Avoiding Those February Blues

It’s almost that time of year again.  I don’t know what it is, the fact that it’s mid-way through the year, or maybe it’s the fact that it’s the dead of winter, but right around February every year, homeschoolers everywhere start to feel burnt out.  Everyone is a little stir crazy, and suddenly, all that great curricula that was so fun just a month ago is so boring that it brings tears to your eyes.  I wonder if it happens to school teachers as well.  

Over the years, as I’ve realized that this is a recurring trend, I’ve planned for the February doldrums.  If we’re finding that the curriculum is boring, I change things up a bit and we do a fun unit study.   This year I planned it out so that we’re doing something different each month so that we don’t get bored.  

Some other ideas to avoid burnout:

• Spend  a week or two (or the whole month!)  just reading aloud some new (or old favorite) books
• Peruse Homeschool Share  for some fun unit study ideas.
• Take a field trip
• Grow some plants indoors to bring some green back to the cold winter months
• Or try some fun winter nature study ideas. 
• Let the kids take the reins.  Maybe they have an interest they’d like to explore.  Spend a few weeks focusing on just that, maybe doing some fun projects together.
• Have a science experiment week.  (or an art project week)
• You know all those fun little kits/books/projects you bought way back but never got around to them?  Pull them out now and just focus on that for a few weeks.  

Sometimes Mom needs to focus a bit on herself this time of year as well.  Maybe get a new hair cut, or read a good book, even just taking an nice relaxing bath can make a huge difference.  And of course, don’t forget your dark chocolate.   I’m convinced that dark chocolate can solve any problem.