Homeschooling During a Busy Season
My family celebrates Thanksgiving and Christmas, which are busy times for many families, but in my family, it's busy on steroids. Mid-November to mid-December is my busiest month of the year for my job as a church worship director, and there's still the extra personal holiday plans to pile on top. There are times when I'm tempted to take off the whole month of December and do school in July instead. The only problem is that I love the freedom of summer, and since winter temps mean more time indoors anyway, we may as well get some school work done.
So here's what I've learned to do. I make a conscientious effort to front load our work in November so that we can take a break for the whole week of Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, we do 2-3 weeks of a lightened load. Because I know I will be more occupied with my church job, I try to avoid doing too many school activities that require too much bandwidth from me. My kids do more independent activities that I can supervise without having to be responsible for each and every thing. They also have time to pursue personal learning interests, which enables self-directed learning. Then we wrap it up mid-December and take off 3 weeks for the Christmas-New Year break.
If you are overwhelmed by homeschooling during the busy holiday season, try to find ways that your children can still learn while making sure you aren't overexerting yourself. Every state has different homeschooling laws, so make sure you are following your state's regulations, but here are a few learning activities you can try during a busy season:
Documentaries. No, I am not advocating for camping in front of the TV every day for a couple of weeks, but there are some fascinating documentaries your children can watch, and you can work on your laptop as you sit with your kids on the couch. Many streaming services have plenty of resources on demand (check for content) and libraries have DVDs of children's programs.
Personal Projects. If your child has a strong interest in a particular subject or hobby, now's the time to let them do a deep dive. Gather books about their interest and let them read for hours. Let them work on a project. It's great if you can come up with a project that can be completed in a couple weeks, because then they can work towards a deadline, and you can make a special event to showcase their hard work.
Workbooks. This tactic is especially helpful for review work. Your child can work independently, and then check in with you when they’re done.
Online classes. A parent's busy season can be a great time to let your kids try a short-term online class. Your kids will have the chance to learn about something they love while working with an enthusiastic teacher, and you won't be responsible for the instruction.
Do a book vs. movie comparison. Find an age-appropriate book and movie pairing. Have your children read the book (listening to the audiobook is also a great idea!) and then watch the movie. Afterwards, talk about the similarities and differences between the book and the movie. Not only is it fun, but it's great for building analytical skills.
Do you have any suggestions? Please share them with me! I'm open to any ideas that can help me through this busy season!
