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Viking Unit Study

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I love the idea of unit studies, which can be done at school, in a homeschool environment or just for fun at home as a way to learn about something specific your kids might be into (or maybe that you are interested in and want them to know more about).

Simply Learning Together put together a homeschool unit study on the Vikings, which sounds like a lot of fun, first off, but it also walks you through the process of how she develops a unit study for her kids so you can do it, too.

It’s a pretty simple process that involves going to the library, reading and researching yourself, then developing some activities and lessons based on what you have learned.

This unit study for the Vikings, for example, shares the books she read and how she planned out the activities. In the post you’ll find a link to a printable map they used, and she talks about different activities they did including baking bread, having a super cute Viking lunch (a sandwich with banana horns to make it look like a Viking helmet!), working with runes, having a snack in “Viking horns” (waffle cones) as well as music, language arts and notebook activities they did.

You could definitely build off these ideas using the books available in your local public library or through doing your own research to find more information and activities your kids might be interested in depending on their age. You could throw in some Viking mythology, for example (I love Norse Mythology for Smart People as a source). Add some STEM with this how to build a Viking ship activity from Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus, or make a Viking shield out of cardboard with this idea from This Crafty Family. There are tons of great ideas out there once you start looking!

[Photo: Simply Learning Together]

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Fun Outdoor Games for Fourth of July and Summer Events

I’ve written a lot about different Fourth of July activities and crafts over the years (see links below) but one thing I haven’t touched on much is the Fourth of July party. A backyard hangout and barbecue is a classic event, so why not bring some fun outside with red, white and blue games the whole family can play?

Games like these can help develop fine motor skills, and getting kids up and moving is always a good idea. If adults join in, so much the better.

Six Clever Sisters has collected a dozen fun Fourth of July games you can make for the backyard to play for the holiday or any time during the summer.

A lot of these are regular sorts of backyard games like hitting targets with squirt guns or tossing balls into buckets, but given a red, white and blue twist for the patriotic holidays.

These games would be fun throughout the year regardless of whether you put a patriotic spin on them.

For example the tic tac toe game shown here, which is from Hey Let’s Make Stuff, would be cute with x’s and o’s painted in any colors you like. And of course you could make it even easier and just play on the sidewalk with red, white and blue chalk if you don’t have a ready supply of wooden letters.

Check out all the ideas for backyard party games for the Fourth of July at Six Clever Sisters.

Looking for more things to do for the Fourth of July with kids? Check out these posts from previous years for even more inspiration:

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