This week the Review Crew is talking about homeschooling during the winter. For some of you, winter is a time when it is challenging to get outside because of the weather. For others, it might be a very busy time of year. Sometimes the winter can prove long and maybe stir up spring fever for some families.
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For our family, winter tends to be a time when we can really dig into our schoolwork. Once the holidays are over we often have more time at home to focus on getting schoolwork done. Our normal park days and home school hikes slow down during the winter months and provide us with an opportunity to spend more time at home.
Focused Time
We know that when spring arrives, the activities will pick back up, the children will want to spend lots of time outside, and we will want a break from being home. This is an incentive for us to work hard and stay focused during the winter so that we have plenty of flexibility in the spring.
In addition to being sure that we are making good progress in our regular curriculum, the extra time at home often gives us an opportunity to get in some extra read aloud time and focus on all the fun extras like art and music that sometimes get pushed to the side when things are busy.
Winter Books
If you want to do some extra reading, you might check out some fun winter or snow themed books. A few great options are The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, or The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. We also really enjoy Cranberry Valentine by Wende Devlin near Valentine’s Day.
Winter Art Ideas
If you are looking to add art you can try snow painting if you have snow. You can also check out this fun winter lamp post lesson, which is perfect if you also happen to be reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Nana, over at You Are An Artist has an entire course of winter themed art lessons.
Snow Fun
We live in a climate where snow is a fairly rare occurrence (maybe once or twice in a year and sometimes not at all). When we are lucky enough to have a little snow, we stop our regular schooling for a bit of snow school. We take nature walks, read books about snow, do snow art, and anything else we can do to enjoy the snow.
Overall, winter tends to be a time for us to slow down on activities outside of the home, and focus on productive school work and great books. What does homeschooling in the winter look like for your family? Be sure to check out all of the other ideas from the Review Crew here.
Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure
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Great ideas! Homeschooling during the cold months can be challenging! Thank you!
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We tend to dig in with school work at this time of year also.
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It helps give us more flexibility in the spring!
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The long winter made us shiver even though we read it in the summer.
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yes!
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