Hands-On Science & Nature Projects for Upper Grades
Each of these resources is appropriate for middle and high school students. If you prefer family-style teaching, they can be tailored down, or you may eliminate some of the more complicated aspects, for elementary students. Want to create your own hands-on nature study? Download the unit study planner, and get started exploring your family’s interests!
Exploring the outdoors is a great way to learn! Soak it all in, homeschool mama, and wear your homeschooling style proudly!
Think Like a Scientist
- Pi Game / Pi Day
- Measuring Practice
- Real World Math
- Math & Physics Round-Up
- Physics & Calculus for High School
Get Inspired
Take a Field Trip
Get Outside
Go Wild
- Zoo Studies
- Permaculture
- Foraging Basics
- Forensics unit study
- Ecosystems unit study
- Endangered Animals Project
A Little of This; A Little of That
- Stars & Constellations unit study
- Holiday Science Activities
- Notebooking Pages for science topics
- Doughnut Math
- Botany Class
- Tinkers’ Club
- Tinkering Lab Kit
- Snap Circuits & Electricity
- Ultimate Coding Kit
Explore through the Pages
- Girl of the Limberlost & Butterflies
- Golden Hawks of Genghis Khan & Raptors
- Science of Breakable Things & Scientific Method
- Nick & Tesla 6-book Physics Bundle
- The Lorax & Earth Stewardship
- Fuzzy Mud & Microbiology
- Shouting at the Rain & Stormy Weather
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- The Call of the Wild
Use a Complete Curriculum
- Energy Science
- Homestead Science
- Farming & Ranching Plan
- Berean Builders
- Apologia vs Berean
- Friendly Biology
Hands-On Subscription Boxes You’ll Love!
MATTER
We search planet Earth for the most interesting forms of matter. Each month we ship fossils, tools, specimens, materials, or artifacts that have been carefully selected as some of the most interesting pieces of matter in our accessible universe. Part museum, part laboratory, perfect for quarantine! Feed your curiosity or spark someone’s else’s. This one is for the kid who knows everything!! It will spark an interest for further research…Beautiful Discovery
Beautiful Discovery kits use visually and kinesthetically engaging patterns of nature to unleash your hidden pattern power and give you STEAM skills. Items include eco-games, art, origami, drag and drop code, models, natural wonders, full color informational cards, full color picture books and booklets, paints and colored pencils, drawing sheets with art lessons on patterns seen in the natural wonders.Perfect for the student who is hesitant about math, but all about art! This box combines the beauty of nature with real-world math through projects with seashells, crystals, dried leaves, flowers, for their beautiful patterns. There’s even an computer coding element with simple drag and drop block coding that will simulate the patterns seen in the natural wonders studied in each box.
Spangler Science
Let’s make science fun one month at a time! A subscription to Spangler Science Club is a guarantee that we’re working together to prepare your young scientist for a future STEM-based career. Choose from one of three levels of hands-on science kits and subscribe to amazing science delivered every month!
Groovy Lab in a Box
With Groovy Lab in a Box, you will receive boxes full of everything you need to learn about and do hands on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiments for ages 8+. We blend Scientific Inquiry and the Engineering Design Process, which allows children to create ingenious inventions, enhance problem solving skills and FUN!Homeschooling Teens: College or Career Track?
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General High School Help
- Must-Read — Teens’ Guide to College and Career Planning
- Before this homeschooling life, I worked with eighth, ninth, and tenth graders…and loved it! Teens are so exciting. They are old enough to have a real, heavy conversation with (and it’s really fun to explore the basis for their opinions), but young enough to still need and want guidance (even if they won’t admit it). From those years of experience, my experiences with my own children, and just the sheer memory of being a teen myself….here are five suggestions for motivating your student.
- The Homeschooling the Upper Grades e-book is a collaboration project with bloggers from around the world, covering a wide variety of topics and issues facing the homeschooling parent of teens. Twenty-two topics spanning special needs learners to academically gifted, and college to career-oriented students, are covered in this free download.
- Worried you’re going to miss one of the pieces for moving from homeschool to college? Here is the help you want with transcripts, scholarships, and making the transition! In Through the Door, you and your teen will work through thirty-three modules to smooth the way from homeschool to college life.
- Looking for high school help? It’s not the academics for high school that are nerve-wracking so much as it is all of those ‘special things,’ like testing, applications, and deadlines that must be met for a smooth transition into college.
Career Exploration
Maybe your teen knows exactly what s/he has wanted to be since childhood. Maybe they have no idea. A little career exploration is good for both scenarios, as it helps to better understand what those jobs truly entail…
- Must-Read — Career Planning for Teens: Discover The Proven Path to Finding a Successful Career That’s Right for You!
- Career-focused electives can be a good way to make high school fun, to bring some moments of levity to a day crowded with the intense courses found in these upper grades, particularly in a college prep scenario. What is your child interested in? Which hobbies does s/he gravitate toward? Are there any career interests yet? This is a good way to let colleges know more about your student, as they see which electives made the cut and ended up on the transcript.
- Career Exploration guides seventh through twelfth grade students to discover their career path or college major. This eight-week elective course provides possible directions to the next step. Each lesson includes informative articles, self-inventory worksheets, relevant links to additional information, and inspiring true stories.
- The Career Center offers a whopping fifty-five different courses, ranging from eight weeks to full-year, to help your student further explore their interest and see if it is a good fit.
- Parents can also pull together resources to create a year-long, career-based course for their student’s interest – such as this one on Architecture. For technical or hands-on careers, check with your local community college to see if they have dual-enrollment high school programming.
Maturity / Relationships
Teens are navigating a tricky time of life, caught between the worlds of adolescence and adulthood. Now is the time to talk about all those hard things…before they take the next step.
- Ask Powerful Questions
- Explore the clarity of intent, connecting through rapport, creating openness, reflective listening, and empathy. How can we explore the space between ourselves and others, and exchange meaningful perspectives? Just ask—powerfully.
- Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen
- The fourteen essential conversations to have with your tween and early teenager to prepare them for the emotional, physical, and social challenges ahead, including scripts and advice to keep the communication going and stay connected during this critical developmental window.
Read Prior to Graduation
- Gender-based lists — Obviously you can read from either list, but they are sorted by traditional interests
- 114 Books to Read Before College
- This book list is designed for 8th – 12th grade college-bound students, and includes many classic pieces of literature as well as more modern day stories. The books represent a range of historic eras, and include elements from both American and World Literature courses.
Organizational Skills
Whether it’s a bedroom, an office, or digital life, having a good system of organization can save your student time and trouble down the line…
- Must-Read — Adulting 101: A Complete Guide on Life Planning, Responsibility and Goal Setting
- A good planner works for you and your needs. What is right for one person may not be the best option for someone else, so take a moment to investigate several options and find the one that works best for your student.
- There are as many different forms of note-taking as there are students. Follow these four rules for note-taking, and you should see marked improvement in your academics!
- You probably began writing essays in middle school, and started writing longer ones in high school, but as you enter the collegiate field, you’ll be required to write more complex and effective essays. It’s important to understand how to clearly communicate.
Life Skills
Resources for a wide range of students and their needs…
- Must-Read — Life Skills for Teens: How to Cook, Clean, Manage Money, Fix Your Car, Perform First Aid, and Just About Everything in Between
- After eighteen years of caring for your child, it can be alarming to realize that on that magical birthday, they suddenly take on ALL the responsibilities of adulthood, whether they are equipped or not. There are ways, however, to have some legal protections in place ahead of time.
- New hire paperwork, your first W-2, and all the financial basics in between…your teen needs to understand the ABCs of taxes.
- Whether you’ve experienced troubles or enjoyed something, a business letter or follow-up to a phone call is a life skill that all teens should learn. These letters aren’t just for expressing displeasure — they’re also a great opportunity to point out what’s right with your product / service.
- It can daunting to think about what post-graduation brings for the special needs student, but s/he is in a great position as a homeschooler! In the upper grades years, homeschooling allows students the time to explore passions and career interests. Take some time to examine your special needs student’s strengths, combining those and their interests to find a career exploration starting point.
Thinking Skills
Critical thinking is something every parent should help foster, age-appropriately, from the earliest years. We want our teens to go out into the world with eyes wide open…
- Must-Read — Do the Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations
- Looking to focus on critical thinking skills? This Guidebook Set features four books, each with multiple lessons that are direct, concise, and help students relate concepts to their daily lives. Two of the books are designed to make students think about thinking and thought processes. The other two books are motivational and inspirational in nature, showing examples of people who trudged through difficult times to make a difference in the world.
- You can download a free curriculum guide for using this series in a year-long elective class.
- Literary Adventures for Kids is a language arts curriculum that fosters both writing and critical thinking skills. There are five different year-long classes to choose from, each including a blend of classic and modern books and encouraging students to ‘think beyond the book.’
- Learn more about this curriculum for high school, as well as for younger students.
Technology Skills
We live in a digital world, and any path your student chooses is going to require certain technological skills…beyond the cell phone.
- Must-Read — Future Skills: The 20 Skills and Competencies Everyone Needs to Succeed in a Digital World
- Regardless of the path, all students need to become familiar with the Microsoft Office family. This elective curriculum uses project-based learning to teach critical thinking, problem-solving, research, and out-of-the-box thinking skills. It celebrates students’ creativity and innovativeness and allows students to learn by creating solutions, all while introducing learners to a full range of Office skills.
- Using short, online unit studies, this site introduces your student to apps, online programming, and other ‘new tech’ being used currently in both educational and on-the-job settings. Students develop skills and practice through short, fun projects.
- The Guide to Digital Student Projects is an excellent starting point for learning how to organize via computer (as opposed to the old-school, paper method).
Test Skills
We all know that test skills are a must for college entrance exams, plus academics in general, but many careers require occasional training and testing as well. It’s good to brush up on those skills…
- Must-Read — Mind Over Scatter: Conquer Any Test with Sharper Focus and Less Stress
- Do you have high school students who are considering college? One of the steps they’ll need to take is standardized testing. This is especially important for homeschooled students as it helps to provide outside validation to the grades on their transcript.
- Even if you know the material and are prepared for your test, it’s completely normal to experience test anxiety. In fact, to a degree, anxiety helps you perform better on the test! However, too much can prevent you from doing your best…so what test skills do you need?
Exploring Beliefs for World Religions Day
The Encarta World Dictionary defines religion as “people’s beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity or deities and divine involvement in the universe and human life.” In a world that is constantly struggling for peace, having a better understanding of belief systems and values can help us to understand different people and cultures…which may lay the foundation for a thoughtful progression amid a multitude of complex cultures. Studying world religions can lead to a better understanding of the relationships between religion and politics, economics, and social structures..
Novel Studies & Curricula
- Dive into a full-year course on Learning About World Cultures.
- Older students get more specific with a year-long course on Worldviews, World Religions, and Cults.
- Pick up the FREE Diversity Booklist, covering religions and cultures around the world.
- Drive Thru History has a fantastic DVD-based world curriculum!
- Memoria Press covers The Wars of the Jews in a traditional curriculum.
- Jewish Holidays in Literature is a year-long, Charlotte Mason-style curriculum.
- Learn about religious persecution in The Broken Strings novel study.
- Study early Christian history in DTH’s The Gospels.
- Explore the early Islamic empires in The Button Box novel study.
- Discover World Mythologies in this 16-unit bundle!
- Utilize the Famous People, Geography, History, and Bible / Character Study sheets from Notebooking Pages for a relaxed and tailored study.
- Take an even more laid back / unschooling approach to studying world religions by doing a monthly ‘fun study’ with a World Religion themed subscription box, such as ArtzaBox, Saint-of-the-Month, or Bette’s Box of Blessings.
- Readers may enjoy the Truly Yours Box (mom) and Rooted Book Box (teens).
Short Primers
Art: Stained Glass Windows
Supplies
- Tracing Paper
- Black Marker
- Pattern (to trace)
- Crayons
- Laminator
Directions
- Print out the picture that you want to copy. We used shields and crests.
- Trace the picture on the tracing paper with the black marker.
- Color it with crayons. Use bright colors. Don’t color too hard, or the wax will run!
- Cut out your shield and laminate it to make the colors even brighter.
- Hang it up and let the sun shine through!
Literature: G.A. Henty & Comparative Books
- Beric the Briton
- This tale of the Roman invasion of ancient Britannia remains one of G.A. Henty’s most popular novels of all time. Join Beric and his best friend Bodouc as they live the adventure of a lifetime – captured by the Romans, trained as gladiators, and placed in the service of Emperor Nero himself! When the story of a mysterious “Christus” begins to circulate the Roman Empire, Beric and Bodouc are forced to confront their pagan past. Will the two young prisoners be able to overcome their thirst for revenge and discover the source of true forgiveness?
- For the Temple
- The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the march of the legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem all come to life. In this impressive and carefully studied historic setting, you will follow a lad, John of Gamala, who passes from the vineyard to the service of Josephus, becomes the leader of a guerrilla band of patriots, fights bravely for the Temple, and after a brief term of slavery at Alexandria, returns to his Galilean home with the favor of Titus. The fall of Jerusalem is brought to life in this classic.
- The Kids Book of World Religions
- By gaining a greater understanding of the cultures and beliefs of people around the world, children build respect and tolerance for the differences that make each of us unique.With objectivity and accessibility, this title in the Kids Book of series looks at the histories, scriptures, places of worship, religious leaders, gods and major festivals that are the foundations of many of the world’s religions.
- Investigate the World through Religious Tradition
- Over 7 billion people live on the earth, and 84 percent of them describe themselves as being religious. Few topics incite such passion as religion. What does that mean? Why are humans invested in ideas that may never be proved? Why has religion played such an important role in history?
It’s NOT Ancient History! Making Connections with World History
There are five concepts – or 5 Cs – of history. These are at the heart of every question historians ask as they seek to better understand the past, and they include (from most easily understood to the more complex): change over time, causality, context, complexity, and contingency. The strangeness of the past enables us to step back and look at our society and ourselves from a new perspective—indeed, we might start to look a bit strange to ourselves! (Think not? Check out Motel of the Mysteries)
General Ancient History
Classes
- Sparks Academy Co-Op World History (or self-paced version)
- Ancient World History course
- History of Ancient Civilizations course
- Understanding Ancient History course
Printables
- World History Literature Bundle
- World History II Literature Bundle
- A World of Adventure
- Write Bonnie Rose
- Writing Through History
- Using Primary Source Documents
Extras
- Mysteries in Time adventures
- Bricks / Legos Through the Ages
- Ancient Artistic Pursuits
- History of the Ancient World
- Tales of Ancient Worlds
- Drive Thru History – Ancient History & DTH Adventures
- Ancient Cities (dvd)
- Audiobooks for World History
Egypt
Greece
Rome
- Eagle of the Ninth book club
- Ancient Rome online unit
- SPQR: History of Ancient Rome
- Famous Men of Rome
- Caesar’s Legions
Asia / Middle East
Medieval
- Sir Gawain & the Green Knight book club
- Legendary Swords morning plans
- Renaissance unit
- Renaissance Time Travelers
Mythology
Rabbit Trails
- Daily Life in the Ancient World
- Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Unconventional Warfare in the Ancient World
- Independent Research
- Archaeology
- Mansa Musa
- Ancient Mayans
- Vikings
- Wulf the Saxon
Innovative Ways to Study World Geography
Why study geography?
Geography is the study of humans and people through space, throughout time, and how those spaces have shaped history. Every place has a history behind it, shaped by humans, earth, and climate. By studying geography, we gain meaning and awareness to those places, which also puts history in context. It helps us see the why, when, and how of what happened in history. Learn more about History, Mythology, and World Cultures.Read All About It
- Read Across America pack
- World Literature Book Club (elementary)
- World Literature Book Club (middle school)
- World Literature Book Club (teens)
- Living Literature Units
Walk through the 50 States
- Everyday Explorers USA unit studies
- God Bless the USA (full curriculum)
- Lego States & Capitals
Play a Game
Rabbit Trails
- Independent Research
- Learn map / GPS skills
- Dive into geography trivia
- History & Geography Connections
- Adventurous Mailbox Curriculum Guide
- Let’s Go Geography!
- Christmas Around the World
- (Online) Christmas Around the World
Experience It
Rabbit Trails & Child-Directed Studies
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
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
Places to Find Rabbit Trail Ideas
- Cratejoy Boxes
- Focused Learning Center
- Homeschool Garden
- Literary Adventures for Kids
- Online Unit Studies
- ST Unit Studies
Parent Guides & Resources
- Top Ten Boxes for Teens
- The Charlotte Mason Homeschool Journal & Delight Directed Learning Handbook
- Twenty Best Educational Subscriptions
- The Unit Study Project Handbook
- How to Create a Unit Study
- Chasing Rabbit Trails tee
- In-Depth Summer Studies
- Making a Historic Newspaper
- Notebooking Pages for any subject
Pre-Dug Rabbit Trails (to get you started!)
- All Literature Rabbit Trails
- Geography Rabbit Trails
- History Rabbit Trails
- Ancient History
- Colorado Gold Rush
- Elections
- Government & Finance
- Horses in History
- Medieval Times
- Middle Ages
- Renaissance
- September 11th
- Vikings
- World War 2
- Science Rabbit Trails
- Anatomy
- Bears
- Earth Day / Lorax
- Endangered Animals
- Energy, Oil & Gas
- Flight / Aviation
- Forensic Science
- Marine Biology
- Survival Skills
- Miscellaneous Rabbit Trails
