Holidays & Homeschooling
If you’re like me, one thing you need is extra time to prepare for the holidays. Do you need to find a way to relax on schooling through the holidays as well?
In those early years of homeschooling, I made a list of all the Christmas activities, traditions and shopping I needed to do. I plopped on the couch in despair. How would I get it all done and homeschool too?
Incorporate Festivities
The mailman delivered a ray of hope. I received a public school flyer with their December schedule printed. It was overflowing with school plays, holiday concerts and parties! I let out a sigh of relief. They too were making special considerations by giving the students a lighter academic load to put the holidays first.
Before I knew it, all was calm again. Instead of dreading the holidays, they became a source of joy and warm memories. We continued this tradition of lightening academics through the holidays for the entire time we homeschooled.
I decided to capitalize on homeschool flexibility by focusing on the core subjects of math and language. This opened the rest of the time for something more light and festive. A unit on evergreen trees, the history of ginger bread houses, chocolate or candy canes became an inspiration. Who wouldn’t want to write a report on those?
I employed my love of paper crafts and instituted the re-purposing of Christmas cards into ornaments to use and give away. (I realized the teacher needed a refreshing activity as well!)
Below are ways to benefit from the creative side of education while enjoying the holidays.
Holiday Activities
- Study geography by drawing a map and studying international Christmas traditions. Draw in special icons or prepare special foods.
- Do the same with states. Study how Americans celebrated Christmas in each century.
- Bake bread – measure, count and double!
- Prepare a care package for the military troops. Add personal handmade cards or letters. Send them early. Many times it takes up to a month to receive them
- Write a family Christmas play.
- Enjoy outdoor winter sports like sledding, ice skating, skiing and animal tracking.
- Read Christmas classics and favorites aloud.
- Be community -minded by helping distribute goods to needy families, collecting warm coats, reading to the elderly, or Christmas caroling at nursing homes.
- Take field trips to a bakery, candy factory, pioneer museum or zoo. Many times zoos have Christmas specials like lighted train rides and decorations!
- Sew Christmas gifts like pillows, sachets or a soft baby book or Nativity Scene
More ideas of Christmas Crafts for Children
If you’re a TTD365 member, be sure to check out this video with ideas for refreshing our homeschool and busting through those mid-semester blues.
This article was originally published on our Homeschool Launch Blog.
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You can also find many more articles on the topic of Family and Holidays under blogs.
To further your reading, we have a special ebook that we would like to send to you. It’s entitled “RETHINK EDUCATION, Turning Scary Questions About Home Education Into Exciting Possibilities.” It was written after countless conversations with moms who are either considering homeschooling or struggling with doubt. My heart in writing it is to offer hopeful answers to some of the questions moms tend to be asking… and you might be surprised at which ones didn’t make the list. I would love for it to become a resource you could share with your friends who are considering home education, or who are wondering if they’ll keep going. So, grab your copy today! – Leslie Nunnery