Sparks Academy

Rabbit Trails & Child-Directed Studies

by | Mar 15, 2023 | Homeschool Helps, New Homeschoolers

Unlike traditional schooling, homeschooling affords you the opportunity to jump down rabbit trails! What’s a rabbit trail? This is when your child develops a sudden interest in a topic, and you spend the whole day (or week, or month) exploring that topic in-depth, following the trail as far as it goes, or until your child moves on to another interest. Regardless of age, this is a valuable tool to add to your homeschooling toolbelt!

Educational Philosophies Encouraging Rabbit Trails

Charlotte Mason
Developed by a 19th century educator who believed in reading ‘living books’ rather than ‘twaddle,’ this approach involves living learning. It revolves around reading aloud together as a family, and following child interests. Nature walks, art museums, and living books are all a part of this approach. 

Unit Studies
This approach takes all of the subjects and smashes them together in an in-depth study of a topic. For example, a unit study of Rome might include reading and writing about Rome, studying the history of Roman emperors, calculating timelines and marketplace purchases, creating artwork and projects from Ancient Roman times, and studying water (from the aqueducts built during this era).  Units may be literature-based, and this is a great style for teaching multiple grades together.

Unschooling
Definitely for the Type B family, this is a child-centered approach to schooling. There are no formal lessons, or even formal curriculum, but the children follow their interests and learn from life experiences. Schedules are not utilized, and there is much flexibility and freedom. This does not mean that they don’t read, write, and do math, but that they follow their interests. Math might be adding up the tab at the restaurant, or figuring the tax.

Places to Find Rabbit Trail Ideas


Parent Guides & Resources

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KinderBach Level 1 from Music in Our Homeschool – KinderBach is an early childhood online piano and music theory program for children ages 2 to 7 where young children thrive in learning from fun characters and animations, songs and chants, games, playing simple instruments, and more.
Number Tracing- My First Number Workbook – Spring Edition from Monkey and Mom – “My First Numbers Workbook- Spring Edition” is a digital workbook offering preschoolers a fun way to learn numbers 1 to 10 through spring-themed tracing, cutting, coloring, and interactive counting activities. With over 70 colorful pages, it enhances fine motor skills, number recognition, and foundational math skills, using visual exercises and number patterns, all designed to make number learning engaging.
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