Are you starting to feel the strong desire to get outside?  To go for a walk?  To throw a ball?  To plant flowers?  To weed the garden?  To find a spring and go wading or a pool to leap into?

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, the diagnosis is easy.  You have homeschooler’s spring fever.

Interestingly enough, spring fever is actually a real condition.   Our body goes through both hormonal and chemical changes as the season changes.  And in the spring those changes mean more energy, a positive spirit, a feeling of well-being and even a restlessness that is difficult to tame.

So if you are going through those symptoms, imagine what your children are experiencing.  If your homeschool is like mine, they are more energetic, a bit more argumentative, less motivated to open a book and more passionate about finding the next adventure.

So, how do make sure that what you are teaching is actually sinking in?  How do you ensure that this season’s homeschool lessons are long lasting?

Homeschoolers, it is time to get creative!  Spring is a terrific time to take learning outdoors, to be innovative and to re-inspire learning.  And when you do it right, it can be the best time of your homeschooling year!

Let me share with you some of the fun things we do in our homeschool to use spring fever to our advantage and keep our kids learning.

1. Head outdoors. There is nothing better than homeschooling in the park, along a creek or right there in the backyard.  And when you combine homeschooling with the kind of activity that the outdoors makes possible, you give your kids the opportunity to work off some of that pent up energy while learning at the same time.  And I think you will find that creativity really kicks in, so grab some art supplies, a writing journal, and whatever you can find to let imagination take root.
2. Get Moving. I have combined movement with our lessons by reviewing math problems on the trampoline, by digging in the garden while discussing history and science, and by just enjoying the opportunity to get out and move!  And most of the time, that ability to get moving clears the mind and makes learning easier.
3. Organize fun activities with other homeschoolers.  Now is the perfect time to schedule that homeschool get-together you’ve been meaning to make happen all year.  You can center it around a theme (such as a historical period, a novel, or some element of science), or you can just have fun.  It is amazing how a gathering of homeschool kids can spark incredible creativity.

4. Change things up. If you tend to get cracking at homeschooling first thing in the morning, give them a chance to sleep in and schedule your day in the afternoon.  Or, stop the core curriculum for a week and set out on a unit study that sparks their interest.  By building in some writing activities, reading fiction that is relevant to the unit study you selected and finding ways that the main characters affected history and science, you engage your kids without sacrificing the academics.

5. Don’t be afraid to ease up. It may be time to just ease up a bit on the requirements.  Sometimes, we homeschoolers get so caught up in finishing the textbook that we push and push and push and end up squelching all interest in learning.  So take a few days to reassess your expectations and see if there is some wiggle room in there.   But do be careful not to ease up so much that homeschooling becomes the last priority each day.

Spring Fever can create many challenges for both teachers and homeschool parents.  But when you roll with it and adapt to the newly found energy and enthusiasm, you end up with a super charged learning environment that everyone enjoys.