When I first started homeschooling Munchkin, I had grand plans of all of the wonderful things that we were going work on, and all these fun things we were going to do. All too quickly I learned that there was no way to do everything that we wanted to do, and I also learned that if we tried to do it all, we would both become burned out on homeschooling.
Over the years, we stepped away from many school-at-home type activities. We’ve become more relaxed about homeschooling. We’ve also learned to have more fun with homeschooling. I’ve also worked with Munchkin to become a more independent learner. It takes more work upfront for me, but it has great rewards later.
When either Munchkin or I started to feel burned out, we either take a break for a day or two, or I re-evaluate what we are doing. Sometimes, we may do both. Normally, if we’re struck with burn out, it’s because we tried to do too much in a shorter period of time. We may need to cut out outside activities, or we may need to cut out a few extras in school.
Whatever we do, I try to find something fun that we both enjoy to re-charge our batteries. Right now, we’re headed to the Grand Canyon. It will be a great learning opportunity, but I’m making sure that I don’t pile on too much academic stuff that it spoils the trip for all of us. We’re going to naturally learn and have fun.
