On March 20th, Governor Ducey announced that the already statewide closure of schools would be extended through April 10th, which ultimately then was extended through the remainder of the school year. With these announcements, our family started homeschooling on March 23rd, the date that they would have returned back to school after spring break. By this point in time, I was also working from home, so in order for all of us to function under one roof, we needed to start structuring our our days.
In order to prepare, I started researching homeschooling routines and curriculum. I quickly became overwhelmed. There are so many different approaches and schools of thought. However, after researching on the internet and collaborating with friends, I came up with daily itineraries for each of my kids to use during the week. At the beginning, we hadn't been given any formal guidance from my kids' school district on class assignments, so their curriculum included a cross-section of writing, reading, science, social studies, art, recess and connection time. As the weeks have progressed and guidance from the school district was provided, their daily curriculum has morphed. In general, it includes the same core subjects, but we have added some "extras" to supplement the school's homework packet.
Here is the current daily learning at home itinerary that we are using after several renditions:
One of our "extras" includes an hour of one-on-one Zoom learning with Blossom Park each day. Blossom Park is a private micro-school that each of our kids were enrolled in last summer to assist them with their math comprehension. We had already been in discussions about having the kids enroll this summer for some additional learning opportunities. When schools were closed for the remainder of the year, they reached out to us to see if we wanted to start the kids early. We jumped at the opportunity to have the kids have some private sessions to ease some of the homeschooling pressure. Plus, the kids really enjoy their Zoom calls with Blossom Park. They are always eager to join their instructors each morning without tears or fuss. Yay!
Some of the other assignments that we have included in the kids' daily agenda are the following:
Engineering Project
In order to prepare, I started researching homeschooling routines and curriculum. I quickly became overwhelmed. There are so many different approaches and schools of thought. However, after researching on the internet and collaborating with friends, I came up with daily itineraries for each of my kids to use during the week. At the beginning, we hadn't been given any formal guidance from my kids' school district on class assignments, so their curriculum included a cross-section of writing, reading, science, social studies, art, recess and connection time. As the weeks have progressed and guidance from the school district was provided, their daily curriculum has morphed. In general, it includes the same core subjects, but we have added some "extras" to supplement the school's homework packet.
Here is the current daily learning at home itinerary that we are using after several renditions:
Some of the other assignments that we have included in the kids' daily agenda are the following:
- A Question of the Day - every day they have a new writing prompt for them to elaborate on in their writing journal. This is *not* one of their favorite things to do each day and often is met with tears and arguing. However, we really felt that writing is an essential life skill and decided that they should continue to work on it while learning at home.
- A Chore of the Day - each day they are giving a different household chore to accomplish. This has been a good way to have them clean out some of their drawers, closets and playroom.
- An Article of the Day - daily I find different articles that are specifically written for kids. My favorite sources include KidsPost (Washington Post), Newsela, Time for Kids, and DOGO News. After they read the article, they either have to answer some comprehension questions, write about what they learned in their writing journal, pick vocabulary words to learn, or come up with questions they would ask me and Josh at dinnertime. We have found that these articles have allowed all of us to learn new things and have some really fun family discussions.
- Daily Reading - the kids been assigned to read for thirty minutes a day. In order to keep them motivated to read, we provided them with a reading buddy. My dad and Josh's mom have been reading the same books as the kids and then they are having book discussions and quizzes with them. It has been a really fun opportunity for everyone involved. I think the grandparents like the interaction with the kids. The kids enjoy the accountability and challenge their grandparents provide through the process.
After five weeks of homeschooling, we have definitely figured out our daily routine. Some days are better than others. Some days the kids are focused ready to learn. Some days not so much. Some days are full of laughter and fun. Some days are nothing but tears. Some days we all learn something new. Most days a life lesson is taught. Either way, we continue to persevere and make the most of it. Hopefully, my kids will look back and remember homeschooling was fun and different.
Learning Environments
Engineering Project
Art Class and Creations
Book Club Time with Grandparents
Physical Education
Caring Sign from his Teacher
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