Staying Active in our Homeschool During a Challenging Season

I've been thinking and scheming about how to keep my kids active all winter (and all year) for almost a decade. As our homeschool schedule and needs change and my kids grow up, I continue to think and plan how to keep all of us active during the winter months when after-dinner hours are pitch black outside, sometimes bad road conditions keep us homebound, and single-digit temps keep me inside with small babies.

It is a constant work in progress. Here is how we are planning, scheduling, and playing this year . . . at a time when we opt not to visit indoor places with lots of people!

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Our Stuff

I am always trying to find toys and gifts that will keep the kids moving indoors and out. As a younger mother with two very rambunctious boys, it was a key part of my year-round survival strategy. And after becoming more of a minimalist and reading Simplicity Parenting and Charlotte Mason's works, I still can't think of gifts other than handicraft supplies and quality books that better support a simple, unplugged, non-materialist lifestyle than equipment and gear for physical activity and physical play. 

These objects are practical and useful, plus they are the toys that continue to be played with year after year after year:

Toddler Trampoline - We have a different brand, but the same style of trampoline. We keep it in our family room and it has seen DAILY use by multiple children for five years. I cannot tell you how good this has been for all my kids, but especially my energetic sons who will bounce while listening to a read aloud, singing, counting, doing math, you get the idea! My 10-year-old still uses it sometimes.

Rocker Board - This item was a HUGE splurge for us. And I don't regret it one bit. It has been an indoor sliding board, a cradle, and a balancing board. Every child who sees it can't resist climbing on. We mainly use it indoors but have taken it outside too.

Stilts - I find these incredibly hard! But my determined kids spend hours learning how to balance and walk all around the house and outside. Really great exercise and so much fun!

Pogo Stick - The one we have has a removable circular base to make it easier for young kids to get started, but this one looks good for older kids to start with. 

Pull Up Bar - My husband wanted this for his office, but when he worked at home during the spring he set it up at home. The kids use it so much that it is staying at home permanently. They dangle and swing and pull up and just use it as an indoor tree branch.

Scooters - All of my kids 5+ have these scooters and because they primarily ride bikes when outside, these scooters get most of their use in the winter in the basement. I know not everyone has a large unfinished basement, but a garage would also be a great winter riding spot. I have this style for my preschoolers.

Balance bikes - We have 2 of these that have lasted over 6 years with four kids and we still love them. One has the little 2-year-old seat and one has the more-padded, bigger kid one. And all of my kids have burned so much energy and gained important bike riding skills riding around and around our basement in winter. We also use them on year-round walks/rides around town.

Plasma car - This is another oddball toy that appeals to multiple ages and can hold up to 2 kids at a time. With 1 or more kids on balance bikes, scooters, and a plasma car, you are in for quite a wild and wonderful experience. 

Tricycle - Even my 2-year-olds love their balance bikes, but it does take some coordination to use them. My 1-year-olds keep up with the basement madness with this adorable trike.

Roller Skates - We have wood floors so my kids skate around the house or in the basement. They have so much fun! We also have this style of skate (but gender-neutral) for our older toddlers.

Slackline - Even though we don't have a place for this in our yard, it is easy enough to set up that we can use it on our Wild + Free weekly meetups or while camping. All the kids we know LOVE it when we break this out! And they will use it in the dead of winter just the same as in the height of summer.

Gardening tools - Sometimes having important work to do outside is enough to keep you out there enjoying life no matter the weather. We have always enjoyed having tools, buckets (these are our absolute favorites), and snow shovels.

Wagon - This wagon has been one of my favorite possessions for over 8 years. Now the kids use it more than I do to give each other rides around the yard or on family walks.

Dollar store items - We round out our physical-toys with hula hoops, jump ropes (why do these turn into whips and animal reins in our house every time?), balloons, and beach balls. 

By adding to our collection over the years we now have so many options for indoor and outdoor physical play. This year the kids' wishlists include:

Portable Ping Pong - Our kitchen table is already our place to eat and our place to do school and our place to get creative. Why not make it our place to get exercise too? (This idea courtesy of Martin Family Moments ;-)

Climbing triangle  - I can really see my little guys loving something like this!

Step-a-Logs - These would be a perfect addition to our many indoor obstacle courses.

Our Schedule

I was already fretting about how my 2-year-old toddler was not getting enough physical play or outside time when I saw Celeste's post about how her son spends hours outside every day. Our problem was that he did not want to play outside alone in the morning when his siblings were doing lessons and he was resting during the afternoon hours when they had free time. 

Importantly, my school-aged children also weren't getting enough outside time or physical play either. Lessons were happening in the morning and in the afternoon everyone was scattering to work on their own projects or listening to audiobooks. Now that it is dark after dinner, that time too became hard to get outside. I couldn't figure out how to change this pattern.

When Celeste posted about their timetables, it helped me see another way. Instead of doing all of our lessons in the morning, we can do just a few of them, and then my Form I (first grade and third grade) students could be released to play with their 2-year-old brother until lunchtime. When my Form II student (fifth grade) finished his lessons, he can join them. After lunch, I can take turns with both children to read to them from their geography, history, and science (nature) books and provide time for art, nature journaling, independent reading, piano practice, and handicrafts.

During this morning play time, the kids must play outside or in our unfinished basement which we use as a pseudo outdoor play area with scooters, sticks, buckets, tools, and small bikes and trikes. 

Favorite gear that has helped all my kids enjoy more time outside include rain pants (LOVE THESE!) and heavy gloves, as well as LL Bean raincoats, heavy winter coats, and second-hand snow pants and winter boots for everyone. 

We tried out the new schedule and everyone is getting more exercise and fresh air. Another huge benefit is that I am getting a break from reading (and talking) to reconnect with the baby and recharge before we gather at lunchtime and read aloud from our current books (now Frightful's Mountain and The Winged Watchman). Previously, I had dreaded reading at lunchtime after an intense morning of homeschooling three kids. 

Yet another new part of our schedule is that my husband decided to institute a special playtime after dinner 3 or 4 times a week where the kids roll a die to determine a fun physical activity to do with Daddy. The activities are all things he doesn't mind doing and include roughhousing (years ago this book gave him lots of inspiration), short walks in the neighborhood, playing in the basement, and Cosmic Yoga. 

Our time in nature

I'm so thankful that we already had a solid nature habit before 2020 because this year we needed it. We are being intentional about our outdoor time by

Being active members of our local Wild + Free group

Our group meets weekly at a rural property for about 5 hours every Friday in ALL weather. We attempt to follow changing state guidelines about what is safe and responsible. But it provides so much benefit for kids and parents! It is a place to climb big trees, observe wildlife, and play crazy made up games all in the fresh air. Winter isn't my favorite season to be outdoors, but a heavy down coat and these pants help me enjoy myself in all but the most frigid temperatures.

Planning and scheduling (near) weekly family hikes

It is hard hiking with little ones! But now that we are coming out of the newborn phase (baby George is 4 months old and 18 pounds!!) we are making it a priority again. It is the best way we can find to fill the white space on our calendar and stay active. To make it more interesting for grown-ups and older kids, we are upping the difficulty level by hitting the trails even when the weather isn't as good (read cold and wet) and planning longer hikes of 4+ miles at least half of the time. 

Scheduling winter cabin camping

For the first time, we scheduled a 2-night stay at a rustic cabin at a state park. We'll have a fireplace for heat and a stove to cook on so it should be quite comfortable and luxurious compared to tent camping, but we'll really enjoy stepping outside the door for dark, dark skies at night and hikes and playing during the day.

Staying Active Myself

I'm still in the weeds of having a small baby, so my activity goals are small and realistic. Family hikes and our weekly nature meetups take a lot out of me, but the few other things I'm doing include:

Pelvic floor & diastasis recti rehab

To physically heal after the birth of my fifth baby, I am back to working through MUTU. I supplement the program with some additional (but similar/complementary exercises) that I learned when I went to physical therapy in early 2019 to address some pelvic prolapse. I wrote a whole post about my pelvic floor issues and currently consider myself in remission/maintenance. So these exercises are a crucial part of my self care. 

If you have ANY concerns about your own pelvic floor health, I can't recommend MUTU and/or finding a great physical therapist enough. Doing something is so much better than ignoring the problem. And the MUTU black friday sale is the best time to buy all year at 40% off. 

Walking, Hiking, and Biking

Another part of my pelvic floor recovery includes walking and hiking in barefoot shoes. Although my starter shoes were just cheap water shoes on Amazon, I now own two pairs of Xero shoes (affiliate link). I have an everyday shoes and a pair of waterproof hiking boots. My husband and I are crazy about these shoes because they are so comfortable and affordable which is why I became an affiliate. They also have good sales this time of year (like right now!).

Taking 2-3 mile walks around my neighborhood are a form of self-care for me, but they are much more difficult to fit into my day when it gets dark so early. So I  bought an exercise bike (FYI the price on this fluctuates a lot!). Just using it for 10 minutes a day gives me a lot more energy, but I'm still working on making that a daily habit. And the kids like to ride a couple of miles sometimes too. 

Nature couple time

My husband and I don't get a lot of opportunities to do things together without kids, but when we do we try to spend time in nature. We recently celebrated my 40th birthday with a 10k volksmarch at a state park and we are planning a couple's (plus a baby) 2-night getaway at a rustic camping cottage before Christmas. Nature time has been our "couple's therapy" since before we were married so we priorize long walks and nature hikes in our free time. 

These are some ways we are staying active in a year without soccer, indoor trampoline parks, roller skating rinks, and homeschool gym classes. I wouldn't choose to be as limited as we are this year because it is lonelier, but I can see how this white space is giving us an opportunity to improve our skills and habits to keep us moving when life gets busier again.