The Sudden Homeschooler

With schools closing everywhere due to Covid-19 (Coronavirus) many of us might find ourselves homeschooling or virtual schooling.  I found myself a sudden homeschool mom three years ago.  Is it the path I would have chosen?  Nope, but here we are and we have made the best of it. 

My kids are older, 14 and 16, but we have been Mom-schooling every summer since they were in pre-school.  

Here are my best tips:

-Some families thrive on schedules, some thrive on a checklist, and some thrive on more of a loose “block type” schedule.  (Mornings are school, afternoons for play.)  Know your kids and do what works for you.  My kids work best with a checklist they have to complete before they can have screen time.

-Workbooks are great, but kids learn by playing too.   Legos build fine motor skills and spatial awareness.  Minecraft is teaching geometry and budgeting.   Don’t stress if your kids are playing, they are developing their brains.

-Boredom stimulates creative centers in the brain.  So, if they get bored it’s stimulating their brain!

-Physical exercise and fresh air makes everyone happier.   The best cure for the witching hour has been playing outside.   My kids loved scavenger hunt walks, I’ll give them a clipboard and they have to find a flower/plant that is every color of the rainbow.   Or look for different types of cars.  

-Cooking together teaches math. However, most nights I’m panicked making dinner in a rush, so I don’t have time to let them help.   I’ve made little Tupperware containers with army guys hidden in flour for them to play in on a cookie sheet.   Or given them a tray of salt or flour for them to draw in.   Yep, it makes a mess, but the vacuum cleans it all up.

-Leave out a long term craft or a puzzle.   During the summer we have a weekly craft theme.  We have used the back of wrapping paper to make a huge mural.  We have a week of watercolors, or paint by number.   We have had clay and even play doh (not my favorite, but they loved it).   We paint rocks or on a sunny day, paint with water on the sidewalks.  My kids will tell you their favorite was painting our own tattoos via watercolors. 

-Reading aloud is good for everyone.  I still read aloud to my kids.  They will say they hate it, but they talk about the books that we have read aloud and will suggest reading another chapter.   “I wonder what happens in the next chapter.”  We have loved reading The Wind in the Willows, The One and Only Ivan, Farmer Boy,  Henry and Beezus, & Harry Potter.   I usually just pick up a book and start reading a chapter outloud after dinner and usually they end up lounging around and listening. 

At the end of the day if all you did was make sure your kids didn’t kill each other and they watched hours of Netflix, no worries, you are doing a great job.  I stressed out so much those first few months of homeschooling only to realize, kids are always learning, and learning opportunities present themselves all the time.   If you are only virtual schooling or homeschooling a few months, chances are these few months aren’t going to what determines if they go to Harvard or not, so just lean into it and enjoy it.   Time is fleeting and tomorrow is never promised, so enjoy today.