It’s easy to start a new school year with great enthusiasm. After all, who doesn’t love new school supplies and unread textbooks?! But that was September. This is the end of October and the routines may be getting dull; the lessons less than exciting. Perhaps you need to ramp up the enthusiasm once again. Here are some fun ideas I’ve done with my kids or have seen friends do with theirs.
Lingo
Now that you are knee-deep into teaching sentence structure and multiplication facts, ask yourself, “How am I talking about our learning? Am I conveying anticipation?” Fostering a love for learning starts with how we talk about our learning. Check-in and be sure your mid-fall lingo matches your early-September enthusiasm.
Supplies
If you’re the school/office supply junkie like me, you might have to reign yourself in a bit here. But you now have a better sense of what you will need for the coming months of homeschool so go shopping! The obvious school supplies are good, but also think about field trip journals, lunch bags, new undies, ponytail holders, new coffee cup (for you, of course), and refill the snack station with yummy goodies!
Pictures
Back in the day when I began homeschooling, my biggest let-down was the lack of school pictures. But then it dawned on me! Why can’t I still do my own school pictures? (Duhh, me!) I could take my own (free + the cost of prints) or I could go to the local studio and have a few casual poses done (which are probably similar to the cost of today’s school picture prices). Either way, a fall academic-looking pose and a last day of school picture is easy. Maybe even spring for a new outfit, hair bow, or shoes. Even your co-op can get in on the fun by hiring a photographer as a group and snapping a group picture while doing individuals.
Party – Or Not
Host or join in a homeschool co-op party. If you have a schoolroom, decorate it with wild balloons and streamers – or with decorations that align with your yearly/monthly/semesterly theme. Or, go the other extreme, and sleep in with a relaxed schedule for a few days. Serve breakfast in bed, head to the local coffee shop with a good book and take your morning slow. Call it a fall break!
Day Trip
You know all those beaches, playgrounds, theme parks, museums that were all packed to the brim all summer? Yep…those are all fair-game for homeschoolers now! Check their prices online before you go, some places offer an off-season discount.
So, you see? Getting into the swing of things doesn’t need to be all hum-drum boring. Make it awesome! Celebrate the accomplishments as well as the learning that is about to happen! Do all things with an exclamation mark! Make those tremendously unhealthy pancakes and linger for a little while longer in the morning. Enjoy your mid-fall days . . . before the holiday craze sets in!
HomeschoolFacts.com has a complete list of support groups to help support you in your homeschooling endeavors and connect with homeschoolers near you. You can search the list of support groups here: https://www.homeschoolfacts.com/homeschool-support-groups.html
Lindsay Banton is a caffeinated mother to three great kids. She never expected to homeschool, but has found that it is a wonderful addition to their lifestyle and wouldn’t change it for the world. In addition to homeschooling, Lindsay works alongside her husband in campus ministry at a large university in Connecticut. She grew up in Virginia but has settled into life in New England, learning to love the long winters, cool springs, green summers and gorgeous autumns- and has built a boot collection to meet all the demands. She is currently blogging at www.oaksreplanted.blogspot.com.
