After five years of homeschooling, I don’t always feel comfortable skipping our lessons but sometimes it can’t be avoided. There are great reasons for skipping school lessons and the country is currently in the middle of one of those reasons: illness. Illness is a great reason to skip the lessons when needed, birthdays are also another great reason to skip school lessons.
Great Reasons for Skipping School Lessons
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There are reasons to skip school lessons and there are awesome ways to “make up time lost”. I want to share them here with you so that you understand where homeschool parents are coming from when we say that even if the public schools aren’t going to reopen any time soon your kids are going to be okay!
This downtime is a great time to let them learn about what interests them, for them to explore their hobbies, for them to be kids.
Documentaries
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and the Curiosity Stream are full of documentaries that are going to keep your kids learning during time away from school. In fact, Curiosity Stream is only documentaries. Let them watch whatever interests them.
Streaming Services in Our Homeschool
Board Games are Reasons for Skipping School
Playing board games is a great reason for skipping school lessons. First, they are fun! These are the times where we need to be having fun with our kids. Plus as a bonus playing board games can be a great way to
- practice reading skills
- practice math skills
- practice team work
- boost language skills
- sharpen a child’s focus
- take time away from screens (and school work)
Board Games for School-Aged Children
Reading is a Great Reason for Skipping School Lessons
My kids would be the first to tell you that if they have a book in hand then I’m not as likely to make them put it away to start lessons. Or at least, that’s the way it usually is, sometimes I swear my kids always have a book in hand. But it’s hard to complain about it.
When libraries closed there were still options and ways to get your hands on books. A lot of libraries have OverDrive, check out your library website to see if they offer it, and to sign up with your library card. I have this on each of our tablets.
Another option is Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited. You can download the free kindle app on your device and then you can subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, but you can also buy books that might not be available there, and there are FREE books on Amazon!
Getting Outside & Enjoy the Fresh Air
Any time of year is quite nice for getting outside. The snow is melting and spring is just about here. We can be outside playing in the sunshine.
We can be planning our garden: what to plant, and how you are going lay your plants out in your garden, maybe even start ordering seeds, or start some in the house.
Another fun way to include science and growing food is to check out some videos or books about regrowing food. We currently are trying to grow avocado pits, and in the next month will be moving on to carrot tops, lettuce, etc.
Enjoy being with your kids. Let them lead you in their interests and learn alongside them this spring. Who knows, maybe homeschooling will be for you in the long run, and unschooling or relaxed homeschooling is how you like things.
Organized Homeschool Lesson Planning