Snow-Day School – Guerilla Hschooling for Boring Days

We’ve had a half dozen days off of school this winter — and that’s in addition to the Christmas holidays. Schools been canceled due to snow, ice, and wind. All the sky has to do is sprinkle a mere 1/4inch of snow on the front lawn and viola, schools out! It’s been so ridiculous that on the last night of Christmas break I had this exchange with a neighbor:

Me: “See you at school tomorrow!”
Bill: “Yeah, barring snow, or ice, or wind, or….I don’t know…a plague of locust.”

Well here we are, at sea level for crying out loud, experiencing our second ‘snow day’ in a row. I’m out of money for children’s museums and animated movies, and even the new Christmas loot has lost its play appeal.

So today I instituted a MacGuiver style home schooling regime. If you’re stuck at home with bored kids, maybe this will work for you. Here’s my example of a lesson plan – I let the kids pick one or two things from each category. (Right now my kids are doing SuDoku for “Math.”) May it help stave off the cabin fever for you too!

Snow Day School

Morning Warm Up
Read one story, or have one story told to you
Go over your high/lows from yesterday
centering prayer/meditation

Writing Practice
Draw a picture and write about what you did over the weekend (or last three snow days…)
Write thank you notes for your Christmas presents.
Email a friend or a grandparent.

Math
Time yourself to see how many sums you can do in a minute.
Do a page or two out of your Math workbooks (we brought some at Barnes and Nobel.)
Do some SuDoku
(For Younger Kids: The Kids’ Book of Sudoku For older kids: Junior Su Doku)
Count the money in your piggy bank. Roll coins.
Figure out if you have enough money to buy the thing you’ve been saving for and buy it online with a parent. (Eden is saving for a grown-up easle, Cate wants a nightgown for her doll Kit.)

Reading
Mom reads a chapter of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Read silently by yourself for 30 minutes by the fire. (Light a presto log or candles)
Listen to a story tape while you follow along in a book.
Read one story to a parent.

Art
Watercolor a winter scene.
Use the pottery wheel/bead kit/sewing kit you got for Christmas.
Do a Lite Brite Flatscreen picture.
Draw a picture for your grandparents.
Make a collage out of old magazines.

Science
Look up how yeast works on line.
Measure to make a double batch of zweibeck. (It’s math too!)
Look up how alum works.
Measure and make a batch of homemade playdough. (Art, Math and Science!)

History/Social Studies
Read The Long Winter in the Little House on the Prairie Series
Read this book Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Read this book The Story Of Ruby Bridges.
Find oud what winter was like in the Winter Days in the Big Woods or when there were Sugar Snow

P.E./Recess
Play twister.
Make a snow man.
Take the dog on a brisk walk around the block.
Do the Kid’s Yoga video.

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Alum Play Dough

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 T alum
1 cup water
2 T oil
liquid food coloring

Pour dry ingredients into large pan. Stir together to mix. Stir oil and food coloring into the water. Pour liquid into the dry ingredients while mixing, squeezing and kneading the dough. If too sticky, add more flour. Keeps best in the fridge.

Posted in Magpie Girl, Magpie Mama
Tags: Magpie Mama |