COVID-19 HOMESCHOOLING
Well here we are folks. The world has changed in a matter of days and parents became educators overnight. It's definitely been an adjustment for all of us. I wanted to put together a list of resources and ideas that has helped me get through homeschooling this week.
It's been a bit hectic over here to tell you the truth and I think a lot of it has to do with my kids' age gaps. Natan who's almost thirteen has to have quite a bit of structure, some peace and quiet to get things done. K, who's eight, loves school in general, so for her it's been actually quite fun and a fairly easy adjustment. T... Well, the girl runs to the beat of her own drum. She will be four in a few days and the girl has zero concept of rules, or structure. She's all over the place, disrupting the older kids and causing all sorts of mayhem. So I've been trying so hard to keep her busy and occupied.
I stayed up till 2am on Monday, trying to figure out a decent schedule and something that we can at least try to abide by. Our family needs structure, I need structure for sanity purposes. At this time we are on complete self-quarantine. So no cleaning people, no nanny that we had on weekends, basically I'm home completely solo with three kids. Hubby has to continue to work and go into his office. It's small and private so for safety/health reasons we are no worried. However being a working parent, chef, cleaning lady, middle school teacher, elementary school teacher, pre-school teacher and still trying to stay sane... well, it's been a challenge. Props to all of you out there trying to stay sane. YOU ARE ALL DOING AN AMAZING JOB!
We as a family decided to set up our "HOME SCHOOL" in the dining room. It's a little dark, has super fun lighting all around and it's big enough to set up several different stations. We wanted it to feel like you're working at GOOGLE or FACEBOOK office. Where kids can roam free from station to station so it doesn't feel like a stale, static learning environment. I find that environments like this allow for better learning focus and creativity.
I know that everyone is getting e-learning from your schools. However I found it to be super easy and quick for my kids to get through. They were done within an hour or two and I had to scramble to find other ways to keep them busy so I can get the cooking, cleaning and some work done.
One project that was really awesome that we did was a "Self Portrait". I wanted kids to remember this time in their lives. It's different and a bit chaotic but I'm sure they will forever remember it. All you need is paint and canvases. I did order a ton of art supplies on Amazon.
I also recommend sock puppets and doing a theatre production for the parents and older siblings. They have to come up with a plot and make the puppets and then perform!
We have been LOVING making Modeling Clay characters. Especially mama... cause anyone that is also working during this quarantine knows that it's pretty much impossible with kiddos. So... today this CLAY saved me. Kids sat outside and worked on their little creatures for hours. YAY!
Overall this is the best time to get creative! Below are some of my favorite art supplies to keep in the house, especially during this time.
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I also love this website, A Girl and a Glue Gun. She has an amazing craft camp and some brilliant projects and ideas to keep you kids of all ages occupied. She also has a great list of shoppable Amazon. products that you can order easily to make the crafts. If you don't already, follow her on INSTAGRAM she has daily stories with projects and ideas you can do.
Documentaries has been a life saver. I have had the older kids watch two documentaries a week. They can be so educational and take up at least a couple of hours a day, so that mamas and papas can get some stuff done. This week my kids watched Babies and Minimalism. If you have some other good ones to add to my list, would love your feed back.
Get out, get moving!!! We've been going out to forest preserves, collecting leaves. Doing art projects with them. Running around, climbing trees. Going to the beach! Just get out! You can go stir crazy at home. If you are stuck indoors, there are so many yoga and work out sessions you can do for FREE via insta LIVE. I did one yesterday and it was so amazing. Of course, have your kiddos do it with you. I have the kids do a physical activity and work out daily. For toddler and pre-schoolers I've ben loving Cosmic Kids Yoga and GoNoodle.
The Scholastic Classroom Magazine is also an incredible resource for ages K-12. It creates and helps with learning tools, structure, etc. Check it out, it's been a lifesaver! For Pre-Schoolers I also found these FREE printable pages that help with writing, learning letters and numbers. These Pen Control books have also been amazing!
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I know that these times are really challenging but remember... this too shall pass! We will get through this stronger then we were before with a new appreciation on life!!! Stay sane and healthy my friends!
