Feeling a little blue?  A little cooped up?  Are the kids stir-crazy?  Is anyone (or everyone) complaining about school work?  Yep.  It’s February in the life of a homeschooler.  There’s no need to feel defeated, though!  Adding a little spice to the schedule is sure to perk up the homeschool spirit!

Rather than “talk” a lot, I’m going to be short, sweet and practical.  This is an emergency and I know you need nothing less than wordiness!  Try one, two or all of the ideas below and find attitudes refreshed fast.

Warning: Adding spice to your homeschool may mean shaking up the regular schedule.  That means (gasp) you might have to replace a grammar lesson or two with something different… or even fun.  It might even mean that your children will demand that these new and exciting things become part of the “new regular”.  You have been forewarned that creative schooling is addictive!

• Take field trips.  Get out of the house to visit museums, community businesses, plays, musicals, indoor historical sites, or to participate in special classes.

• Plan homeschool group events.  Get together once every week or two with homeschooling friends to go bowling, play basketball at a church’s gym, swim at the YMCA, bake cookies together, or learn a new skill together (like sewing or woodworking.)

• Take nature walks.  Getting outside for exercise, sunshine and fresh air invigorate the mind, body and soul.

• Do a unit study.  Take a break from the textbooks to complete a family unit study.  Be sure to include lots of family reading time, art, crafts, cooking, science experiments and other motivating learning activities.

• Let your kids watch TV.  That one got your attention, didn’t it?  I have all sorts of documentaries and other educational shows on DVD and on my DVR.  We never get around to watching them other times of the year.  When it’s too cold to get outside, I allow a little more TV time in order to catch up on these educational programs.

• Celebrate theme nights.  Spend the day (or week) learning about a particular holiday, culture, or historical event.  Everyone in the family can help prepare food, decorations, music and maybe even costumes appropriate for a family theme night.

• Learn a handicraft or two.  Winter is a great time for your child to learn a new handicraft like sewing, knitting, painting, decoupage, scrapbooking, woodworking, wood burning, or photography.  Library books make great teachers if you don’t know how to teach something yourself.

• Splurge on a new educational toy or kit.  A fun kit full of science experiments or other projects can often take the place of textbook lessons.

• Replace some regular assignments with projects.  Instead of assigning a test at the end of a chapter, allow your child to create a project to show what he knows.  He might create a diorama, a mobile, a poster report, a play, a 3-D model, a poem, or a song to prove he understands the material.  From experience, projects “stick” way longer than test questions any time of the year.

With a little effort, you can enjoy your children and your homeschool – even in the winter.  And just in case you still need to hear it, spring isn’t too far away!

Cindy West is an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of three who loves learning alongside her children. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward
and find her nature study curriculum at Shining Dawn Books.

Homeschooling in winter can be a little dreary to say the least. Hang on mama, the weather will turn warm again, the light will shine again…but for now…make the best of those winter days and fight the blahs of January!

1. Start a gratitude journal-not just you, but one for each of your kids. Even if they can’t write words, they can draw pictures. Make it a part of each day in your schedule. We have scheduled it as part of our Bible time, which is a non-negotiable time in our day. When children (and adults) learn to be grateful, it makes the dark days seem much brighter. Older children can also pick a Bible verse to go along with their day. Have them pick one that describes being grateful, or simply any verse that appeals to them that day. Being in the Word each day is something that is so important to train our children to do. Make it a habit, and a lifestyle.

2. Take advantage of the cold dark days to get things accomplished. Once warm weather hits, you will want to be outside. So take advantage to do those jobs around the house-organizing the pantry, sorting through clothes bin, etc. Purge.

3. This goes for homeschool as well-focus on drills, focus on practicing skills, have spelling bees, geography bees, watch documentaries-extra things we may not normally have time to do. If you are snowed in, use it for educational purposes-learn about snow, do a snow unit study, etc. Don’t take off for snow because the schools do-get work done NOW, so when the warm weather hits, you can take time off to celebrate the sun!

4. Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in your homeschool. Every year on the third Monday in January, we do a special time of learning about his life and his message. We always watch the “I Have a Dream” speech, and I never fail to tear up. Focus on God’s message of love for all people.

5. Enjoy this time. Once spring hits, things always seem to speed up. Enjoy the hibernation of wintertime. Sip cocoa while you work. Enjoy being inside together. Don’t see it as being stuck indoors, but cherish it.

Winter homeschooling can be a big blessing. We don’t have to fight the snow to get places, watch the weather forecast wondering if we have school the next day, or go out in the cold. What a blessing to be cooped up for a bit with those we love.

Take advantage of the time-before we know it the weather will turn warm again. Enjoy the gift of winter!

Karen DeBeus is married to the love of her life, Steve, and a homeschooling mom of 4 children ages 10-2. She was called to homeschool when her oldest was kindergarten age after thinking, “I could never do THAT!” Now she is passionate about encouraging others on their homeschool journey. She is also working on simplifying all areas of her life,including homeschool, and putting God first in all she does. Read more about her journey to simplify at www.simplylivingforhim.com.

With the increasing amount of free resources found online, the ability to homeschool has become more affordable for many. Below is a list of 15 websites featuring free science resources. The list includes games, printables, activities, quizzes, videos, and even a complete science curriculum!

Apples4theTeacher.com Find free elementary science activities, printables, and interactive online games.

BrainPOP Science Showcases animated, engaging, curriculum-based content, much of which is completely free!

Education.com Find free science activities, games, and much more.

Easy Fun School Science Science-based lessons and activities for various ages.

EIA Energy Kids Access energy related games, activities, lesson plans and more!

Fact Monster Great kid-friendly site with all kinds of facts, games, quizzes, etc. for many different subjects.

Hooked on Science Download and print free science worksheets and lesson plans.

MSNucleus Curriculum Access a free K-12 integrating science, math, and technology curriculum.

Quiz Tree Free online quizzes and games for subjects including science, math, reading, foreign language, geography, history, spelling, music and more.

Sheppards Software Hundreds of free of educational games, activities, and articles for many different subjects.

Think Zone Print free science & math posters and charts.

TLSbooks.com Print free science worksheets.

Today in Science History Find scientific events from any day throughout history plus lots more!

U.S. Fire Administration for Kids Lesson plans for basic fire safety.

Yucky Discovery Science website sponsored by Discovery Kids.

Jennifer is a happily married, Christian, homeschooling mama of five little ones (ages 7,5,5,3,3). Yes, two sets of twins! She has a BA degree in Mathematics and holds a masters degree in Education. A former high school math teacher, she now uses all her education to teach her own kids! In her “spare” time she enjoys scrap-booking, though blogging seems to be taking its place. She currently has five blogs. Mama Jenn is her main blog. Education Cubes features customizable learning blocks. The Homeschool Resource List is a collection of free online resources. The “Brown Like Me” Book Review showcases books featuring “brown” characters. The Living Math Book List is a collection of living math books.

The key to successful homeschooling with toddlers is preparedness. Knowing this now, as I do, all the year round I keep an eye out at garage sales, thrift stores, and craft blogs for activities, inexpensive ones, that will keep a toddler’s attention. I don’t spend much money on busy activities for my toddlers, and many of them I’m able to make at home. Part of my being prepared to homeschool with toddlers includes teaching them to be able to sit for five to ten minutes at a time, on a blanket or in a high chair, with their own activities when I need to help an older sibling. Now, let me share some of my favorite activities, which we keep set aside for lesson time, and I’d love to hear yours.

Most toddlers love fine motor activities and beading is such a great toddler activity, whether it’s large wooden beads or pasta or animal shapes with holes. As with all things, use parental wisdom – if your toddler tends to put everything in their mouths, then you might have to wait a year or so on this activity.

I remember watercolor books from my childhood but they seem to be harder to find nowadays. We especially like the ones with little dots of paint all over the picture. They also make watercolor books with the paint palette at the top of the page. I tend to find watercolor books in the most unusual places, like drug stores, and most recently, Joann’s Fabrics. Whenever we’re in the coloring book section of a store, I take a quick peak for them and stock up when I see them.

Our first lacing cards came from a garage sale, vintage ones with shoe laces to thread through. Recently I’ve seen them available on www.amazon.com and in Barnes and Noble, so their popularity is growing. If you’re pinching pennies, you can also laminate some pretty graphics or magazine cut-outs and hole punch around the border. Dollar stores carry shoe laces, which are still our favorites for lacing. We are a crafty family and these are a hit with the toddlers in our home, who get to do their own “sewing.”

Lego Duplos are also kept for lesson time. They come in a large variety of shapes and colors and I don’t have to worry about them being a choking hazard for any babies that may be crawling around.

It may seem simple, but stickers are loved by the toddlers in our home and are a great activity for building those fine motor skills. I ration out a 500 pack of stickers from the dollar store with scrap paper and let our toddlers create a masterpiece.

A metal sheet (you can use a cookie sheet) and magnet sets are also a fun toddler activity. We have animal magnets, firemen magnets, Bible story ones, and the traditional numbers and letters. I sometimes write out words so our toddlers can match their letter magnets to them on the baking sheet and they can play act out their own stories with the people and animal magnets.

Play dough in our home is reserved for lesson time too. We make it at home, add in glitter for sparkles and essential oils for scent. You can color it with coffee, kool-aid, jello, or food coloring. We keep a basket of play dough toys like cookie cutters and a small rolling pin. Here is the recipe we have always used:

In a saucepan, mix two cups of flour and two cups of water. Stir in one tablespoon of oil and one teaspoon of cream of tartar and one cup of salt. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the dough thickens. When it is cool to touch, knead in your colors, scents, and sparkles of choice. We store ours in plastic zip-lock baggies.

I’d love to hear some of your toddler’s favorite activities too – won’t you chime in?

strong>Hannah is a relaxed homeschooling mama of six. Her and her family are big on the outdoors, big on family days, and big on making memories in everyday small ways. She loves handcrafts, iced lattes, re-arranging furniture and counts falling into bed exhausted a sign of a really great day. She and her husband make a home in upstate New York with their energetic children and a menagerie of animals. Hannah blogs at Cultivating Home and you can connect with her on the facebook page, Cultivating Home.

Snowflakes are simply a form of crystalline water ice. They begin as snow crystals and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. As the flake falls through the cloud, tiny changes in temperature and humidity affect the way the water molecules attach to the snowflake. The variety of shapes form as the flake moves through the air. Have you heard that “no two snowflakes are alike”? That is because each flake grows independently and each side of each arm grows independently so they are not completely symmetric, this process of formation makes each one unique.

The largest ever recorded snowflake is listed in the Guinness World Book of Records. It was found in January 1887 at Fort Keogh, Montana and was said to measure 38 cm (15 inches) wide!

Ready to make your own?

The ingredients are simple:

• Borax (2 Tbsp per jar)
• Pipe Cleaners (3 per snowflake, we used green, but I think white might have been a better choice!)
• A pen or pencil to secure the snowflake while it’s crystalizing
• Boiling Water
• Wide mouth glass jars
• Scissors

Directions:

Step 1: Cut your pipe cleaner into 3rds. Lay one section horizontally on your workspace, then lay another one on top of it and twist it into a v shape around the horizontal piece. Lay your 3rd pipe cleaner section on top of that and create a v shape again only going the opposite direction of your first one so you have something similar to the below:

Step 2: Using your 2nd pipe cleaner tie it around the center of your flake, leaving a long tail, you will use this to secure your flake in the crystallization solution.

Step 3: Using the 3rd pipe cleaner, cut six 1.5 inch sections. Tie one around each tip to create your flake detailed edges.

Step 4: Pour 2.5 Tablespoons of Borax per each cup of boiling water to each wide mouth jar. (I used about 2 cups of water per jar, so about 5 T of Borax.) Just make sure you have enough water to cover your snowflakes. Stir the solution until the borax is dissolved.

Step 5: Tie the end of your long pipe cleaner around a pen or pencil and gently place the snowflake end into the solution, making sure it is completely covered by liquid. Wait about an hour sometimes a little longer to see your crystals form on the pipe cleaners! (If crystals are not starting to form, you can add a little more Borax to your solution, just stir to make sure it dissolves.

This flake was created using some twine and a white pipe cleaner:

Erica is a Christian wife, a mom, and a homeschooler. She authors Confessions Of A Homeschooler that offers tons of printables, resources, ideas and homeschool curriculum. She likes to digi-scrap and dabbles in graphic design in her *free* time. Feel free to drop by for a visit anytime! www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com

A winter nature walk might seem like a boring (or cold) idea, but don’t be fooled – God’s creation, though less active this time of year, is still ready to excite you!

Of course, snow is an obvious topic of study, but since not everyone receives snow in the winter, I’d like to offer some other fun ideas. January, with its bare trees, dead plants and dull colored landscape, is perfect for discovering treasures that are hidden other times of the year. When most of the flora disappears, it’s way easier to find and observe things like rocks, erosion, tree shapes and details, and plants that don’t die or sleep during the winter.

If it’s really cold and you’d rather not venture outside, set up a nature observatory window. You might choose to place feeders outside the window so birds and other creatures will be close for easy observation and sketching in a nature journal or identifying in a field guide. Winter is also a good time for observing clouds and weather systems as you sit on the warm and cozy side of the window.

On not-so-cold days, one of our favorite winter walks is what we call a “detective walk” as we search for evidence of animals. Even though many animals may have migrated or are hibernating, January is still a great time to look for signs that they have been there. Without as many hiding places and the lack of color variation in the landscape, it’s not hard at all to find animal tracks, feathers, fur, scat, food litter, burrows, and old nests.

Appropriate for all ages and requiring no prep, a detective walk is a simple way to break up the monotony of mid-winter homeschooling days. Grab a blank notebook and pencil for each child (and parent) and head outdoors for some fresh air, a little exercise and a lot of science-related fun. Each person is to be on the hunt for as many signs of animals as possible. When animal evidence is found, note or draw it in the notebook. (If you find a burrow, don’t ever attempt to stick your hand or anything else in it!)

Upon returning home, everyone can compare notes over a cup of hot cocoa. Discuss the evidence and which animals you believe have been in the area. Do you think the animals are currently active, or do you think the evidence was left from previous seasons? A lively discussion is sure to ensue! Fun, productive, educational family time can’t be beat!

The NaturExplorers series offers several topics that are perfect for winter nature/science studies: Snow and Ice, Coping with the Cold, Constant Conifers, Beautiful Birds and Animal Signs. There’s also a new winter-themed study just for preschool and kindergarten students called Nature by the Season!

Cindy West is an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of three who loves learning alongside her children. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her nature study curriculum at Shining Dawn Books.

When children begin learning a second language at birth, they have the capacity to learn them without getting confused — because, as the brain develops, so does the ability to separate one language from another.

Why learning a second language? There are many reasons but I think that in such a global environment now, you never know what you might need. Will a second language interfere your children’s English ability? Studies have shown ,and experience has supported, that learning another language enhances a child’s English ability. Children can learn much about English by learning the structure of other languages. Everyday vocabulary also helps children learn the meaning of new words in English.

This time we will learn 3 new colors: gray, black and white in Spanish

My goals for this lesson:

• To introduce new colors gray, black and white in Spanish
• To sort colors in a mat
• To relate colors in their oral and written form

I introduce Tacky, the penguin puppet and told my kids lot of funny things about him. It seems to be a very funny penguin. He is very friendly, too. He loves playing with snow and swimming in the cold sea.. And guess what? He is also learning Spanish!

Tacky told us he learned 3 new colors in Spanish:

• Gris / Gray*
• Negro / Black
• Blanco / White

We played “Tacky says”- our version of Simon says- and we had to look for gray, black and white things around us. If we found something of that color, we named it in Spanish. We gathered some of the objects and then sorted them by color. We also brainstormed more things white, black and gray.

*Note the British spelling of Grey

To practice and consolidate the new colors I made this filefolder for you. Teachable moments are there waiting for you! Happy teaching!  You can download the printables here.

Analia Capurro is the designer and owner of Ingles360.net® and the author of all the educational resources sold in her website. After 20 years of teaching children she found that the only way children love learning is if teachers love learning and teaching, too. Promoting a learning environment where laugh, fun and friendship and companionship are as important as any language structure, are the things she had in mind while designed her bilingual resources.

Need Supplies:

• Puff balls {aka pompoms}
• Circle magnets (you can buy these at craft store or at Walmart)
• Glue

Directions: Simply glue the magnets to the pompoms and dry overnight. Or, you can speed up the drying process by using a hot glue gun!

There are TONS of ways that your tot can use magnetic puff balls along with a magnetic cookie sheet, which I purchased from the Dollar Tree. Count them, sort them, use them as manipulatives…the ideas are endless!

Do-A-Dot Pages from Homeschool Creations:

Alphabet Pages from Making Learning Fun:

Grid Games from Mama Jenn:

Do-A-Dot pages from various Preschool Packs from Homeschool Creations:

Spelling BINGO from Mama Jenn:

Here are even more ideas/printables to use with your puff ball magnets:

• Number Pages from Making Learning Fun
• Mosaic Pages from Making Learning Fun
• Letter Magnet Pages from COAH’s Letter of the Week Curriculum
• Do-A-Dot Pages from Tot School

Jennifer is a happily married, Christian, homeschooling mama of five little ones (ages 7,5,5,3,3). Yes, two sets of twins! She has a BA degree in Mathematics and holds a masters degree in Education. A former high school math teacher, she now uses all her education to teach her own kids! In her “spare” time she enjoys scrap-booking, though blogging seems to be taking its place. She currently has five blogs. Mama Jenn is her main blog. Education Cubes features customizable learning blocks. The Homeschool Resource List is a collection of free online resources. The “Brown Like Me” Book Review showcases books featuring “brown” characters. The Living Math Book List is a collection of living math books.

Domino Christmas Ornaments – The Homeschool Classroom – If you’re looking for fun, simple Christmas projects for your kids, this post from The Homeschool Classroom, part of a series of posts, will get you started. These ornaments are so cute and will make the perfect addition to your tree or a simple homemade gift project for the kids to give to their grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

In Praise of Free Play – Blogging ‘Bout Boys – In a day and age where the expectation is that kids will be involved in organized, structured activities nearly every minute of every day, this post on Blogging ‘Bout Boys points out the benefits of unstructured free time.

Powerful Words – Raising Homemakers – This post by Jamie (See Jamie Blog) brought tears to my eyes. It’s an intensely powerful reminder of the weight of our words – whether positive or negative. Perhaps more often than we realize, those around us need to hear how much they mean to us.

Toni’s Biggest Homeschooling Mistake: Doubt – Simple Homeschool. It’s an ugly word that clouds every homeschooling parents’ thoughts from time to time. In this encouraging post, Toni cautions us not to doubt our abilities without first making an attempt at those things that strike fear in our hearts.

What Kneeling on a Department Store Floor Taught Me about Gratitude – Conversion Diary – I really appreciated this insightful (and, as usual, amusing) post that points out that gratitude isn’t exactly what we often assume it is.

Training Children to Overlook an Offense – The Better Mom – I only wish I’d read this article a few years ago. One of the scripture references (Proverbs 12:6) has already made its way into our scripture box for memorization.

Five Everyday Items for Toddler Learning – In a Nutshell – With supply costs ranging from free to really cheap, you’ll love these simple, but engaging activity ideas that will keep your toddlers productively occupied while you school your older children – or join your little one for some fun one-on-one time.

10 Days of Language Arts – Jimmie’s Collage – In case you missed it, Jimmie offered ten incredible language arts posts in the recent “10 Days” series. She has provided enough information to effectively design your own personalized language arts curriculum. Don’t miss this series!

50 Rules for Dads of Daughters – From Dates to Diapers – A must-read for dads of daughters.

30 Truths about Homeschooling – The Homeschool Classroom – This post, by yours truly, shares several truths that I’ve learned during my nine years of homeschooling. I hope you’ll be encouraged.

Kris Bales has been married to her incredible husband for 20 years. Together, they’re raising their three Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, who range in age from 10 to 16. Kris is Christian, Southern, and sweet-tea-addicted. She enjoys reading, writing and photography. In addition to blogging about life as a homeschool mom, you can find her at Eclipsed where she chronicles her transformation from a morbidly obese couch potato to a runner in training for her first half-marathon.

Many of us have wrapped up our homeschooling for the year, beginning a Christmas break a little early. Perhaps you just have a few more days to go.

Whenever you decide to take a break, it can be a little bittersweet. The kids are free to do as they please (I know mine enjoy getting up in the morning without a set schedule to follow as soon as breakfast is done), but at times this can lead to something else: Boredom. Boredom is inevitable, especially when the holiday season is approaching and the days seem so very long to little ones.

(How many times have you already heard, “How many more days ’til Christmas, Mommy?” I know, in our home, this question begin popping up as soon as we entered the month of November!)

We have a Christmas countdown every year, and this helps to fill our days. This, too, can prove to be stressful and hectic if overdone. In the past I’ve had so many projects and crafts slated that we grow tired of activities way before the 25th rolls around! The past year or so, however, I’ve leaned down our activity calendar and focused on those activities we’ll truly enjoy. I’ve also not planned a set activity for every single day; many days’ surprise within the paper cones I’ve constructed is simply a fun Christmas joke or a piece of gum per child.

Whether you have a calendar to fill or just want some fuss-free activity ideas to fill the time, here are a few of the fun things we’ve done in years past and will be doing this year!

• Paint Christmas pictures with watercolors or tempera paints.
• Make a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls; eat half and surprise some friends with the other half.
• Find a drive-through or walk-through Nativity in your town and visit.
• Have a family board game night.
• Make holiday popcorn balls.
• Write a letter to a sponsored child, a soldier stationed overseas, or a grandparent. Be sure to decorate the envelope with stickers!
• Make a book about Christmas.
• Write a story from the perspective of one of Santa’s elves.
• Have a family movie night — watch a holiday movie, of course.
• Drive around to view Christmas lights; vote on your favorite spots.
• Make a snow scene indoors on a tray using shaving cream and action figures.
• Go star gazing; stars look so much brighter on a cold, clear night!
• Paint everyone’s toenails in Christmas colors and designs.
• Make peppermint cream to stir into coffee and hot chocolate.
• Do a jigsaw puzzle together; place it somewhere where it can be worked on the next day in case you don’t finish.
• Put on The Nutcracker CD and dance!
• Bake a birthday cake for Jesus!
• Make paper snowflakes; tape into windowpanes all over the house.

Meg Wilson is a devoted wife to her husband, Ken, of 10 years, and mom and homeschooling teacher to her 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. When she’s not writing or creating something, Meg loves to cook for, host and entertain friends and family. She also enjoys reading, the outdoors, eclectic music, yoga, and studying history. You can read all about her adventures (and misadventures) at her blog, Muses of Megret and read her product reviews at Electric City Academy.