How to Homeschool During the Holidays

Trying to keep up the normal homeschool routine during the holidays is a sure-fire way to burn yourself out. There's so much to do and the kids are bouncing off the walls. Instead shift your homeschool's focus and enjoy homeschooling during the holidays.








Christmas Homeschooling








Reading


Center your holiday reading around the holiday season. Share the story of Jesus' birth, and read The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore or A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to your

children. These are wonderful holiday classics to enjoy with your children. Use this season to focus on these and other books about the holidays.




Writing


I don't know about you, but there's a lot of writing which needs to be done during the holiday season. Drop the regular writing assignments and draft your children. Write cards for elderly in the nursing home who will be spending the holiday seasons alone. Enjoy writing the holidays letters together, as a family.





Math


Instead of trying to squeeze math lessons into each day and drill wiggly children in the facts, make the children use their math skills to prepare for the holidays. Double, triple, and quadruple the cookie

recipes you make and have your children calculate the amount of butter, flour, and sugar you'll need. Use geometric shapes and symmetry to create snowflakes to decorate the windows. Have your children multiplying to ensure you've baked enough cookies for everyone at the co-op.





Social Studies


Textbooks are passe during the holiday seasons, especially when studying social studies. Try checking out a few books from the library instead and investigate how other cultures celebrate New Years around the world. Have your children compare China's New Year's date and traditions to

America's date and traditions. See how New Year's is celebrated in Mexico, Australia, and Italy. Use the holiday season to learn about how other cultures celebrate during this festive time of year.





Science


Keep science studies tied into the holiday season as well. Take a look at electricity and Christmas lights. Old Christmas lights used series circuits. Why would people want to switch to Christmas lights using parallel circuits? Challenge your children to find out why.







http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2012/11/155-christmas-crafts-activities.html


Arts & Crafts


There are so many opportunities for arts and crafts during the holiday season. Pull out the paints and card stock. Create unique Christmas cards to send to family and friends. Put out pine cone bird feeders to feed the local birds in the winter. Use large sheets of butcher paper and markers to decorate your own wrapping paper for gifts. Try using modeling clay or salt dough to create ornaments to give to family and friends as gifts.









Music


Music is one of my favorite parts of Christmas. Not only does the radio play endless Christmas songs, but many of my favorite hymns are Christmas melodies. Use this opportunity to keep Christmas music playing in your house. Choose a couple Christmas songs to memorize. Go caroling at a nursing home or around the neighborhood. Most cities have the Nutcracker playing in December. Grab your children and make a special evening going to see a live performance.










Don't try to burn yourself out keeping up the normal homeschool routine during the holiday season. Instead shift your homeschool's focus and enjoy the time with your children.



What is your favorite way to enjoy homeschooling during the holidays?














Sara Dennis is a homeschooling mother of 6 children ages 4 through 18. After much research into homeschooling in 2000, she and her husband fell in love with classical education and used it as the foundation for their homeschool. Sara blogs at Classically Homeschooling, and you can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google+.






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Beth Gorden is a homeschooling mother of six who strives to enjoy every moment with her kids through hands-on learning, crafts, new experiences, and lots of playing together. Beth is also the creator and author of 123 Homeschool 4 Me where she shares 1000+ free printables, creative homeschool lessons, crafts, and other fun ideas to help preschool and homeschooling families have fun while learning and exploring together.