Does the winter months and days seem to drag endlessly for anyone other than me?
It seems that once Thanksgiving comes along, we sort of come to a grinding halt. It proceeds at a snails pace through the new year and then I seem to just struggle to make myself focus. I worry most often during this time that there is not enough getting accomplished in our home school. But, I am trying very hard to make myself not worry and to accept that while we may not be learning as much text book type 'stuff', we are still learning. And, at the same time, I am trying equally hard to get my sluggish backside to start picking up the pace a little as we edge around that 'corner' of winter and head slowly towards spring.
What I find that I absolutely MUST do is to set a time to begin each day. It may not happen exactly AT that time but we try really really hard to try. During the winter months, it is typically a little later than in the prettier months. I admit, I must be part bear. I still crave to hibernate and starting a little later in the day seems to help meet the needs of that tendency. We will start earlier in the day when the months and days are prettier and we have a little more energy to take on the day. Another 'must' is to have some sort of schedule in mind. Like my start time, it does not always stay hard and true to this schedule, (flexibility is key and the prerogative of any homeschooler), but we aim for it. Since my daughter essentially left the homeschool setting for an online program, my son and I have devised a partial schedule that is a work in progress and it seems to be working. I have the 'must do's'. Those are math, spelling and reading his assigned novel along with using a study guide to accompany the novel. The novels I chose are all historically based and his math has a science bend to it, so I always feel like worst case scenario, he gets the basics each day. Then, from there we focus the afternoon hours on one of the other subjects or sets of subjects. Monday is 'funday monday'. That means that our target is the electives or the subjects that should be more 'fun' to him. Tuesday's focus is Science. Wednesday's focus is history. Thursday, we don't have a focus as they have an outside gym and swim class and we do our errands that day as well. Then on Friday, the focus is Language Arts related. This is essentially working out, but I am still tweaking. We do a week's worth of work on those subjects on their assigned day. It seems to be more appealing to him and it helps with the fact that I often get drawn into the first subject we work on in the afternoons and spend too much time on them to finish a schedule that is more traditional. It is working for us, but that may not be what works for you.
So, as the weeks, days, and even hours of winter seem to drag along, we are trudging our way through. I suggest you find a way to do the same even if that means to welcome a more 'unschooling' approach if need be. The idea is to continue to move forward and really, with any child and their penchant for constant motion and activity, is it possible not to do this?
Enjoy your days and enjoy your lives.
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