Schooling at home during the winter months has unique opportunities and challenges.
On the one hand, students can snuggle up with a good book or history lesson and enjoy a focused, yet relaxed time of learning. The flip side of a slower pace is the need to progress in school, integrate indoor movement and allow more opportunities to be creative throughout the day. With just a few ideas, your winter season will be transformed from routine and dragging to extraordinary and energizing!
- Be intentional with your teaching routine or rhythm. Maintain the structure of your learning day, some parents report this season as one of their best learning times, with fewer distractions. Take this opportunity to enjoy read aloud books or listen to audible books, encouraging students to draw, color or build while listening. If appropriate, consider block scheduling for science or history. With more time focused on a particular subject, you will have opportunities to dig deeper into the content. Questions about scheduling? Contact your MVPS Teacher.
- Capitalize on your student’s creativity by extending learning through hands-on projects.
Gather interesting materials (students can help!) and put in a basket or box. Include recyclables such as egg cartons, paper towel rolls, small boxes, old greeting cards, magazines, scrap paper or construction paper. Encourage students to build the setting of a book, replicate a historical building or design an animal. - Teach your student how to prepare a meal or snack. Does your student have a favorite meal or snack? Teach him or her how to prepare it for the family. Some menu ideas for getting started include –
Young Children – fruit salad, turkey tortilla roll ups, or sandwiches
Elementary Aged Students – bagel pizzas, macaroni and cheese, tacos, salad, brownies (from a mix)
Middle School / High School – tacos, rotisserie chicken salad, spaghetti and meat sauce, crock pot pulled pork or chicken, chocolate chip cookies. Enjoy the process! Begin with planning, then shopping and preparing. Your student will be delighted in his or her success and you just might get a brownie. - Move it, move it, move it! Be proactive and plan movement into your school day. One easy way to integrate movement is to keep 2-3 dice with your teaching materials. At scheduled (or as needed) break times, roll the dice. The number that is shown on the dice represents how many times your student will complete an activity. In addition, include slips of paper with movement activities listed on them.
Activities might include:
jumping jacks
army crawl under the table/across the room
push ups
crab walk to the wall and back
running in place
shoot socks into a laundry basket for X amount of time
run up and down stairs
jump rope
hop in place…create your own ideas too!
By using the dice and pulling an activity, students will have variety in their movement. Parents will enjoy a structured break and an opportunity for students to get energized. - Get out of the house, even for short periods of time. Yes, it may take longer to prepare your family to leave home than the actual time of your outing, but it is worth it! Take a brisk walk in your neighborhood. Explore a nature trail, even in the snow! Walk a dog. Play in the snow. Take your neighbor a card. Attend an open class at the library. Visit a local nursery to learn about winter flowers and trees. Go to a pet store. Volunteer for an hour. Outings don’t have to be lengthy or costly to be enjoyable for your family. A change of environment can be refreshing.
This year, resolve to thrive, not just survive, throughout the winter season. Be intentional, try something new, then tell us about it!
