Learning from Home and School Now

 Whether children are learning from home, school, or a combination about now is a good time to evaluate.  How is it going? How is the home study space working?  People who study this  have some suggestions to setup a learning space no matter what the environment. The key words are routine, organization, breaks, and flexibility.

Routine

 Whether it is a parent or other family member taking this on, experts suggest setting up every weekday like a school day whether the children are going to school full time, part time, or going to a spot in the home. Everyday plan for math, language arts, reading for relaxation, social studies, science, art music, and exercise. Get up, make the bed, clean up, dress up and eat breakfast. Start with the least favorite subject, break for snack, run around outside, and get back to work. Come back in and do the second favorite subject. Eat lunch, go outside. Read for twenty minutes in some way. Then do favorite subjects interrupted by a snack and break.

Finish when the usual school day is over and assess the day. What are three things that went well.  What is one thing that can be improved? Remember to give lots of praise even for tiny baby steps of growth.

Organization

  Reassess often. Is your plan working? Are you and the children getting our work finished in relative peace? Is there good lighting? Are they doing work at a table not sprawled on the couch? Can young children’s feet touch the floor?  Put a box under their feet if they cannot touch the floor. Children need about a 2x3 foot table space to call their own.

  Some children can learn certain subjects with others around. Sometimes they need absolute silence to think. Everyone agrees that the bedroom should be avoided because children will easily get off task and they are very adept at changing sites on the computer. Get in the habit of recharging the electronics every night.

  Bins and folders are handy for papers and materials Keep every paper in case you need to go back to something. All study materials should be handy including a water bottle to avoid distractions.

 Every child is different.  Some will need more breaks than others. A good run around the outside of the house a few times is a quick exercise break before getting back to business.

Breaks and Flexibility   Carrots work much better than sticks, an old teacher saying goes. Breaks and special activities at night and weekends are  good rewards. Have a family conference to decide what rewards you all need.  Most of the time children will choose special time playing games or doing outside recreation with adults

More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Sketches: Mark Nowicki

Schooling Kids at Home

Keep a Schedule and Continue School Work

  If families can keep a predictable schedule and continue school work in some fashion we can reduce children’s anxiety, according to psychologists and educators.  Children respond well to ten to twenty minute segments of active and quiet activities similar to a school day with rest, meals, and snacks rather than passively sitting in front of media. 

Young Children

 Very young children can play with their toys, be read to, play ball games and other games. There are hundreds of suggestions at grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org - Learning Through the Seasons podcasts. These are easy science, reading, math, writing, social studies, art, music, active and quiet activities for children. If families start out with a plan for doing schooling now it will be easier than no structure and then after a week realize that watching Netflix or gaming is not going to work.

On-line Resources

  There are lessons and guides like khanacademy.org for K- college all subjects; teacherspayteachers.com; Scholastic.com “Learn at Home”; Google “home school sites”, or “online homeschool programs.” Your schools may also have suggestions.

Setting Up 

  Keep schooling simple. You will need a work area with a flat surface, comfortable chair seating, good lighting and bins or bags for storage.  You already have these in the home.

Set Up: Keep It Simple

 A kitchen table works well. Children can be close to adults or older children who will be helping younger children. Avoid working on the couch. That area can be kept for reading. Turn off the TV, computer games, and cell phone during school time.  Gather paper, pencils, crayons, markers, glue, scissors, other materials as needed.

Preparation

  Have a plan and a schedule before meeting as a family. Children can get up like a regular school day, wash, dress, make the bed, eat breakfast, clean up. Then it is time to start.

Children’s attention span varies by age and child. Early elementary activities often are 6-10 minutes. Then change activity. You have many choices. You can have a variety of quiet and active activities, snack, playtime, reading/ writing time, break/food, play outside for twenty minutes, reading, math, science, social studies, board games, cooking, art, checking, redoing, and cleaning up.

    Every family’s situation is different. We do what we can in our own circumstances. The important thing is to have some schooling in place so children have experience of normalcy.  

Plan to Have Some Consistency

Family Meetings

  Sit down as a family to set up a realistic schedule in your situation. Some families do a little bit every day. Some setup rewards of smiley faces on a refrigerator chart, give free computer time and free time outside as rewards for doing school work. Some families use rewards of Facetime, Skype, or Zoom time with grandparents. Families can check often, “How are things going?” Frequently meet to take a look and adjust to meet your needs. 

www.grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com

wnmufm.org Learning through the seasons, Podcasts and live on Public Radio 90 Tuesdays about 4:30 

and Saturdays about 8:30 am during the news on NPR

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
Sketch: Mark Nowiki