Each day, I write down something I am grateful for. Especially in times like this, it feels so uplifting to reflect on the amazing things going on in my life. Today, I am grateful I work part time. I had a logistically challenging morning. Normally, I can do my work after my kids are asleep. However, today I had a work phone call that I had to time with my younger daughter's nap. I am really feeling for parents who need to fulfill 2 full (or part) time jobs from home (or on site) right now. If that's you, BRAVO. You are amazing and powerful! I hope you are taking a moment to remind yourself that you are incredible. If you are looking for some help managing that transition, here's a good article on Working From Home with Kids. How We Handled ItI made a checklist for Penny's morning, and I got her all set up with a craft to do by herself. Of course, she finished while I was still on the call so I simply told her, "I'm working right now. You need to be in your room. We will get to work on things together when I'm done." Setting limits is a necessary part of self care and balancing. Our children need limits and rhythms in order to thrive and feel safe, and we need them in order to be productive and sane. How have you been successful in limit setting? Creating a Lesson 101We had a zillion interruptions today, but we were still able to do some fun things together. I think FUN is key in creating this homeschooling environment. I trust my children will learn simply by living and experiencing. I trust her to handle her own development. In fact, I trust ALL children to handle their own development. So I do not "homeschool" because I think she needs it. I am doing this because it's fun for us. When I am setting up activities, I am thinking of a couple things:
So if you decide your time at home with your kids is going to be filled with reading books and playing in the yard - that's absolutely perfect. If you decide you're going to structure your learning time so you can have time to work or because you like structure - sounds great! If you decide you're going to spend this time learning how to bake bread - I bet you and your kid will LOVE that! This time is hard enough. Don't make it harder on yourself. Reflect on what can make this a special time of bonding for your family. Our Lesson: Boudicca
Homemade BattleshipYou need:
What's AheadSo many people have stepped up to offer free homeschooling lessons and activity ideas, and I've had so much fun exploring other people's amazing thoughts. Lesson planning is a lot of work so I have been spending time thinking about how we will set our time so it's sustainable. From the sounds of it, sustainability is going to be crucial. We do not know how long we will be quarantined for. I do not want to feel burnt out when my goal is to simply enjoy my time with my children. I want to find a balance between new adventures together, activities to keep P busy and engaged, and time to do things I enjoy on my own. As I try out new things, I will keep everyone updated. I hope this page serves as inspiration for ideas, support for your process, and resources.
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