I grew up in the Midwest and we raised our kids in the same area, so I am very familiar with freezing temperatures, snow, and hibernating. On the other hand, my husband grew up in California and winter for him meant rainy season with cool temperatures. Everything that had turned dry and brown would spring back to life and the hills would turn a beautiful green.

No matter what winter looks like for you, at this point in the school year, you may be feeling a little dry and spent and in need of hibernation—or you may be experiencing cabin fever! And you know what? That’s okay! For our family, the winter season offered a time to catch up or work ahead, knowing that nicer weather was coming and we would want to be active outside again. We took full advantage of the opportunity winter gave to rest and restore by playing games, watching movies, reading books, and putting puzzles together in our extra time. While summer days are long and full of adventure, the winter days bring a nice respite to a busy schedule. The older I get, the more I look forward to this season of slow-paced living.

If you are starting to feel stir-crazy and want to see something accomplished, get a jump on your spring cleaning!  After Christmas, I always make a list of indoor projects that I’d like to see accomplished and then set out to see how much we can tackle by spring. Just this week, I spent some time deep cleaning some rooms in our house. I don’t have time in the spring for that, but I do in the winter! Go room by room, closet by closet, drawer by drawer, and reset your home little at a time. A list helps keep my brain focused and I get so much more accomplished. Cleaning isn’t the only thing you can get ahead on. Perhaps you are going to try gardening—now is the time to get those seeds planted! Or take inventory of your schoolbooks and make a list of what you will need next year. Tax returns always funded our book expenses for the next school year, so it was nice to know ahead of time what was needed.

Make some fun memories during this winter season. If you get snow, get out and go sledding with your kids. Make that snowman and build those forts. Bundle up and get some fresh air, have fun, and even take school experiments outside. There are so many cool projects you can do in winter. Here’s a couple of our favorites:

  • Make snow cream! After a good snow, go out and gather 8 cups of clean, fresh snow and stir together with 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and 1-2 tsp. of vanilla. It’s amazing!
  • Add color to your sidewalk by filling balloons with water and food coloring. Place the water balloons outside to freeze. After freezing, remove the balloon and ta-da! You will have a Candyland sidewalk to brighten up your yard.
  • Blow bubbles and watch them freeze over. You can use regular bubble solution or look online for different recipes and see which one you like best.
  • Our older kids liked throwing boiling water into freezing air and photographing the result. Be sure to assist with this experiment so no one is scalded in the process!
  • We had shovels in all sizes and taught the kids how to properly remove snow. This gave them an opportunity to do good for someone else without expecting anything in return, plus it helped teach a good work ethic.

All too soon, this season will pass, and you will be on to the next. If you find yourself feeling isolated, lonely, or in need of some fresh ideas, please call the consultant line. We are glad to chat with you and help in any way we can. You are not alone on this wonderful journey of homeschooling! ~ Amber

Cabin Fever Relievers: