Though snow is magical and wondrous (in small doses), it has the power to shut down life. I mean…it can stop us in our tracks. Stop our running. Stop our normal routine. So, we need a little inspiration when snow days turn sour and we’re SO OVER IT!
Our homeschool has taken a day or two off over the last two weeks of crazy weather – when public school has been forced to shut down. But, we’ve mostly carried on.
So, I thought I’d share what we’re doing to ward off the winter blues. I hope that you’re fighting the darkness too.
We’ve read aloud. My fourth and second graders have enjoyed the story of Caddie Woodlawn. At night, my husband has read to us from S.D. Smith’s new book, The Green Ember.
We have had snow cream. I tried a recipe from Paula Deen that had sweetened condensed milk and that actually got poorer reviews from my little food critics than the simpler recipe I linked to above. We’ve had snow ice cream FOUR TIMES already. And, we may have it again. (Cheap and easy!)
Today, we are making a Repentance/Sorry Box for Lent. With all these days in the house together, we need to say ‘I’m sorry’ more often!
The kids have enjoyed playing outdoors some. And, I joined them once with the baby in tow.
We have played games. Monopoly is a favorite of my eight-year-old. I like Scrabble and Apples to Apples. We’ve been working on grammar and Apples to Apples is word-play with nouns and adjectives AND it’s funny. I also hung up a pretty and educational banner to help reinforce what we’re learning. I don’t think I’ll mind looking at it for a month or two!
The kids are typing up letters to friends on the typewriters. Yes, we now have two since we visited an antique shop on a rare day out.
I dared to put Duct Tape on the carpeted floor in the living room to create a hopscotch. It was fun and gave us something to do for a couple of weeks. The tape came up with no issue – no residue. (Thank the Maker.)
I have been running. During late Fall, before the turn of the new year, I was feeling very BLAH. I know that diet and exercise make such a difference in my emotional health. So, I followed my husband’s lead and took on a challenge to run 365 miles in 2015. So far, I have logged close to 60 miles on the treadmill. Don’t mistake me for a runner…this is new to me! But, on March 14th, I’m going to run my first 5K! That is helping deal with the bleak mid-winter. It isn’t always easy, but it is just what I need this time of year, when I can’t soak up the vitamin D.
We’ve been listening to music. Billy Joel, the Beatles, Brooke Fraser, Ellie Holcomb, the Piano Guys, Rend Collective and many others can be heard around here.
We decorated for Valentine’s Day…and left up the decorations.
We brought the slide in for the baby, to give him something to climb other than chairs, the piano, and end tables!
And, I’ve perused Pinterest for inspiration when I had none. If you’re home with kids and you’re unaccustomed to lesson plans or learning at home, try doing a study of something you and they LOVE. Anything. Birds. Video games. Princesses. Create a new game. Color a picture or get online and watch a documentary. You can find almost anything on the world-wide-web.
I hope we’ll all look back at this time at home and remember fun times! And, remember…Spring is coming!
My Story at Home 