Homeschooling Through the Holidays

It's that time of year again!  The holidays are drawing near and the excitement is growing.  When you homeschool, that often means distracted kiddos and derailed lesson plans.  Let's face it, there is something about cold temps, warm fires, snow, and all things Christmas that can just pull at our attention.  Not to mention decorations to put up and big feasts to plan, right?

So how does one manage to actually get school done in these crazy, but exciting times?  Here are a few ideas for you!

Unit Studies! I admit these are not my forte, but the few times we have tried them I have not been disappointed.  There are so many out there, especially over the holidays, that make learning fun while concentrating on seasonal subjects.

Use what you have! Want to do math?  Count candy canes.  Need to get that art project in?  Make Christmas cards for your friends!  How about History?  Study Saint Nicolas or the very first Christmas!  Reading?  That's an easy one!  Grab a seasonal book and snuggle in for reading time.

Make learning fun!  When kids are distracted, learning gets a bit more challenging.  During these busy times it often helps to add a little something different to your schedule.  Put their spelling words into a word search or simply change locations of your "school room" for a few days.  Shaking things up can often keep kids more motivated.

Cooking Day- Save an afternoon or two and let your kids spend some time baking with you.  Measuring flour can surely count as math and following a recipe can be included in our home ec. lesson plans.

Jammies Day- We all know that the "homeschoolers do school in their jammies all day" concept is a myth for most of us.  But why not interrupt your regularly scheduled day to put on your jammies, grab a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies and school by the fire?  Or at least on the couch!  Your kids will love it and you might even decide jammies for school are not such a bad idea after all.

Embrace the Crazy!- Take some time off of school and just enjoy the season with your kids.  Watch Christmas movies together, string popcorn, and sing songs.  School will always get done, but the season is short and your time with your kids is even shorter.

Blessings,

What Holiday?

You will make many decisions on your homeschool journey.  Many!  What to teach, when to teach, how to teach.  Luckily, for the most part, save state laws, the decision is up to you.  Some you will find easy to decide.  Others, well, let's just say, others can get a bit tricky.

Like those pesky holidays.

There are some holidays that I deem worth celebrating and then there are those that I am pretty sure were established by the card companies, politicians, or tired and burned out teachers.

Let me give you an example.
Valentines Day
Groundhogs Day
Presidents Day
Labor Day
Halloween
St Patricks Day

Just to name a few.

Now before you get mad at me, let me explain.

I went to public school, and I remember these holidays vividly.  But here is what I remember.

The decorations
The coloring sheets
The fancy snacks brought in by moms
The crossword puzzles
The crafts
The music and fanfare.

And not ONE thing about why we were basically taking a whole day off of academics to celebrate that particular holiday.  Not one thing.

I am willing to bet that many of you could admit the same thing.

In some ways I am ok with that.  Sometimes we all need a break and to have some fun.  Sometimes kids have worked hard in a particular area of study and you may feel that they need to be rewarded.

Awesome!  Party on!

But, I will have to say that I get a bit miffed when people act like I am a bad teacher when I tell them we do not take those particular days off from school or treat them any differently than any other homeschool day.

It is not that I am a meanie.  It is not that I do not believe in having fun.  I do however believe even more strongly in academics and the need to learn.  If one of those days comes along and there is true historical value in it, don't worry, we will cover it!  Not by taking the day off of school or wasting the entire day with trivial activities, but by researching, discussing, and evaluating.  However, if there is really no use in that holiday, and I would argue there are a few in that category, we move on.

Should every homeschooling family agree with me?  Of course not.  The beauty of homeschooling is that we are all able to choose the path we feel is best for our children.  We are a conglomerate of people who acknowledge differences, respect others in their decisions, and do the best we know how to raise our children.

No matter your decisions on Holidays and how to school around them, rejoice in the knowledge that YOU the parent, have the freedom to choose!  Freedom-what better reason to homeschool!

Once again, I have the privilege of sharing a few of my fellow Crew members' blogs for you to enjoy even more Tips for Homeschool Parents!  These gals are in the trenches with you daily, while blogging about it on the side.  Enjoy and know you are never alone in this journey!

Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Latonya @ Joy in the Ordinary
Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
Leah @ As We Walk Along the Road
Lisa @ Farm Fresh Adventures
Lori @ At Home: where life happens
Meg @ Adventures with Jude
Megan @ My Full Heart
Melanie (Wren) @ finchnwren
Melissa @ Mom's Plans


Blessings,

M is for Making Memories- guest post!

Are you ready for the holidays?  Are you still schooling or taking the month off?  Since everyone does it a little differently, I wanted to share some of our thoughts and plans with you.

I recently had the privilege of writing a guest post as a part of a series called ABCs of Homeschooling Through the Holidays hosted by Heather Bowen at Upsidedown Homeschooling.  I would love for you to drop in and read it...tell Heather I sent you!


Homeschooling at best is a busy endeavor.

Homeschooling during the holidays?  Well, that is enough to make even the best of mommy-teachers want to hide under the blankets with chocolate!

Seriously!  Who has time to cook, clean, school, AND make a beautiful Pinterest worthy, holiday inspired home?  You know- with beautiful trees, homemade cards, handmade gifts, and smiling, joyful children busy doing glittery crafts.

Ok, that may be someone’s reality, but I am boldly professing, it is NOT mine.

You can read the rest on Heather's amazing site- Upsidedown Homeschooling!