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

Help Kids Be Healthy and Happy

During Critical Learning Years, Here's How To Help

   Children have settled into a new school year. They are growing and building confidence and skills.  During these critical learning years, adults want to be sure they are doing everything they can to help their little ones become healthy happy learners. 

   A national study indicates that there are behaviors which help young children remain healthy.

Nutrition Routine

   Eat nutritious meals six or seven times per week with the family at a table.  Good nutrition gives children the very best chance for a healthy body and a mind ready for learning.

   A study at the University College of London has a warning.  It reported that young children cared for by grandparents a significant part of the week were much more likely to be 

overweight than their peers. They are served more fatty and sugary foods and sometimes a diet of fast food and takeout meals.  Check the government recommendations at choosemyplace.gov. for guidelines about amounts and types of nutritious meals and snacks. The site suggests attractive snack fruits and vegetables and water for drinks rather than colas and sugary juices. 

Good Nutrition Starts With Routine

Monitoring Technology

  The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that children under 2 years of age should experience no screen time.  Read to them. Other child health organizations advise that 1-2 hours per day should be the maximum limit for screens of any kind.  Unfortunately, many children watch in excess of 4 hours a day.  Too much screen time has been linked to obesity, irregular sleep and behavior problems. Some experts have found that violence in movies and games can lead to an acceptance of this kind of behavior in real life and spills into school and family behavior. Excessive watching means less time for exercise and imaginative play.

   Here are some suggestions from child psychologists:  Set a good example.  Eliminate background TV noise. Turn off the TV at mealtime. Talk and eat at the table. Plan which shows and how much time children may watch.  Keep technology out of the bedroom. Especially for preschoolers, parents might want to watch shows together and talk about the content. Does it meet family standards? 

Best Homework Is Done With Media Off

Best homework is done with the media off. In general, work can be finished before media time. Computers are part of life, and can be a source of discovery and learning or a source of danger. Children using a computer need to be supervised and the computer placed in a public space. Find out ways to block sites and information that you feel are inappropriate for your student. Ask yourself what is computer time replacing? Family time? Outdoor exercise? Doing a good job with homework? Reading? Helping around the house? Extracurricular activities? 

For more ideas see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org/LearningThroughtheSeasons live and podcasts; Pinterest, and Facebook.

Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Help Children Focus on Homework

Step One: Get ALL the Info to Organize

   Step one for helping children focus on school related tasks is to start with correct information. It helps to read everything the teacher sends home including textbook instruction, if needed, and the assignment book. Children may insist something absolutely must be done a certain way when it is not true.

Moving the Body and the Brain

  Before doing a task, consider a study by Faber-Taylor.  It shows that playing in a green setting helps children to focus and pay attention. Planning a little time outside in nature before sitting down to do something that requires focus helps concentrating, following directions, and completing tasks. 

  Take a little walk.  Run around the house outside a few times.  Ride a bike for ten minutes. Run, walk or jump around to help get the fidgets out and focus.

Turn off technology

Move & Prepare, No Tech, List To-Do's

   You can turn off all screens and phones and place them by a family charging station. When older children insist they can multitask with music, often the moment you are out of the room they will play a game or talk to friends.

  Before children tackle homework or anything else that takes concentration, turn off the noise of technology, unless technology is part of the the homework. If others are watching a screen or listening to music encourage ear phones or move to a quiet area to be far enough away from distraction.  Studying regularly in the same quiet place next to an adult, with an adult on call, or checking often is a good family habit.

Make a List

  Having homework and chores can overwhelm children. Help them focus on getting things done and done correctly. To avoid a melt-down make a list together and cross of the item when completed. Plan to finish projects days in advange and put that on the calendar.

Have some signals

Signal, Breathers, Habits

Take Breathers

  Homework can be exhausting. After working for 10 minutes or more depending upon the age and skill level stand up and take a drink located close by and then get back to work. Make the relaxing time short.

Develop Habits

  Child psychologists suggest we create magic moments within our family as incentives to finish tasks. Little children like a bath and talking time with a parent. Older children can take a relaxing shower, washing their hair, having a snack, brushing teeth, and reading before lights out. Playing video games, watching videos, or texting friends turns on the brain again and interferes with a great sleep.

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons.

Khan Academy - Help With Your Child's Homework

 Have you ever been frustrated helping children do homework? Adults of the world, we have been rescued!  Salmon Khan and the team at Khan Academy have provided an amazing library of easy to access online video tutorials and practice lessons just for you and your children. To hear an audio podcast about Khan Academy,  go to the Learning Through the Seasons WNMU Radio 90 podcasts.
What Do You Need:
The website is at: https://www.khanacademy.org/  Browse the home page for lesson videos, they have over 4,000 tutorials that range from beginning arithmetic through high school and beginning college math. They also have videos for Social Studies, Science, Art History and Computer Science. The practice lessons coincide with the tutorials, giving students the hands-on they need to become more proficient.
 You can create an account and have the Khan Academy site keep track of your student's progress and set the video and practice lessons all electronically. This way students can work at their own pace, but not move on without mastery. The courses are organized by using a "Map of Knowledge." You can start working anywhere on the map, and the Khan Academy will suggest the best skills for you to work on. This computerized system will even remind you when you need a review.
 Want to know more? This site also offers and About page that gives a full overview of how to use the materials and set up your child's account.
How This Will Help My Child:
Millions of students from all over the world use this completely free website to help them learn at their own pace. It give students the ability to control and take responsibility for learning and helps foster curiosity and challenge.