The Christmas season of gift-giving is upon us and for some, that means added stress. On top of our already busy calendars and to-do lists, we are now in the season of giving. First, if we need to, let’s change our mindset on gift-giving and remember its place. Those of us who are believers, we believe were given the gift of Jesus during this season and Jesus is love. Please keep that in the forefront of your hearts and minds as you give this season. Let it be from a place of love and care as it was designed. As we all know, the gifts from the heart are always the best ones of all!
Here at the Marigold Movement, we focus on supporting and loving families in the realm of education, but especially the needs of families who are taking an alternative route. For a family that has decided to embark on an alternative route to education, life is not as easily compartmentalized. These parents spend more minutes in their day with their children than without, they are responsible for planning every activity and school lesson for each of their children, and decision fatigue is a very real concern. So, with that in mind, if you are still looking for a gift idea for a family that has chosen an alternative route to education, here are five amazing ways to love on them this Christmas season.
1. Meal Subscription Boxes
One thing that is a huge struggle for any family is the question, “what’s for dinner?”! For alternative education families, that task is multiplied by adding snacks and lunch every single day. On top of all the daily decisions and tasks homeschool families make; this is a tough one. The ideas become boring and easily slip into unhealthy for the sake of efficiency. Although these meal subscription boxes provide dinner solutions and not necessarily lunch options, it still allows for that family to have one less task on their plate. This will significantly save time and mental energy, which can then be spent on dreaming up healthy and creative lunch and snack options.
2. Experiences
Experiences are great in the eyes of any alternative education family! This is one of the HUGE reasons we do what we do. We love experiencing adventures with our kids and with any experience or adventure, we also get the luxury of calling it “school” because it is. If you love giving experience gifts such as tickets to zoos and museums, here’s the added Marigold gift suggestion…. offer to take the children on these adventures. You are not only helping to provide a top-tier education for these children you love so much, but you are also gifting their parents the gift of time alone to care for other tasks!
Some added adventure ideas if you would like to do this but aren’t feeling creative: Tickets to a Broadway or local theater show near you, taking them to a friend’s business or workplace that might be of interest to the children such as the airport, dairy, police station or fire station, paint classes or paint nights.
3. Unit Study Planning
This time of the year is when many families are starting to experience some burnout. They have been going hard since the start of school and now they have the added work of preparing for Christmas. Unit studies are a great way for families to educate but also allow for the necessary slowdown that must take place to get all the life tasks done. Unit studies are short, usually one-topic studies. If there is a topic that is of any interest to you or that you have a special area of knowledge in, the best gift for an alternative education family would be to take the initiative to plan a study they can do together either during this time or for another upcoming busy season. There are many free guides and resources available on Pinterest or that can be found with a quick Google search. You will pick the topic, do the research, plan the educational aim for the study, and gather the materials. The point of the gift is it provides another opportunity for you to support the education of the children but also love on the parents by giving them the gift of time since now they have one less lesson to plan out.
Ideas for topics to get you started:
Again, if you are feeling extra generous, not only plan the study but then plan a date or a few dates to do the teaching yourself!
4. Fun School Supplies
Alternative Education families have so many added costs to running a creative, functional schooling environment. Every aspect of learning creates a cost, whether it be the supplies or the cost of the activities themselves. Any little bit helps and if it supports what the children already love doing, they will love it too!
Ideas:
5. Supporting Interests
The best way to make anyone feel loved and supported is to support the things they are passionate about. These gifts are especially appreciated because these are gifts that show a knowledge and understanding of what means most to them. Spend some time and discover what they love and enjoy and seek to support those things with your time, money, and gifts.
Is there a non-profit they have been serving this past year that you can support as well? Is there a podcast that they listen to regularly that may need financial support? Is there an extracurricular activity that they love that needs extra help or funding such as a symphony for their Nutcracker performance, or props and backdrops for their upcoming play? Did their sports team qualify for a tournament and now they need help fundraising to get there?
As you can see, the best way to love on an alternative education family is to think outside the box. Gifts that help, and do not add to the workload, will be the most loved and appreciated and so much more valuable than you can imagine!
