This week is our spring break from our homeschool co-op. My husband is working, and we’re not leaving town, so we’ll be having a chill, restful break.
I do have some ideas for low cost, low prep fun, though!
We have some things that need returned, and a whole stack of holds to pick up - including some movies like Ponyo, The Sound of Music, and Hidden Figures! I'm looking forward to curling up with Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes and also reading Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children
Plus, we all love going to the library and enjoying the kid activities they frequently have laid out, and just sitting and reading there.
Park days
The weather looks lovely today, so hopefully that holds! I think it would be fun to take a morning or afternoon and head to one we haven't visited in a while. Plus, I wouldn't mind sitting on a park bench for a few hours in the sunshine while they wear themselves out!
A short, kid friendly hike would be really fun as well - we have a number of options within a short drive. Or we could just head out onto the local trail system - it's even paved. So bikes and scooters can help little legs go farther.
UPDATE: 2 days in, we have 5 inches of snow. So snow forts are on the agenda instead of shorts at the park!
Projects
A short, kid friendly hike would be really fun as well - we have a number of options within a short drive. Or we could just head out onto the local trail system - it's even paved. So bikes and scooters can help little legs go farther.
UPDATE: 2 days in, we have 5 inches of snow. So snow forts are on the agenda instead of shorts at the park!
Projects
Chores
Even breaks need routine, and even on spring break the house gets dirty! Each kiddo (except the 4yo) has several daily chores on their schedule this week - useful things like starting the dishwasher, unloading the dishwasher, starting the washer, sweeping the kitchen, etc. Having almost-10 and almost-9 year olds is pretty great when it comes to their increasing independence and ability to complete tasks well.
Life skills are SO important - they give a great sense of accomplishment and independence and will be vital for adulthood.
I quickly and easily created a schedule chart in my notes app with chores, the schoolwork we're still doing this week (the 3 R's!), and a big blank chunk of time every afternoon for fun activities, and printed it. Printing from my phone has been such a great game changer!
Life skills are SO important - they give a great sense of accomplishment and independence and will be vital for adulthood.
I quickly and easily created a schedule chart in my notes app with chores, the schoolwork we're still doing this week (the 3 R's!), and a big blank chunk of time every afternoon for fun activities, and printed it. Printing from my phone has been such a great game changer!
It's not a fun break without some fun treats! I put some goodies into my Walmart grocery pick up - Capri Suns, ice cream sandwiches, and trail mix! - and I know that will be a nice thing to pull out at the park or after they've been racing around on bikes for a while.
One of my kids also picked up the book The Forest Feast for Kids and has been inspired to create some delicious things. Last night we had a wonderful pasta dish with veggies to accompany a skillet of roasted chicken thighs, and this morning she created a parfait for each person inspired by a parfait recipe that we didn't have the ingredients for. With less on our schedule, there's more time for a relaxed morning and fun breakfast! I'm excited to see her getting into the kitchen more - she says she wants to own a restaurant someday, so I guess she needs to practice on us! ;)
Educational games
They don't even seem to realize how educational Teach Your Monster to Read or Prodigy are! They just know it's screen time and they're motivated to do a few chores to earn a timed turn!
Unfortunately our tablet recently died, so no Stack the States or Stack the Countries for the moment. I'd like to replace that this summer hopefully - ideally before our next road trip! We especially miss it at bedtime for audiobooks, so it will be good to replace it for that reason as well. I'm thinking another Amazon Fire unless we find a great deal on something else. But this time? I'm putting it in a good case!
Audiobooks
While we're driving to the library, park, or wherever this week, we'll enjoy listening to audiobooks instead of our memory work. We've made it through Story of the World Vol. 3, so we're taking a fun break from school listening and I have Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane from the library!
We may curl up inside and have hot cocoa and popcorn and listen inside today too!
We also have a large stack of library books, so that's another option for soaking in some stories.
We may curl up inside and have hot cocoa and popcorn and listen inside today too!
We also have a large stack of library books, so that's another option for soaking in some stories.
Decluttering!
I mentioned this already above under projects - but that was for my own decluttering.
I'm hosting a fundraiser garage sale in a few months, and I noticed last week that when the kids saw some garage sale donations from other families piling up in the garage, they were more than happy to find things to get rid of in their rooms to trade for "new" things.
I increased it to 5 things out, 1 thing in, and they still kept decluttering! The Life Changing Magic of...Bribery? 😬
I notice that when I go through their rooms with them and ask if they still want something, they always seem to say yes. But when they're doing it independently, they seem to be more detached. So I plan to block out some time for them to clean their rooms and go through their things and see if there's anything they are ready to let go of.
So that's our Spring Break plan!
Also, a few dentist appointments, and getting ready for a birthday this weekend, as well as Easter!
It may not be the most dramatic, but we're all enjoying the change of pace and time to read for fun and play outside without having to prep for co-op, be there all day one day, or stay on top of all our subjects. :)
What are your staycation Spring Break plans? Or fun spring activities? I'd love to hear what you'd add to this list!
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All Amazon links are affiliate links. If you click and buy, it supports my blog and pays me to keep writing! So please feel free to click through and buy a stack of books or boatload of Easter baskets. 😉
(Or, add the incredibly helpful Chrome Library extension to your browser, and put books on hold at your local library while viewing them on Amazon. So handy!)
I mentioned this already above under projects - but that was for my own decluttering.
I'm hosting a fundraiser garage sale in a few months, and I noticed last week that when the kids saw some garage sale donations from other families piling up in the garage, they were more than happy to find things to get rid of in their rooms to trade for "new" things.
I increased it to 5 things out, 1 thing in, and they still kept decluttering! The Life Changing Magic of...Bribery? 😬
I notice that when I go through their rooms with them and ask if they still want something, they always seem to say yes. But when they're doing it independently, they seem to be more detached. So I plan to block out some time for them to clean their rooms and go through their things and see if there's anything they are ready to let go of.
So that's our Spring Break plan!
Also, a few dentist appointments, and getting ready for a birthday this weekend, as well as Easter!
It may not be the most dramatic, but we're all enjoying the change of pace and time to read for fun and play outside without having to prep for co-op, be there all day one day, or stay on top of all our subjects. :)
What are your staycation Spring Break plans? Or fun spring activities? I'd love to hear what you'd add to this list!
---------------------------------------
All Amazon links are affiliate links. If you click and buy, it supports my blog and pays me to keep writing! So please feel free to click through and buy a stack of books or boatload of Easter baskets. 😉
(Or, add the incredibly helpful Chrome Library extension to your browser, and put books on hold at your local library while viewing them on Amazon. So handy!)
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