Summer Recharge: 5 Ways to Renew Your Homeschool Spirit
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When you homeschool, you can pick any time to recharge your love of homeschooling, remotivate yourself, renew goals, and refresh your outlook on your school days…but summer is when many of us do it. So, since we are closing out May, let’s talk summer recharge. Here’s five ideas of how to do it.
Delight in the Freedom of Time
We do this anyway, since we homeschool. Most of us love our freedom to sleep in, stay up late, and choose to do nothing if we want to. During the school year though, many of us do feel the pressure to pack in a few academic subjects and learning experiences on a daily basis. So, during summer, pick a few weeks where you do not plan anything academic. Actually, don’t plan anything. Nothing. Delight in total freedom for yourself and also for your kiddos. Play games, read, watch movies, make recipes..whatever you want - because you literally have no plans. Preserve those weeks as if you will be out of town. When you go back to work someday, and when your kids start having jobs, there will be few times in life that freedom can reign other than an approved vacation week. Appreciate the freedom you have now. Who knows what organic, natural fun (and dare I say…learning?!?) will occur because your days are completely free.
Read A Book
If you have a good amount of free time for a few weeks (at least), enjoy a good book or two. We talk about our summer reading on our podcast episodes 5 and 45 with some ideas and suggestions, but what you may notice most is how reading rejuvenates our souls. Summer can be a convenient time to build into your heart, develop your mind, and refuel your inspiration through enjoying a book. In our podcasts we have recommended a few homeschooling or self-help books, including The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart, 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson, and Free to Learn by Peter Gray. But, I love non-fiction content builder books that provide insight into lesser known cultures and lifestyles such as Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (I recommend the audio version), Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance, and Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of my Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman. Your local library’s Libby audio book lists (free) as well as Audible are easy ways to “read” a book by listening to it while you water your blooming flowers or empty the dishwasher. I love to listen to an audio book while I take a long shower…I enter a whole new dimension, sometimes an entirely different country!
Plan Date Nights with Your Spouse or Friends
A bunch of our friends got together the other day for a girl’s night watching the movie Clueless with fun treats, drinks, and pajamas. That’s all it takes for a fun almost-slumber party with your favorite girls. Since summer is hot and we didn’t want to wait, the Spouse and I drove five hours to Vegas last month for a quick trip of food, drinks, zip lining, and an immersive art museum. (Check out MeowWolf at Area 15!) Those little dates and getaways really add up in building friendships and lasting memories with the people most important to you and can reenergize your connecting needs.
Peruse Your Favorite or Newest Curriculum
If you are like the homeschool moms that I know, new curriculum or educational materials are a bright, shiny new toy, waiting to be explored. Crack it open and read it like a favorite book! I am loving the Indigenous American book that we started reading this spring, and I may just continue reading it myself for fun. Story of the World is an intriguing audio book (CD) - whether your kids listen or not! If you love it, if it excites you, and if you feel confident with the content, your kids will feel it when you teach it in the fall. Inspiration and enthusiasm are contagious. Take off the pressure of learning everything the night before you teach it (or in the moment like me!). Enjoy all that your curriculum has to offer for you!
Purge Your Homeschool Space
Purging anything feels good. The less we have, the more we love what we have. It’s totally true. Every summer I purge and get rid of my hoarded craft supplies we haven’t used, activity books that do not pique my kids’ interests, and curriculum that we probably won’t touch. Once I do that, I feel inspired with what I do have on the shelves. I feel like a kid in a candy store, my eyes devouring all the fun captured on my bookshelves and homeschool closet. If you don’t want to purge permanently, use a storage bin (I have two) to store gems away for another time or for a new interest. I learned a lot from the purging instructional guide and quick read, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo. Simply put, keep what brings you joy (or your kids joy) and delete the rest.
Summer is full of fun, family vacations, play dates, and creative adventures. All are wonderful opportunities to enjoy your family and friends. You do not want to skip that. But also preserving a few weeks to rest and do nothing but read, get inspired, and focus on the people most important to you will pay off with renewed inspiration and a recharged spirit for another fulfilling homeschool year.
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