{source}
Announcement: Congratulations, Sarah Root – you are the winner of this month's drawing! Look for your prize in your family file soon!
Dictionary.com defines spring fever as “a listless, lazy, or restless feeling commonly associated with the beginning of spring.” Anyone experiencing this when it comes to homeschooling? Perhaps the parents more than the kids, right? It usually hits everyone at one point or another, so today we want to encourage you and offer a couple of suggestions.
First, take heart and know that when spring fever hits, it doesn’t mean you’re lazy or undisciplined. We want to “finish strong” and that is certainly a worthy goal to aim for, but there are natural rhythms of the school year and times when we feel unmotivated. One of the great benefits of learning together as a school is that we aren’t alone in this, and being part of a group can can encourage us to keep moving forward and to appreciate all the great learning that is still happening.
Maybe giving yourself (and your kids) more breaks is called for on those restless homeschool days. Maybe that’s in the form of heading outside a little more often (remember our post about taking school outdoors?). Or try some short “brain breaks” during the homeschooling day. There are many online resources for these, but here’s one pdf you can use called Roll Some Brain Breaks that might just help get those wiggles out so kids can focus again. Parents, they're good for you too!
{Click here for full size of the printable to the right – from Your Therapy Source}
Most of all, as we come into these last weeks of school, we want to pass on some words of wisdom from Mrs. Milligan, who recently said this in an email to her class. It is worthy of sharing with all of our parents:
“I would like to encourage you to take a few moments out of the busy end-of-year activities and savor your children exactly where they are. Not with goals of what you want for them, not with a “to do” list. Just savor this incredible stage of life. It is a precious and unique time.“
What great advice. Stop to think about the progress your kids have made over the year, and the incredible young people they are growing up to be. Talk with them in a fun way about their favorite moments or accomplishments of the past year, and let them know you are proud of them. When looking back in this way, it helps us treasure the present and look forward to the last few weeks of school ahead.
How do you handle spring fever? If you have any tips to share, please leave a comment below!
