Back to school, but I don't want to!

Yes, I am whining.  I don't want to start school back up next week.  We have had the most well rested and much needed  3 weeks off over this winter break and the thought of getting back into a fast paced routine is making my heart race.  Planning lessons, endless research, sore neck muscles from staring at a computer screen are not sounding too appealing to me.

A friend just asked me today what we have done over our break and I had to stop and think about what we have done.  Nothing really came to mind.  What have we done?  We have slept, relaxed,caught up on a teeny tiny bit of work, and just spent time as a family.  Not making any holiday plans was the best decision we could have made.  With all this rest you would think I would be ready to jump back in.  Nope.  I don't wanna!

So, I have been thinking of some ways to make next week a little more enticing for the boys and me. Ideas that will be giving the boys responsibilities and also let them do tasks they are interested in.

Idea #1
On our first day back I am going to have a special breakfast and a few fun surprises for the boys. Kind of a 2nd "Back to School" party.  This is what we did at the beginning of the year on our first day. It was so much fun.   I want to help them be excited about starting off our second half of the school year. We need to have a great start to our second semester and who doesn't love a party? This half of the year I need less stress, less fighting, and a lot more fun.

Idea #2                
Last week, my husband had the boys watch youtube videos on a subject that they are interested in. While they were watching the video they had to write down 10 facts that they learned from watching the video. My 7 year old loved this and said it was really interesting.The boys love watching youtube videos, so I think they will be very excited to get some screen time during the day. While I am preparing breakfast, they will be able to watch one video and take notes.

Idea #3                      
As any homeschool mom knows, it is really hard to balance children at different levels all at the same time.  I am going to start giving my older two more responsibilities during the time I am working with my youngest. They are able to prepare snacks, pull the clothes out of the washer, or do a few dishes in that short time. These are all chores that the boys still really enjoy doing, so I am pretty sure I can get them to agree without a fight. The boys love it when I give them any responsibly other than cleaning their room. I think this will also help out the craziness that can happen when the older boys are waiting for their next set of instructions.

Idea #4                      
I am also going to have the boys have more input on what they want to study in science. I am going to have the boys write down topics they would like to learn more about.  I really would like more of an unschoolers mindset in our homeschool, because I am VERY curriculum based.  I have a hard time straying away from the plan that I have and I need to lighten up with that.  I want my boys to love school not dread it it.  2015 is going to be a year that I work on letting go of the lesson plans and start following all the rabbit trails that pop up instead.

Now I am getting excited!

What do you do to make your first week back a little more fun?