This Swiss Family Robinson unit study for homeschoolers was designed to be done by upper elementary and middle schoolers, but you can easily modify the activities and lessons to suit your older or younger kids. Swiss Family Robinson was written by a Swiss pastor who wanted his sons to learn about many topics that he felt were important to know, such as family values, self-reliance, good stewardship of natural resources, frugality, and many others. So he wrote this book and incorporated all of those lessons into the storyline. Even if your entire family will not be participating in the study, reading books together aloud as a family is a great way for your kids to bond (and this is a story that all ages will love!). 🥰
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Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss There are many regular book and audiobook adaptations of this book available; just be sure to get one that is “unabridged“. Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study Printables Find the individual pages in the Free Resource Library or grab the Just the Printables Pack or the full Unit Study Bundle (with all the printables, instructions, and links to all the resources) in the HHO Shop.
Throughout the book, the family encounters many interesting animals. As you read about each new animal, create a page in your Swiss Family Robinson Notebook for that animal. Draw each of these animals and describe them, including where they live and what they eat. They also find many interesting plants. Draw each of these plants and describe their uses, as well. Use the Swiss Family Robinson Plants & Animals Report forms (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study Printables in the Free Resource Library). Online Resources are listed under each chapter.
The father uses a lever to lift up part of his boat. Make your own lever to lift something. It could be as simple as lifting a book with a ruler, or as complicated as you would like. Use the Lever notebooking pages to record what you’ve learned about levers. Watch this video from SciShowKids to learn more about levers.
There are penguins and flamingos on the island. Try to figure out where the island is. As you continue to read the book and encounter more animals, you can narrow the location down even further, or determine if the place is entirely fictional. Have your students use the blank world map in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study Printables in the Free Resource Library. Plot the different animals on the map using symbols or shading and a legend.
They find sugarcane. Research the process used to make sugar. Watch this video from Noal Farm to learn how sugarcane is grown and harvested. Use the Swiss Family Robinson Sugar Cane worksheet (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study Bundle in the HHO Shop). Then watch this video from Secret Travel Guide to see how it’s processed into dry crystals.
They learn you must have a hole in both ends of the sugar cane in order to get anything out. Try this with a straw. Fill it with some sugar, but close up one end with tape. Try to suck the sugar out. Then try it without the end taped. Most of the “regular” sugar purchased in the US is not pure cane sugar any longer. Unless it’s actually marked as pure cane, it is really beet sugar. See if you can find “pure raw cane sugar” at your local grocery and compare the taste of it to sugar beet sugar. (Zulka Morena and Iberia are popular brands)
They make a sail and rudder for their raft. Learn the different parts of a ship. You can use this “Parts of a Ship” notebooking page to label the different parts. Create a “duct tape” boat and see if it’s “sea-worthy” (aka waterproof). Use the instructions here or here or here or just make up your own. We like to use bits of Styrofoam from packaging or small pieces of pool noodles as a base to help it float.
The mother suggests building a treehouse. Design your own treehouse. What special features should it have? Use the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse Design worksheet (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study in the Free Resource Library).
They build a bridge using a pulley system. Try to recreate their pulley system on a small scale. Consider setting up a Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course using pulleys. Or a LEGO style set: Lift, Crane, Swivel Chair Mechanical Gear Pulley Building Blocks Or even a Treehouse Pulley Set with a bucket Use the Pulley notebooking page to show what you’ve learned about pulleys. Watch this video from SciShowKids to learn more about pulleys and how they work.
They use geometry to figure out how long to make their rope ladder. Figure out how long of a ladder you will need for the tree house you designed in chapter 6. Use this video to help understand the equation (Pythagorean Theorem)
They go back to the wreck to get useful things. The ship was meant to supply a new colony. What would you have taken if you were supplying a new colony? Use the Swiss Family Robinson Cargo Manifest worksheet (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study printables in the Free Resource Library) to record your answers to what you think would have been on board.
The mother plants a garden. Find out what the growing season is like on a tropical island. How is it different from the growing season where you live? Use the Swiss Family Robinson Growing Seasons worksheet (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study in the Free Resource Library). If you live in the U.S, use this tool from USDA to find out which hardiness growing zone you live in. If you live elsewhere in the world, check out this post from The Spruce to determine your hardiness zone. Tropical islands like Hawai’i are zones 12-13.
They find many useful plants. Find out what kinds of useful plants there are in your area that grow natively. Try to find some of these and use them. Some examples might be dandelions or plantains. A good place to start your research would be your state’s department of conservation or extension center. Then fill out a Swiss Family Robinson Plants & Animals Report form for at least two plants they found.
They acquire a young buffalo, a jackal, and an eagle as pets. Do a little research about these animals and write about whether or not they would be good pets. Use the Pets: Pros and Cons worksheet (included in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study Bundle in the HHO Shop) to record your thoughts. Then fill out a Swiss Family Robinson Animals Report form for each animal they found (in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study in the Free Resource Library).
They talk about grafting fruit trees. Read Romans 11:17 in the Bible. Complete the Copywork pages that are best suited to your child’s level of handwriting (included in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study Bundle in the HHO Shop). You could also visit a local greenhouse and have them show you how grafting is done. Or watch this video about grafting fruit trees from Alberta Urban Gardens.
They are gathering provisions for the rainy season. Find out how long the rainy season lasts in the tropics. Use the Rain, Tropical Rain, & The Rainy Season Notebooking Page to report on what you’ve learned about the rainy season.
They find a cavern full of rock salt. They also preserve fish. Find out where salt comes from. Visit a salt mine if you are close to one. Compare how they preserve their meat with how we preserve food today. Watch these videos to learn more about salt production: Salt Flats U.S. Salt Mine Small Scale Sea Salt Production Use the Swiss Family Robinson Rock Salt notebooking pages (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study Bundle in the HHO Shop).
Look up the story of Milo of Croton. Milo is considered the father of resistance training and a 6-time Olympic Champion. Find out more about him here: Wikipedia Use the Swiss Family Robinson Milo of Croton notebooking pages (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study Bundle in the HHO Shop).
Put on a fun-style Olympics with your family and friends and learn more about the Olympics. You may want to complete this Olympics Lapbook as your next homeschool project.
They find a whale. Research all of the different uses for a whale. Use the Whale Notebooking page to write down the uses. If you have a strong stomach (they cut the whale up on the beach), watch this video about the villagers of Lamalera (Indonesia) and their Sperm Whale catch. Lamealera is one of the last places where whaling is permitted (only on a subsistence basis, not commercial).
Father makes a rowing machine. Invent your own rowing machine using a toy wooden boat with popsicle sticks for the oars or a LEGO boat using gears to make the rowing machine.
They encounter a boa constrictor. Find out more about the boa constrictor plus what venomous snakes are in your area. Use the Snakes Notebooking Page to record your findings.
They find Fuller’s earth. What is it? Find out what it is and how it’s used. Google and YouTube have many resources. Use the Swiss Family Robinson Fuller’s Earth worksheet (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study in the Free Resource Library).
They have no tan for tanning bearskins. Find out more about the tanning process. Try to find a nature center nearby that will demonstrate tanning or watch a video like this one from Primitive Skills.
They have a harvest of wheat. Learn how wheat was usually harvested then and how it is harvested today. Pre-Modern Harvest Modern Harvest Use the Swiss Family Robinson Wheat Harvest: Then & Now worksheet (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study in the Free Resource Library).
They used pigeons to relay messages. How are pigeons trained for this? Are they still used today? Use the Swiss Family Robinson Carrier Pigeons worksheet (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study in the Free Resource Library). Learn more here at: Successful Farming Simple History Robertson Family Racing Pigeons
They discover oysters with pearls. Find out how pearls are formed. Why were the pearls worthless to them? Use the Swiss Family Robinson Pearls worksheet (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study in the Free Resource Library).
After finishing the book, have the children write about whether they would have stayed on the island or gone back to Europe and why. Use the Swiss Family Robinson Conclusion worksheet (found in the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study in the Free Resource Library).
Download your copies of the printables for the Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study from the Free Resource Library. Look under Unit Studies
