Put some fun back into homeschool

It is that time of year where we get pre-occupied with holiday parties and get togethers, and our kids start to get a little bored with homeschool. It is very easy to want to take a break for a while, but instead of giving into the break, maybe you should step back and find some ways to add life into your homeschool day once again.

Have you done a lot of field trips? If not, take a look at your list of field trip ideas. You can also see what new exhibits local museums or zoos have and tie it into your lessons. My kids and I recently got a family membership to a zoo about an hour from here, and we are looking at getting a membership to the natural history museum as well. Part of the reason for doing this is that both places have reciprocal memberships with other zoos and museums giving us options for field trip days. Sometimes we can find places that have events or exhibits that complements our lessons for the week.
Make sure you stock up on craft supplies. Right now the weather is starting to turn where I live, so we are not spending as much time outdoors. When you start getting frustrated, take a breath and get a project for the kids to do. Then you can go back to the lesson later.
If lessons are getting hard to push through, maybe this is a good time to take a look at your teaching methods and/or curriculum. I am not saying to change your curriculum. Sometimes, you just need to change the approach, be creative. After all, that is what homeschool is all about: the ability to be flexible. Recently, we decided to delay the start of the next book in our history curriculum so we could focus more on 19th and 20th century history. Another book we are using discusses it, and the kids want to learn more. Again, it is about being flexible.
Finally take a look at your munchies! What are you serving for lunch and snacks? Is it getting boring? Then mix it up a bit! We started doing bento boxes recently because the kids have been having fun doing different themes with them. We are also trying to tie in foods to our lessons. This week we will be having a Boxcar Children lunch with dried meat, brown bread, butter, and blueberries. The kids are looking forward to it. When we are all happy, our homeschool day goes better.
I hope you find these tips useful, and if you are having the mid-year blahs, I hope you can breathe life into your homeschool day once more. Do you have anything to add to the list? If so, please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments below!