• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The River Houses

A National Network of Local Homeschool Societies

  • Subscribe!
  • Home
  • Topics โ–พ
    • Arts & Music
    • Astronomy
    • Books & Libraries
    • Dewey Decimals
    • Friday Bird Families
    • Great Stars
    • Holidays & History
    • Language & Literature
    • Lunar Society Bulletins
    • Natural History
    • Photo Contests
    • Poems-of-the-Week
    • Quick Freshes
    • Research & News
    • States & Countries
    • Terms & Calendars
    • Weekly World Heritage
  • Calendars
  • Six Books
  • TWOC โ–พ
    • The Lunar Society of the River Houses
  • About Us โ–พ
    • Our Mascots
  • Friends
  • Shop!
You are here: Home > Homeschool Terms & Calendars > This Post

๐Ÿ—“ ๐Ÿ’• ๐Ÿ’ HAPPY HOMESCHOOL FEBRUARY from the River Houses!

1 February 2023 by Bob O'Hara

Happy February to all our homeschool readers and friends! Here are some educational ideas, events, and activities to look for in the homeschool month ahead.ย ๐Ÿ”

Third-century Roman calendar mosaic from Tunisia. (Image:ย Adย Meskens/Wikimedia Commons.)
February with 28 days in each Common Year (and 29 days in each Leap Year) is the third month of Orion Term, our winter term in the River Houses. Orion Term runs from December through February. Visit our homeschool calendar page and print out some of our simple educational calendars and plannersย โ€” they’ll help you create a light structure for your homeschool year.ย ๐Ÿ—“

The month of February (Latin mensis Februarius) was the last month of the year in the earliest Roman calendars, which treated the beginning of spring in March as the beginning of the new year. The month’s name is related to the verb februo, to cleanse or purify (especially in a religious sense). Just as we talk about “spring cleaning,” the early Romans regarded February as the month when people ritually cleaned out the old year to prepare for the new. You can learn more about different kinds of modern and historical calendars on pages 357โ€“363 in your River Houses almanac.ย ๐Ÿ“š

A February photograph:

White as an Indian Pipe
Red as a Cardinal Flower
Fabulous as a Moon at Noon
February Hour โ€”

Want to brighten this dark winter month? Then Color Our Collections Week (6โ€“10 February) is for you!ย ๐Ÿ–

Our Sunday states-of-the-week for February will be Maine, Missouri, Arkansas, and Michigan, and our countries will run from Kiribati to Madagascar. Print your own River Houses States & Countries Calendar and tour the United States and the whole world with us from Delaware to Hawaii and Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.ย ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธย ๐ŸŒŽ

We’ll be visiting World Heritage Sites in Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, and Lebanon this monthย โ€” our River Houses World Heritage Calendar will point the way.ย ๐Ÿ—บ

We’ll have homeschool poems this month from Robert Frost (for deep winter), Emily Dickinson (for Valentine’s Day), Stephen Spender (for famous birthdays), and John Keats (for all watchers of the skies). Print your own River Houses Poetry Calendar and join us as we visit with fifty of our favorite friends over the course of the year.ย โœ’๏ธ

Our Friday Bird Families posts this month will feature the Trogons and Kingfishers; the Woodpeckers; the Caracaras and Falcons; and the Parrots. Print your own copy of our River Houses Calendar of American Birds, get out your copy of our recommended homeschool bird guide, and follow the flyways with us.ย ๐Ÿฆ…

And speaking of birds, the Great Backyard Bird Count will take place this month from the 17th through the 20th (Friday through Monday) all around the world. It’s a great homeschool activity for the whole family and your participation will make a genuine contribution to scienceย โ€” don’t miss it!ย ๐Ÿฆ‰

Our monthly Great Star for February is Betelgeuse (alpha Orionis), which we’ll be writing about next week. Print your own River Houses Star Calendar and join us as we visit twelve high lights of the northern hemisphere night sky and make them friends for life.ย ๐ŸŒŸ

Our Dewey Decimal class for February is the Linguistic 400sย โ€” follow along with us (on the first Tuesday of each month) and help your students learn the whole library over the course of the year!ย ๐Ÿ“š

And watch for our monthly Wikimedia Commons Photo Challenge post, coming up in the next few daysย โ€” it’s a great opportunity for homeschool photographers.ย ๐Ÿ“ธ

Also coming up this month:

โ€ƒโฌฉ 5 February (Su): Lunar Society Reportย ๐ŸŒ•
โ€ƒโฌฉ 6โ€“10 February (Mโ€“F): Color Our Collections Weekย ๐Ÿ–
โ€ƒโฌฉ 8 February (W): Dmitri Mendeleev’s Birthday, 1834ย โš—๏ธ
โ€ƒโฌฉ 12 February (Su): Lincolnโ€™s Birthday, 1809ย ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธย ยท Darwinโ€™s Birthday, 1809ย ๐Ÿฆ‹
โ€ƒโฌฉ 14 February (Tu): Valentine’s Dayย ๐Ÿ’•
โ€ƒโฌฉ 17โ€“20 February (Fโ€“M): Great Backyard Bird Countย ๐Ÿฆ
โ€ƒโฌฉ 20 February (M): George Washington’s Birthday (observed), 1732ย ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

And don’t forget:

Surely as cometh the Winter, I know
There are Spring violets under the snow.

What calendrical events and annual apparitions will you be marking in your homeschool this February?ย ๐Ÿ˜Š

โกโ€…Thirty days hath September: This is one of our regular Homeschool Termsย & Calendars posts. Print your own set of River Houses Calendars to follow along with us, and add your name to our weekly mailing list to get more great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year.ย ๐Ÿ—ž

โกโ€…Support our work: If you enjoy the educational materials we distribute each week, please support our work and the noble cause of homeschooling by making a small donation as a Friend of the River Houses! Your support keeps us going and growing!ย ๐Ÿ˜Š

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related Posts:

  • ๐Ÿ”ญ WATCHERS OF THE SKIES โ€“ February 2023๐Ÿ”ญ WATCHERS OF THE SKIES โ€“ February 2023
  • ๐Ÿ—“ ๐Ÿƒ ๐Ÿธ HAPPY HOMESCHOOL JUNE from the River Houses!๐Ÿ—“ ๐Ÿƒ ๐Ÿธ HAPPY HOMESCHOOL JUNE from the River Houses!
  • ๐Ÿ—“ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Familiesย โ€“ Week of 12 February 2023๐Ÿ—“ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Familiesย โ€“ Week of 12 February 2023
  • ๐ŸŒ• INDEPENDENT PROJECTS for Homeschoolers โ€“ February 2023๐ŸŒ• INDEPENDENT PROJECTS for Homeschoolers โ€“ February 2023

Filed Under: Homeschool Terms & Calendars

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

Itโ€™s free! Your name and email address are never shared with any third parties.

CHECK YOUR INBOX (or spam folder) to confirm your subscription. Thank you! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Search the River Houses

Recent Posts

  • HOMESCHOOL HOLIDAYS ๐Ÿ Celebrating the Spaghetti Harvest in Switzerland
  • ๐Ÿ–‹ โ˜”๏ธ WONDERFUL WORDS: โ€œWhan that Aprill…โ€
  • ๐Ÿ”ญ WATCHERS OF THE SKIES: Homeschool Astronomy for April
  • ๐Ÿ—“ โ˜”๏ธ ๐ŸŒธ HAPPY HOMESCHOOL APRIL from the River Houses!
  • ๐Ÿฆ… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Larks and Swallows
  • ๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆ WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Archaeological Site of Volubilis in Morocco
  • HOMESCHOOL HOLIDAYS ๐ŸŒธ Visit the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, D.C.
  • ๐Ÿ—“ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Familiesย โ€“ Week of 26 March 2023
  • ๐ŸŒŽ ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ SUNDAY STATES: Wisconsin, Mongolia, Mozambique, and More
  • ๐Ÿฆ… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Crows and Jays (Part II)
  • ๐Ÿ–‹ ๐ŸŒฑ WONDERFUL WORDS: Nothing Gold Can Stay
  • ๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฉ WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Struve Geodetic Arc in Moldova
  • ๐ŸŽต HOMESCHOOL MUSIC: Happy Birthday Bach!
  • ๐Ÿ”Ž HOMESCHOOL RESEARCH & NEWS โ€“ March 2023
  • ๐Ÿ—“ ๐ŸŒท SPRING IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)

Post Topics

  • ๐ŸŽต Homeschool Arts & Music
  • ๐Ÿ”ญ Homeschool Astronomy
  • ๐Ÿ“š Homeschool Books & Libraries
  • ๐Ÿ’ฐ Homeschool Collections & Collecting
  • ๐Ÿ“… Homeschool Holidays & History
  • ๐Ÿ“– Homeschool Language & Literature
  • ๐ŸŒ• Lunar Society Bulletins
  • ๐Ÿ—บ Homeschool Maps & Geography
  • ๐Ÿ› Homeschool Museums & Monuments
  • ๐Ÿž Homeschool Natural History
  • ๐Ÿ—“ Quick Freshes for Homeschool Families
  • ๐Ÿ”Ž Homeschool Research & News
  • ๐ŸŒŽ ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Homeschool States & Countries
  • ๐Ÿ—“ Homeschool Terms & Calendars

Astronomy

  • American Meteor Society
    • โ€“ Fireball Reporting System
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day
  • Evening Sky Maps
  • Homeschool Astronomy (Sky & Telescope)
  • Hubble Space Telescope
    • โ€“ย Learning Resources
  • NASA
    • โ€“ย Asteroid Watch
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
    • โ€“ Our Solar System
    • โ€“ Spot the Station
    • โ€“ Webb Space Telescope
  • The Planets Today
    • โ€“ย Light-Distance to the Planets
  • The Sky This Week (USNO)
  • Space Weather
  • Stellarium Night Sky Charts
  • Time and Date
    • โ€“ Eclipses
    • โ€“ Meteor Showers
    • โ€“ Moon Phases
    • โ€“ Seasons
  • Tonight’s Sky (hubblesite.com)
  • Virtual Planisphere

Books & Libraries

  • Baldwin Library of Children’s Literature
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Classic Children’s Books (read.gov)
  • Folger Shakespeare Library
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
    • โ€“ Shakespeare’s Plays Online
  • HathiTrust Digital Library
  • In Our Time (BBC Podcasts)
  • New York Public Library Digital Collections
  • Project Gutenberg
  • US Library of Congress
    • โ€“ Children’s Book Selections
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
    • โ€“ LC Blogs
    • โ€“ LC Digital Collections
    • โ€“ Minerva’s Kaleidoscope
  • US National Archives
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
    • โ€“ Founders Online
    • โ€“ Kโ€“5 Resources
    • โ€“ Teaching With Documents
  • Vatican Library Digital Collections
  • WorldCat Library Catalog
    • โ€“ WorldCat Library Finder
  • World Digital Library

Museums, Parks, & Monuments

  • Art Collections Online
  • British Museum Collections Online
  • Google Arts & Culture Collections
  • Smithsonian Institution
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
    • โ€“ Smithsonian Museums
    • โ€“ Smithsonian Open Access
  • Timeline of Art History
  • US National Park Service
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
    • โ€“ National Memorials
    • โ€“ National Monuments
    • โ€“ National Parks
    • โ€“ Wild & Scenic Rivers Program
  • US National Wildlife Refuges
  • US State Parks
  • Watercolour World

Natural History

  • All About Birds (Cornell University)
    • โ€“ Bird Identification Guide
    • โ€“ eBird Online
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • BirdCast Daily Migration Maps
  • Time and Date
    • โ€“ Seasons
  • UC Museum of Paleontology
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
  • US Fish & Wildlife Service
    • โ€“ Education Programs
  • US Geological Survey
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
    • โ€“ Latest Earthquakes
  • US National Weather Service
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
    • โ€“ Nationwide Air Quality
    • โ€“ Nationwide River Conditions
    • โ€“ Wildfire and Smoke Map
  • Wild & Scenic Rivers Program

Maps & Geography

  • Antipodes Map
  • FlightAware (Planes in the Air)
  • Mapquest World Maps
  • MarineTraffic (Ships at Sea)
  • OpenStreetMap World Maps
  • Printable Blank Maps & Flags
  • Printable Outline Maps (d-maps.com)
  • River Runner
  • USGS Topographic Maps
  • World Heritage Sites (UNESCO)
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
  • Zoom Earth

Civics & Social Science

  • Bill of Rights Institute
  • Constitution Center
  • C-Span Classroom
  • Free Speech Curriculum from FIRE
  • Foundation for Economic Education
  • History of the Western World (I)
    • โ€“ Western World (II)
  • iCivics.org
  • Learn Liberty
  • Mises Institute Economics
  • MyMoney.gov
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
  • Online Library of Liberty
  • US Founding Documents
  • US Government Portal
    • โ€“ The Congress
    • โ€“ The Supreme Court
    • โ€“ The White House
  • US Mint
    • โ€“ Coin Activities for Kids
    • โ€“ Educator Resources
  • US Postal Museum
    • โ€“ Explore the Collections
    • โ€“ Activities for Kids
    • โ€“ Stamps Teach (from APS)
  • Visual Capitalist
Sign up for our free newsletter and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox every week!

All original content ยฉ 2017โ€“2023 by The River Houses ยท The River Houses and the River Houses emblem are Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.