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Winter Homeschooling

I have joined a few Canadian homeschool bloggers to bring you a post every month on a specific topic. For January we are talking about Homeschooling in the Winter.


For many homeschoolers, the winter months tend to be dreary and burnt out months. The cold weather outside, the lack of sun, the lack of outside activities and the gloomy overall air can be a real mood killer for some.

In our family, only my youngest  is an outdoor kind of boy. Even in the winter he loves being out. The other three of us are quite happy to be home cuddling under blankets, reading books and watching movies. So the lack of activities during the winter months do not affect us as much. It is life as usual. As a matter of fact we get more done during the winter months, especially that we run a year round kind of homeschool schedule.

We do however enjoy the snow when it comes and sticks around long enough to go play in it.We all love watching those snowflakes fall down and sit on the tree branches. We live in the city, so we do not get much of that, but when we do, we take it in.


Because we do not do much outside activities I make sure we take advantage of our co-op sport clinic put together during the months of January to March. For the past three years the boys have been doing volleyball and enjoying it very much. It is a time to get exercise and to get together with friends as well.

That said, if you are the kind that needs to get your kids out, or you yourself need to get out of the house here are a few things to look into:
  • Library activities
  • Nature walks and studies, either as a family or through organized field trips
  • Playdates, we love doing those, as a change in the routine
  • Indoor fieldtrips such as Science Center, Legoland, Reptilia, Royal Ontario Museum, Arboretum (not so indoor but offering cool stuff in the winter).
Make sure to check how other homeschoolers handle the winter months all across Canada in the round up post over at The Canadian Homeschooler. Post to come live on the 28th. Watch out for a giveaway on that day as well.

And just in case you need resources to help you during these months, here is a giveaway just for you.


Comments

DeliveringGrace said…
We tend to need to get out and are often found outside on quite gloomy days. The grey days often seem worse than snowy days. My children love snow but it is quite a rare in event on London. This year, we haven't had any so far although the children are hoping!
Joelle said…
One of my sons is crying for snow every time we go out.
Lori-ann said…
Getting outdoors in the crisp air is always an invigorating experience for us. When we get back inside we are ready to hunker down and do some learning!
Annette said…
Snowshoeing and tobaggoning is where it is at in this household. :)
graciegirl said…
Some great ideas...especially love the playdate one. Sometimes homeschooling parents AND the kids need this! Thanks for a helpful post! :)
Unknown said…
Yes! Indoor field trips!


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