Classic Start Themed Unit Studies
Author: Pamela Maxey
Publisher: Classic Apple


Homeschool mom Pamela Maxey has taken her years of experience and put together a wonderful tool for families with young children!  The early years are a perfect time for trying unit studies since most young children tend to be very hands-on, wiggly learners.  With Classic Start Themed Unit Studies you get a full year of learning in one, easy-to-use volume.  The book follows the seasons with a different unit for each of the traditional "school year" months and a summer unit, which focuses on reading and the author, Cynthia Rylant.  Pamela does not tell you how to schedule your days or weeks, but rather provides you with lots of book and activity suggestions from which to pick and choose.  While some moms might like more guidance, others will appreciate the flexibility to create a schedule that works around their family's lifestyle.

Each month's unit begins with facts about the season and month.  Did you know that January is National Oatmeal Month?  Following the special monthly designations, Pamela provides a "Calendar" listing of important dates; some are well-known like holidays and then there are other, lesser-known events, such as the one for January 24th, the day Chester Nelson patented the "Eskimo Pie".  Using January as an example, the theme is winter and there are various sections with activity suggestions (most of them following a "snow" theme).  The activities fall under the following headings: Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science & Social Studies, and Cooking. Although all of the monthly units follow a similar pattern, each one is unique in its own way.  Some have more Geography or Math activites, while others lend themselves more to Cooking and Writing.  The other units covered during the year are Fish, Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Presidents, Spring, P.D. Eastman, and Bugs.  Some families may be troubled by the Fall unit during the month of October since many of the books and activities involve a halloween-type theme.  The unit does, however, include a few leaves and apple activities; learning from Pam's example of connecting activites and using your local library, it would be easy to add a few more non-halloween, fall books to create your own unit for this month.

Pamela Maxey has done an excellent job creating just the right balance of hands-on versus reading/writing activities. The book and activity suggestions in Classic Start Themed Unit Studies provide lots of stimulating, discovery learning that is critical for young learners.  Moms with young children will appreciate the clear activity instructions that take away all the guesswork, leaving them lots of time to play and learn with their kids! 

Making the grade: A
Cost: $37.95
Value for your homeschool dollar: 8
Review provided by Cindy Prechtel, Editor