460 | The Wonders of Winter Homeschooling (Jennifer Cabrera) | REPLAY
Show Notes:
How do we muster the will to rise and get dressed and get back a life of learning in the cold and winter months? Much less entice our teens to do the same? With new resolve and new fleece pajamas, homeschooling in winter is a privilege filled with opportunities for getting ahead academically, productive family time, and remembering why we homeschool in the first place.
About Jennifer
Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration. Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys. She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work. She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers. She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media.
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Show Transcript:
Jennifer Cabrera Hello and welcome to another Hifalutin Homeschooler episode of The Homeschool Solutions Show. My name is Jennifer Cabrera and I am one of many hosts here on the podcast. Each week, we bring you an encouraging conversation, inspiration, tips, tricks, and or humor from this busy and blessed journey of educating our children at home.
Now, while the title of the show is Homeschool Solutions, we do not pretend to have the answer to every question related to homeschooling, but we do hope to keep it real through lessons we've learned and urge you toward Jesus Christ and prayer with him as the greatest parent-teacher conference available.
Winter homeschooling. I just gave three haircuts, one to each of my sons because we have to get back after the holidays and we're going to start out slow. So today they had to go back to their Civil Air Patrol meeting. And since my second oldest (or twin "B" or "D2" as I normally refer to him) is the cadet commander, he has to put up an appearance, right? So he's got to have this haircut and it's got to be regulations. It can't touch the collar. It can't touch his ears. Basically, he wants to look like G.I. Joe when he gets there, which is awesome because I like a clean cut guy in a uniform as well as the next. And so I cut their hair. Why do I cut their hair? Because three haircuts somewhere else—$75 plus tips and that's good field trip money right there. But haircuts are just the first of the chores that I have to do to get us ready to go back to the homeschool grind in the winter months of dark and despair. Nobody wants to do anything, much less math. We just want to hibernate. The kids are already moaning about what they haven't had to do in the last month and the thought of getting started. Like we enjoy inflicting this torture upon ourselves. So we're going to ease into things, going to take a field trip or two. I don't know, crack a book for at least 30 minutes.
But not all is lost with winter homeschooling. This is actually our season. Okay, so really every season is homeschool season. I can probably spin that in any direction, whether it be fall, spring, summer. But though the days are short, cold and without a reason for twinkling lights anymore or tinsel and the yummy buffets of pies and all things cheese, there is much to celebrate in this bluest time of the year. Seriously, winter could be one of the best seasons for homeschooling for the following reasons. One, baby, it's cold outside. Why go out there if you don't have to? Therefore, no child is woefully looking out the window at butterflies and puppies frolicking in a field of spring flowers or surfers riding waves and eating ice cream. So let's read this adventure book aloud while drinking cocoa with extra puffy marshmallows and that wacky straw that you got in your stocking. The couch looks cozy. Somebody get the dog, he'll like this story, too. Well, they say even reducing fractions is more fun in January and February. That's probably a lie, but I'm going to go with it anyway.
But the second reason that homeschooling during the winter can be a good thing is no one is expecting us. We aren't in the midst of any big projects, there are no rehearsals for upcoming recitals, we aren't due anywhere for a few more weeks, and no one is coming to dinner or anticipating us bringing a casserole to their place anytime soon. So we might as well just go ahead and study the War of the Roses. I don't know, edit some grammar papers, practice some piano perhaps, or practice balancing a checkbook. But because we don't want to be labeled completely Cruella de Vil during this cold, hard time of homeschooling in your favorite pajamas by the fire, we could always just start with game-schooling because board games, y'all, in the billiard room with maybe some candlesticks by Professor Mom. Really. You can homeschool with board games. For instance, you could use Scrabble for spelling, monopoly—math and economics, Clue and Battleship equal logic, and Telestrations is art, twister for P.E. and Trivial Pursuit for a final exam.
Another reason that winter homeschooling is astounding is, well, if you can part with your PJs, it's an amazing time to hit the children's science museums, state parks, Imax theaters, zoos because school field trips usually don't ruin—I mean, crowd—these places until standardized testing season is over, I think. So maybe there are one or two true reasons to brave the perils of the winter elements that I exaggerate. Such as? There is no one—I repeat, no one—at Indoor Waterparks in January. I know this because I've been. I've been to the Great Wolf Lodge. I've been to the Kalahari Resort. There's no one there but other homeschoolers, and they're not going to bother you with socialization questions. They're going to actually socialize with you. But if splurging for field trips isn't in the budget and you really just don't want to part with your PJs, just remember, boredom breeds creativity, or at least a reason to break out one of the 52 science kits that you have stockpiled for just such an occasion. Don't forget you bought that grow your own crystal kit. They grow really fast when the heat is on in the house, just FYI. You're welcome. The internet is full of great experiments that you can do with household items guaranteed to wow and possibly set the kitchen on fire. Believe I told that story before.
But back to winter homeschooling. Sometimes it's just good to hit the grind. Even if we don't want to, even if it seems impossible to muster the energy to get going, it's also good to look forward to what do we want to do in May? What is it that, by that time, we're going to be itching to get outside, the puppies and the butterflies will be frolicking, the beach will be calling, sports that you only do during the spring and summer months will be calling, and we will be absolutely burnt out with our grammar workbooks by that time. And so if we take the time that we have now when we don't really have anything to do and we don't really want to be outside to bust our hump, the rewards will come. And sometimes just being the adult in the situation and telling your kids that, "Fine, let's do all the things that you want to do. I'll teach you fractions. I suppose that you want to finish the eighth grade before you grow a beard." Or the older ones probably want to get into college, so something about a transcript.
But the point is, no time like the present. But let's not get crazy here. I mean, we're going to forge ahead like the strong-willed, determined homeschoolers that we are in the comforts of an amazing new fleece hoodie and nightgown set that we got for Christmas. And it's really humbling when you think about possibly the best part of winter homeschooling is that schools are starting back and we don't have to go. I mean, I get kind of sad when I think about all those little darlings headed back to school two hours earlier than we even think about getting up. Probably in the dark, fighting back tears through sleep-crusted eyes, craving just one more morning, curled up at home in their pajamas. Poor babies.
So we get our spoiled little darlings up and we tell them to, you know, at least put on some pants because it's chilly. And we make them coco, and then we expect them to, gasp, listen to us read aloud. It's really not that bad. It isn't the end of probation and back to the slammer for homeschoolers. But for the younger kids, it's always good to have something to look forward to—little goals, stuff to get excited about. "Why do I have to do my math today?" And my son has a spelling bee coming up. He's never done a spelling bee before. I think I'm more anxious than him. I'm like, "They're all going to laugh at you. You have to study these words. I don't even know how to pronounce them. Here, let's look it up." But he's like, "No, mom, I got it. I can do this." And so when we get there, I'm probably going to pretend that one of the really smart looking kids that has a notebook that's stuffed to the brim with spelling words, I'm going to say, "Oh, that... That's my kid." Of course, I'll probably end up saying that to that child's mother.
But in any case, my child has something to look forward to in the coming weeks. A reason to get through his daily grind so that we can argue over spelling words because I promised on the day of the bee that I would take him to get tacos on the way home if he could get past at least one round without embarrassing the family name. So he's got that to look forward to and to work towards, but we also take, you know, several field trips to museums while the gettin's good. And it's easy, right? To keep our younger ones excited about things, even if we just promise a movie night at the end of the week or "we're going to go get ice cream" or get lost on the Lego aisle at Walmart. Who knows?
But with the older kids, the teens up there, juniors and seniors, it's kind of hard to incentivize learning when they're just not into it. So they're going to sit and eat their M&Ms that you promised during a math lesson if they got every problem right and they're just going to eat the M&Ms and not answer if they don't want to. Or let's just be honest, I can't even do the math that my two are doing now. They're in dual credit college courses and they're getting up at the crack of dawn and of course, I have to get up with them. Another thing I'm not exactly looking forward to again in these cold winter days, but we have to hit the ground running. We're at the second semester of a junior year, prepping for tests to get into the colleges, and for the careers that they want, and so much going on and coming at us so fast.
And they've got homeschool prom to look forward to and all the things that complete the junior year and head us into that final year of homeschooling together, which is exciting and sad and all the emotions at once. But homeschooling teens is not for the weary and not because I have to keep up with the math (because there's always those resources out there and other teachers and classes that you can bank on helping you teach the subjects you're not all that strong at) but the attitudes, right? And the things you want to instill in them before they're gone and the will just to argue with them if you need to. I mean, it's like I've said before, homeschooling high school is basically just providing snacks and other resources and Wi-fi passwords and holding the answer key up in self-defense.
But to start this new year out right, I came up with some resolutions for homeschooling teens and they go a little something like this—first, stop threatening to send them to school. No one believes you, you don't believe you. Second, don't skip read aloud or science experiments for worksheets and videos. I mean, get in there with them. You're going to miss them when they're not there anymore and when you're done homeschooling. So it seems like a lot of work right now. It won't always feel that way looking back. So make those memories while they're there. And next, laugh more. Even when—well, especially when—nothing goes as planned but it turns out all right anyway. Which happens a lot in homeschooling. Like I said before, the mistakes is where the learning is. And next, let them try more without interruption. Even if you do it differently than your teen is doing things, humbly praise them when they are successful despite your worries or how you could have done it better. Sometimes it's best just to zip it and let them reap the praise that they deserve for trying and succeeding. And they'll learn better ways as they progress but they don't always have to be wrong.
Next, tell them when you don't know. Ask them when you need help. Lean on them when you're tired or feeling down. I mean, because really, we're growing capable, strong adults here. Not unscathed, useless trophies. We're going to need them to take care of us at our old age so we better teach them how to do it while we can. And then lastly, when necessary, stand your ground and keep your feelings off it. They can't help they know everything right now, but it will pass. Hopefully. That's what I've heard. But I'm not really big on New Year's resolutions. I don't really believe that a new year is really the start of a new book or even a chapter, and it might not even be a fresh page either. But I do wish all of you the gumption to insert a plot twist where needed. Maybe it's new curriculum because the old stuff isn't working. Maybe it's a change of scenery. Maybe it's a new job. Maybe it's moving to a new part of the country. Maybe it's finding a new co-op. Maybe it's deciding to quit co-ops altogether. Maybe it's deciding to start a co-op for the first time. Or an array of impossible to name all the plot twists that you could do to revamp your home school.
However, sometimes we don't really need to change anything, we just need to change our resolve about the things that weren't going as planned but we know that we should be doing better. And so I asked on social media. I said, "Forget resolutions. What didn't go as planned in your homeschool, but you're doubling down on it with a new resolve for 2022? What is it that you're going to get right this time? Maybe it's something that you plan to do and then somehow forgot or just kind of got lazy about it." And I got some really interesting responses and all these responses kind of boil down to motivation, right? Because it's all about getting motivated and to stay motivated, we have to remember the reasons why we're doing these things. Because if it sounded neat to teach underwater basket weaving, but you don't really like baskets and it's too cold to get the water, well there is no motivation. And why is it that a basket woven under water is better than a basket? Anyway, you get the point.
So motivation seems to be the key factor behind all of the things that people were going to resolve to do better in the new year. Things like finishing or even starting the Spanish curriculum that they bought. Or, let's see, I had one that was going to finish a homemade volcano that's been sitting in their dining room since September. I think that's awesome because what a centerpiece for dinner, right? It's better than the Rainforest Cafe. Eruptions of possible family conversations. I mean, you could just play that in so many ways. But other things people were talking about needing to have a better resolve for in the new year were math... There was a lot of math. Seems to be something that's dropped in a lot of homeschool. And I understand that. We're pretty hardcore math over here. If I can't do it, we will find a way.
History. History and science seem to be the subjects that people toss to the wayside to get through math and English and writing and laundry. So getting back to the history and honestly, the way that things are going in our country today, I would say that history is not something that you really want to let slip. So I would resolve to get history talked about in your homeschool with your kids. And history can involve anything back from ancient times to the present as far as facts and dates and people. But get into those documentaries. There's a lot of good historical fiction novels that you can learn a lot of history that are a little more entertaining for kids and then politics. I mean, all of these things, social justice arguments today, this is all interwoven in history and things that we need to use our time together to talk to our kids and instill those beliefs and morals that we would like for them to have before the world, like a pack of wolves, comes at them.
Other things that people said that they would like to stay more motivated about is a routine. To establish a routine and not get up at all different hours and do things at different times and I think that's very valiant effort to be made. I think that we should have a flexible routine and that not all is lost if we didn't start math at 8 a.m. or somebody didn't make their bed. But to have a flexible routine of we are a start around 8:00 or 9:00 or on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we're going to try to do more science because we don't have to go anywhere in the afternoon and we have a basic mesh of a routine to follow to keep us on track. And that goes along with other comments that I'm reading with "we need more consistency." Having that routine of we don't know what time of day we're going to hit that science experiment, but on Tuesdays we are going to put some baking soda and vinegar into something, or we're going to do handwriting practice before lunch every day. Like, I am not feeding you the corn dog and fried rice that you ask for until I see the dictation on the paper. All of those things to stay motivated. Little goals.
Another great response I got was reading lists. Reading aloud, I think, is one of my most enjoyable things, although my kids pretend not to like it anymore. I know they're hanging on every word of every novel. Okay, that's probably an exaggeration, but I enjoy the time together. I know they enjoyed the time together. It opens up discussions on an array of topics, maybe not even that closely related to what we're reading, but it really gets communication going. Plus, it gives them a time to unwind, especially when my older two are coming home from their dual credit courses, or my youngest is coming off of a rage over grammar rules. It gives us a time to be together, calm down and go into another world or time in history together and a springboard for communication and discussions outside of that. So definitely, I like that people are thinking about read alouds and discussions of history together.
And another great resolve to get better at something they had planned to do that I was reading was a lot of people are talking about home repairs and projects that they had planned to finish or start at home. And what sounds like maybe a distraction from school is actually real world learning. Like if there's a room in your house that maybe flooded at some point because of a sink problem or you're, you know, going to clean out the garage and you're going to use some old power tools or fix some old power tools... My husband's been working on our four-wheeler now for weeks, and my son is learning all about engine repair. It's homeschooling that you don't even plan to do. So resolving to fix things that you said you were going to do before and including the kids is real world learning and the meat of homeschooling.
And then someone even mentioned balance in their homeschool. And I think a lot of times we get caught up on the balance of homeschooling in a day to day. Like we spend how many hours, 3 to 4 hours of homeschool, and then we need to have family time and then we need to have extracurriculars. And that's balancing in a day but sometimes the homeschool might take the entire day and laundry piles up and then one week you may not do much of the actual bookwork, but you've done a lot of those home repairs. And then the next week it may be someone sick in the house and they've had to read on their own in their room, and what looks like is unbalanced is actually life balancing itself. Maybe one week your nose to the grindstone and you're hitting all the check marks in all of the written curriculum, but you didn't get to all the extra curricular field trips and actually getting out into the real world or doing the laundry that you meant to. But the next week you will. And so sometimes when we think that we're not balanced, we're just not balancing in the time management that we think it ought to be balanced in. But a lot of times homeschooling tends to balance itself out.
And because it balances itself out, a lot of people have also mentioned that they want to remember to have fun. To get out in the real world, to get hands on, to remember that the reason that they homeschooled was to get out of the classroom mindset and remember the wide world of education that we can give our kids when we aren't completely strapped to the curriculum at hand. That not every box has to be checked, not every lesson has to be seen and done and written down. That there's so much more to learning than just finishing off a book of worksheets and so resolving to let it go, to get out of that public school mindset that so many of us were raised in—that we have to finish the curriculum and we have to check all the boxes and we have to sit in a chair for so many hours a day. It does not have to be that way. And in fact, when we lose that and we embrace true homeschooling, we are so much more successful and happy and the kids have more to talk about and they absorb more because they've got their hands on it or they've seen it in the real world, or even because Mom and Dad got excited about it too.
And so going forward, I pray that faith, family and freedom gives all of you parents the drive and strength that you need to carry on. And getting back into the swing of things in this winter blue months, I hope that your children's attention is long, that the lessons are short, and that at least your favorite field trip spots are mostly empty. Okay, so get your homeschool stuff done and if you happen to be in Texas in July, I hope that you come see me at the Kalahari Resort at the Great Homeschool Convention. And stay tuned because I'm probably going to finish a book. I can feel it. I have new resolve to not start something new, but to finish something I've started this spring and that will be the grammar companion to Revolting Writing and it is called Gross Out Grammar, so stay tuned for that. So until next time, stay weird and homeschool on.
Thank you for joining me here on the Homeschool Solutions Show again. You can find show notes and links to all the resources mentioned at homeschooling.mom.
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Lastly, have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions? The Great Homeschool Conventions are the homeschooling event of the year offering outstanding speakers, hundreds of workshops covering today's top parenting and homeschooling topics and the largest homeschool curriculum exhibit hall in the United States. Find out more at greathomeschoolconventions.com. I hope to see you in Texas.
Also, if you'd like to connect with me, you can find me at Facebook at Hifalutin Homeschooler and on Instagram @hifalutinhomeschooler. That's H-I-F-A-L-U-T-I-N Homeschooler. Also, you can email me directly with any questions, concerns, anecdotes. I love to hear stories from other homeschoolers. That's [email protected]. Until next time, stay weird and homeschool on.
