5 Simple Ways To Overcome The February Slump (including a butterfly unit study!)

Practical changes you can make to help your homeschool overcome the February slump including changing your schedule, taking a break, and adding something new to your days like a fun butterfly unit study from Sonlight!

The Dreaded February Slump

If you’ve homeschooled for any amount of time, you know that February likes to challenge even the strongest of us. Filled with cold, brutal weather, short days, and less excitement than the rest of the year, February is known for causing homeschoolers mental anguish and filling them with more than their fair share of dread with a phenomena we know as the “February Slump”.

Perhaps it’s due in part to the sugar crash we are all feeling after three months of holidays and all the treats that accompany them.

Perhaps it’s the knowledge that while we are 100 days into our homeschool year we still have 80 or so to go.

And perhaps it’s that the lessons are getting more challenging as the school year progresses and everyone is ready for a break or to try something new like a unit study from Sonlight.

Either way, February is a wonderful time to infuse your homeschool with newness and change to energize both you and your kids while you wait for spring to arrive in your homeschool! The weather outside might still be frightful, but it doesn’t mean you can add in unit studies from Sonlight or begin to study spring-related topics such as butterflies.

Stuck In The February Slump?

First, my friend, let me assure you that you are not alone! Homeschooling is hard and there’s something about this time of year that affects many of us.

So while you feel alone or like you are the only one suffering the Februrary slump, and possibly considering waving the white flag of homeschool surrender, let me just say that you are in good company. Many homeschoolers wrestle and struggle this time of year – it’s not just you.

So back away from the phone and banish the thoughts of enrolling your kids elsewhere. And keep reading because I’ve got some help to help carry that February slump away just in time for March homeschooling and all things spring!

5 Tips For Overcoming The February Slump

1. Take A Break

Whether that’s in the form of a long weekend, taking a random mid-week day off, or even pausing lessons for a week or so, take the break. If you or the kids are stressed or overwhelmed, or simply need to do something different, then do it.

Cancel school. Sleep in or stay up late. Watch movies or snuggle on the couch. Hang out with friends, build for fun, or make pancakes without turning it into a math lesson.

If you need a break, friend, take one. No guilt. And no counting out how long this will extend the homeschool year.

2. Join A New Activity

Hop online and start searching.

Ask inside a Facebook Group.

Read the paper (yes, you can still get papers delivered to your home! 😅).

Call up your friend and ask them about that class they mentioned a few weeks back.

It doesn’t matter. Just ask around and find a new activity to do, a club to join, or an event to help with.

Sometimes, the best way to overcome a slump in your life is to infuse your calendar with something new and exciting.

So paint, dance, and find community.

3. Get Outside

I know, the weather outside is frightful, but do you know that we need fresh air and sunshine (yes, even when the temperature is smaller than our age!).

Our bodies crave being outside and if you look around at younger kids, they often don’t care. You know you’ve seen that one kid who’s always outside, regardless of weather? Harness your inner version of that kid and go outside.

Take a walk, play in the snow with your kids (or even homeschool in the snow), learn to snowshoe… it doesn’t matter. Just get yourself outside and move. It will really help.

4. Clean Something

I especially love this one as the days get a bit longer and I get excited about spring, longer days, warm sunshine, and opening my windows!

Cleaning, rearranging, organizing… you name it, it’s a great way to put some pep in your step and reinvigorate your day. There’s nothing like a job well done, a task completed, and an area refreshed to boost your spirits.

So whether you revamp your homeschool room to make room for a new class or unit study, paint your kitchen, or wash the walls in the mudroom, cleaning is a great way to take a break from the mundane days of homeschooling and energize your family.

5. Try A New Homeschool Unit Study

While the February slump can have you wanting to run from homeschooling, adding a new course or unit study, like this Butterfly Unit Study from Sonlight,can be just the thing your homeschool needs.

Unit studies can be a great way to change up your learning, add something fun to the day, and spark some creativity.

Recenly my daughter and I have been digging into this Butterfuly Unit Study from Sonlight and it’s been so much fun! While we haven’t been able to order our butterfly larvae yet (because we live in Maine!) we have been able to enjoy the books, crafts, and out-of-the-box learning the Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study has to offer.

We actually have two unit studies from Sonlight to add to our spring semester – the Butterfly Unit Study and the 50 States Unit Study – but we opted to “think Spring” and stave off the dreaded February slump.

Inside the Butterfly Unit Study, you can learn about the lifecycle of a butterfly, butterfly migration, and their habitats. There are books to read, activity sheets to work on, hands-on projects to complete. Plus, Sonlight has some amazing bonus features on YouTube.

You can easily cover multiple subjects with this 4-day per week unit study, and add in extras as your kids ask questions.

Unit Studies To Help With The February Slump

We have gone as far as we can with the Sonlight Butterfly Unit Study for now, but I cannot wait to order our butterfly larvae and finish this up.

In the meantime, I think March will be a perfect time to start the 50 States Unit Study! The February slump may be nearly over, but that doesn’t mean we can continue the fun and use the tips in this post for a little while longer.