January 22, 2025 – When The Kids Are Stir Crazy

Christine Weller

Make the Most of the Season!

Winter can bring a unique challenge to homeschooling families: stir-crazy kids! When cabin fever sets in, it’s time to embrace creativity and flexibility to make the most of the season. Here are a few ideas to keep kids active, engaged, and excited about learning when the weather keeps you indoors.

1. Break Up the Routine
Sometimes all it takes is a little change to reignite excitement. Swap the regular homeschool setup for a “campout” in the living room, complete with blankets, snacks, and a flashlight for reading. Or, take school on the go—set up a cozy spot at a local library, coffee shop, or hang out with homeschool friends!

2. Get Moving
Physical activity is vital for burning off extra energy. Create a mini obstacle course in the house or do a family-friendly workout together. If space allows, invest in items like foam balance beams or jump ropes for indoor fun. For those able to brave the cold, bundle up for a quick walk or sledding adventure.

3. Embrace Hands-On Learning
Winter is the perfect time for engaging projects. Bake cookies and use the opportunity to teach measurements and fractions. Craft snowflake art, experiment with homemade slime, or build a fort with pillows and blankets—it all counts as creative learning!

4. Explore Winter Themes
Incorporate the season into your lessons. Study animals that hibernate, conduct science experiments with snow or ice, or read winter-themed literature.

5. Prioritize Connection
Sometimes, kids just need a break to play, laugh, and connect with family. Take time for a family game night or a movie day to recharge.

Remember, winter offers unique opportunities for bonding and discovery. With a little ingenuity, you can turn stir-crazy moments into cherished memories.

About the author

Christine Weller has been homeschooling her two boys, 10 and 6, since birth in the lovely province of Ontario, Canada. She is also a mom blogger and children’s book author. She is currently working to support homeschoolers everywhere through various roles at The Old Schoolhouse®.

Join Kathy Hutto on YouTube: Christian content creator sharing devotions, FREE homeschool resources, and inspiring Bible lessons for kids & families at YouTube@kathyhutto.

Todd Wilson

Familyman Ministries

Homeschool Recess

Hey Mom,

I’m a simpleton. Don’t confuse me with complex solutions to simple problems. Just tell me like it is and let me get it done. So when I see a schoolroom full of stir-crazy kids, I tackle it head on knowing I’m not creative enough nor do I have the energy to create an interactive learning experience. So what do I do? I take a break.

They used to call it recess back in the day. It was a thirty-minute break where bullies could pound on little kids and awkward kids sat in corners all alone. Public school “recess” is one of the reasons we homeschool. We didn’t want our kids to experience it.

But that’s nothing like a “homeschool recess.” Homeschool recess is called when the mom notices the troops are restless and need a break. It’s pretty simple really. The tired mom simply closes her book and says, “We’re done for today. Go play.”

That’s it. It’s so simple that anyone can do it. The only stipulation I would add is that the kids can’t watch TV or play video games. They have to do old-fashioned playing where they run around, build things, and pound on each other (it’s not bullying when it’s family).

It is the cure for restless children and can be called whenever the mom feels like it’s needed for them . . . or for her.

So have a great day today . . . and don’t be afraid to say, “Recess everyone.”

Be real,

Todd

P.S. Want another tool to combat the monotony of the school week? Get the Spin for Smiles Spinner. It was designed to put a little fun in your homeschool week and is as simple as . . . spinning the dial.

About the author

Todd Wilson is a dad, granddad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and churches across the country. As founder of Familyman Ministries and the Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind dads and moms of what’s most important through weekly e-mails, podcasts (The Familyman Show & The Smiling Homeschooler), seminars, and books and products that encourage parents. Todd, and his wife Debbie, still homeschool two of their eight children (six have graduated with four married) in northern Indiana. You can read more at www.familymanweb.com.

Danika Cooley

Inside, Where the Learning Never Stops

Our family lives in the Pacific Northwest, where it seldom snows (and sticks), but we frequently have sideways rain, eighty-mile-per-hour winds, and I once saw a seagull blow past my window. We, the duckfooted residents of the western coast of America, are no strangers to staying inside while we hope the deluge stops before we are forced to take cover in the attic.

As literature-based, classically educating homeschoolers, learning indoors has never been a problem for us. It’s what we did naturally: reading books, writing, notebooking, and discussing what we learned. But, how did we handle the weather the rest of the day? After all, kids need to move and play and learn when they’re not officially working on a class.

Here are a few survival tactics for day-after-day inside weather:

• Head to the mall, or an indoor track, and go for a dry walk. Talk about what your family has learned lately.
• Pull out the board games. There are wonderful choices that teach math, geography, and more.
• Have the kids draw and create Bible figure stick puppets, then enjoy the retold Bible story.
• Learn to bake a pastry, cook a dish, or create a historically accurate meal.
• Plan a garden for the spring. Research what each plant needs in order to produce.
• Work on an art project. 
• Read a new author as a family. 
• Interview a grandparent about what life was like when they grew up. 
• Have each child choose a new skill they would like to learn and help them work on researching first steps.
• Watch an interesting movie or documentary. Don’t forget the popcorn.

There are so many fun ways to learn. Being stuck inside can seem like a bore, but it could be a great opportunity for your kids to educate themselves.

About the author

Danika Cooley is an award-winning children’s author who blogs about Bible books, crafts, activities, and snacks at Thinking Kids. Her books include Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible, Bible Investigators: Creation, and the Who What Why series, a line of Christian history for 7–11-year-olds. Grab your free three-week sample of her popular Bible Road Trip™ curriculum here.

Cindy Duell

Time to Pack Up and Go! The High-Impact Potential of a Homeschool Field Trip

There’s an old joke among homeschoolers that we’ll count nearly anything as a field trip or an educational experience. 

“We’re heading to Walmart, kids. Bring your clipboards so you can write down all the countries where they manufactured whatever I put into the cart.”

“As we drive to church be sure to look for license plates from other states that you can mark on your map. Bonus points for plates from Canada!”

“Who can tell me why Dutch Bros® uses a windmill in their logo?”

While making the most of everyday opportunities is a powerful benefit of homeschooling, there is much to be said for occasionally choosing a special location to learn about and explore. Field trips can have a beneficial impact on your students, as they learn outside their normal setting, safely encounter new environments and experiences, and put their lessons from home into context out in the wider world.

In fact, just setting the day apart is important! It’s a day out of the ordinary, noted on the calendar, eagerly anticipated, and often experienced with special people or close friends. The novelty and unfamiliarity of the destination spurs our kids’ brains to take more notice of their surroundings. We can harness “field trip day” to lock in impressions, discoveries, and values that become integral ingredients in our children’s learning. 

Here’s another advantage gained by taking a field trip: it’s usually a mood-lifter. Let’s face it, February and March can be tough months in the homeschool year. We might feel restless or bored (ssshh! don’t tell the kids!) with our routine. The weeks and months in our curriculum are dragging on, the end of the school year doesn’t seem close enough yet, and the fun of the holidays is behind us. Time for a fun and inspiring outing!

About the author

Cindy Duell serves on the Board of Directors for Arizona Families for Home Education with her husband, Shawn. They have homeschooled six children, beginning with teaching their eldest son to read in 2000. Many places in Arizona remain on Cindy’s field trip wish list, which will last her at least until their youngest child graduates from their homeschool in 2028!

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