Getting Dad Involved in the Homeschool

One of our favorite ways to learn is through student-directed unit studies.  When the kids show an interest in a subject, and take the initiative to start learning about it themselves, then we try to find a unit study to augment their research.  Usually, though, it's just mom and the kids.  Dad has a job and doesn't get involved in the homeschooling very much....or he didn't until we discovered Campfire Curriuclums.

As anyone who hasn't been living under a rock knows, our world is in a crazy place right now...and it's going to get a whole lot crazier before things settle down.  So when the owners of Campfire Curriculums reached out and asked if we would like to try a free unit, we opted for the Home Defense.  This isn't the gun-toting, redneck, insert-your-favorite-insulting-descriptor-here unit study that some of you are currently envisioning; it's a unit study about empowering children - of all ages - to know what to do if they are in an unsafe situation, as well as how to avoid them in the first place.  I think we can all agree that our children should have some basic knowledge on self-defense...

Campfire Curriculums are Christian-based unit studies that have one unique feature -- each of their units is heavily assisted by someone who is actively working (or recently retired) from the field being covered.  The material covered is detailed, specific, and not something you could just copy and paste from online.  Some of the available units cover life in the emergency room, firefighting, volcanology, and professional chef.  There are also 'fun' units as well, covering Thanksgiving and Christmas (other holidays are coming soon) and even Pirates of the Caribbean!

Each digital download unit comes with five components:

• Pre-reader journal - Includes coloring pages, activities to use with toys, and some cutting activities.  It is very visual.
• Elementary journal - Includes games, riddles, and activities.  It's not nearly as visual, with quite a bit of reading and writing for a new reader...if your child is new to reading, stick with prereader to avoid frustration.
• Middle journal - Includes reading, games, activities, and thinking questions.  There is a lot of reading, but it is age-appropriate.
• High school journal - Very reading-oriented, with lots of technical terms and descriptions, these are similar to a job shadowing experience.  You could use six to eight of these and complete a full year of career-exploration...and your student will learn a lot from them!
• Teacher journal - This is similar to the high school one, but includes instructions for the teacher and components of all the journals so that you know what each child is seeing.
• The Home Defense unit also contained a separate download with a piece from the Emergency Room unit.  This piece was used in conjunction with the medical topic.

Home Defense is broken down into twelve lessons.  Each is approximately twenty minutes long, but a few of the activities took us longer....partly because we kept going down bunny trails with them!  At the end of each lesson is a "lessons learned" section that recaps everything covered.  There is also a page that relates each of the lessons to the Bible and scripture.

These units are designed to get dads involved with homeschooling, and this unit lent itself nicely to that mission.  Mom went over the 'book material' of each lesson, and then Dad took on further discussions, questions and answers, and all hands-on activities.  Each student received his own age-appropriate journal, and we worked together as a family.  In this sense, the units are similar to Gather Round...only they are way more appropriately-priced, in my opinion.

Want to learn more about Campfire Curriculums?  Check out their website or visit them on YouTube!

Per the company (1/7) - Due to the current climate here in the U.S., Campfire Curriculums wanted to offer everyone a 50% discount on Home Defense. The coupon code for purchase is: Defend50. It’s never too early to learn to protect your home. (I do not know an expiration date for this code.)

*We received this product in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are our own.*