The Value of Units

When I talk to people about doing units (themed educational activities) with my children, I sometimes have moms tell me: "I'd love to do something like that but . . .
"I'm too busy!" 
"I don't have the time or creativity!"

"It seems like too much work!" 

I know that as moms we are all different, and what works for one may not work for another, but I thought I would just share with you some of the reasons why I do units and the value that I see in them. And show you that doing activities like these actually do not take much time, creativity or work at all! 

#1.   Language Development   

My good friend Nicole started doing themed summer units with her little boy this last summer. As a speech pathologist, she told me that she noticed what a great exercise in language development units are - that they are a fantastic way to expose kids to new words and concepts and to grow their vocabulary. I have noticed this to be VERY true with my son. I am amazed at how his vocabulary and understanding of words and concepts grows with each unit we do! My son has a large vocabulary and great pronunciation for a two year old and I truly believe it's all thanks to these units. 

#2. No More Boredom Blues for Kids (and Mom)!     

Kids' brains need to be challenged and stimulated. They are like little sponges. They WANT to learn and discover. When kids are bored they start to express that boredom through negative behavior.  My mom always says that when a child is acting out (whining, crying, getting upset, acting defiant, misbehaving, etc.) they are one of 3 things: hungry, tired, or bored.  I find this to be all too true with my two year old.  On days when I have fun and constructive learning activities for us to do he behaves SO much better! He takes better naps, he minds better, he throws less tantrums, he's much more workable, etc. 

Additionally, having something fun and creative to do means we're not stuck at home doing the same old things, playing with the same old toys. My kids are happier. I'm happier. If any of you are like me, and had/are having a hard time adjusting to being a stay at home mom, take my word for it! Doing units with your kids will not only help your kids it will help YOU by giving you an outlet for your creativity, and a way to learn and discover things right along with your kids. Not to mention it breaks up the day and makes long days at home seem much more bearable. 

#3. Units =  More Time for Mom 

It's the strangest thing, but the more time I give to planning fun and constructive activities for my son, the more time I seem to have for myself! That's because the hour or so that I spend each day engaged in an activity with my son - giving him undivided, phone and internet-free attention, playing and learning and using our minds and imagination together, the more likely he is to play by himself later and, like I said above, behave better - which means I can get more done.  Our units spark his creativity and give him ideas of things to play and imagine, and because he's gotten a heavy dose of attention he's not as needy.  For example, when we were doing our Under the Sea Unit, we spent part of the morning reading books about the ocean and making a fun aquarium craft together. When we were done he ran to his bedroom and dug out a shark toy he hadn't played with in almost a year and spent the next couple of hours in vivid, imaginative play! As a result, I had some precious time to myself to be productive. I realized how true it is that the more time you give to your kids, the more time they'll give to you!

#4. Units Expand Your Kids' Minds and Horizons

I've said it before, but statistics show that children lose up to 20% of their knowledge over the summer months. That's because so many children spend their break sitting on the couch playing video games or watching TV. Even if they are getting out and doing fun things, their minds are not being challenged.  Units help children to keep their brains active and engaged which in turn helps them be better prepared for the coming school year.  Perhaps more importantly though, units can help children to be more cultured, well-versed, and even creative. It helps them to notice the world around them and in turn, understand and appreciate the world around them. For example, growing up my mom's units introduced us to Japanese sushi and calligraphy, Irish folklore, English history, Chinese culture, and so much more. We did art projects, learned to cook, memorized famous poems, tried new foods, read hundreds of books, and learned big, new words.
 This summer when we were doing our Lift Up Thine Eyes unit - all about the sky - we were driving in the car to take my husband to school. It's the same route we take every single morning and (thanks to living in Arizona) our mornings are usually blue-skied with white puffy clouds. My son had never taken note of the sky before though. This time, however, as we were driving my son all of the sudden exclaimed from the back seat "Mommy!!!! Mommy!!!! Clouds!!!!"    It was like a whole new world had opened up to him.

#5. It's So Easy!   

  While doing units and activities with your kids may seem time consuming or too much hassle, surprisingly it takes no more than 30 minutes to plan and prepare a unit. I'm not kidding, folks! With the internet there is such a wealth of information, ideas, step-by-step instructions, etc. out there that all you need is about 10 minutes to google or Pinterest an idea and make a quick list of the activities you want to do. Then, all you'll need to do is add a few extra items to your weekly grocery list (like craft supplies or special food items) and maybe make a trip to the library. I even reserve the books I want online and pick them up at our library's drive-thru window. It's that simple!  And because there are so many ideas out there, you don't need to worry about being creative enough to come up with your own. You may surprise yourself once you get started, but if not, just copy ideas like the ones on my blog or the million other ones out there!

When planning your unit, try to cover a range of different activities. I usually try to plan an activity for each one of the following categories:

Cooking
(A fun treat or recipe that goes along with your theme. Try to involve your kids in the process.)

Spelling 
(or math, letters, counting, colors, sorting, new words, or other age-appropriate learning activities. ateachingmommy.com is a great free resource for this!)

Arts and Crafts 
(Get creative and get colorful. Most importantly, get hands on.)

Reading
(Books to be read to by mom and books to read by oneself if they are old enough. Find books on your child's reading level that have to do with your theme.)

Field Trip
(A visit somewhere fun that has to do with your theme)

Music
(Learn and sing new songs, listen to music, etc.)

Geography
(If it applies, learn a little geography. For example, if you're doing a knights and princess unit learn where England is on a map. If you're doing a rainforest activity, learn where the earth's major rainforests are.)


Remember, Pinterest is a fantastic resource for almost all of the above!

And on that note. . . while Pinterest has a way of making us try to out-do everyone else and ourselves, just remember that the point of these units are to enrich the minds and lives of your children and help you spend quality time with them, NOT to look like Mom-of-the-Year. Your activities, treats, and crafts do not need to be pin-worthy, they just need to be simple and fun! I always say, "The minute it becomes work, its not working!"  So keep your ideas easy, simple, and fun and if you botch a recipe or mess up a craft, just remember how funny Pinterest fails can be :) (Like the time I tried to make white, sparkling snow play-dough but mixed up the recipe so our "snow" was an icky brown color.) If nothing else, your family and you will get a good laugh!

Last but not least, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes of all time. It pretty much sums up the whole point of units, and motherhood, and how I feel about both...

"A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and

excitement.  It is our own misfortune that for most of us that
clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and
awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.

If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over
the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each
child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it
would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the
boredom and disenchantment of later years...

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder...he needs the
companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering
with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."

Rachel Carson

It is my hope that each of you can be that companion to your children... with or without units. :)

xoxo