I smell snow...We can be friends if you know where this line is from. And if you do not, we can still be friends as long as you enjoy the thought of snuggling up with a book next to a cozy fire. Even so, this post is about some great indoor winter studies to keep your kiddos entertained and happy during those cold winter days.
I used to love spending time outside in the snow when I was a child. I am pretty sure I specifically remember getting all bundled up, and about to head out when I realized I needed to pee…sound familiar?
Nowadays I do not enjoy being out in the snow as much as I used to. I do however enjoy making hot chocolate for my boys when they come in (after a few minutes usually). A little tradition has been to make hot chocolate for them and add a little snowman made from marshmallows. I stick little toothpicks in his sides for arms, and he looks as if he is sitting in a chocolate hot tub. I add eyes, a nose, and buttons (usually just out of gel food coloring) He usually gets eaten pretty quickly…try it out with your kiddos, maybe it can become a fun little tradition for you too.
How to Incorporate Winter Activities and Studies into Your Homeschool?
Usually, as homeschool parents, we ask ourselves how we can incorporate more of the season into our learning. Check out these ideas to help you incorporate the winter season into your homeschool.
Science-Based Activities for Winter: The possibilities are endless! Ask your child what they would like to learn more about. It could be as simple as:
- Studying the formations of snowflakes, and then making your own cutouts to hang up in your learning space.
- Study how winter affects the trees and seeds around you. Learning more about Evergreen trees can be an interesting way to study trees as well.
- Studying the hibernation of certain animals local to you or worldwide can be interesting as well.
- Hang a bird feeder from a window in your main learning space and study the types of birds that visit you in the winter. Make a graph of the most common birds you see and take note of what they eat.
Grab all the nature-based games that have been collecting dust all year and enjoy them during those cold winter days. (Just today we enjoyed a nature-based bingo game!)
Take a winter nature hike. Observe all the changes in the world around you. Do you notice any new birds, discuss where the birds, bees, and butterflies have gone during the winter.
Wintertime Hobbies: Is there a certain hobby you enjoy, such as sewing, knitting, or painting? These hobbies can be passed on to your children on those cold winter days. This is all considered part of the homeschooling experience! Knitting, or crocheting a blanket, hat, scarf, or any other item can be a perfect gift for someone in your family! Plus, how fun to enjoy making something together that can be gifted to another person!
Teaching Lifeskills During Winter: What better time to teach life skills such as budgeting, banking, cooking, cleaning, and baking than in the wintertime?
History-Based Activities for Winter: Study significant historical events that happened in the winter. Or just in general you may want to set the wintertime aside for history studies. We like to get out and enjoy science through nature, so the warmer months are used for science studies.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is to guide your children through learning alongside you. Keep things simple, and enjoy the small things! Learning possibilities are all around us if we just open ourselves up to the opportunities!
