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Checklist and tips for the end of the homeschool Year clean out. When it’s time to clean up your homeschool room/area before you can enjoy summer break, follow the checklist and tips.

“This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.”

End of the School Year

It is almost that time of year. Your reaching the end of that math book. You and your kids are feeling the end is drawing near to your homeschool year. For those of us that follow a traditional school schedule, May represents the drawing near of school ending and the beginning of summer. I am all ready to start getting rid of things that I will no longer need.

It’s time to pack up the curriculum and move onto summer. It is a much welcomed time for our family. We homeschool with a lot of pizazz and go full force, but there is something about May that makes us ready to “ring the school bell” one last time. We are ready for summer. Trips to the mountains, beaches, museums, parks, friends houses…. Anything but the routines of the school year.

Here Comes Summer!

One of my favorite aspects of the school year ending is purging and cleaning out our homeschool goodies. Piled in our home is nine months of art projects, math worksheets, manipulatives, books that are now too simple, dioramas, “inventions”, old dried out glue, finished curriculum, broken crayons, dried out markers, scraps of papers, oh my crazy list of too much school stuff could go on and on.

These things need to get out of my house and into the donation bag, the trash can, or up for resell on Ebay. I welcome the feelings of joy that come from the clear out! Sometimes it is not easy to know where to start

I put together this summer homeschool cleaning list for those of you who like a little bit of direction and that oh so good feeling of checking off a list. Print it up, put it on a clipboard, and begin the summer clean-out of your homeschool room (or cabinet).

Get your Free Homeschool Summer Cleaning Checklist Here

I don’t know about you, but cleaning seems much more rewarding when I can check items off a list! It just feels good, doesn’t it? Having a checklist for some reason makes me feel more productive

Yearbooks, Memory Books, Portfolios, OH MY!

Keeping a memory book has been my favorite addition to our homeschooling. We work on it throughout the year. We add pictures and collect our favorite work samples. My children always enjoy looking through them and sharing them with grandparents and friends. I wish I would have started sooner. But I guess it is better late than never.

In regards to portfolios, I have never kept an official one. What I do is have a file folder for each child where I place additional work that they are proud of. For Science and History, I have always kept art notebooks where we place all of our corresponding projects (that is for another post however).

Here is a link to the article on memory books that you mind find helpful.

Materials and Supplies List

What Do I Do With School Materials That I No Longer Need?

There are so many options when it comes to leftover curriculum and books. Below is a list of options for you:

Give the curriculum away!

Are there any other homeschooling families that may be in need of the curriculum that you used with your children? Some families struggle to afford curriculum, so passing it on to them can be a true blessing.

Sell your USED curriculum

I often sell my used curriculum on Ebay.com. Listing it during the summer months is best because that is when other homeschool families are looking to get their curriculum for the next year. Your buyers are saving money by purchasing used curriculum and you are able to make money to purchase your new curriculum (or used :-))

Anther great place to sell your used curriculum is a yard sale or to a group of other homeschool families. You can organize a used curriculum sale and trade with one another.

Donate Your Used Books and Curriculum to Your Local Thrift Store

Get a tax deduction by itemizing your donations to your local thrift store.

Recycle Your Used Curriculum

If the curriculum is consumable, then it may be best to recycle it.

The Difficulty in Cleaning

One area where we continue to struggle is parting with art projects. My daughter who is super artistic gives special attention to the art she creates. Tossing any of them is not easy for her. I do encourage her to only keep her favorites, but I am allowing for slow growth in this area. Taking pictures of her creations does help. I do forget to put the pictures in her memory books, however.

Let me know of tips or tricks you have to cleaning up your homeschooling year and getting ready for the summer.

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Do you enjoy planning homeschool lessons around your children’s interests? I know that I do. However, sometimes it can feel overwhelming. Where do I begin with planning? What should I include in my unit study? How can I keep track of supplies, books, crafts, and websites?

I developed The Perfect Unit Study Planner to help organize and answer all of these questions.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details.

The Perfect Unit Study Planning Packet Printable!

Specific directions for this planning packet can be found at the end of this post. Don’t forget to subscribe for more homeschooling tips tools.

What is a Homeschool Unit Study?

Unit studies (also known as thematic unit studies) are a popular tool for teaching around a particular subject of interest. They allow students to see what they are learning as a whole and they provide an excellent alternative to textbooks.

Why Should I add Unit Studies to my homeschooling day?

Are you looking for a way to teach multiple children at different grade levels? Do you want to encourage a love of learning and engage your child’s interests? Homeschool Unit Studies are the answer!

What Are the Benefits of a Homeschool Unit Study?

My kids and I love Unit studies! It allows us to dig deeply into subjects that we are interested in. We are able to integrate so many of our subjects into our unit study. It not only encourages a love for learning, (sometimes my kids just can’t get enough) and it actually saves time in our schedule. For example, when we centered our learning around deep sea adventure, writing, spelling, reading, science, history, and even math were integrated all together, saving us time when compared to our normal homeschooling schedule. My children are able to learn together as well.

Why I Love Homeschool Unit Studies:

Perhaps my favorite part of Homeschool Unit Studies is that it allows my children to be creative and be hands-on. I make sure that I include free time in my unit study plans so that my children can play or create around the subject we are learning about. For example, for the deep sea unit, I may give them a large cardboard box to create a deep sea submarine or provide crafting material so that my children can make the animals or deep sea exploration tools for survival. This is really a child-focused free time, let them decide what they want to create and how they want to create it.

Here is a List of Some of the Benefits of a Homeschool Unit Study:

• less expensive than traditional curriculum and more tailored to your child’s interests
• freedom for children to take their time and learn at their own pace
• learn as a family- all ages can learn through unit studies
• hands-on learning is primary- this is proven to be the best way for children to learn
• in-depth learning
• Creating lasting memories
• Opportunities to learn in a less traditional way

How Long Should a Unit Study Last?

A Homeschool Unit Study can last as long as you and your kiddos want it to last. When we covered a unit study on birds, it seemed to last for months because my kids fell in love with birds. In fact a year later and my daughter still asks for bird learning. Some unit studies can be quicker: a couple of days or a week. Plan according to your children’s abilities and interests. Also, know when you stop your unit study and don’t drag it on longer than you need to.

How often should I plan out unit studies?

This is just my opinion, however, I suggest only planning out 4-5 unit studies a year. Sometimes they will last several weeks, depending on how much depth you and your children want to go into. They can work around you and your children’s schedules. Depending on the type of educator that you are, planning a unit study that you are happy with can take a good amount of time, so start planning ahead. Complete the planning of your unit studies during a time where you are less busy.

Homeschool Unit Study Ideas

Topic Based

• Space
• Exploration
• Civil War
• Mammals
• The Ocean
• Pets
• The Civil Rights Movement
• Government
• Habitats
• Insects
• Dinosaurs
• Dragons in History
• Honeybees
• Australia
• Shark Week
• Weather
• Missionaries in China
• Microbes
• The Constitution
• Money
• Finance

Literature Based

• Anne of Green Gables
• Pedro’s Journey
• Shakespeare
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
• Charlotte’s Web
• Little House on the Prairie
• Any C.S. Lewis Book
• The Hobbit
• The Green Ember Series

Directions: How do I use the Homeschool Unit Study Planning Packet?

Thank you for downloading the planning packet. Here are the directions for using this tool:

Step 1. Look at the topics you will be covering this year with your children. Talk with your kids about their interests and what they would love to learn about. Feel free to give them ideas and ask guiding questions.

Step 2. Decide on your topic/theme. We chose the “Deep Sea” for ours. You can go many different routes. For example, you can base your unit study on a piece of literature and then learn around that or you can choose a specific topic and check out a variety of books on that topic. For the Deep Sea, I did not use a piece of literature to guide our unit study, instead I chose a variety of books that were interesting to my kids and we learned that way. Both ways are great, so choose what you think will work better for your family.

Step 3. Go over the KWL chart with your children. Fill in the first two columns: What you know already and what you want to learn. You will fill out the final column, “What I learned” at the completion of your unit study.

Step 4. Take some preliminary notes as you prepare your research (this you will do without your children). What should you know as background knowledge as you guide your children through this study. What do you need to research further? Take learning notes on your planning page. You can also record ways to integrate all subject areas into your unit study. How can you intertwine writing, reading, spelling, phonics, history, and science? Unit studies can be a very efficient way to integrate cross-curricular study.

Step 5. Start filling in what you need to accomplish for your unit study. Do you need to purchase books or check some out at the library? Do you need to shop at the Dollar Tree or Amazon.com? Do you need to research field trips or talk with another homeschool family who is learning the same thing?

Step 6. Research good quality books that you can use. Take an inventory of those books that you will use in your unit study. Write them on the planning sheet. I suggest keeping these books in a specific place, such as a basket or space on the shelf. This allows you to find them quickly when you need them.

Step 7. Research Youtube and Pinterest for ideas. You can create a playlist on Youtube and a board on Pinterest to keep track of what you want to use. Fill out the planning form as a reminder.

Step 8. Brainstorm board games and card games that correlate with you unit of study. Record them you your planning sheet. You can even create your own. For instructions on making your own educational card game, click here.

Step 9. Research and jot down any websites that might be helpful as you study your unit. For example, we visited Nationalgeographic.com often when we studied the deep sea.

Step 10. Keep track of movies, audiobooks, dvds or online movies that are useful for your study. Are you kids going to watch “Wild Kratts” on Netflix as they study? Write that down on your planning sheet.

Step 11. CRAFTS and HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES!!! This is my favorite part. I spend a lot of time correlating what we learn to hands-on activities. I have books that

Step 12. Field trip ideas and notes. Where can you go to support the learning that has taken place? Take lots of pictures when you go

Step 13. How can you integrate yummy food and recipes? Are you learning about the Goldrush? Could you learn how to make coffee or the bread that they used to eat? You can center a meal or a tea party around your unit/theme. Don’t forget to take pictures!

Step 14. Having an idea of how many days you want your unit study to be is a good idea. But make sure that you are flexible and know when to either end it or extend it. Use the Unit study daily overview planning sheet to start taking all of the ideas you have found and record what you want to accomplish or cover each day.

Step 15. Keep track of the supplies you will need for each day and keep them in a tub or basket.

Step 16. Create Daily lesson plans. While I do not use these for each lesson I teach with my children, sometimes I like to organize my thoughts and how I want to teach, so I use the daily lesson plan template. You can use this template for any subject and for any grade. You can also use it as a guide if you teach co-ops or in a classroom setting.

Step 17. Have fun, be creative, and enjoy learning with your kids!

Other Amazing Homeschool Websites for your reference when learning about unit studies

OurJourneyWestward.com has good introductory information on Unit Studies.

Homeschool-your-boys.com has a great article on the benefits of Unit Studies as well.

Links to Free Unit Studies

Faith and Good Works is a great website that features a “Giant List Of Free Unit Studies”

It’s a Mother Thing is a website that has a “100 Free Unit Study for all ages.“

Some Paid Unit Studies

CareitPatch.com has an Apple Unit Study available for purchase on Etsy.com

Do you and your family use unit studies in your homeschooling? Do you have any suggestions for planning a homeschool unit study? I look forward to hearing from you.

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