Are you one of the millions of parents who just found out this past week that your kids’ spring break has gone from one week to never ending? Are you scrambling because you’re suddenly their homeschool teacher and you don’t have a clue what you’re going to do? If you’re in a panic, don’t worry. Read this instead!
First, I’m really sorry that your world has been turned upside down. I’m sure you’re worried about the health of your loved ones. For some of you, there’s the added weight of economic concerns caused by quarantines and social distancing measures. I wish there was some magic wand that I could wave to make the Covid-19 Virus go away. But alas, all I can do is pray, and share an encouraging word.
Everything will be OK!
Second, I want to say “Welcome to Homeschooling, Pardner!”
Don’t Worry
As a current homeschooler, I can only imagine the worry you must be going through. There’s the uncertainty of wondering whether your kids’ school be closed for just a couple of weeks, or the rest of the year? Then, there’s your concern over who will provide material and lessons for them. Will they do school online? Will your district provide materials and links, or are you on your own?
On top of everything else related to Covid-19, the weight of worry can be debilitating. You have plenty to worry about. Don’t let your fears about homeschooling your children be one of them.
So, to all of this, I say Don’t Worry!
We are all in the same boat. Everyone is dealing with the ramifications of Covid-19. Your kids’ school isn’t the only one closing. Those who will get through this trial will be the ones who are able to adapt.
In Limbo
Last week, More Love Mama’s school announced that they would close for a week. Yesterday, they announced that the school will be closed for the next four weeks. Who knows, they may even announce that the school year is over, as they did in Ohio.
I don’t know whether your local schools have closed yet. Perhaps they haven’t, but will. Maybe your local district will be closed for three weeks and maybe the school year is over for your kids.
It’s not time to panic, but it is time for you to start thinking about Plan B. You need to decide what you are going to if your kids are out of school for a protracted period of time. Because if you leave it up to them, they will spend it with Spongebob.
When the Ax Falls
Should your school close for a long period of time will you have a plan? Or will you worry? School districts will most likely provide “some” educational resources to your kids, however, those may be limited because some kids won’t have access to computers. If you’re reading this on a computer, consider yourself as having an advantage. The biggest advantage, however, is your willingness to intervene and continue your kids’ educational progress during this difficult time.
No Need to Rush
Most likely your kids either just finished spring break, or are on spring break right now. This means that at most they will have missed only a few days due to school closings. Even if your schools have closed, many of them haven’t even figured out what they are going to do about providing your kids with remote education. This is going to be a real problem, because a lot of school districts have larger populations of students who don’t have access to a computer.
Some schools will provide their population with a comprehensive curriculum for their students to complete over the next three months. Other schools might provide some links and guidelines as to what they might want your kids to learn. Either way, this period of time will provide you with the opportunity to provide your kids with the curriculum of your choosing.
A Chance to Get Your Feet Wet
Since most of us don’t know when our kids will go back to school, now is your chance to dip your feet into the shallow end of the homeschool pool. My suggestion is for you to go online and look at a couple of online programs that you can try out with your kids. Click here for list of 80 free online programs for you to try out. Try out as many programs as you want. This will give you and your kids an opportunity to see what it’s like to learn at home.
My Two Favorite Online Learning Programs
My oldest is in the 6th grade, and my youngest is in the 2nd. If your kids are around the same age as mine, you might want to try the these two online learning programs. They are not free, but they are time tested and very popular.
- Reading Eggs – I love this program. We have it for reading, writing, and math, for over three years. I like this program so much that I recently became an affiliate member, which means I do make a commission when someone clicks on the link. I make even more when someone purchases it. There is so much to this program that I was actually writing a review about Reading Eggs, when Covid-19 came to visit. Look for the Reading Eggs Review sometime in March. If you’d like to visit Reading Eggs you can click here.
- CTC Math – This complete math curriculum covers everything from Kindergarten to Calculus and everything in between. CTC Math uses instructional videos followed by lessons. We have been using CTC Math for three years. I’m not an affiliate, though I wish that I was. I can’t say enough about this awesome program other than to say that I would use this program even of my kids went to public school. I will write a review about it very soon. Look for it in late March. If you would like to visit the CTC home page, you can click here.
Think Outside of the Box
Do you want your kids to learn more about the Bible? How about Chinese History? Maybe you’d like your daughter to learn how to play the guitar, or perhaps your son would like to build and fly a model airplane. Maybe you want to spend the next week or two watching travel shows, or cooking shows with your kids. Do you like to play games? There are tons games that have educational value! Monopoly, Pay Day, and Chess are just a few.
K.I.S.S.
Are you familiar with the KISS method? It stands for Keep it Simple Stupid. Now of course, I’m not calling you stupid, but this is a really good piece of advice. Don’t try to become a master teacher who gets her kids out of bed at 7:00am to do school and writes 100% of her own curriculum. Take it slow and easy. Experiment. Don’t overwhelm yourself or your kids. Most importantly have fun. For many of your kids, school is something to be dreaded. Use this opportunity to show them that learning can be fun and stress free.
Finally
No matter your specific work or family situation, isn’t it good to know that you have options? Yes, the next few months will be challenging. You have a lot of things to worry about, but your kids’ education needn’t be one of them. Stay calm. Don’t worry. Be flexible. This crazy pandemic has given you the opportunity to spend more time with your kids, and that my friends, is a blessing!
P.S.
Would you like more thinking outside of the box ideas? Click here and sign up for my newsletter. Normally, I send it once or twice per month. However, for the time being, I will step it up to once per week so that I can share as many ideas and resources as I can with folks like you!
