HOMESCHOOLING, WORKING, REVIVE A BAD DAY
By the time the
holiday’s roll around, most parents are a bit burned out by the hectic pace of
managing parenting, schooling, work and more. Use your FREEDOM IN HOMESCHOOLING
and be flexible on days and times of the school year that you need to re-ignite
your love of managing it all.
First, give yourself
permission to goof off a bit. Be thankful for the power you hold to be
flexible. Find that freedom and use it wisely.
CHANGE UP LEARNING
EXPECTATIONS AND METHODS OVER THE HOLIDAY
This time of year, we
take it easy and redirect learning to more movie based, experience based,
project based learning approaches. This allows us to lay around, watch videos,
do craft projects, go on field trips
, notebook what we are learning, have deep discussions on topics of interest. Mainly, it’s about interest lead learning with the exception of math, reading and writing.
, notebook what we are learning, have deep discussions on topics of interest. Mainly, it’s about interest lead learning with the exception of math, reading and writing.
THINGS THAT DERAIL US
Moodiness, holiday burnout, lack of focus, and much more. Let's face it. Our home students have good days and DOG days. You know, they don't want to wake up. They argue with you for hours about how BORING the work is. They want to take tons of bathroom breaks and you want to scream. Sometimes you do. This is a sure sign, a redirection is needed.
IT's OKAY
Give yourself permission to just take a week off, heck the holiday’s off. Refocus and redirect what you are grateful and thankful for, but need to have a break from. When I have days like that at work, I leave early or I just don't go. Sometimes, I even take a long lunch break just to get my head back in the game.
TAKE A SIESTA
Times like this. I give us all a 'timed' break. I set the alarm and tell the kids they can do anything BUT play video games or go outside. Usually, they just get a snack, watch a show, or read a book of choice. Me - I take a short nap.
Why? Well because if Mom's cranky, her kids know it and mom/teacher can't redirect when cranky.
MAKE UP DAY...
Sometimes the day is a totally wash. So...we make it up. I move the work and lesson to the following day. Or do school on a day I had plan to have no school.
SHORTEN THE LESSON
This is another secret weapon. On days where we have somewhere to go, the kids are not engaged, or I'm too distracted to do an entire lesson. We shorten it. I don't do their DVD teaching section, I teach the new subject myself to the student. Or we don't do every homework practice problem or even cut our any of our electives for that day.
REMIND YOURSELF TO BE THANKFUL and CREATE A LIST FOR ALL TO SEE
Moodiness, holiday burnout, lack of focus, and much more. Let's face it. Our home students have good days and DOG days. You know, they don't want to wake up. They argue with you for hours about how BORING the work is. They want to take tons of bathroom breaks and you want to scream. Sometimes you do. This is a sure sign, a redirection is needed.
IT's OKAY
Give yourself permission to just take a week off, heck the holiday’s off. Refocus and redirect what you are grateful and thankful for, but need to have a break from. When I have days like that at work, I leave early or I just don't go. Sometimes, I even take a long lunch break just to get my head back in the game.
TAKE A SIESTA
Times like this. I give us all a 'timed' break. I set the alarm and tell the kids they can do anything BUT play video games or go outside. Usually, they just get a snack, watch a show, or read a book of choice. Me - I take a short nap.
Why? Well because if Mom's cranky, her kids know it and mom/teacher can't redirect when cranky.
MAKE UP DAY...
Sometimes the day is a totally wash. So...we make it up. I move the work and lesson to the following day. Or do school on a day I had plan to have no school.
SHORTEN THE LESSON
This is another secret weapon. On days where we have somewhere to go, the kids are not engaged, or I'm too distracted to do an entire lesson. We shorten it. I don't do their DVD teaching section, I teach the new subject myself to the student. Or we don't do every homework practice problem or even cut our any of our electives for that day.
REMIND YOURSELF TO BE THANKFUL and CREATE A LIST FOR ALL TO SEE
Remembering why we are
doing all we do is a good way to ignite passion back into a hectic schedule
that is compounded by holiday expectations. Thanksgiving seems to come at the
right time. Include the kids in the creation of a Be Thankful board that you
place on your walls, in your room, on your refridgerator to remind you just how
much you have to be thankful for, then tell your kids just how much you are
thankful for a particular trait or action they did to make you happy. Words
have power and using them to get ourselves on track is a great way to prepare
for the holidays ahead.