Today it snowed for the first time this winter! Unfortunately for us, we were all more or less ill…
Today of all days.
There was no question of going outside and frolicking in the freshly fallen snow. And snow is such a rare encounter here. But Dominik felt so bad that he didn’t even come down for breakfast (which was porridge with apples and cinnamon) and Oskar sat thoughtfully at the table, not yet expecting the surprise of snow.
What else was there no question of?? Of sticking to our planned schedule. Today was a time to slow down and take advantage of the benefits of home education which, among others, is flexibility. Today was time for a relaxed homeschool day. Instead of regular lessons, we had a day of reading and arts and crafts.
If you are here to look for more ideas to spend a relaxed homeschool day jump down to the list at the bottom of this post. Or just read on to hear our story.
We made ourselves comfortable on the sofa and wrapped ourselves in blankets, even Dominik came to us. I turned on the audiobook with Treasure Island and the fruit infusion with ginger, lemon and honey was supposed to keep us warm and happy.
As the story unfolded, our imaginations sparked discussions and ideas. Oskar proposed creating a diorama of the island, and our reading adventure spurred further explorations—map quests to locate places mentioned in the book, studies on infamous pirates like Francis Drake, and a deep dive into the construction of a schooner. Oskar remembered and told us the story of Julius Caesar, who was kidnapped by pirates for ransom and was outraged that the pirates demanded so little money for his safety!
Following reading and discussing Treasure Island, I turned on children’s stories in French for a change. Thank you, YouTube! This is one of our methods of getting used to the sounds of another language. Normally we would also sing songs, but Dominik was too tired even to sing.
After the French fairy tales, it was time for lunch of leftover chicken salad from the previous day. And that’s when nature surprised us! What initially seemed like rain turned into snow! At first, slowly, reluctantly, tiny petals danced outside the window. Over time, there were more and more of them, they started to settle on the bench, and on the grass and created this wonderful and one-of-a-kind blanket for the world. Of course, the blanket was thin and the temperature above zero meant it wouldn’t last long, but the boys were extremely excited.
Post-lunch, Oskar’s creativity took the lead, evolving from a diorama of Treasure Island to a miniature model of Paris. An impromptu virtual field trip, navigating the streets of Paris through Google Maps, fueled his artistic endeavours. I had printed him templates of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame Cathedral, (a few days ago we talked about the Notre Dame Cathedral during Art Studies.) While he started to make the model, Dominik brought a sketchbook and drew circles and ovals in it – the basic shapes in Art. It reminded me of a little Maths Adventure book we have: Sir Cumference and the Knights of the First Round Table. I took it out to read aloud.
After finishing the book, I left the boys and went to prepare dinner – spaghetti with meatballs. A super quick dish, so later I had the opportunity to go outside and try a winter experiment that I had seen some time ago on YouTube. The idea was to makie soap bubbles in the snow and waiting for them to freeze, creating beautiful snow crystals.
Unfortunately… it didn’t work out. The bubbles burst too quickly, the wind blew them away, or the temperature was generally too high. Well, if you don’t try, you won’t know…
And so day passed but in the rhythm of it, we found the heart of homeschooling. We adapted, abandoned plans, and discovered a different kind of progress – one rooted in shared moments, imaginative exploration, and the unique beauty of learning at home. This day was proof that education isn’t all about textbooks and lesson plans.
And what’s more – the light snow lingered for few days, offering the boys an extended playtime and a canvas for winter experiments.
Other ideas to spend a relaxed homeschool day:
Explore virtual field trips online. Many museums, zoos, and historical sites offer virtual tours.
Take learning outdoors by going on a real field trip: parks, reservoirs, woods, local attractions or simple walks around your own area to notice the architecture.
Make a day of games: board games, cards, online games – anything allowed! Make your own Quizlet game or try GeoGuesser. https://www.geoguessr.com/
Dedicate a day to learning a foreign language. Use language-learning apps, watch foreign-language cartoons or listen to stories, and engage in simple conversations.
Appreciate music. Dedicate time to exploring different genres, learning about famous composers, and listening to new composers. Try looking in Spotify for a Composer of the Week playlist.
Day of science experiments – anything that you didn’t have time or patience to do during your science lessons, dedicate a special day for these experiments when you are only focussing on the fun side of science. The benefit – you will do a lot of experiments but only one cleaning up the mess!
Explore how Art can be incorporated in Maths – have a look at this post for ideas!
#HomeschoolingJourney #WinterMagic #FlexibleLearning
