It's a law of nature that a homeschool at rest tends to stay at rest...or something like that. Okay, maybe not a law, but a precept, or a sage saying or, okay, I made that up...sounded good and theoretically....
I don't know about you, but for me, getting my gang back into the swing of homeschooling is not pretty and includes a lot of hiding and whining. ah, the kids, I meant.... So, here are some ideas to get your swing back:
- Plan a routine. I hate to admit it, but yeah, no routine means little done. It really pays off, moms, to sit down the weekend before your start date and make a schedule. For the Bridgett-Jones-Homeschool-mom; this can be a loose list, but- get it down so you will commit.
- Half-days. Plan your first couple of days as half-days - less pressure, everyone feels lighter.
- Get outside! If you implement #2, make it an excuse to get outside once your half-day of school is over. Spring is a wonderful time to begin nature walks. You can aim high and start nature journals or do something very simple such as keeping a mental count of different birds seen on the walk. Record the count: 4 Ravens, 2 bluebirds, 1 hawk, etc.
- Ease into your days. Mix things up a little, but in a kinder, more gentle fashion and add a read-aloud story during breakfast or better yet, listen to a book on tape during breakfast. Have you wanted to start music study? Listen to a particular composer first thing. Favorite Spring reads for us are Laddie, Rabbit Hill, The Railway children. Favorite books on tape are Ella Enchanted, The Tale of Despereaux, The Secret Garden.
- Drop a subject and pick up a new subject. History is dragging? Not loving your Health text anymore? Be brave and drop it, pick it up in a few months or just close the book on that text for the year. You wanted to do a neat poetry course but couldn't fit it in? Drop something you are no longer feeling the love for and start a new mini-unit. We will be starting The Grammar of Poetry this month.
Spring is a great time to spring-clean your homeschool. What are you doing to shake things up?