Branch Out World {Homeschool Crew Review}

From the beginning of our homeschool journey, our favorite method has been using lit-based unit studies. So, even though my children are all beyond the age range, I was pleased with the opportunity to check out one of the Picture Book Explorers units from Branch Out World. We took a virtual trip to England and Peru with Paddington Bear.

Branch Out World is a British based company, with literature based unit studies written by a veteran homeschool mother. Each of the books used in the Picture Book Explorers studies is linked to the United Kingdom somehow, either in setting, or by author or illustrator. 

The premise of the unit study is to read Paddington Bear each day for five days, then follow up with activities from selected suggestions for that day.

Daily selections are as follows:

Day 1~Exploring the setting--when and where. The focus is on the history and geography, as well as themes presented in the book.

Day 2~Exploring the words--literary devices, sometimes grammar, as well as providing opportunities for creative writing, and learning about the author.

Day 3~Exploring the pictures--looking at the illustrations in detail, provides suggestions for you child to create his/her own artwork, and even learning about the illustrator.

Day 4~Exploring science--scientific topics that arise in the book, such as learning about animals, and hands-on experiments.

Day 5~Exploring math, crafts, and more--math activities in relation to the story, craft activities, and recipes.

Even though the Picture Book Explorers units are designed for ages 5-10, we had fun...because I "borrowed" my homeschool friend's grandchildren to have fun with this.

I didn't get to meet with them for five days, so we covered a variety of subjects during the visit I had in each home.

First, SJ and I played met with Miss M and her mama and baby brother at their house. I had printed off a few things ahead of time, and wasn't certain how much we'd actually be able to accomplish. Miss M will be 5 in September, so she is on the young end of the age range. She is precocious, so I knew she'd have fun with some of this at least.

Miss M's mom read Paddington Bear to her before we even arrived, to save us a little time. Then I had Miss M (with help from SJ) cut out the little suitcase, so she could place stickers in it without overlapping them. A fun spatial-awareness activity.

We located Peru (which is from where Paddington came) and London, England, on the map. SJ helped her place the tiny flags on the proper locations. I also printed off a passport, and fact sheets about Peru, England, and bears, for Miss M's mama to go over with her when time was available.

One of my favorite activities to include in any unit study is cooking! With Paddington Bear there are several opportunities to do that: meringue; marmalade; strawberry tarts.

And, of course, because this is a British based study, a tea party is suggested, because Paddington had tea.

A few days later, SJ and I met at my friend's house, on a day she had her grandson, Mr. A. She also had Miss M that day! Since I had some different activities lined up for Mr. A, it was not all repeat for Miss M. Mr. A will be 8 next month, so I chose a few of the more challenging activities for him.

Both Mr. A and Miss M enjoyed the foam making demonstration. I think even SJ was impressed.

Then the kids made pictures of Paddington using shaving foam, colored with a bit of food coloring. Miss J helped distribute and color the foam.

After their hard work, they were rewarded with time to swim in Grandma's pool, and a sample of the meringue for snack time.

You will definitely want to check out the rest of their Picture Book Explorers unit studies! If I had younger children, or grandchildren in that age range, I'd certainly be wanting to check out some of the other titles for our use.

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Be sure to check out how my fellow Crew mates used Paddington Bear; simply click the banner below.

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