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How Do I Homeschool at Christmas?
by Sharon Bacasmot and LInda Price
Q: How do I keep my home and school
running smoothly in the midst of all the additional activities
and preparations related to Christmas, and still keep our
family focused on Jesus, “the reason for the season?”
It seems like an impossible task!
A: Home and school schedules are often interrupted by
holiday preparations and activities. During these times,
prioritizing is especially important. When our primary focus
is on the Lord, He helps us to successfully order the importance
of commitments and control the stress level.
One practical suggestion would be to look for ways to make
the birth of Christ the focus of your home school experience
for December. Consider studying the history and geography
of the time of Christ’s birth or learning about how
Greek culture and the Roman Empire were part of God’s
preparation for the coming of the Savior. Or, perhaps you
could have the children do a little research to figure out
how far Mary and Joseph had to walk to get to Bethlehem,
and how long it may have taken them. In remembrance of God’s
gift of His son, consider making crafts or cooking and baking
gifts to give to others as part of your school day.
So, what if none of these things can be logically or creatively
related to what your children currently studying? Then,
consider making Christmas a special unit of study for December,
allowing time for the “learning” that comes
with the special activities and preparations for Christmas.
During the holidays, the “regular” school schedule
may have a lower priority than it does at other times of
the year. Our family has found that learning which is “forced”
into school days before the holidays often takes longer
than if we wait and study the same information AFTER the
holidays! A flexible school schedule during the holidays
helps us to complete preparations and participate in activities
while keeping our focus on the birth of Christ. The greatest
blessing of home schooling is being able to teach your children
the most important things AND having the flexibility to
give time for that purpose!
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