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{I was paid for this review, but, as always, all opinions are my own!}
Read on for a detailed REVIEW.
When my sweet friend, Sara from Techie Homeschool Mom, asked me if I wanted to review one of her Online Unit Studies, I jumped at the chance for three reasons.
1. I adore her! Read more about why at the end of this post. I bet you’re going to love her too!
2. I love reviewing games, books, curriculum and other resources for homeschool moms!
3. I have no experience with online unit studies and so was super excited to check one out!
So, let’s get to it!
WHAT IS AN ONLINE UNIT STUDY?
I’m, of course, very familiar with traditional unit studies but I really did not know what to expect with an online unit study. According to the site, Techie Homeschool Mom, “Online Unit Studies integrate multiple subjects for multiple ages of students. Students access websites and videos and complete digital projects.” Okay…so it sounds exactly how I think of a traditional unit study except that it’s online! Alright, that could certainly be convenient for moms who don’t want to gather books, print off resources, search for videos and prep 12 different art projects. See the image below for some other helpful information about online unit studies taken directly from Techie Homeschool Mom.
HOW DO YOU PURCHASE and ACCESS IT?
Buying the Famous Inventors Online Unit Study was super easy! As soon as I completed the seamless checkout process, there was an immediate link to begin the course and also a message with a tip on the best way to save the course for future easy access. I clicked the link and then I bookmarked it in my browser so I could easily access it at anytime. Nothing complicated about it at all.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
When I clicked “Click Here to Begin Course,” I was taken to a Course Content page with a list of tasks divided into sections. I clicked the first one, read the information that came up on a new screen and then clicked “Mark Complete” (which gave me a very rewarding checkmark!) and moved on to the next task. After I got through all of the helpful “Before you start info,” I was ready to start learning about Archimedes!
When I clicked on “About Archimedes,” I was taken to a page with a little bit of text and a short video to watch.
I watched (and learned a lot) from the short video and then clicked on the link to the article. The link took me to a well-known kid’s website with a decently-sized article about Archimedes’ life. It was a nice complement to the video. It expanded on some of the information from the video but also had a lot of new info (but all in nice, kid-sized pieces.)
After reading the article, I got another checkmark, yay! And then I moved on to “Archimedes’ Screw.” This new page had three short videos to watch. I really liked how there was text in between the videos to make a connection amongst the three videos.
I watched all three videos for a total of eleven minutes. The fact that they were from different sources, each with a slightly different focus, made for a thorough, but not overwhelming, overview of the topic (which, I confess I knew very little about before watching!) And, then there was a question to answer about the last video with a place to answer it right on the site. So, I did. I hope Sara replies! 🙂
After getting another checkmark, I clicked on “Design an Archimedes’ Screw.” Here, I was presented with two options. One used a free software to design a virtual screw and the other was a hands-on activity. I’m not going to lie. No checkmark for me here. I did not do either option. 🙁 BUT, if my teenager had extra time to take this on, he would have loved the digital option! And, I am sure most kids are tech-savvy enough to tackle that approach. The hands-on project seemed a little involved to me, but I’ve always been very wimpy about science projects that need more than a few standard items. Do NOT take cues from me when it comes to completing science projects. 🙂
After finishing (most of 😉 the section on Archimedes, I moved on to Galileo and then da Vinci. Both of these sections included a similar format with videos and articles about the inventor followed by videos and articles about one of their inventions. It’s important to note, especially for moms like me who shy away from elaborate science projects , that Galileo’s telescope and da Vinci’s parachute seemed very simple to make with standard materials and few steps.
In addition to videos to watch, text to read and a project to complete, Galileo and da Vinci’s sections (as well as several of the other inventors) also had a quiz to take. The quizzes consisted of a few multiple choice questions and served as great reviews of the material covered. It’s important to note that in order to move forward, a score of 100% needs to be achieved. But, the questions can be reviewed and the quiz retaken if needed.
WHICH INVENTORS DOES IT COVER?
In addition to Archimedes, Galileo and da Vinci, the Famous Inventors Online Unit Study also includes AG Bell, J Watt, C Babbage, N Tesla, J Gutenberg, the Wright Brothers and Steve Jobs. I LOVE the variety of inventors here and the span of time covered as well. This online unit study certainly gives a thorough introduction to several important inventors and their inventions. But, if you do not want your students to do them all, you can skip around and just study the inventors of your choice.
ARE THERE MORE THAN VIDEOS, TEXT AND PROJECTS?
Yes! In addition to the videos to watch, text to read and projects to complete, the Famous Inventors Online Unit Study also includes:
- A suggested pacing guide
- Optional printable pages for taking notes, answering questions and more
- Instructions on how to create a digital presentation of material learned
- An assessment rubric
- A completion certificate
- Suggestions for learning more about inventors
WHO SHOULD DO THIS UNIT STUDY?
This Famous Inventors Online Unit Study should work well for:
- kids who are good with and like technology.
- kids who do not like a lot of reading and writing.
- kids who like to work independently.
- moms who want to save time by not searching Pinterest for ideas, scouring the internet for links and hoping they find a free printable on the subject!
This Famous Inventors Online Unit Study would likely not work well for:
- families who shy away from technology.
- kids who cannot work independently.
- kids who cannot read fluently at at least a third grade level.
- moms who like to design everything themselves!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this Famous Inventors Online Unit Study! It was quick to purchase, easy to access and simple to navigate. The material was thorough, yet not overwhelming and was presented in a variety of styles and from an array of sites. I highly recommend considering adding this resource to your homeschool arsenal!
You can go here for more info or to purchase it.
Techie Homeschool Mom has several online unit studies including:
- Solar System
- Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome
- Famous Artists
- Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, Ben Franklin and more biographies
- Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Christmas and more holidays
- Elections
- Olympics
- AND MORE!
WHY DO I ADORE SARA?
She’s the kind of homeschool mom who boggles my mind because I don’t know how she does it all! Sara teaches multiple kids, blogs on two sites, sells adorable tee shirts on a third site, has a new puppy, is a marathon runner…and those are just the things I know about her from being online friends and colleagues for a few years. I suspect she’s also a devoted wife, stellar housekeeper and knits sweaters for shelter cats in her spare time. 🙂 But, you ‘d never know any of that because she is also one of the most humble people ever. She’s amazingly helpful, very generous and determined to glorify God in both the victories and trials of life. Check out Blessed Homeschool for some great homeschool ideas, Homeschool Style Co for some adorable homeschool mom apparel and Techie Homeschool Mom for several online unit studies and more!
