You’ve heard of “Summer School” but have you ever heard of “December School”? I had not either until recently. I discovered I have been doing this for the past two years in our homeschool without knowing it had a name.
December School is amazing and so freeing for one of the busiest times of the year for families. We love taking it slow and enjoying the season and December School gives us just that opportunity without taking off fully from doing school work.
For the month of December (except the week of Christmas), we do only the core subjects. We do math, Bible, and language arts every school day. Instead of doing science and history and art study and all the other subjects, we focus on doing Winter themed activities.
We celebrate Christmas, so much of our time is spent reading about Christmas (the true story of Jesus’ birth). We also read many books about Winter and snow. We take time to go outside if it snows and play in the beautiful white fluffy mess. We sit by the fireside and drink cocoa and read stories about all things December.
In December, we also like to do a service project. For instance, each year we spend two days baking cookies and making homemade candy. We put them in pretty containers and deliver them to all of our neighbors with a card. Some of our neighbors are elderly women who live alone and this means the world to them. December is the perfect time to do something for someone else.
We love to invite others to our home to do Christmas crafts, eat Christmas cookies, and watch Christmas movies. Doing minimal sit down school work gives us the flexibility to be able to do this. It’s the perfect time of year to practice hospitality and get to know your neighbors, church members, or friends from your homeschool co-op. Make your guests feel welcome by having drinks and cookies available when they arrive.
December School can be as easy or as complex as you would like it. It will look different for each family as well. For us, it means getting our core subjects done each day and then spending time with each other. My family LOVES to read tons of books and we do just that sitting next to a cozy fire. My children love doing Christmas and Winter crafts, so my walls are plastered with handmade candy canes, snowmen, snowflakes, Christmas trees, and so much more. It’s what we like and so we do it in December.
If you’ve ever considered taking off in December from school or want to slow down a little, December School just might be your answer. Do what works for your family and leave the rest or add what you want. No matter what you decide to do, just have fun and enjoy the month. Christmas is a very special time to celebrate the birth of Jesus (even though we know it isn’t His exact birthday) and being with family.
