Someone recently asked me if homeschoolers ever get snow days.

By my measurement, that’s a deep question. So I guess it requires a pretty deep answer. 

Consider the beauty of a snow day: Catch up on sleep. Hang out all day with people you love dearly. Take a break from the usual routine of school or work. Stay home. Wear your pajamas all day. Sip some hot chocolate in the middle of the afternoon. Slow down and enjoy a new experience outside like sledding or building a snowman.

Homeschooling is a lot like that. A flexible schedule allows homeschoolers to catch up on sleep when they’ve been deprived. They hang out all day with the people they love dearly. They can wear pajamas all day, though we never make it much past 8 a.m. in ours. Homeschoolers often have time to enjoy a new experience as a family, whether it’s through a book that’s read-aloud, a field trip to the theatre or museum, or a science project worked on together.

Also consider the classic book Snowy Day, written by Ezra Jack Keats. It’s a simple story of a little boy who wakes up to a winter wonderland of snow. Since school is canceled, the boy spends the entire day exploring and playing in the fresh snow. Among other things, he experiments with his foot prints, makes a snowangel, and eventually discovers that snowballs melt when brought inside. That one day he learns more about snow than he ever would learn about it in a classroom.

Likewise, when there’s an opportunity to sink deeply into a certain subject,

homeschoolers have the freedom to wallow in it for a while.

They also have the freedom to step back and view it from a totally different angle.

Don’t get me wrong. A classroom can be great for practicing handwriting and studying spelling words and reading all about this incredible world our Father created. But often a textbook experience falls way short of a true learning experience. And that’s what’s great about education that isn’t trapped inside the four walls of a classroom. That’s why it’s essential for students to have the freedom to go out into the world to learn about it up close, first hand!

Most folks agree, enjoying a snow day is the safe, cozy thing to do when the snow is really piling up outside. And for our family, homeschooling is a safe and cozy way to truly learn about this great big world God created.

Yes, homeschooling has its ups.

And homeschooling has its downsides.

But we strive to enjoy the ride anyhow.

And we are thankful for friends who help us up when we reach the bottom.

Together may we reach new heights every day, whether it’s a snow day or not.