We have girls that are 4 and almost 6, and they want to do a princess unit study.  This will be our first full out unit study, so I wondered if anyone had some ideas.  Here's what we have so far:

Unit: Princesses

Reading:

library books on past and current princesses, some include: Isabel Jewel of Castilla, Elizabeth I, Cleopatra VII, Cleopatra Selene II, Anastasia, Hatshepsut, Princess Ka`iulani of Hawai`i, Catherine or Aragon, Marie Antoinette, Mary I of England, Diana Princess of Wales, Princess Pingyang, Queen Anne of Great Britain, Mary II of England, Catherine II of Russia, Anne Boleyn, Aga Khan III, Princess Zara Philips of England, Princess Grace of Monaco, Princess Margaret of Britain, Princess and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Crown Princess of Denmark Mary Elizabeth, Princess Letizia of Spain, Queen Rania of Jordan

Writing:

write or type own story of favorite princess or new story using words and pictures

Spelling/Voc/Grammar:

increase vocabulary with terms such as: crown princess, empire, dynasty

Science:

(I'm struggling with this one, maybe that God created each one of them)

Social Studies/History:

study different princesses of the world and locate on map, study different dress and customs

Health:

hygiene: hair, face, etc

Occupational Education:

proper manners such as eating and sitting properly at table

Art/Music:

Design your country's flag, castle and dress, listen to music from different countries and choose a style for your country. Possibly make a costume or use pre-made one.

Math:

Cost of being a princess, where they all rich, how much did their dresses cost?

Personal:

Who are princesses? Are you a princess?

An idea for Science might be to study gemstones. Since we usually think of Princesses as wearing lots of jewelry you could study the process how gemstones are formed or and where they are found. 

 I think that a Princess unit study is a wonderfully fun idea!!

What a fun idea.  Maybe you could include how royalty are educated.  How about what it is like to have the media following them around all the time.  As far as gems go you could also include how they are cut and how they determine quality.

For History/Geography, I would also talk about the landmarks of the areas where the princesses lived.  For math/history, I would have the kids help me cook an authentic meal that came from the country they were in.  For Science, I would talk about wheels and pulleys...wheels from the carriages and the pulleys for the castle gates.  Lego education has some great studies for wheels and pulleys, if you need help.  Also, for science you can have a map of the country they are from and have the kids color the map based on the habitats of each part of the country (are there rainforests, deserets, etc?).  You can also talk about land forms....are their islands, plateaus, mountains, lakes, rivers?

For writing, I'd have them write "If I was a princess..."  then have them pick a country they would a princess of, maybe help them do research about that country a little, what they'd do, etc.

Since they are so young, I would also read them "Polite as a Princess" book:  http://www.amazon.com/Polite-Princess-Disney-Pictureback/dp/0736423672

Usborne Books has some great Princess books.  These are mine and my girls favorites.  We used these when we did a "princess unit when they were 5 and 6.  Usborne use to have a unit called 10 terrific weeks that was on princesses for that age group.  They no longer carry it, but I can see if I still have mine to give you ideas if you are interested.  Here are links to the pages with our favorite books.

How To Draw Princess And Ballerinas--my girls love this book as they love to draw and love princesses.

Princess Jewlery Kid Kit--we used this for their "princess" birthday party one year and they loved it!

Princess Handbook--my girls love this book and I find it super cute as well

Princess Things To Make And Do--this another one that we have used for birthday parties and princess play dates

Princess Stories--this was a favorite book of theirs when they were first beginning to read.

Princess And The Pea CD Pack--my girls really liked this one, and they would sit and listen to it over and over again

Princess Snap--this is a fun game that my girls still enjoy playing even today.

A Little Princess--this is a simplified version of the classic for beginning readers.  My girls read this when they were first starting and now at 8 and 9 we are reading the original classic.

Princess Polly and The Pony--this was my oldest daughters favorite book when she first started reading.

If you would like more information about any of these books or how to get books for FREE through Usborne let me know!

Marci