Homeschool tips to ease Covid-19 quarantines
Schools shutting down everywhere! I’m not sure how you working moms out there are being affected but as a mom who works from home myself and homeschools five out of our six children, I thought I could lend some helpful tips on how to get through a week OR MORE of FULL day(s) home with your kids, while keeping them productive and proactive, maybe even while you get some work done yourself. For us homeschoolers this is a normal every day way of life, but realizing for many of you this may be a very intimidating transition. I hope these tips help you enjoy the family togetherness and this quality home time making it a memory to last a lifetime vs a travesty.
Our homeschool day runs on a “block” schedule more so than a “time” schedule. Give yourself windows of time vs set times to accomplish a single priority or give your block a theme, and stick to it, then rotate blocks. This gives kids security and motivates them through their day helping them stay focused and organized and feel productive.
Put Your Game Face On
Wake up like normal, whatever time that is for your family, but I recommend between 6-7am, just to ensure your kids know this is a routine PRODUCTIVE day, not an unproductive lazy around the house TV day. Stick to your morning routine so that your transition back to school, when the time comes, is easy and they haven’t gotten lax and into summer vacation mode. Discourage sitting around in pj’s; pick out clothing, do hair, brush teeth, shower if they are a morning shower person; all like a normal day to differentiate between a regular day and a Saturday. Motivate them to “Put their game face on!”
Early Morning (7-9am) routines are essential, I like to focus on things that we never had time for during our private school days like making our beds and tidying our rooms in the A.M. Our “make your bed challenge” is fun, everyone makes their bed and announces as they complete it so we can go around assessing each other as to who did the best on neatness and presentation. They seem to most enjoy seeing who got MY vote that day. We spend most of this “block” prepping/eating/cleaning up breakfast (it’s important clean up is done by kids too as this helps occupy them and tire them, not just me). We personally offer a prayer with our special intentions and dedicate each day for a purpose as a family and I enjoy my morning coffee while I check work emails and confirm my staff’s schedules for the day. It’s easier to dive into school work knowing I’ve addressed all immediate work related needs first. I usually have kids do room checks on each other and critique and tidy during this time. Very often they just goof off in there instead but that’s ok. The important thing is just that I get a few quiet minutes to deal with work stuff. Usually no more than 30min.
Crunch Time (9-11:30pm) is when official productivity begins in my house and we start with the non-computer based work, usually what needs most attentiveness because we are freshest at this point. Religion/Math/Grammar/Writing is first and foremost for us but whatever YOUR priority is, wether it be to pick a “Day Theme” (see suggestions below) to stay productive during this entire “block” and look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel when you get to break. For kids under 10 years old they may need more intermittent stops like for mid-morning snack (I like to have them help me set up a “smorgasbord” of finger foods to keep on hand on the kitchen island so that both mid morning/afternoon snack and lunch are easily accessible without much effort. Simple and healthy finger foods we like to do are things like cheese n crackers, salami slices, cucumbers, carrots, berry bowl, celery sticks, raisins, hummus, pretzels etc). Keeping sport water bottles out filled with water helps limit spills and dishes.
Read something together or each take turns reading aloud. Have them narrate something they read alone or write a summary about what you read together. Small children can illustrate. Sometimes my teens enjoy drawing a comic strip about an event in history literature or even Shakespeare. USBorne Book Shakespeare for kids is excellent reading to do while they color or listen to classical music.
Printable Math worksheets can easily be found online, word drills can be searched by grade, but sometimes my preschoolers like to move right into games during this block as a warm up but we usually do educational games like banana grams, memory, math fact cards or something of the like to get their minds running. Puzzles are great too. We love USBorne 1000 piece puzzles like the World Atlas, The Solar System and The Periodic Table. My 6 and 5 year old even do them with help. Crunch time is about undivided attention devoted to the kids without interruptions from the phone or anything else. It’s about keeping them productive and the goal is in tiring them out so they can’t wait to run away and be independent leaving you with some much needed down time during the next block.
Lunch Break (11:30-1pm) having lunch AND cleaning it up but this time also includes free time for the kids in which they can burn off energy run outside, walk the dog, or an independent activity while I check emails again and have my own phone computer time. We also like to dip out locally for lunch occasionally or take it t eat outside on nicer days, or even to the park just to break up the monotony of our day. Sometimes a post or pre lunch walk just to get moving if you have been entrenched in a project during morning block.
Afternoon Block (1-3:30pm) on Tu/Th is Science and M/W is History for us. Maybe you focused on homework during your morning block and now you want to pick a “Theme” for a more active afternoon. This years theme for us is Chemistry and Ancient History; DK eyewitness and USBorne Books have excellent resources at the library on romans, Egyptian, Greeks, Mesopatamians etc. Check out google books too. We also incorporate bible study timelines and enjoy illustrating scenes or narrating for the family to guess which scene from the Bible your enacting. Maybe your kids want to put on a skit and You Tube it for your family to enjoy from afar; whatever motivates you. Watching Nat Geo or History Channel is great supplement if you need a resource or an “occupier” for you to step away for a few to address something (idk maybe something came up, you had to take a phone call etc). Utilize your screen time when you need it most versus providing open access; they will respect and appreciate it more.
Learn how to type! We practice typing daily, and you can create a free account online too (see link below under resources). All my kids 5-15 do it and LOVE AND LOOK forward to typing. It’s also safe and productive screen time and such an easy way to keep one kid busy while another gets one on one with you or you need to get your own work done.
Audio-books are also great supplements. Try google books or google audio books especially Penguins Books “Who Was…… Abraham Lincoln” (they have bio’s on everyone from Albert Einstein to Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Helen Keller and Joan of Arc; recommended for approx 2nd grade and up).
FreeTime (3:30-5pm) is exactly that, independent time for you to unwind, and the kids to do what they wish independently: play with their toys etc. Ease into free time with a timed Tidy-Up. Amazing how recked a house can get from being home all day. I like to patrol FaceBook during my free time, not gonna lie, after I check my emails again, before I start dinner prep around 4:30p and doing it in a freshly tidied house is priceless. Kids can cook too! like to have my kids help me with dinner too, read recipes, use smartphone to google terms they may not know like “mince vs chop or dice”, keep a running log of newly learned cooking terms etc.. I’m tired during homeschool days so easy meals are important and are easier for kids to get involved in.
Day Themes:
Day themes break up the monotony of multiple days spent at home. They provide a fresh interest in the day. Incorporate as you see fit. Dedicate a day to diving into a specific subject or them or task; have contests between family members and vote as a family to nominate a winner. You can also have a specific project day where you tackle a task that’s been sitting on the back burner. Give your kids something to brag about when they go back to school. Some day theme suggestions are:
Baking Day.
Chef for a day (kids cook)
Garage Cleaning Day.
Art Day
History Day.
Best Dressed (look your best)
Closet Cleaning Day.
Craft Day
Science Day
Best hair do (Style your hair differently)
Pamper Your Pet Day.
Bum for the Day (where pj’s, at home spa)
Resources
https://www.education.com/worksheets
DKBooks (many but here are some favorites)
Eyewitness series
Stephen Biesty’s The Incredible Body Cross-Sections
Smithsonian Space A Visual encyclopedia
The Mayflower
Greek Myths
Penguin Books Series
Who Was…Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller etc.
Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Atom in the Known Universe
https://periodictable.com/theelements/pages.html
Thinking about homeschooling permanent?
Her House 
Thanks for all the tips! Much needed in the weeks ahead. 🙌
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Lisette, have you checked out the Homeschool vs School Room post?
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