When December rolls around, you probably feel like you're ready for a break, but how can you relax when the holidays add a dozen complex projects on your to-do list: shopping, decorating, menu planning, etc.? What's the secret to managing the holidays while homeschooling? DeeDee and Ximena share the tactics that help them truly enjoy family time so these weeks truly can be the "most wonderful time of the year."
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QUOTABLES
DeeDee "And I don't know about everybody else, but I always feel like my time, my day just goes by so fast. Like I get into this mode of working with the kids. And then it's like, 'How is it three o'clock already?' And now we have to go into our afternoon part of the day, the chores and I have vocal students and then I have dinner to make and it just flies by. And then when the holidays come around, it just seems like, I don't know. There's one more thing to do."
Ximena: " ...making family memories is priceless, but running yourself ragged will weaken your immune system."
Ximena, about the 3 Rs: "Let's just do math and then write a good paper, and then let's read a book ... [so] you're getting more meat and less condiments in your homeschool."
Ximena: "...the memories that we will look back on with fondness will not be the desk work. It won't be the math. It won't be all the work that we get done but the field trips and the hands-on activities and these special memories that we intentionally create."
TIMESTAMPS
04:56 When you like everything in your homeschool to be thematic, how can you fit in Christmas topics and activities?
05:18 Around this time of year, it's natural for kids and parents to get a bit distracted and need a break.
06:13 The time pressures of the holidays plus homeschooling. When the holidays are just one more thing to do.
09:38 How listing all your roles can help with time management.
12:24 How to make holidays more enjoyable instead of stressful: Number one is to deliberately lighten the workload (instead of just letting things slide because you didn't have time).
13:33 Focus only on the 3 Rs: reading, writing, and math. Skip science and history during the holidays or combine those with language arts.
14:34 Switch to a 2- or 3-day homeschool week so you have days dedicated to deep cleaning, shopping, planning, crafts, or cooking.
15:23 Cram camps to study intensively on one school subject to get ahead or catch up in a short time.
16:06 Spend the holidays honing life skills: baking making menus, shopping, and budgeting.
17:32 Because the holidays are a time of gift-giving, they can serve as a lesson in personal finance and charitable giving.
21:22 Establishing or continuing family traditions: making s'mores, watching Elf, etc.. They may have to be new for 2020 if your old traditions can't be accomplished.
SPECIAL SEGMENTS
01:05 Self-care Your Way
11:03 What We’re Reading
The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton
Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.
