Spring Forward…Taking Homework Outside

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“Spring Forward” always brings with it a little bit of good and a little bit of bad to our home.  Some of the bad is simply that I’m still dragging along from missing that one silly hour of sleep.  And beyond that, my mind still hasn’t adjusted to the “sunlight clock” and I’m still thinking that it’s earlier than it is and I forget to start cooking dinner because it’s still just so bright outside…which is why we’ve been eating an hour or so later than usual…which has pushed bedtime later too. Hey wait, maybe that’s why I’m tired?!  Fortunately though, our bodies and minds will adjust and this bad will be short-lived. But the goodoh-so-good, is that we’ve been enjoying that extra hour of sunlight with more playtime, downtime and yard time.  And that is so, so good for my soul!

Here in Georgia this past week we’ve been blessed with some spring-like weather and it has lined up nicely with Spring Forward.  And at the Scott home we’ve fully embraced the extra hour of sunlight in the evening!  Now I must admit it’s been a little harder getting up in the morning because it’s so stinkin’ dark out, but I’ll take the dark morning for what we’ve inherited in the afternoons.

It has been so refreshing to be outside again after a crazy-cold winter indoors.  I already feel a little more alive and a little more motivated because of my time outside this last week.  I feel a little more relaxed too because of what a longer afternoon allows us to do and the slower pace it seems to remind me of.  I feel great anticipation for summer break when homework is non-existent and play abounds.

But for now…homework still invades our home every afternoon.  Ugh!  It seems to come even if I try to will it away.  And I just cannot stand the thought of my girls being held up inside when there is gorgeous spring weather outside to enjoy.  I know the homework has to get done, I know it should be a priority, I know they have to be responsible…but I’ve also come to the conclusion that it doesn’t have to all be done inside.  So my challenge to my girls this week has been to take their homework outdoors.
Homework outside!A change of scenery is good for the mind!  Being creative with homework is too!  These kids are tired of being inside in the classroom – they’ve been there all.day.long.  So my remedy…send them outdoors!  I tell my girls to go find a bench or a swing, go to the tree-house, hang out on the daybed, or even throw out a blanket in the grass…just find a place they enjoy and get their work done there while they soak in the beautiful day.

Homework becomes such a bother when the days are pretty!  Homework has become a bore now that it’s March and they’ve had eight long months of it already.  Homework may even have become a battle for some of you and your kids.  But sometimes, just switching it up a bit can make all the difference…taking homework outside may be just the prescription your kids need to get them through this last quarter and finish strong.

Flashcards PathLast spring the Littlest One was so tired of doing math flashcards.  She was totally burned out on them…as she literally had to do them at least 3-4 times a week the entire school year.  She was over it!  Honestly…I was too!  But I got creative, I made it fun, I changed things up a bit and moved the task outside and her attitude changed. I took her flashcards and made a trail of them throughout our backyard weaving around and in and out of things.  Her job was to answer the math fact then she could pick up the card and move to the next one and so on and so on as she made her way around the backyard.  A couple of times I even put a little treat for her at the end of the trail….sometimes she would make it a game and time herself.  It was just what she needed to not give up on her flashcard homework and finish the school year strong in that area.  She just needed things changed up a bit.  Spring Forward is sometimes just what we need to change things up a bit.

Flashcards outside in action!So think outside of the box when it comes to homework this spring… literally walk out the doors of your box…your home, and make homework more than tolerable this spring, make it enjoyable.  Help your kids finish strong in this homestretch of the school year.  Get them outside to do their homework and when they are done…let them play!

What creative thoughts do you have to bring outdoor play and homework together? I look forward to hearing from you.

Take care,
Britt initial

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2 Comments

  1. Brenda on March 15, 2014 at 9:20 am

    Wow! What a great and inspirational post. Being outside truly is transformational, it does open up your soul as you breathe in the beauty that God has created for us as a glorious gift. Taking every opportunity to do that in our hectic busy world, making it that much more important, can be challenging. Doing homework outdoors is genius and so refreshing, as you say…bringing a whole new perspective to a boring laborious task. I adore the flash card trail, so fun and creative and so effective. It is not just whimsy either, our bodies, mind and soul are in great need of the fresh air, sunshine, grass, open spaces, interaction with nature in its many forms, it’s a connection, a balm. I hope that your inspirations thru RYG will inspire many people all over the world to connect thought the amazing out of doors!
    Brenda

  2. Kathryn McGraw on March 22, 2014 at 9:52 am

    LOVE the flashcard trail!!! Reminds me of your creative singing and dancing to teach me multiplication Britt!! Great idea!!

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