These are accessible here: https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://welltrainedmind.com/a/what-are-the-non-core-subjects/?v=7516fd43adaa, Common Sense Media (n.d.). There are so many options available to teach every subject, and many are free. It is nice to have a separate table, countertop, or other area that you could leave your work out on all the time, but in most cases, this is not an option. Common Core Resources: Textbook & Publisher Resources. They already do for other meetings and for lunch, right? In my classroom, I start my classes off by having my students volunteer to Tell me something good. The good things could literally be anything, and they have ranged from I had a good breakfast this morning, to My football team won last night. If you want to add variety or switch things up a bit, the Bestow Team created a list of 30 gratitude games and activities for kids, accessible here: https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/. (2018). How Timeboxing Works and Why it Will Make You More Productive. In Connecticut, the only thing you are legally required to do is file with your local board of education a letter of Notice of Withdrawal. The CRHE and HSLDA do a great job of keeping up with the current state regulations and how they are implemented (along with your legal rights and options as a homeschooler) (CRHE, n.d.; HSLDA, n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/611770255064350720/remote-learning-with-khan-academy-during-school, Scholastic. 5) Choose activities to start your day off on a calm and positive note. Examples of delivery modes include DVDs, online learning games, online video lessons, printable lessons, workbooks and textbooks, fully online classes, and instructions posted online that allow you to create your own. If you want more information prior to pursuing this option, your best bet is likely to reach out to the school or district directly for more information about what the portfolio review might look like, what kind of support and guidance you can expect from them, etc. 100 Things to Teach Your Teen While Youre Stuck at Home. Retrieved March 16, 2020, from, Zao-Sanders, Marc. (n.d.). Organizing any extra items needed (for science experiments, for example) over the weekend for the entire week will also help make your work/homeschool days flow much smoother. (Note that this is not a comprehensive list.) This includes finding appropriate websites, movies, games, and applications, teaching your children about online safety and digital citizenship, and knowing how to distinguish between free, safe content and free, unsafe content. Attention to results is the top and smallest portion of the pyramid. Common Sense Media includes reviews of some books, as well. Others may be planning their own lessons and activities. Khan Academy Schedules for School Closures. These are all considerations when building a foundation of trust in a remote or distance learning team with all parties involved. These are legally optional. You will need to determine the best balance and schedule for your family based on the ages you are teaching, the subjects you have selected, and the modes you have chosen to use to teach those subjects. 3) Identify the delivery mode you want to use for each subject and each child. Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sites. All movies, for example, have ratings from Common Sense Media, as well as a kids rating and a parents rating, but even more helpful are the details provided by Common Sense Media behind their specific rating. In the middle of the fall, we collectively decided that it was time for the girls to attend public school. If you have chosen to homeschool instead of opt into distance learning through your school, and the option is temporary, you may wish to file the notice of intent to homeschool and proceed to work closely with the school to ensure the smoothest transition back into the school when the time is right. When I started homeschooling and working from home, we had one preschooler and one toddler. Common Sense Media. An example of this is a new kindergartener starting homeschool in the first year of school eligibility. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/, Headspace. Other paid options exist for states which do not offer state virtual schools, like K12, ConnectionsAcademy, although many others exist, as well (Connections Academy, 2020; K12, 2020). The pause for them is a huge change and requires adjustment, but provides an opportunity for us, as parents, to teach them how to slow down and be ok with being bored or finding their own activities. Florida is more strict, but does have umbrella schools that allow for smoother navigation of the requirements. Coronavirus (COVID-19). Administrators need to be able to raise concerns when they see inactivity and absences, to agree or disagree with reasons behind them, and then for everyone to be able to constructively discuss options for solutions, and even test out different solutions (and yes, sometimes fail and try something else). When trying to decide what is best, there are always multiple considerations. Here are a few suggestions of where we might start: 1) Develop (and ensure everyone knows and understands) clearly defined goals. Focusonthefamily.com. Just take one step at a time and focus on one goal at a time. You will need to determine, based on the number and ages of children, your work schedule, and any other constraints, what subjects you want to teach and can manage to do so with minimal stress. (n.d.). A lesson I learned the hard way many times is that they cant both be done (effectively) at the same time. (n.d.). For gratitude, an easy option to start your day would be to talk about three good or positive things. Making sure others respect your time is actually easier than it might seem at first. For parents looking online for content for their children, who may not be familiar with different websites, movies or apps, or unsure how to tell what might be safe or age-appropriate, this post is for you. The truth is that our kids (or any of us, for that matter) have never learned or gone to school (in person, hybrid or online) during a global pandemic. Write a list of the equipment you used to make your fort. 4) Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and identify how each will be held accountable and how opportunities for improvements will be identified, evaluated, and implemented. Below, I will provide a few options and considerations for finding content for your children that is age-appropriate and safe for them, as well as being safe for you and your computer. Ultimately, only you can decide what is best for you and your children. 30 Gratitude Games and Activities for Kids to Practice Thankfulness. Youre Probably Homeschooling Way More Than You Need To. For later years (grades 3-5 and 6-8) we elected to study math and language arts every day, and study science, history/social studies, art and music one day per week each, leaving the additional day (which happened to be Friday for us) for making up work we didnt complete earlier in the week. Age-Appropriate Chores. Game Reviews. A template for this can be found on many of the CT homeschooling group websites or Facebook pages. Literally blocking it off on your calendar and communicating your schedule with your bosses and colleagues will make sure you are all on the same page and that everyone will respect that time. Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic. The rule for our girls was that they had to look at all movies, games, and apps up on Common Sense Media and bring them to us prior to asking the question of whether they could play, watch or download something. (n.d.). (2020). These extreme stances come with equally strong language, which can be misleading to the new or uninformed, so it is important to make sure you fully understand the true requirements before making decisions, finalizing your plans, and submitting any notices or documentation. They are asking because they truly care about your children and your input. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html, Connectiond Academy. (2018). Our toddler also participated, at an age-appropriate level, in virtual field trips, science experiments, and other educational activities with her sister. You can research options for full-time online schooling, which some states offer for free (Digital Learning Collaborative, 2018). If any of you are like me, you started your working and homeschooling balancing act by trying to explain to your children how important work is, and how you have to focus (and they have to be quiet) while you are on work calls. (Remember: If you dont know where you are going, any road will get you there. The third consideration is the mode you wish to use to teach the subjects you have selected. Your child or children will be perfectly fine with a couple or a few hours of school-related work and other fun, educational activities while you focus on work. (This is in no way intended to imply that they wont help you, since we have always experienced the exact opposite, especially when in direct contact with teachers, administrators, etc. You can make, download and print your own bingo card at sites like BingoBaker, accessible here: https://bingobaker.com/ Yet another alternative is to keep your call off speaker, but let your kids mark off the square on the bingo, and you tell them when the criteria has been met. You are the parent, and you know what is best for your children. Harvard Business Review. Its important to have an honest conversation with your family and make the decision that is best for you, and to communicate that through these surveys. Looking at these from a more positive lens, as opposed to negatively identifying them as dysfunctions, the list of what teams need to thrive include: The foundation of working together as a group, especially in a stressful, unclear, unpredictable situation like remote learning during a global pandemic, is trust. What if schools are opened in a virtual-only format to start the school year and transition to blended or alternating schedule formats, or even full capacity later in the school year? You can use an existing bingo card, plenty of which are posted for free online. Given the current closure of public schools, many publishers are providing content online for free, as well. Educators need to be able to express concerns to parents and administrators when things arent working for them, their class, or even particular students. You will need to decide, based on your family values and rules about electronics and screen time, your work schedule and flexibility, ages of your children, and learning preferences and styles, what modes are best for you for each student and each subject. These can be accessed here: https://www.headspace.com/covid-19. They also expect to have to make up for missed learning in the fall for this last spring, especially for the younger students in lower grades. If you are unsure, Common Sense Media is a great place to start. Awake and Mindful has collected five yoga videos for kids that might be one option for a calm activity to start off the day. In sports psychology, life coaching and other venues recently, youve likely heard the term locus of control or phrases like control the controllables. Situations like the pandemic we are currently experiencing bring to light the true meaning of these phrases, as there is so much that is truly out of our control. (Also, in Connecticut, if your children were never enrolled in a public or private school, no notice of any kind needs to be filed. What we sometimes forget, though, is that our kids are, as well. Some of the common misconceptions include: Lets attempt to address these one by one. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, Earthcam. We also chose to provide our girls with education regarding proper behavior online, rather than feeling the need to constantly police them and their online activities. Awake and Mindful. Decorating Amazon boxes and used soup cans make great arts and craft projects and excellent organizers! Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/, National University Library. ), So, with this conflicting guidance and information, what should you do? Without clearly defined roles and goals, it is difficult to hold team members accountable for their contributions to the team and to the teams success. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://hslda.org/legal, HSLDA. For example, Connecticut only requires a notice of withdrawal, legally, but does recommend (only a recommendation, not a legal requirement) a notice of intent to homeschool and portfolio review. If you are homeschooling on your own, you and your children might be the only members of the team, but for others remotely schooling via distance learning options provided through their school or district, there are many other members of the team, as well. Lets face it, we are all in survival mode right now, and trying to claim anything else would be misleading. 3) All members of the team should remember that discomfort leads to growth and work on being ok with being held accountable, with hearing feedback that they dont really want to hear, and with giving honest, constructive feedback to other members of the team when things arent working well. Homeschool Organizations. Remember that you have options and that considering the short term and the long term will help smooth any future transitions for you and your children. With the quick pivot to distance learning in the spring, and the large disparities with technology access and related issues, the schools and districts are still working to get some students caught up on their work from the spring. Accountability involves all levels, including our children consistently being held responsible for their work. This can be important if you are deciding between temporarily homeschooling your children and opting into distance learning (especially in middle school or high school grades). For states who are planning in-person school options, many are still providing distance learning as an option, and homeschooling is always an additional option. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://montessori-nw.org/what-is-montessori-education, Roblox. Uncertainty and lack of direction and why can cause unnecessary stress and a lack of commitment. (2019). Find a fort posted by someone else and draw a picture of their fort and estimate how many people you think could fit in their fort. In fact, they have created a launch page for the current times, accessible here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, Common Sense Media. Educators have never taught during a global pandemic, much less taught remotely or taught some students remotely and some in person at the same time. Smoothing the transition in our new reality. Greater Good Magazine. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews, Focus on the Family. Remote Learning with Khan Academy During School Closures. that you will be bound by? Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass, Common Sense Media. (2020). Trust that everyone is doing their best (whatever their best looks like on a given day) and trust that everyone has the childrens best interest at heart are a couple of others. ), 2) Do you (and your student) want the ability or option to participate in after school activities? What Ill provide below is a brief overview of some of the options for planning the work, starting with four considerations for doing so. While you are working on a schedule more customized to you, your kids and your work schedule, two companies, Khan Academy and Scholastic, have recently provided lesson plans and activities free for children who are now staying home due to school closings. How might this impact your childs motivation to do their schoolwork? Common Sense Media provides two different options for digital citizenship education. Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall if they are physically opened for attendance? When you get stressed or overwhelmed, just remember that surviving is all you and your family need to do right now, and the rest will all work out eventually. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from, Center for Disease Control (CDC). As homeschoolers, they worked at their own pace in different subjects, which was great for their education and learning, but made the transition to an age-based grade-level determination a challenging one. Patrick Lencioni wrote a book called, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, which gives a simple, straightforward way to think about what is needed for teams to function well and to thrive. If yours has not done so, or you would like to supplement the work provided to your kids, there are many approaches to doing so. When you are planning your days, you will first need to decide how much time you want (or need) to spend with your focus dedicated to your work (in meetings, for example), and how much time you want to spend homeschooling your child (or children). There are many misconceptions about homeschooling, in general, but especially with working and homeschooling. Then, your stress levels went through the roof when it didnt all go smoothly with calm, quiet kids and dedicated focus for you. However, with everything clearly defined and with trust, constructive conflict and commitment, holding each other accountable for their respective parts becomes much easier, and does not need to involve finger pointing or other negative non-constructive behaviors. We made a decision years ago to provide some independence and ownership of content decisions to our kids, specifically for movies, games, and apps. Remember the CDC guidelines and be innovative in your organization and space planning. ), As you think through the answers to these questions and others, I would like to share about our personal experience with the transition from homeschool to public school in Connecticut only a few years ago. Some organizations group activities in the following age groups, for example, Kindergarten to grade 2, grades 3-5, grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. Think about other ways that you can work to promote trust, constructive conflict, commitment, accountability, and attention to results as part of your students learning team and pick one item to focus on at a time. (Note that this is an unpopular opinion and not promoted or frequently supported in the traditional, long-term homeschooling community, though, so questions about this option in these traditional groups or distribution lists may not be met with the most positive reactions.) The two most commonly tested subjects in standardized testing tend to be math and language arts, so when we homeschooled, we put the most emphasis on these two subjects, integrating the others as appropriate and as possible. The answer to this question can provide further guidance for what choice might be best for you and your family, on top of the obvious comfort level with sending them to a physical school building in August or September. The traditional homeschooling community is extreme in their desire to be unregulated and to have full freedom to educate their children however they wish, with minimal or no governmental intervention or oversight. A few of the things that are currently within our control are: 1) our reactions to the current situation, 2) our attitudes, 3) our schedule and 4) our space. Always be appreciative.). It is also very important to note, especially when you are reading and researching your options, that there are two extremes to the homeschooling debate or conversation, especially in Connecticut, but it is likely evident elsewhere, as well. You can then try to save each others sanity by intermittently saying or doing the things you know are on the card, so that everyone has a chance to keep their kids engaged, but quiet (because shhhwe have to hear what is going on, so we dont miss out on a bingo square!). (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2020 from, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html, https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/policy-issues/current-policy/, https://www.digitallearningcollab.com/state-virtual-schools, Common Misconceptions about Working and Homeschooling, https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/2218929/how-many-hours-homeschooling-per-day/, https://welltrainedmind.com/a/what-are-the-non-core-subjects/?v=7516fd43adaa, https://montessori-nw.org/what-is-montessori-education, https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/slideshow/2173553/coronavirus-school-closings-keep-kids-busy/1/, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews, https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/age-appropriate-chores/, https://grownandflown.com/soft-skills-for-teens/, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/about-our-ratings, https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-passport, https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/kid-safe-browsers-and-search-sites, https://nu.libguides.com/CommonCore/ccss_publishers, https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, https://www.steamsational.com/free-printable-homeschool-planners/, https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/611770255064350720/remote-learning-with-khan-academy-during-school, https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSZhOdEPAWjUQpqDkVAlJrFwxxZ9Sa6zGOq0CNRms6Z7DZNq-tQWS3OhuVCUbh_-P-WmksHAzbsrk9d/pub, https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html, https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/, https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/, https://www.dropbox.com/s/xbwyrg21rbg79fj/conferencecallbingo.pdf?dl=0, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html, https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_school_closures_can_strengthen_your_family, https://hbr.org/2018/12/how-timeboxing-works-and-why-it-will-make-you-more-productive. How We Rate and Review. So, how do we, as a team of parents, educators, and administrators, work together as a high performing team and not fall into the 5 dysfunctions of a team identified by Lencioni? Yes, movies sometimes work, but how about something possibly more fun (for you and for them)? If your remote/distance learning/homeschooling is only planned to be temporary, keeping as close to the curriculum their classmates are learning in school will make for the smoothest transition when the time comes for them to go to school and join their classmates again. State Virtual Schools. If you plan to homeschool long-term or permanently, focusing on this alignment might not be quite as important or impactful. Although Im not fully convinced that this is the best approach to managing your time, the concept of Timeboxing is similar to the approach Ive recommended above. Everything you need to organize your area is probabily already in your home. The second consideration is the subjects you wish to teach. You dont have to wait until plans for the fall are released to figure out what you are comfortable (and not comfortable) with. The public school administrators where we are were extremely helpful in working with us to determine the best placement. However, we can control our reaction to it by staying safe, keeping our family safe, and following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) (2020) guidelines posted here: In my experience homeschooling and working full time (from various locations and time zones), the biggest lesson I learned was that I needed to be organized, but also flexible. We homeschooled in many different locations, including a multifamily house where we had a full room dedicated to homeschooling, my parents house where we had an area in the basement, our family members kitchen counters, and even an RV, when we traveled around the US. If your student is overloaded with work, have them work with their teachers and administrators to request extensions or accommodations where needed. Administrators have never run schools, districts or boards of education during a global pandemic. Having a dedicated space will allow you to put everything away in a neat and orderly fashion after every day, so that it is available and easy to access the following day. One way to focus and be able to sift through all of the options is to decide what modes you wish to use to teach each of the subjects you selected, and limit your searches to the selected mode for each subject. (These are usually set at the state-level and enforced at the district or school-level. Its also important to understand what is and what is not likely to happen in the next year curriculum and academic-wise and how that might impact you and your children. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/slideshow/2173553/coronavirus-school-closings-keep-kids-busy/1/, Wiess, S. R. (2020b). (Remember to make the award something you can make, give or do with them at home, and that they can have or do after your conference call is over.). 5) Understand and be honest and open about what you (and your student) can and cannot reasonably take on and complete given everything you have going on outside of school responsibilities, and be open to working with your student and their teachers and school administrators. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-passport, Common Sense Media. The first major hurdle for the transition was figuring out what grade they should be in. In work environments, especially when working on projects, everyone has clearly defined roles and responsibilities which are laid out on a project plan. While we await final proposals for opening of schools in the fall from states and local districts, we are all asking what if? What if schools open as usual in the fall at full capacity? For example, if you choose to homeschool or opt for distance learning to start with in the fall, will you want to send your children back to school (this year or in the future)? Coronavirus Closed Schools: 27 Activities to Keep Kids Busy During School Closures. 2) Block off the appropriate time for schoolwork on your work calendar and communicate these expectations to your manager and coworkers. Grownandflown.com. Best Kids Yoga Videos on YouTube. How might it impact their learning? How School Closures Can Strengthen Your Family. (Dont forget to include what you used to keep your fort together tape, staples, clothes pins, etc. You can ask the school about options for continuing distance learning (if they dont already include that as an option in their fall plans). Connections Academy. Thats all any of us can do, and the only way we are going to figure out what will work is for everyone to be comfortable communicating and providing constructive feedback when things are not working. School and schoolwork does not have to be an all-or-nothing situation. As you wrap up the day, after allowing your kids to play and relax for the first day, take three deep breaths and smile, knowing that you completed some planning and organizing, and that you are on your way. If you have decided that you are not yet comfortable physically sending your kids back to a school building, thinking through some of the following questions might be helpful in deciding between distance learning (assuming this option is available/offered through your school) and homeschooling: 1) Do you want to choose your own curriculum, make your own lesson plans, etc., or do you want to assist your children in completing teacher-assigned activities? The one thing that all of those spaces had in common was a dedicated space to store all of our supplies and work. See below for our experience transitioning our kids from homeschooling to public school and considerations/lessons-learned that you might find helpful. (n.d.). (2020). The fourth consideration is the schedule of the subjects you have selected to teach. While the kids play, you can plan your day(s). But, there is also so much that is fully within our control. With everyone rushing around trying to figure out what they are going to do for the fall, it is important to also pause, step back, and consider how the plans you make for the fall fit into your future educational plans. The most effective approach I found was to create a basket of schoolwork for the toddler and let her choose her schoolwork from the basket. Here are a few options, as examples: CDC. Science and art took the most preparation because we conducted experiments and made a variety of art and craft projects, so we split these days, so that they were not back-to-to back, allowing for some planning and preparation time in between. Considerations for Schools. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/, Montessori Northwest. Many of our kids had packed schedules of school, sports, and other activities, with barely enough time to grab a sandwich in the car for supper. Making it clear that it was a big kid privilege to sit at the table with us to work on schoolwork was also helpful in motivating (relatively) quiet focus. What Are the Non-Core Subjects?. They had to tell us the recommended ages by Common Sense Media, parents and kids and were only allowed to watch movies, play games or download/use apps that were 2 years over the lowest age recommended out of the three.