FOR PARENTS STRUGGLING WITH COVID-19 HOMESCHOOLING…..
Friends keep asking me how I get my kids to spend 4 hours a day on school. The answer I always give is- I DON’T!! 🔥
💗If I have an ELEMENTARY aged child they are going to spend about 1 hour sitting down at a desk filling out a worksheet or learning a formal math, english, writing, science, history lesson. 1 hour altogether all day.
💗💗If I have a MIDDLE SCHOOL aged child I expect them to spend at least 2 hours all together a day doing formal learning.
💗💗💗If I have a HIGHSCHOOL aged child, they should be spending 3-8 hours doing formal learning depending on the courses they are taking, the interests they have and the direction they are taking with their education. (Are they on acceleratedted path, a slowed down path, struggling in other areas of their lives etc…)
The rest of the day for all my kids is not spent in FORMAL LEARNING. But it IS spent in learning! That means a strict:
No tv
No internet browsing
No video games
Only a few minutes of social media.
SO WHAT ARE THEY DOING THE REST OF THE TIME? They will be bored. Which is exactly where I want them to be so that they do these things instead:
📖Read Books (gotta read a couple classic books in between the candy books they love. We often add history in the form of books)
🙌Helping Clean Up
👩🍳Make a Meal for the family
👩💼Helping a Sibling do school
👨🎨Learning a New Craft
🎻Practicing Music or an instrument
🧜♂️LIstening to an audiobook while doing some of the above
🚴♂️Going for a Walk
🦆🐥Taking Care of Animals
👉Organizing a Space
🥯Baking Something
🕵️♀️Experimenting with something
🙇♂️🙇♀️Writing in their journal
🕊Doing their scripture study
🤱Playing with a sibling
🏹Playing games
👑Playing cards
🤾♀️Exercising
👵👴Doing Service for Someone else
🙋♀️Connecting with a friend or family member across the road, or via skype/phone/video
I have been homeschooling for 17 years and let me tell you it really works! The kids won’t learn anything if they are crying and you are crying and the whole family is crying because they hate school so much. Instead learning should be as fun as possible, (sometimes it isn’t fun, but since it’s for such a short time it can be endured).
BUT WHAT IF YOUR CHILD HAS TEACHERS SENDING THEM WORK? This is the deal, YOU ARE YOUR CHILDS BEST ADVOCATE. It is extremely unlikely that any child will fail a grade or class due to this extraordinary covid-19 experience!
🥰If the work the teacher is sending is causing distress, and anxiety to your child THEY CAN’T LEARN! However, the teacher themselves is also doing their very best! Respect that they are sending what they have to but be clear what your child is and is NOT able to do. Communication goes a long way!
Do whatever you need to do, to make this learning experience effective and enjoyable for your family. If you have any questions I’d be happy to answer them!
XOXO
Heybeckyboo
To see what My Family Classroom looks like check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLzKV94M3zs
