Homeschooler Edition

As a homeschool family with three children under 9, we spend most of our week at home. I have a set errand day where the children and I get out. Otherwise, we usually just stick close to home. It’s a good time of year to prioritize this as winter driving is always a but unpredictable. It seems to go hand in hand with another winter trend.

The thing you can count on every January, that is as sure as the Hohoho of Santa Claus or the sound Jingle Bells in December, is the sound of the wallets slamming shut on New Years Day. The over consumption fever dream that seems to over take us all in December is met swiftly with No Spend charts and tightening of belts.

I appreciate this time of year for a season of reset and rest. I’m not sure if it’s just my social media or yours also, but it seems everyone is trying to find ways to save money, pay off debt, and make do in our current economy. However, the winter blues can still be real. It can be very hard to find contentment and joy in seasons of less especially if they feel lonely. I’m finding for myself I just need to reimagine how best to fill our time so we aren’t so desperate for the next dopamine hit from our latest shopping conquests.

The screentime battle I’m sure everyone faces on different levels seems never ending.

So what ways are there to have Winter Fun but you know without the expense chart to show it later. I think for this you need to jump on the “going back to the 90s” trend just a little bit.

Crafty Ideas – can you even call yourself a homeschooler or SAHM if you don’t brooch this. (I joke) I know not everyone is crafty and the mess can be a big deterrent but it just really is such a good winter pass time.

• Paper Snowflakes – my husband resurrected this art form. I had forgotten about it. He did 3 or 4 with the children and they took off with it. Now all my windows are covered in paper snowflakes. It’s quite lovely I think. It fills the void of the Christmas decorations.
• Colouring pages – the internet is ready and waiting with just about any colouring page imaginable by a child. A sweet habit we’ve fallen into with my nephews is they get to choose a colouring page for me to print for them. It’s the first thing they ask for everytime they visit.
• Writing Letters – Grandparents, aunts, and uncles, cousins and friends; everyone I think enjoys receiving letters. This is such a sweet way to make someone feel loved and appreciated. You don’t have to mail them either. If your recipients live close by hand deliver. You can even exchange letters within the same household.
• Playdough – store bought or homemade this wins every time for all the ages. Fair warning the new generation mixes the colours together.
• Dollar Store stock up – sometimes a little investment in the art department goes a long way. You don’t have to spend a fortune or get the best quality. Just a few staples and fun items from the dollar store does the job. A Handy Hack – guiltlessly get rid of excess crafty creations by gifting them to grandparents.

Games – I feel like I leveled up recently when I was able to teach and play Settlers of Catan with my children. I love playing games but often the “children” games are a bit mind numbing. I still highly encourage you to play them with your kiddos. It helps build up their skills for the “real” games later. There’s so much that can be learned via board/card games such as strategy, problem solving, team playing, and even just simple arithmetic. This can be a very fun and useful tool in your homeschool.

Sign up for Free Mail – there are several subscriptions you can get for free for your children. I love getting fun mail and so do they. Here are three things we are signed up to receive.

• PBS (Postal Bible Studies) A monthly set of Bible lessons for several different age ranges. The children have a chance to learn more about God’s word, earn prizes, and connect with a PBS teacher for encouragement and connection https://bible-n-more.com/
• Lego Magazine – We love Lego in this household. The children enjoy getting inspiration from these magazines. https://LEGO.com/get-magazine
• Keys for Kids – this is something that stems back from my own childhood. We have implemented a lot of Keys for Kids resources in our day to day routine now. https://devo.keysforkids.org/subscribe

LIBRARY

Say goodbye to subscriptions with the help of your local library. This is such an under used resource in my opinion. If you haven’t gone to a public library since your own childhood let me be the one to tell you, they have SO MANY resources now! Not just physical resources but also online. There are also numerous programs you can also attend, depending on ages and interests. Now, each library system offers some different things but over all they seem to try very hard to “keep up with the times”. Things I get/use from my favourite library,

• Holds – it can be very hard to walk into a library and magically find the right books your family would enjoy. What I love doing is doing a bit of online “shopping”. Perusing the online catalogue and putting holds on things that look fun gives me the same kind of high when shopping on amazon. The best part it doesn’t cost anything.
• Movies – I real bur under my saddle lately is the constant barrage of subscriptions. It’s not only expensive but often I can’t find the movies or shows I want to watch anyway. That’s not even getting into the safety side of what my children get exposed to via streaming sites. So I’ve been focusing back on actual physical movies where I don’t have to stress about ads they may see or what will auto play next. They watch a movie I’ve approved and then it’s done. I’m slowly building up our own physical movie library via thrifting but the library is a good resource for this also. Not just for kids movies either. I find some good movies for myself quite often also.
• Craft supplies our local library usually has a craft packet you can take home with you. My kids have enjoyed many different activities over the years through this. They often have colouring pages also available.
• Games and Toys – Did you know you can get games and toys to borrow also? They are often Stem minded or educational in some form. But a fabulous way to change things up a bit, mid winter. Some libraries also have tablets preloaded with education games and shows.
• Online books and movies – I was paying another subscription monthly fee to have access to digital books and audiobooks. I knew the library had some sort of online digital resource but had never looked into it very well until more recently. I’ll always enjoy physical books best but there have been seasons lately where audiobooks just work the best. Or I see an interesting title but the only way to read it is digitally. I’d rather try it out for free before investing into a book I don’t end up liking.
• A good place to just visit and play – We have had many a visit in the library with friends at the library. They often have good play areas for the children. It’s a nice way to get out without it costing anything or having to brave the winter elements.

Potty Train a Toddler – This is just endless fun… The constant wardrobe changes and running to and from the potty not only keeps life exciting but well exercised. The bonus results also means more laundry to keep you occupied and does help lower expenses in the diaper department.

Practicing Hospitality – If you’re feeling lonely and isolated, I want to encourage you to open your home to others. Now, we all could come up with a hundred and one reasons why not to. But what if there is just ONE good reason to do it? What if you get to bless another persons life with friendship and your own at the same time? Hosting does not have to be complicated or perfect. It can be a bit messy, chaotic even, and still a joy. We only recently moved from our tiny house so I can understand the challenges that come with hosting in small spaces. I even wrote a blog post about this very topic. Hospitality can also look like meeting up in a public space or visiting a housebound induvial at their home. Sometimes convention needs to be thrown out and people just need to know they are thought of and wanted. The thing I have found out about practicing hospitality is it ends up blessing you just as much, if not more, than your guest.

Audio entertainment – The screens battle is constant in our current age. Time to make their imaginations soar. Audio entertainment is great because they can keep playing with their hands while using their brains to explore new things. This doesn’t just apply to children either. I’ve been enjoying this a lot also. It’s also a fabulous way to get a bit more educational time in without it being super obvious. Here are somethings we are enjoying –

• Keys for Kids Radio – I utilize this on my Youtube Music app but its also on Apple Podcasts and of course their website. https://radio.keysforkids.org/
• Bible in a Year – via YouVersion Bible App
• Music
• Audiobooks – this is how we’ve enjoyed the Little House books and several other classics while we drive.
• Yoto players – I’ve been able to put a bunch of my own favourite childhood CDs on Yoto cards for my own children to enjoy. It’s been a very enjoyable addition to our home. They can independently set up things to listen to and do it in their own spaces.

Podcast suggestions for You

• Elisabeth Elliot Podcast
• Parenting with Ginger Hubbard
• Life with Sally
• Marilyn Lightsone Reads (This is Miss Stacey from Road to Avonlea and Anne of Green Gables. She reads several different books including Anne of Green Gables.)

Podcast f0r Kids

• Fish Bytes 4 Kids
• Keys for Kids

This honestly feels like an endless resource. There are so many options out their now a days. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. It’s most assuredly going to be something I keep exploring and finding more valuable resources for our daily life and homeschool.

When in doubt let them be bored – I’ve been letting this happen more and more lately instead of being so quick to find things for them to do. The good old threat of chores when boredom is declared seems to work as well now as it did in my own childhood. Boredom is the gateway to imagination. I’ve seen a lot of evidence of this in recent weeks. It makes me so happy when I see the fruits of their imaginings.

The more I set here thinking over this post the more ideas and things I keep getting. There is so much that can be done in winter. Fun does not need to cost a lot. Once we get those creative thoughts flowing more come.