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



Homeschooling in the early years has a wide range of opinions. Some believe it’s the formative years that require structure and diligence, while others are all about learning through play. It’s not as simple as right vs. wrong, but rather doing what is best for your own child and family. Whether you find yourself more classical or you just want to offer learning options – this Early Learning Giveaway is for you!

Thanks to these amazing bloggers and brands that love supporting the homeschool community, we’re able to give back to homeschool families in the best way!

Check out this AMAZING Prize package!

 Pre-Primer Sight Word MEGA Bundle from In All You Do – This 570+ page MEGA bundle has everything you need to help your little ones master the Pre-Primer Sight Words from the Dolch list.
10 Songs All Preschoolers Should Know online course from Music in Our Homeschool – 10 Songs All Preschoolers Should Know is the perfect online course for busy moms who want to introduce their little ones to classic, age-appropriate songs in a fun and engaging way. With easy-to-follow lessons, sing-along activities, and printable worksheets that build fine motor skills, this course provides weeks or even months of music education with no extra prep required. Whether you choose to learn one song per week or per month, you and your preschooler will enjoy singing together while effortlessly incorporating music into your homeschool routine!
Learning Numbers with the Bible from My Joy-Filled Life – Learning Numbers with the Bible includes over 140 pages of number activities. Your child will learn numbers 1-10 alongside the Bible. Work on handwriting, counting, and number recognition with these printable pages and activities that include scripture and Bible references throughout. Included in this printable workbook are handwriting pages that vary in difficulty, coloring pages, matching, find the number pages, number puzzles, and so much more.
Raising Readers Letters and Sounds Unit from Schooling With Grace – The first unit in the Raising Readers curriculum will help students begin a strong foundation in reading with 68 pages of Lesson plans, worksheets, activities, games and learning mats, that focus on letters and sounds.
 

Learn more about each of the 2025 Early Learning Giveaway Sponsors


This giveaway wouldn’t be possible without our amazing sponsors! We encourage you to visit their site and take a look around at all their wonderful products perfect for homeschoolers! Thanks to these amazing bloggers and brands that love supporting the homeschool community, we’re giving away more than $65 in Early Learning products!  

 

 

Want to enter to win? Simply enter by following as many sponsors and partners on the form below, and you’re in it to win it! 



You are responsible for reading the Terms and Conditions before entering. Entering this giveaway confirms that you have read and understand the terms.

a Rafflecopter giveaway