I have to admit that January and February are the two home educating months that I dread every year. And I think it is mainly linked to the weather (is is winter here). When winter is in full force our home education just seems to sputter along, it seems to struggle to gain the momentum that it does when the sun is out and the sky is blue.

Every year I try and make our winter months of home education as interesting and as engaging as the warmer months but I never seem to succeed. We still get out the house (even if it is rainy and windy), we still go and explore and go swimming (indoor heated pool) but the level of energy is just not the same. Both the kids and I just seem to lack that “blue sky, sun is out” energy that we have in the warmer months.

The kids seem to take on the gray feeling of the sky, they tend to stay in bed longer and when they do emerge everything feels like it is on a “go slow” mode, even their brains seem to take a bit longer to kick in. I have not conducted a proper experiment (we were talking about how to conduct Science experiments this past week – so I will not claim that I have kept all the variables constant and made accurate measurements), but I am convinced that their brains work more effectively in the warmer months and tend to freeze a bit when it turns colder. (I am convinced about this, it has to be fact)

Honestly when the sun is out and we have less time to get our work done because we are going somewhere they tend to whizz through and get everything done (plus they seem to understand it). And then when the sun is hiding and we have all the time in the world they seem to struggle to get less of the work done. I have tried using winter treats to get them motivated – hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, movies under cozy blankets, even trips to the coffee shop. But those just don’t seem to compare to a summer’s swim in the river or going pond dipping looking for creatures.

Maybe it is just me, but I really do find these two months the hardest two months of our home education year. But at least I know March will eventually arrive, the sky will turn blue again and in a less that two months time we will start feeling more energized and our home education rhythm will pick up again (and until then I will survive on the hot chocolate and marshmallows that I bought for the kids).