Here is a post that I wrote three years ago. Our family enjoyed studying Christmas carols with SQUILT so much that it has become a tradition! Now, SQUILT also offers a SQUILT Live option and guess what? The entire month of December 2017 is dedicated to The Nutcracker. We’ll be joining in for sure! If you are looking for a way to make the next few days fun and educational, this is a great idea!

Do you homeschool through the holidays? There are many different approaches to homeschooling through the excitement. Some folks choose to take a break while others power through. Where do you fall on this spectrum?

Our family tends to slow things down in an attempt to savor every last drop of the holidays. We abandon all curriculum and turn our attention to the things we love most including nature, art, games, books, and music. We enjoy oodles of holiday specials and we bake and craft until our hearts are content. Once the holiday dust has settled, we return to a more typical routine. I don’t worry about this holiday slow down because I know that learning happens all the time.

That said, we have been thoroughly enjoying a bit of curriculum over the past several weeks. What if I told you that you could easily study Christmas carols and have heaps of fun in the process? 

 

Study Christmas Carols with SQUILT

Have you heard of SQUILT? Developed by Mary Prather of Homegrown Learners, SQUILT stands for Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time.

And, let’s be honest here, folks: Mary had me at Super Quiet. That doesn’t happen a lot around these parts!

We have been dabbling in SQUILT this fall and have enjoyed the program quite a bit. I love music, but I do not have a music background and I’ve never played an instrument unless you count my brief stint with the recorder in fourth grade. SQUILT is an easy-to-use music education program. You do not need to have a music background. The only thing you need to do is to have internet access and the desire to learn alongside your children.

Once Thanksgiving is over, our family listens to Christmas music almost nonstop. I love that SQUILT incorporates Christmas Carols!

There are currently two volumes of SQUILT Christmas Carols. Each volume contains five lessons. Each lesson includes in-depth coverage of one Christmas Carol. Your children will learn about the history behind the carol and will listen to several versions. As they do, they will discuss dynamics, rhythm, tempo, and instrumentation. Notebooking pages and supplemental activities are included as well.

Can I just tell you how much fun this was, folks? We had planned to complete one lesson per day, but we had so much fun that we usually did two lessons per day. The lessons were fun, easy to follow, and educational. I thoroughly enjoyed learning alongside my children.

In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we are sad it is over. I just downloaded Mary’s Nutcracker Unit Study so that we can continue the holiday fun this week!

Looking for more Christmas fun?

You won’t want to miss our super-simple, super-fun Grinchy Dough! Grab your recipe here:

Now, it’s your turn: What does your homeschool look like during the holidays? Share here!