Take a Break when you need it ...

 I recently joined LinkedIn (if you are on there do pop on over and connect with me) and saw this post this afternoon which has had me contemplating my daily rhythym.

As homeschooling Mothers how often do we hear the catch phrase "I'm so tired...  I'm exhausted..." or we have children who are really tired and strung out. 

One of the questions I'm often asked by homeschool Mom's is "My children keep on zoning out and I can't keep them on track.  What must I do?"

 Dr Mark Hyman shared this insight "Take natural breaks when you are tired. Our bodies function best on ultradian rhythm cycles of 90 minutes of activity punctuated by a few minutes of resting or zoning out!"

Our brains need time to process the information we are working on and zoning out is the way in which we accomplish this.  

Concentration spans vary with the age of the child.  A general rule of thum is twice the child's age.  So for a six year old that equates to twelve minutes.  Maxing out at around 30 to 40 minutes.

There was great wisdom when Charlotte Mason encouraged short lessons for the students.  This safe advice is just as valuable today as when she gave it over a centuary ago.