It's wet, it's cold and all you want to do is hibernate... while the children are running around the house with boundless energy. You try directing them to a quiet activity, but after a few minutes they grow restless and enthusiasm fades. They keep looking out of the window,
'It's still raining', says one. 'Look at the massive puddles!' says another. Why is it children love water, and MUD? The thought of taking them out, and having wet coats and muddy boots to cope with on return fills you with dread.... know the scenario? It can be all too frequent an occurrence for us home-schooling mums. We seem to feel the 'tiredness' of home-educating when the weather is bad and the days are short. Somehow in summer it's a lot easier - as if the sun gives us energy. I know I used to hive off to an indoor play area once a week... I could sit and have an (indulgent) hot chocolate, while they crawled endlessly. However the pay-off was frequent bad colds and flu! It seemed to be a breeding place for germs and after we stopped going we never had so many colds again. So today I want to encourage you to look beyond your fatigue. To embrace winter, and the rain and the mud, for actually, it's good for you (the exercise that is!)! How can I say that? Well exercise does us all good, as does fresh air. Dare I say it, but you may even feel less tired on return. Now wouldn't that be a reason to go out if no other came to mind. Which of us doesn't wish to have more energy? Plus the fact that exercise helps us to feel less stressed. Nothing worse than sitting inside stressing and fretting - trying to get the children to be quiet, because you don't want to take them out. Better to be out giving ourselves some benefit too! Throw in the added benefit of exercise helping to keep colds at bay... now which of us enjoys having a house full of snivelling, coughing people? Then what about the benefits of everyone sleeping better for having had a 'blow through'? It can be very educational (see below). βIt can banish feelings of isolation. Last but not least, it burns calories...ok, we'll say no more! β When you start to add it all up, there are lots of reasons to get out. The only thing I can't guarantee is that the children will be calmer when they return, but they might be! The baby may well have a nap and give you a wee break! So lets think how we can make this a regular occurrence, with the least hassle. A little organisation comes into play here. First make sure every one has the right clothes. I love Muddy Puddles waterproofs and have used them since the boys were toddlers until they grew out of them. They are so well made, truly waterproof and could be handed down. A pair of wellingtons for everyone is good too, plus waterproof gloves if you can ..Lidl have good priced ones, keep your eyes open for them. β
βThen think about the mud on return, Perhaps spread some newspaper down before you go. Or you could invest in a Wellington boot tray. These help to keep the mud on the tray and off your carpet. Either way, if you aren't fortunate enough to have a big porch ~ (like us) then think how to protect your hallway carpet. We were given an old rug that we put down. It doesn't look glamorous, but I am happy for them to walk in and land on it, so that we are not waiting in the rain for everyone to take off boots on the door step.
Where shall we go?
Where to go for the walk is often a problem as we are not all blessed with an open space round the corner. We certainly weren't when ours were small. What I found was that they never minded tramping the streets. Somehow, as long as there were some puddles, every one was happy! Now we have moved we do have a small area of woodland that we can walk to, round and back. This has streams they can jump in and dam up. In addition the wildlife here changes with the seasons and there is always something to see.. a new bird to hear, or a new wild flower, or the first signs of spring. Round the streets there is plenty to see too. We watched a new plot of houses being built and each day we would check their progress and got excited the day the people finally moved in. There were trains to spot and we waved to the drivers from the bridge. There was the postman to greet, neighbours to smile at, and other workmen to watch, which led to all sorts of qestions and then we would have to look up the answers when we got back home. So make it an education too. There's never a dull moment!
A hot chocolate on return is a great treat (we only treated ourselves on Friday). So come on... what's stopping you? Let's get out there! P.s. Yesterday we got saturated crossing Rye Harbour Nature Reserve on a bird watching expedition with our son. My husband and I wondered if were mad, with the wind and rain lashing in our faces. But it was worth it. We (us parents) saw many different kinds of birds and learnt much from our son and a group of fellow birdwatchers who joined us in the hide and we went home feeling great! The best reward was seeing a Kingfisher, which conveniently flew towards us and perched nearby as we crossed a river. It was my first ever sighting!
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Welcome!After studying for an Early Years Specialism degree (B.Ed. Hons), and teaching in mainstream education, I home-educated my own children, after my husband and I were persuaded of the need to take responsibility for bringing up our children 'in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.' (Ephesians 6:4) We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This costs the purchaser nothing extra. In this way I can continue to provide free resources. Thank you for your support. Looking for a read-aloud?
Here's one I heartlily reccomend for ages 10 +. Search
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The First book from Christina Eastwood - the first in a triology - only £5.99 (ages 8 to 13).
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See here Now available in PRINT
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