In order not to feel cooped up and to help remain positive through this challenging time, my hope is that everyone finds a deeper level of self, appreciation for the simple things (even if it is toilet paper) and feels a sense of unity despite the distance between us. A shout out to the doctors, nurses, UPS and grocery staff and all those who are working around the clock during this unprecedented time. I have always appreciated our teachers and never in my wildest dreams would I have pictured myself home schooling our children. It’s unfamiliar.
One way to help structure the unfamiliar. Is to make a schedule and display it prominently so everyone in the family knows what’s coming and when it’s over. Most kids work off a schedule in their classrooms, so recreating something similar at home can ease the transition to a different learning environment for the foreseeable future. Yes, it would be way easier to let them watch tv or play video games but I believe our kids will benefit from the structure, the active play and the learning opportunities. A schedule doesn’t mean they have to sit at the kitchen table all day. We will try and think outside the box and have some fun with it.
Not to mention some bonding time as we learn new recipes (chemistry, home economics), art projects (carpentry, history, math) and implement nature walks (science, botany, physical education).
We have also implemented chores as we are all in this together and in order to sustain my sanity I need an environment that is orderly and clean : )
We have also asked our children what they want to learn, to set some goals and perhaps something they would like to master during their abundance of free time. This is a time to be patient with ourselves as many parents will be required to juggle home-schooling with their day to day responsibilities at work. We all just need to try and do our best – show yourself some grace and remember this is temporary.
