Explorers with Homeschool in the Woods

​Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

         
​           Home School in the Woods has become a trusted source of unit studies for homeschoolers. We’ve heard about their programs for years and were excited to check out their Time Travelers U.S. History Studies New World Explorers. They have so many neat topics to explore including Make-A-State packs, Colonial Life, and even a US Elections pack, which is great for learning about the election this year!

                My 8 and 6-year-old had just wrapped up their study of the middle ages, and left off at the perfect position to jump into learning about exploration to new lands! I received a download of the program, and got off to a glitchy start due to my own lack of reading directions- oops! Make sure you “express” the files so that they open and function as they should. The program opens in an internet window which neatly lays out the lessons, the print outs needed, as well as helpful information on how to use the program. We assembled a binder to keep the worksheets in and began forming the lapbook, which becomes a final project for the program. 

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​       Because we were technically on “summer break,” which is somewhat undefined in our house, we exclusively used this program during the start of our review time and my kids felt like it was an at-home summer camp! Each lesson comes with multiple activities that truly immerse children in a sea of learning and exploration. I didn’t even hear complaints about having to do school work during our break because they were having so much fun!

        In Lessons 1-5, we learned about reasons explorers would leave their home, about the ships they sailed on, and the living conditions within- made flags and even became “limey” and drank lime juice, which many sailors would do to prevent scurvy!  

          Lessons 6-20 discussed individual explorers like Columbus, Cabot & Vespucci, Raleigh, and Cook.  Students will learn about navigation with constellations, and routes explorers traveled, just to name a few things! For my third grader, the amount of explorer covered was a bit more than I felt he needed to study, so we chose three to focus on.

          The final five lessons (21-25) dive into pirates! You’ll learn about pirate currencies, ships,  and famous pirates such as Blackbeard and Anne Boney! The program closes with a “Masters for Exploration Celebration.” Invitation templates, place cards, centerpieces, and menu templates are provided for a fun way to celebrate the learning journey!

  
      The lessons were incredibly informative, and the activities made learning memorable and fun! When we tried to “go back to homeschool” and work in our regular core curriculum, it became very challenging to use this program on top of others with all my little kids running around, so I’d recommend this as a standalone learning study. This is a wonderful fit for families looking for in depth, hands-on learning at home! 

The Homeschool Review Crew checked out different products offered by Home School in the Woods, so be sure to check out the additional reviews to see how others used and enjoyed the studies!