If you are like me, then you like to create your own homeschool lesson plans, and tailor what you teach to what your kids want to learn.  Curriculums are great for math and language arts, and I use them wholeheartedly...but when it comes to history, science, and social studies, I am a free spirit.  And, being a Christian homeschooling family, we like to relate the Bible into just about anything we teach/learn.  My kids love to see how the Bible ties into real historical events and how Earth is shaped by the catastrophic events that happened in Bible times (like the flood shaping the continents, etc.)

To this end, I want to list topics at the beginning of each month where you have the freedom to make your own lessons based on these monthly ideas.  These are just ideas, and if you have some of your own ideas, please let me know!  How to Develop a Homeschool Unit Study is a great place to learn how to put your lesson together into a neat and compact binder, and tailor it to meet the needs of children of varying ages, if that applies to you.

On to the ideas for January!

Polar Bear Lesson Plan
     Information about polar bears
     Create puzzles at Puzzlemaker.com
     Bible Reference:  Genesis 1:24-25

Penguin Lesson Plan
     Information about penguins
     Create puzzles at Puzzlemaker.com
     Bible Reference:  Genesis 1:24-25

Winter Theme Lesson Plan
     Book Suggestion:  "The Winter Solstice" by Ellen Jackson
     Science Experiment:  Expanding on Ice
     Winter Writing Prompts
     Make a winter craft
     Bible References:  Genesis 8:22 and Psalm 74:17

Crime Stopper Month
     Take a field trip to your local police station
     Learn about policemen and other community helpers
     Make a police craft
    
The whole purpose of developing your own lesson plans is to gather the information you find useful and put it all together in a way that makes sense to you!  Have fun with it.

Additional Ideas

January is:              

- Bath Safety Month
- Clown Month
- Eye Health Care Month
- Letter Writing Month
- Radio Month
- Soup Month
- Canned Foods Month (great time to donate canned goods to a shelter!)

Have a great New Year!