Unit Study Review-The Old Schoolhouse Magazine-Fall 2003 Produce Review by Christine Field, Senior Correspondend, TOS Magazine Christian Cottage Unit Studies History, science, Bible and more -- every homeschooler dreams of combining these studies to meet the needs of all ages of their students. Hard to do? Not with Christian Cottage Unit Studies! Author Teri Spray has a vast amount of varied experience. She and her husband started a school service in 1986 called Christian Cottage School Services. They developed numerous unit studies for their enrolled students. This four volume set is the compilation of those years of experience and it is wonderful! Teri, who holds a Colorado teacher's license, has taught students of all ages and ability levels and (just like your reviewer) has a special heart for struggling students. These unit studies are super mom friendly! Each volume is multi-level, with successive two-week or one month schedules planned out to cover science, history, Bible, creative writing, literature and fine arts for the year. There are four levels of activities presented - all in a useable format. The recommended resources range from library books to your previously purchassed textbooks. Let's take a look at one of the volumes. In Volume One, called "In the Beginning, God!" the following topics are covered: Roots and Relations: The Foundation of Civilization; Light and Matter: Let There Be Light; Early Civilizations: From Tower to Tabernacle to Temple; Oceanography: The Waters He Called Seas; Greece & Rome: Foundations of our Culture; Weather: God Called the Expanse Sky; Middle Ages; Bread of Life: Biomes, Birds, Bugs and Bodies; Astronomy: The Heavens Declare His Glory. And that's just one volume! Volume Two is called, "For God So Loved the World" and covers the Eastern hemisphere; Volume Three is called "God Bless America" and covers the Western hemisphere and the foundations of America through the Revolutionary War. Volume Four, called "Blessed to Be a Blessing" covers the United States from 1800 to 2000. Are you intimidated by a heavily hands-on curriculum? The Sprays make it easy! Their hands-on activities are meaningful, but not overly complicated for Mom. Best of all, they mostly use common household items so you won't be searching around town for obscure ingredients. Yes, you can make a salt dough map - and more! Do you like the idea of unit studies, but are concerned about learning gaps? You need not be. These four volumes are designed to cover all grades, all topics, with no gaps in learning. And no arbitrary skipping from topic to topic either, because everything is hung on the frame of history. What a delight! As of this writing, each volume sells for $75 dollars, with special pricing for multiple volumes. You can send for a sample kit for $10. This product is a blessing, a bargain - and brilliant! Another product they have available is Sight Words: Curriculum for Beginning Readers. They take 201 common sight words and give the teacher an eight step process to teach each word, including saying, spelling, writing in the air, writing on a board and using the word in a sentence. A few minutes of drill a day and your early reader will benefit tremendously. Whether you have a struggling learner or a masterful researcher, these unit studies will WORK for your family. | 
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