Hi friends,
The holiday hustle and bustle has passed and we are getting back into our homeschool rhythm after a nice break. This is typically when we start to feel a little stir crazy in the house and so I have been using hygge to combat my winter blues for years. Now that we are homeschooling, I have carried it right into our rhythm and it really does make a big difference in the atmosphere of our home and our happiness. I wanted to share some of the things we like to do to keep our spirits up and beat the February slump of homeschooling (which a lot of families seem to experience!)
If you are not familiar with hygge (prononuced hoo-guh), it is the Danish word for “coziness” but goes far beyond just cozy. It is a whole vibe and there are so many great books on the lifestyle. I highly recommend this one.
The trick is not to do all of this, but choose a few things that feel good for your family and do it together. Enjoy these things together. That is the true way to feel cozy and connected this season.
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1. Bake all the warm and comforting treats together. Enjoy them while doing a lesson or during read aloud. Here are a few of our favorites: pumpkin bread, apple crisp, oat chocolate chip cookies, brownies
2. Read by the fire. If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace, this is the ultimate comfort. The crackling and popping alone is the perfect hygge soundtrack.
3. Add lots of mood lighting. Think strings of twinkle lights, candles, tea lights, salt lamps…
4. Hot chocolate and art! It’s a beautiful combination. Break out the paints
5. Embrace your inner Julie Bogart and have poetry tea time once a week.
6. Wear your pajamas all day without shame or guilt.
7. Pile up the blankets and pillows on the floor, make popcorn, and watch a nature or history documentary.
8. Stack a pile of board games on the table and announce a PJ & game day.
9. Surprise your kids with new fuzzy socks or a comfy robe for the season.
10. Snuggle up and read a fairytale while surrounded by twinkle lights. Consider finding the movie version and watching that together, too.
11. Do or learn a handcraft together. Things like knitting, crocheting, latch hook, weaving, sewing, felt projects…
12. Find a wintery soundtrack on Spotify to play softly in the background. We love listening to classical music or movie scores.
13. Put a window bird feeder in a central spot so you can enjoy winter visitors. You can take it further by identifying them and doing a winter bird unit study. Or just enjoy as is!
14. Choose cozy/wintery read alouds. A few favorites: The Heartwood Hotel, The Chronicles of Narnia, Sophie Mouse: Winter’s No Time to Sleep, The Very, Very Far North, Mr. Popper’s Penguins
15. Take a winter wonderland walk through nature. Don’t let the snow hold you back.
16. Bake a loaf of bread together.
17. Switch things up and listen to an audiobook as a read aloud. This is a nice companion to a handcraft or while drawing/painting/creating.
18. Grab a stack of hygge-feeling picture books. Some great ones: Winter is the Warmest Season, Bright Winter Night, In a Blue Room, Owl Moon, Flannel Kisses, Sleep Tight Farm. Here’s a full list of our favorite winter books.
19. Make pancakes for breakfast on a weekday.
20. Add a simmer pot on the stove or use peppermint essential oil in your diffuser. My favorite simmer pot recipe is water, oranges, cinnamon sticks, and cloves.
