Schoolmarm

Ok, forget it, I’m not even writing a single pro for this one –come on, it’s snowing!!! Every single one of us has retained glorious memories (except perhaps for those of us in warmer climes) of snow forts, battles, sledding, wrecking, frigid balls of ice melting down the back of your neck, red noses and ahhh … how splendidly good hot cocoa and snacks taste afterward.

As with traditional schools, time off from snow days will eventually need to be made up – the work doesn’t go anywhere after all. But perhaps after a few hours of hard play time outside, your homeschooler will actually be good and ready to settle down for some reading or other course material. You may be able to sneak a couple quality hours of schoolwork in and still let them romp and play like active, healthy kids should.

In addition, shoveling snow is a great duty to pass on to kids – and they usually don’t even mind that much! It’s a great physical activity and a good solid chore that many age groups can handle; but don’t forget to parole them once the work is done!

Cool Mom (or Dad!)

For those parents (moms and dads alike) who are just as excited as the kids to see the blanket of white outside the doorstep, there are a multitude of activities you can coordinate during your snow day. And who knows … you may even manage to sneak in a little learning as well!

Here are a few awesome snow day activities for you to consider:

1. Animal Sculptures. Have your child pick an animal of choice (for instance, a multi-segmented caterpillar) then help them sculpt it in the snow. You can even use spray bottles of water tinted with food coloring to add splashes of color. Embellish your creation with articles of nature – twigs, pine cones, berries – or even items from the kitchen. Foster their creative side!
2. Hop-Scotch and Tick-Tack-SNOW. Put a wintery spin on some of these traditional games by drawing game boards into the snow. Snowsuits and piles of white stuff will up the difficulty level quite a bit and make for some funny scenarios!
3. Holiday Trees. The natural way! String together garlands of cranberries, popcorn, and cereal on fishing line, and arrange them on various pine trees or bushes in your yard for the birds to partake of in the cold weather. A fun project that benefits nature while festively decorating your yard.
4. Jewel Hunt. Freeze colored water into cubes then hide them outside in the snow. Hold a treasure hunt – with different colors being worth more than others. If you want to get creative, make up some clues for the hunters. And make sure you put tracks everywhere – not just leading to the hidden objects!
5. Snow Ball Toss. A simple game of who can throw the farthest can be made a bit more interesting when physics and creative thinking are applied. What household objects can help you launch a snowball farther than normal and why? For the older kids, let them research online and formulate some interesting plans!
6. Obstacle Course. Simple obstacles can be so much more difficult – and hilarious – in full snow gear while up to your knees in white stuff. Try to focus on the benefits of teamwork and group strategizing if you have more than one child. The ability to formulate team solutions is invaluable!

No matter what your decision is on the schoolwork, I am willing to bet there is fun to be had on a homeschooling snow day. One of the greatest things about homeschooling your children is the freedom it affords you to just take a break when it is needed. This can be when YOU need it, or when the KIDS need it. Just make sure to enjoy and make the most of the experience!

The Super Seven

Start A Blog. The art of blogging isn’t going anywhere soon, and is a great way to teach a teen the advantages to online marketing through social networking. Pick a topic that interests your student and get to work. Make it a goal to stick with it on a monthly basis. Creating your own blog is actually quite easy because there are Web-based toolsets that make the management of your blog incredibly simple – Blogger are just a few of the services available.

Play With Paper Airplanes. Really? Oh yes, and even catch up on some serious physics lessons in the process: Archimedes and Bernoulli’s Principles, and effect of wind resistance on your aero-design. Build several models with different variables, predict outcomes, and have a contest. See if your predictions hit the mark! It’s a wonderful way to spend an hour or two.

Plan a Garage Sale. Hand all the planning, processing, price determination, layout, and marketing/advertising directly to your student. Hold several boardroom negotiations on cost analysis and the percentage distribution of profits among family members. Business Finance 101 with some serious motivation! And you get your closets or attic cleaned out in the process.

Write Poetry With Math. What??? Yes – it can be done! Not only will it enrich your vocabulary, it’s a creatively fun way to write. Oulipo (pronounced oo-lee-po), uses math and patterns in writing. These constraints can create silly, even provocative creative works. Nothing is better than learning with laughter.

Role Play – Historically. Take the game of Who Am I? a bit further with this creatively versatile activity. Have your student select a historical figure of interest to them. Research the time period and significant events, and then put on a show. Dress up to the hilt, speak in-period, and drop small clues all day long – until the parents or siblings “get it.” Don’t make the answer too obvious right off the bat.

Create A Homeschool Yearbook. Think it through carefully, and make it as official as possible. Hit all the major areas that traditional school yearbooks do. With today’s desktop publishing and scrapbooking supplies, you may be able to come up with some very creative stuff. It will become a bit of history and special memories to tuck away forever.

Fake a Job Interview. There is NOTHING that will help interviewing skills for a future job or college admission like practice – and don’t forget to add as much formal pressure as you can on this endeavor! Research typical questions and answers online, prepare vigorously, dress the part, and conduct a formal interview. Don’t forget to throw in some really tough or unexpected questions as well. On the spot thinking is an excellent skill to possess. No giggling allowed!

Opportunity abounds for some fun and creative learning within the homeschool classroom. Add a dose of laughter and you have the recipe for some lifetime character-building memories in the making – all of which will only serve to strengthen family bonds  and prepare students for an experience in the outside world that will be either good OR bad – depending on what THEY choose to make of it.

We spent the first day driving the eastern edge of the park, scoping out what we wanted to do and hiking the many short trails to the touristy sites.  Thus, on day one we stopped to see rushing rapids, sprawling plains where we saw several bison and elk, powerful waterfalls, and mountainous scenic drives.  We hiked through the mud volcano area where we learned that much of Yellowstone is positioned on top of a volcano and the gasses escaping the ground cause the hot churning water and bubbling mud pits.  And we stopped in at the visitor’s center to register for the Junior Ranger program and sign up for what we call “real hiking.”

We started on our “real hikes” the next morning when we joined a park ranger for a 3 hour hike up the Elephant’s Back trail which took us to the top of a ridge that overlooked the park with a panoramic view of Yellowstone Lake, the mountains that border it, the Yellowstone River and Lodge and the forest below us.

Our guide was a forester so we had the opportunity to learn about the many varieties of flora and fauna in the forest as well as the impact of fire on the park.  The girls were fascinated to learn that the park recognizes the value of forest fires and will allow them to burn until or unless they begin to become a threat to people or the infrastructure of the park.  They were equally amazed at the reality of how overcrowding in a forest leads to the survival of some trees while others fall to the ground.  We hiked through a Lodgepole pine forest notorious for overcrowding and saw almost as many trees on the ground as we did standing.  This really helped them to understand the importance of sunlight (which many trees could not gain access to) and the survival of the fittest (as the trees that are stronger outlast the smaller, weaker trees).  We were also introduced to a variety of wild flowers and to some of the history of the park.

Later we headed out on a six-mile hike from Artist’s Point into the backcountry of Yellowstone to Ribbon Lake.  The first mile paralleled the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and was absolutely gorgeous (and scary as we watched our kids get too close to the edge time and time again on the slippery rain soaked muddy trail)!  Once we veered off towards Ribbon Lake we found ourselves on a beautiful trail through dense forest that passed by Lily Pad Lake and continued on to Ribbon Lake.  It was enjoyable to get away from the crowds and out into the quiet of God’s creation.

After returning to our vehicle, we headed further north, stopping to hike Mount Washburn (in the snow as we neared the top) as well as some small scenic trails.  The drive from Mount Washburn to the Northeastern edge of the park wound through the mountains and included gorgeous views and the highlight of the day for the kids-a stop to watch a black bear meandering along a stream snacking as he went.

Just beyond Tower Falls we enjoyed another short trail overlooking the canyon and the river below before turning back to our campground for the night.

On our last day, we headed over to Geyser Basin to see Old Faithful and a number of other geysers.  As these were more touristy areas, we found ourselves a little less enthusiastic but knew we couldn’t leave the park without seeing Old Faithful erupt.  The kids did enjoy the other smaller geysers and did learn a good deal more about what is going on beneath the surface.

Once again (as it has every day of our trip so far) a storm rolled in and we were soon drenched and ready to get on our way.  So we headed out a bit earlier than intended and are now on our way to the Grand Tetons.

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Today we discovered that our kids really are quite talented when we visited the Focus on the Family headquarters and Whit’s End.  It was there that they had the opportunity to record their very own episode of Adventures in Odyssey and they were amazing!  In fact, the sound tech commented that they were the best he had heard in a long time because they added their own personality to the script rather than simply reading it.

View from the bridge at Royal Gorge

As you can well imagine, they were ready to apply!

We were also amazed by the beauty of God’s creation at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park.  Here, we crossed the highest suspension bridge in the world (1100 feet high) and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the mountains and rock formations surrounding the Arizona river.  We also spent some time trying to figure out whether God created the gorge or whether it was a result of the flood.

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So, what did we learn today (other than some fascinating history about Pike’s Peak)?

I did it!

My eight year old learned that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that when she puts her “I can’t do it” attitude away and puts her mind to it, she can do even those things which seem impossible!

My eleven year old pulled from her science studies this year to remind us that the air at high altitudes is much thinner and contains less oxygen and that it is important to drink a lot of water to combat altitude sickness.

And my 13 year old learned that sometimes we need to listen to the wisdom of the more experienced and put away our stubbornness.  This lesson came from the story of a Texas couple who were hiking up the mountain and refused to board the descending train when the conductor warned them that a storm was coming.  They were found the next morning frozen to death just a short distance from the top.

No math yet, but we have definitely touched on Science, Social Studies and Language Arts!

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