It’s that time of the year Time for the Homeschool Slump, the Homeschool Blues, the I Just Can’t Get Out of Bed and Do the Same Thing Over and Over Every Day Forever Feeling!
The newness and excitement of the school year from August and September have passed us by. The candy high from October is gone. The breaks that came every three weeks in November and December have vanished. Now we have long months ahead with nothing but a three day weekend here and there. For most of us, the weather is cold and the day is short and dreary.
What’s a mom to do when the homeschool blues come for a visit?
First: Plan for them. After homeschooling for 12 years, I know with certainty that the doldrums will come. Looking at my calendar this year, shows me that there are 13 long weeks between the start of school after Christmas break and our scheduled spring break! That’s a long time. So I plan several short weeks to break up the monotony. A three or four day weekend to look forward to makes the week go much faster.
Second: Change things up. Take a week and set your normal curriculum aside. A short unit study is a good way to break things up. Or perhaps focusing on just one subject for the week might brighten things up—poetry week, writing week, or everyday math would work well for a week long focus.
Third: Get out. Work exercise and fresh air into your weekly routine. Getting out into the fresh cold air always leaves me feeling invigorated and ready to get to work when coming back inside. Get out into your community for a field trip or two. Adding field trips into your routine changes things up a bit as well as gets you out of the house.
The doldrums and blues hit all of us at one time or another. Understand that’s okay and they will pass.
nicely put. thanks for that, i'm going to bookmark this much needed wisdom :) and i'll be tweeting this as well.. cheers!
ReplyDeleteI think I am on the opposite end of the spectrum right now. I guess its a result of the fact that this is my first year homeschooling versus your 12 year veteran status :) . But for us, Thank Goodness the "newness" of the school year in August and September is behind us. We were scattered and unorganized; bumbling around and taking two steps forward and one step back. The holiday breaks and time off in November and December only left us coming back in a slightly more disheveled state than before.
ReplyDeleteSo far, these first few days of 2012 have been like a breath of fresh air. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it lasts and also keep your handy tips in mind for when the "slumps" come knocking on my door.
It certainly does happen! We like to go on some planned field trips and museum visits or do Art (when we usually don't) or join up with some new people and new classes (which we're doing next week).
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of planning for these slumps. I also want to do some research for unit studies that will be good during these times. I love veteran homeschool moms. You guys rock.
ReplyDeleteSuch a helpful post. I would love for you to come share it on my weekly link up. I find the link up always helps give new ideas and also I love finding others doing the same thing. Bye bye slumps! lol
ReplyDeletehomeschooling on the cheap linky: http://3boysandadog.com/deals/2012/homeschooling-on-the-cheap-january-12-2012/
Thanks for sharing this last week on my link up. Your post was my top clicked post! If you have anything else you want to share related to homeschooling, education, etc. stop over and the new linky is live. http://3boysandadog.com/deals/2012/homeschooling-on-the-cheap-january-19th/
ReplyDeleteKelli