We are currently homeschooling in Quebec. It isn't easy to deal with the policies here, but we are making due. While the policies have affected some of our choices in study topics, we have been able to study in the way we like and have had fun doing it, for the most part. I like the topics to be student led as much as possible. The books I choose lean more toward a Charlotte Mason style of "living" books. Of course, we are always learning by playing games and every one of my units includes one. Want to learn more about child led learning? Check out this post.
We have been using some purchased curriculum. We used Shiller Math book 4 and part of book 5 this year. It is a Montessori based math curriculum. Both kids (12 and 3) used Muzzy for learning French. It is a light video based program, but we needed something light this year. The rest of our studies were through unit studies that I created on my own. You can learn to make your own unit studies here. It's so quick and easy.
Below are the units we used. We did not do every activity in each of them. I make the studies with a list of possibilities and we see what fits naturally into our days. Often, we skip activities or even not finish some of the books if there is just no interest or the kiddo wants to move on to a new topic. All of these units are available on our unit studies page.
Shakespeare
This unit study covers language arts, history, and art. It begins with a brief history of Shakespeare's life and times. Then reading a Shakespeare play of your choosing together. After finishing the play, you will be playing Kill Shakespeare a board game about the characters of Shakespeare's plays. Finally, you will be reading and writing sonnets. It is geared toward grades 6-9
The Solar System
This unit study covers science, language arts, history, math, and art. You will be doing non-fiction book reports, exploring the Nasa website, building models, and playing Terraforming Mars. The topics covered include the history of space study/exploration, the sun, planets, and our moon. You will also be discussing the process of terraforming a planet. It is geared toward grades 4-7.
World War II
This unit study covers language arts, history, science, math, and art. You will be doing a variety of hands on activities as you work your way through World War II for kids. You will be reading a book about the Holocaust, watching some great videos, and playing through a campaign of Undaunted Normandy. It is geared toward grades 5-8.
The Immune System
This short unit study will cover the 1918 flu pandemic, how the immune system works, and how illness has shaped history. The board game for this unit is Pandemic. All of the resources in this unit are available digitally (except glitter) so you do not need to leave home to do this study. It is geared toward grades 3-7.
Matter & Elements
This unit covers language arts, science, and art. Compounded is the board game suggestion for this unit. You will be learning about matter and its states as well as learning about the periodic table of elements. The reader is one of our son's favorite books and is a very exciting read! All the resources for this unit are available digitally except the board game and it is geared toward grades 5-8.
Energy
This unit covers language arts, science, and history. Click Clack Lumberjack is the board game suggestion for this unit. You will be learning about energy, like movement and friction as well as learning about one boy who harnessed the wind to create energy. There is also an escape room about Newton's laws. All the resources for this unit are available digitally except the board game and it is geared toward grades 5-8.
Supplementing
You may notice a lack of Quebec history, if you are from Quebec. We covered this with many visits to Pointe a Calliere, also known as the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History. We made many other cultural field trips throughout the year. We watch a lot of Extra History on YouTube and other documentaries too, for added science and history. Attending a French speaking church has helped with language practice. We watch TV in French in the mornings as well.
Portfolio
Over the course of the year I add work into the Kiddo's portfolio. I use Seesaw and like it. One thing that I recommend doing is having a running list of topics covered. I keep this in an editable file in the seesaw portfolio. It helps me to search out the educational moments in our days. When we have a random conversation about the probability of drawing a card in a deck or we play a game and look up a documentary to find out who Boudica is, I add them as topics to our list. This gives me and my homeschool rep a more comprehensive list of the topics covered over the course of the year. It also help me to remember that learning is happening even when I haven't plugged it into a unit or seen it in a purchased curriculum. You can find a more detailed account of how I make portfolios in this blog post.