The Winter Slump...

As I was packing my Christmas decorations away yesterday, that old annual homeschool question came back, "Now what?"  This is probably the one thing I can count on as an annual occurrence, the post Christmas let down and the winter slump. I know I am not alone in this as I have talked to hundreds of moms over the years who say the same thing. And, in fact, I noticed a conversation about this in the Sonlighter Club Forums just this week.

If you are already dreading the upcoming season and just can’t get excited about homeschooling, you might find some helpful tips in this forum topic thread.   And if you have other challenges, such as adding a new baby to the mix, it may be even harder to get back into the swing of things.

First off, I would like to encourage you that you are not alone. This is very normal. I think just knowing that others walk in the same shoes I do makes it a bit easier to go through. And, it may just be that recognizing the feeling is the first step to facing it.

In our case, when we started school again in January, I liked to ask my children what they wanted to do in the new year. I would write down their suggestions and then try to do some things on that list. Many times what they had in mind was something I had never thought of, but was quite doable. Maybe it was a picnic in the living room, or a certain recipe they wanted to try or maybe just a shake up to the schedule, like doing math after lunch instead of after breakfast. Maybe they wanted game time once a week, or to watch an educational video on Fridays. It is surprising how doing a few things that are atypical gave everyone a boost.

One of my favorite ways to face the long stretch of school before another holiday is to get everyone outside every day-especially me. Even on cold, snowy days, just getting out of the house does wonders for my frame of mind. One winter day we made a tin can stove [also called a buddy burner] and they took it outside and used it to heat up stew for lunch.

Another lifesaver if you have more than one child at home, is to do Buddy Time.  When I was homeschooling a houseful, every day, around the same time, I paired an older child with a younger so that I could either help someone who needed individual help, make a necessary phone call, do paperwork or maybe just put my feet up with a cup of tea. Buddy Time was great for the kids and great for me.

Another idea that helps beat the winter blahs is to send for a few seed/garden catalogs. Even if you have minimal space and can only have a window ledge herb garden, there is something about a seed catalog that can lift spirits and help chase the winter blues away. And, it is a great opportunity to talk to your kids about spring, gardens, different seeds and how long they take to come up and what seeds they might be interested in planting in the spring. When you are done with the catalog you may want to let your children cut it up to make spring collages.

Some of the advice for getting motivated from the forums includes:

• Daily Bible reading
• Plan some field trips
• Start a new subject in January [perhaps start a new Core then]
• Have theme days, like Pajama Day
• Celebrate the various holidays: Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, The 100th Day of School, etc.
• Get outside daily
• Eat well and get to bed early
• Put tents in the living room and do school there

I would also like to point out that Sonlight has a wonderful Podcast Library that you can take advantage of. My favorite recording in the library is the recorded teleseminar  Has Your Homeschool Dream Turned into a Nightmare? You may want to get yourself a cup of tea or coffee and sit down and listen to it when the kids are in bed. I think you will be encouraged.

I pray that as you begin this new year doing the incredibly important and also difficult job of educating your children that you will remember to take time for yourself and to cherish this season of your life.

Take care,

Jill

P.S. Please, let me know what you do to beat the winter blues. I am sure others would love to hear your suggestions.