I have designed this unit study to be completed with all online resources.  But, you can always add so much more by simply visiting your local library, too.

Whenever we do a unit study, I compile research objectives, activities, worksheets, music, recipes, etc. in one place to get a general plan of where we will go.  I have my children write the answers to research questions on notebooking pages and include lots of drawings, maps, and decoration.  For my youngest child, I allow her to narrate answers to me, while still drawing her own pictures, so that she has a completed notebook just like the other two.  You can choose a method that works best with your own homeschooling style.  Nothing MUST be written down, that is simply my style and my children’s practice for writing.  Number one is having fun and following the interest of your children.  If they are absolutely absorbed with the castles of Germany, but couldn’t care less about the clothing, then delve as deep as they wish into the history, architecture, and battles of the castles and just breeze through the clothing.

Visit Country Reports.org for a very condensed timeline of German history and explore the site for a photo gallery and other good information.

Geography

Find Germany on a world map.  What continent is it on?  Does it connect to an ocean?  If so, which one(s)?  What are the neighboring countries?  What is the capital city?  Print out a blank map of Germany and label major cities, mountain ranges, forests, and rivers.  What countries and oceans would you have to travel through to get to Germany from your home?

Make the German flag using strips of black, red, and yellow construction paper.

Enchanted Learning has outlne maps of Germany and Europe and flag information,

National Geographic Xpeditions has wonderful printable maps.

Worksheet Works has costumizable maps and crossword puzzles.

World Atlas has a great, large color map for overview.

Culture

Study the traditional clothing of Germany.  An easy way to see pictures of all the different types of clothing is a tour through the online catalog of Ernst Licht, but you can also search Google Images.  What are lederhosen, dirndl, mieder, bundhosen, gamsbart, and bayern vests?  Have your child choose one outfit to draw.

Make a traditional Bavarian hat out of construction paper.  The pattern is here.

Learn to say the numbers 1-12 in German at Enchanted Learning.

Tour the castles of Germany online.  Choose one castle to study in depth.  Record it’s history, date of construction, layout, architecture, location, defenses, and battles.  Try to build your own castle using construction paper, paper towel rolls, tissue boxes, Dixie cups, toilet paper rolls, chenille stems, etc., or using playdough.  Be sure to put in lots of spires and turrets!

Here are links to explore German castles:

Castles of Germany, Destination 360, and Top Ten Must See Castles in Germany.

Music

You can listen to samples of German music on Amazon.com.  There is also a selection of German music on Grandpa Schober’s MIDI Music (scroll down to the German section).  What is Polka music?  What is it’s history?  Did it originate in Germany? Listen to Polka music on 24/7 Polka Heaven.  What is an accordion?  What are it’s bellows?  What types of music is it used in?

Language Arts

The Grimm Brothers are writers that were born in Germany.  Study their lives on the Grimm Brothers’ Home Page and Wikipedia.  Read some of their original writings online.  Make a list of their most famous stories.  How many do you already know?  Which stories have been made into movies?  Have your child choose their favorite story and either narrate or write a new ending to it.  Can they invent their own fairy tale?  Draw illustrations for it as well!

There are a great multitude of famous German people.  Read lists of them here and choose one to write a short biography about their life.  Why are they famous?  Where in Germany were they born?  Did they live their entire lives in Germany?  When did they live?  Did they have children?  What contributions did they make to the world?

Oktoberfest

Finally, read about the history of Oktoberfest.  When was the first Oktoberfest?  What did it origianlly celebrate?  Why does it begin in September?  What was the most popular activity in the first years?  How do they celebrate today?  Is it a popular festival?

I would end the unit study with a German meal as suggested in Grammy Sheryl’s blog, Happy October! Then I would gather as a family with full bellies and watch Sound of Music!

Have fun!

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