With the coronavirus shutting down schools across the country, a lot of families find themselves in the situation of suddenly homeschooling/working from home/having kids with them all day without being able to go out for playdates. I wanted to share some resources that have helped us, along with some tips and our basic daily schedule in the hopes that it helps.
Our Schedule
Here’s a basic run down of our day. There are no times attached, because I’m more of a go-with-the-flow type mom, and sometimes breakfast takes an hour and sometimes it takes 20 minutes. There are also times when the playtime gets extended because they are playing constructively and cooperatively, and I never like to interrupt that if I can avoid it. You’ll also not see things like reading books in our schedule, because those usually show up throughout the day whenever one or another child brings me a book.
Wake up and eat breakfast
Morning Chores: the kids clean up after breakfast; G and Will work together to empty and re-load the dishwasher; we run the first load of laundry for the day (if it’s a kid laundry day, that child is responsible for helping)
Kids get dressed and go play while I sit down for prayer time (Magnifact is offering free online subscriptions right now) and have my own breakfast.
School Time: This is usually about an hour to an hour and a half. G works on reading, math, handwriting, and gets grammar and history every week. William works on counting and sounds and various other preschool skills. I’ll put more about what Charlotte does below.
Outside Time/Indoor Playtime: this one is weather dependent, but I do try to get them gross motor either outdoors or indoors.
Lunch: the kids help prepare their lunches, which is good practical life experience for them.
Naptime/Rest Time: Charlotte and William still nap. G has quiet time, which means that she listens to an audiobook (hoopla is a great resource!) or colors or looks at books. The biggest thing is that she knows that Mom isn’t available to entertain. This is my time to write, work on what I need, or just take a break for myself.
Playtime: Either outdoors or inside, free play to ease them into waking up (my kiddos wake up slow)
Craft Project/Finish up schoolwork: I find my kids have problems with too much unstructured time, and definitely like to have something directed. So I usually try to do some kind of craft project, or coloring page, or play dough, or something. This is also where we do our extra subjects, like Space.
Screen Time: I usually give screen time around 4pm, unless they are happily playing outside or inside. It gives me a chance to get dinner prepped without interference (unless G wants to help, which is always welcome) or get the last of my own stuff done. My general rule is that the house has to be tidied up first (tv is a great incentive). We either watch a documentary or one of the few shows they’re allowed (We’ve recently added Wild Kratts to our list, and dang if it isn’t wildly educational and a huge hit.)
What To Do With Littles While Homeschooling
So little people and homeschooling can be a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. We use a lot of Montessori materials for Charlotte, and I always keep several on the shelf close by to keep her entertained. She loves pouring, stacking, and sorting, so any of those types of activities are a hit. But if I’m working at the table with my big kids, then I put her in a booster right next to me at the table and give her her own work. Here are a few favorites
- Playdough, always a hit
- Coloring- a pad of paper and crayons or a coloring page
- Stamps or dot markers, if you’re okay with a bit of a mess
- Melissa and Doug Water Wow These are awesome. No mess, bright colors, no clean up.
- Foam Stickers: I love these for Charlotte because they’re great for working her pincer grip and fine motor skills, and she’s pretty self-sufficient at them compared with regular stickers
Depending on how engaged she is, I may go through a couple of these in a homeschooling session. And if she’s not at all interested and wants to get down and go play, then that works too!
Resources
At the beginning of the school year, I put together a list of my favorite online homeschooling resources. Now that so many schools are closing, several educational companies have started offering free resources or subscriptions for families. Here are a few really cool ones:
- Scholastic is offering 20 days of learning, with books, articles, and activities for kids of all ages for each day for the next 20 days.
- McHarper Manor is offering video art lessons for the next three weeks for kids, with supply lists posted at the beginning of the week so you can Amazon what you don’t already have (or as your local Buy Nothing Group).
- Xtra Math is on my homeschooling resources list, but I’m adding it here because it’s really great if you’re looking to keep your kids math skills up while they’re out of school. It’s free and easy to set up for multiple kids.
- Raddish Kids is sending free cooking crates to 10,000 families who find themselves suddenly homeschooling.
I haven’t gone through this whole list, but here’s a link to a Google Doc of even more companies. As I find more, I’ll post links to the Elevator to Heaven Facebook Page.
I know that suddenly finding yourself in a homeschooling, or quasi-homeschooling position mid-year is not what anyone expected and is going to be challenging. If you need any encouragement, please reach out and leave a comment, send me a message, write on the Facebook page. Likewise, if you have questions or want more information about anything homeschooling at all, please don’t hesitate! You can do this!