Do your children love to create and design? Have they ever wanted to create a novel invention? I’m excited to introduce our amazing, hands-on Inventors and Inventions unit study! This unit will inspire your children with the stories of some great inventors of all times, then guide your children in using the design thinking process to create their own inventions.

Did you know that Samuel Morse, the inventor of Morse Code, was also a portrait artist? And Hedy Lamarr, whose invention became the basis for WiFi, was also a proficient pianist and dancer! Does it surprise you that Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was homeschooled?

That is only the beginning! Get ready to be astonished as we discover Inventors and Inventions with playful, inquiry-based, hands-on fun!

Get a FREE Family Unit Study Sample

Want to see what our unit studies are like? You can download a sample from the Stars and Constellations Family Unit Study right here:

What is a Family Unit Study?

But first… what exactly is a Family Unit Study?

This unit study, like all of our ever-growing library of unit studies, takes one big topic—Inventor and Inventions—and breaks it down into ten manageable, bite-sized learning topics. This format gives you the freedom to dive into learning at a pace that works for your family.

Perhaps you do one area per day, perhaps one per week. Whatever suits your fancy! You can learn and explore from start to finish in about one hour per bite-sized learning topic.

Each of the ten topics included with a unit study contains everything you need for that topic, including:

• a curated YouTube video,
• suggested information to read,
• a “what’s happening” section,
• an interesting fact,
• a discussion question,
• literacy and math extension questions,
• and an ultimate-can’t-be-beat hands-on activity!

Dive in and watch the sparks of wonder ignite. Watch the child-led learning take off. Watch what happens when children are engaged in what they are learning!

Inventors and Inventions Family Unit Study

Let’s take a look at the topics covered in Inventors and Inventions:

Topic 1: What is an Inventor?

What exactly is an inventor, and what do they do? Learn about some famous inventors, then play a fun game of inventor memory match! 

Topic 2: The Great Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison is best known for his contributions to the light bulb and electricity. Learn about Edison’s over 1,000 inventions, then create your own DIY light table for some fun, engaging sensory play. 

Topic 3: Thomas Edison and Perseverance

“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” Learn all about hard work and perseverance, then practice these skills in a social-emotional learning activity.

Topic 4: Samuel Morse

Morse code was the first time a message could be sent instantly over a telegraph. Communication was changed drastically! Learn about Morse code, then use Lego to recreate the alphabet in Morse code.

Topic 5: Create a Code

Explore the how and why behind Morse code. Then, use your creativity to create your own code to communicate with others!

Topic 6: Alexander Graham Bell

After Morse code and the telegraph had been invented, Alexander Graham Bell invented a way for the human voice to be transmitted across a distance. This is what we know as the telephone. Learn about the history of the telephone and create a timeline to show how communication has changed throughout the ages.

Topic 7: The String Phone

Learn all about the sound waves that made the successful invention of the telephone possible. Experiment with tension and vibration as you create your own string phone.

Topic 8: Shirley Ann Jackson

Shirley Ann Jackson utilized her extensive knowledge of theoretical physics to foster breakthroughs in telecommunications research. You will learn all about her amazing accomplishments and inventions while completing a mini biography.

Topic 9: Hedy Lamar

Hedy Lamarr, a renowned actress of the black and white film era, co-invented a technology known as “frequency hopping” during World War II. Her invention later became the basis for modern GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi technology! Choose two methods of communication and compare them using a Venn Diagram.

Topic 10: I Can Be an Inventor

Explore the steps of the Design Thinking Process and discover how it helps create innovative ideas. Use the Design Thinking Process to create your own novel invention.

And there you have it—the ten learning topics that make up our great big Inventors and Inventions Family Unit Study! I hope you will pop on over to check it out and consider purchasing it for yourself and yours.

 

Get the Complete Inventors and Inventions Family Unit Study:

https://shop.howweelearn.com/products/family-unit-study-inventors-and-inventions

Thank you so much for reading!

xo
Sarah