How to Combat Spring Fever at Home
Well, you survived spring break with vacations, play dates, and some much-needed down time. Now, how will the family cope with the end of the year in sight but feeling further away these days than it did in January? The adult version is similar to running a half marathon and making it through mile 9, 10, and 11. You see the end but those last 2.1 miles feel like forever.
Tips to Overcome Spring Fever
This time of year is long for the students as well. Here are some easy tips for surviving the home stretch:
- Days are longer now that we turned our clocks back. Consider taking evening walks after dinner.
- Allow your young person to bring a friend on a walk.
- Include a trip to the local ice cream shop if it’s in walking distance from your house. Mixing exercise with a fun treat is a win-win for spending time together.
- Alternatively, explore nature right in your own front/backyard. Challenge your curious crew to a timed data collection exhibition. For this activity, you will need a clipboard, pencil, paper, and a medium sized cardboard box with bottom cut out. Have the children select an area of interest in the yard. Once an area is determined they place their box down on the ground to determine how many living and non-living things they can count within the perimeter of the box. Set a 10-minute limit to the data collection process. There are a couple of ways to collect the data. They can tally under the categories or draw a sketch of the different types of items they saw and record a number total. In addition, children could record observations such as wind speed, dampness, location and proximity to water. I recommend groups of 2-3 for maximum collaboration. Bring everyone back inside and discuss the data collected.
- Another strategy that will help combat spring fever is by having breakfast for dinner. Include the kids in the cooking experience rather than preparing the meal yourself. Giving them a taste of responsibility is exciting. Turning the expected into the unexpected is the key to survival.
Welcome spring days!
Danielle
Copyright (c) 2019 by GenParenting
Danielle’s first step in education did not begin with education at all. It began with her first love for science. She received a B.S. in Biological Science, with a concentration in Molecular Biology. Her five years of experience as a chemist in the biotech industry at SYVA and Dade Behring Diagnostics include both areas of quality control and research and development. Her contributions were qualifying products for release to sell to the diagnostic market as well as developing new diagnostic technology for immunoassay detection. Danielle’s subtle transition to discovering her passion for education was through the birth of her daughter. She became a stay at home mom. Her uber volunteerism at her daughter’s elementary school gained her access to her path of education. She now holds a multiple subject teaching credential and M.A. in Education from National University. She has over ten years of experience at Sakamoto Elementary School as an educator in kindergarten, sixth grade, second grade, and a 2/3 combination class. Her teaching is rooted in a constructivist model while fostering independence and accountability in the classroom.