2) Identify the subjects you would like to teach each of the children. If you plan to homeschool long-term or permanently, focusing on this alignment might not be quite as important or impactful. Khan Academy Schedules for School Closures. About MUTHA: What was born in a kitchen in 2014 was more than a stretch mark cream, it was a desire to honor motherhood and women in a brand new way. (Dont forget to include what you used to keep your fort together tape, staples, clothes pins, etc. Given the current closure of public schools, many publishers are providing content online for free, as well. School and schoolwork does not have to be an all-or-nothing situation. Digital Passport. (n.d.). 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. Bauer, S. W. (2016). 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. Always be appreciative.). 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. When I started homeschooling and working from home, we had one preschooler and one toddler. 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. Youre Probably Homeschooling Way More Than You Need To. 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. Remember the CDC guidelines and be innovative in your organization and space planning. CommonSenseMedia.org. The activities in the basket could be anything from printed mazes, cut and paste activities, manipulative for counting, coloring books, etc. The key is not to be happy or unhappy about the approaches, but to be informed. If you are teaching one child, you can skip this section. Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic. K12. (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.). It delivers intense yet lightweight moisture, while putting in harder work to minimize stretch marks. Everything we offer is discovered, tested, and approved by our Committee before it earns a place on THE SHELVES and ultimately, your cosmetic wardrobe. Thank you for subscribing to VIOLET GREY. It was a desire to start a conversation about self-care physically and emotionally. Why not act like the dedicated school time is just another meeting? This is when choosing distance learning through the school, working with the school on curriculum or even taking advantage of optional portfolio reviews, or employing a certified teacher in a pandemic pod could work out better than doing what we did with creating a custom curriculum. ), So, with this conflicting guidance and information, what should you do? You are the parent, and you know what is best for your children. (Remember: If you dont know where you are going, any road will get you there. The state, on the other hand, wants to have as much control and oversight as possible, in many cases. 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. To commit to common goals, everyone on the team has to be aware of the goals, understand why those goals are important, and be aware and accepting of their role in helping the team attain those goals. Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter*, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Nut Extract*, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil*, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax (Cire de Carnauba)*, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sambucus Nigra (Elderberry) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil*, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil*, Lecithin*. 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)? SheKnows.com. 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. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.k12.com/. Retrieved March 16, 2020, from, Zao-Sanders, Marc. Khan Academy has provided help and getting started pages for their content here: https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/611770255064350720/remote-learning-with-khan-academy-during-school, and the lessons themselves are accessible here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSZhOdEPAWjUQpqDkVAlJrFwxxZ9Sa6zGOq0CNRms6Z7DZNq-tQWS3OhuVCUbh_-P-WmksHAzbsrk9d/pub, Scholastic has provided schedules and lessons here: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html. 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. More details about the rating systems used for the Common Sense Media ratings can be found here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/about-our-ratings. Join the waitlist and we'll email you as soon as this product or size becomes available again. (n.d.). Decorating Amazon boxes and used soup cans make great arts and craft projects and excellent organizers! 3) Identify the delivery mode you want to use for each subject and each child. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/, Headspace. (2020). 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!). Retrieved March 19, 2020 from https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/, Bestow. 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. You can use an existing bingo card, plenty of which are posted for free online. A visual representation of the five dysfunctions Lencioni identifies is shown below. How School Closures Can Strengthen Your Family. What can your student do to promote these team functions also? Just take one step at a time and focus on one goal at a time. that you will be bound by? The Butter is best for everyday indulgence, pregnant mamas, dryness, soothing skin, minimizing stretch marks, sealing in moisture, and real men who know they need moisture too. Ultimately, only you can decide what is best for you and your children. There are also many online tours of national parks, zoos, and aquariums. While the kids play, you can plan your day(s). The options are so abundant that it can often be overwhelming, especially for those new to educating their children at home. An alternative is to make your own bingo card that might be more age-appropriate, like one with silly words or um and uh, for example, that might be easy for little ones to pick up on during the call. To avoid things becoming disorganized, piling up, getting dirty during meals, etc., it is best to dedicate a shelf or whole bookshelf to the schoolwork, books and all related equipment. Awake and Mindful has collected five yoga videos for kids that might be one option for a calm activity to start off the day. Commitment is built on a foundation of trust and constructive conflict. 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. (2020). 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. Small wins go a long way. Focusonthefamily.com. State Virtual Schools. Starting your day with gratitude and calm activities has been said to start your day off on a positive note. 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. (n.d.). At this point, state and local boards of education are doing the best they can with the little information they have to plan for something none of us have ever had to deal with before. (n.d.). Hopefully, you have found this content helpful, and are on your way to planning a (relativelythey are our awesome kids, after all) calm, fun and enjoyable adventure educating your children at home while working. Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sites. This is a great time to have the conversation with your manager about the priorities of the work currently assigned to you, the hours they expect, or require, you to be available, and where flexibility does (and does not) exist in your schedule, workload and work-related responsibilities. Almost three years later, I can tell you that it was the right choice for both of them, without a doubt. While you are on a conference call today, have your kids stand next to your whiteboard or sit next to you coloring or doing some additional activity, and work with them to complete a bingo card based on what is said or done on your conference call. It is important to understand the risks and the comfort level you have with those risks, and, depending on the approach taken, the health risks for your children and for you (and for everyone in your household). There are a few things to consider. It is also an opportunity for us to find ways for our kids to help around the house and to teach them new life skills that are no longer taught in schools. Homeschool Organizations. (n.d.). Also, be sure that you are fully informed about what activities are offered or not offered for any who opt into remote or distance learning through the school, as this likely differs on a district by district or school by school basis. (2018). The third consideration is the mode you wish to use to teach the subjects you have selected. Others may be planning their own lessons and activities. They all come in 8 ounce jars and a little goes a long way. (n.d.). (2020). The first major hurdle for the transition was figuring out what grade they should be in. Greater Good Magazine. Instead of trying to convince your kids why they should be quiet and calm during your conference calls and hoping for the best, you might try giving them specific activities to keep them busy during these times. As parents, educators, and administrators, (and our children) we are all part of a team with a common goal of ensuring that our children are safe, cared for, and that their learning is promoted and supported in all ways possible. The fourth consideration is the schedule of the subjects you have selected to teach. What Are the Non-Core Subjects?. Being completely clear on goals, roles, and contributions can promote commitment and team cohesion. What Ill provide below is a brief overview of some of the options for planning the work, starting with four considerations for doing so. This is not true, legally. Either way, some people are going to be happy and some unhappy, regardless of the plan or approach that is taken. Many parents are waiting for the school or school district to provide the details of the lessons your children will be assigned while they are out of school. ), Have your parent/guardian take a picture of your fort, with the list of equipment used and post it to Twitter using the hashtag #fortchallenge and tag @HomeschoolWork. There are so many different aspects and layers of trust, as well. Minecraft Official Site. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.roblox.com/, Wiess, S. R. (2020a). 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. 3) Clear out, setup and organize your dedicated storage area for your schoolwork and related supplies. If you want to really make it fun and engaging with everyone involved, you or the meeting organizer can make up a bingo card and send it out to everyone on the call. It is important to remember this. Will you and your children be ok with this or able to handle any repetition or boredom by supplementing with other activities? 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. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html, STEAMsational. Age-Appropriate Chores. 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. Grownandflown.com. They are asking because they truly care about your children and your input. They are literally love in a jar. 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. Stay home and stay safe. How might it impact their learning? When trying to decide what is best, there are always multiple considerations. (n.d.). To this day, we stand by that rule and have had very few issues. Its important that parents, educators and administrators clearly define what the goals are and monitor progress toward those goals. A big lesson learned in this transition is that no matter what homeschool curriculum you choose, there will be differences in what they learn there and what is covered in the public school curriculum, thus, some material will be repeated and there will be gaps to be filled in other places. Its challenging to ensure everyone is on the same page during a normal school year, but even more challenging during a global pandemic. 2) Block off the appropriate time for schoolwork on your work calendar and communicate these expectations to your manager and coworkers. 100 Things to Teach Your Teen While Youre Stuck at Home. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews, Focus on the Family. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/policy-issues/current-policy/, Digital Learning Collaborative. (Note that we do still have the requirement that they add us on all social media accounts so that we can monitor their activities there if we choose to do so.) 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. 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. If this was or is you, trust me, you are not alone. 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. Our children need to be able to disagree and question things when concepts or instructions arent clear to them. Always made with effective, clean ingredients; never made with fillers or toxic ingredients. 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. How might this impact your childs motivation to do their schoolwork? If you are unsure, Common Sense Media is a great place to start. 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. schoolwork has to follow the school day/week schedule, the schoolwork has to only include academic subjects, the kids have to be working on academic work the entire time, socialization is an afterthought when homeschooling, the kids are responsible for schoolwork and parents need to continue all of the housework. It's out of stock! Accountability involves all levels, including our children consistently being held responsible for their work. is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock. (The first is required if choosing homeschooling and not purchasing a pre-packaged curriculum or enrolling your children in a full-time online school. (n.d.2). Accountability is the forth level in the pyramid identified by Lencioni, and aligns closely with constructive conflict and commitment. Many state and local education-related publications have language that indicates that the notice of intent to homeschool and the portfolio reviews are required. 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. We ended up placing them in lower grades than the work they were working on as homeschoolers, both because of their ages and because we knew the work would be easy for them, allowing them to focus on the major personal and social transition with less stress. 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. Product Description: Our lux body butters are packed with skin nourishing compounds such as jojoba oil, which is extraordinarily conditioning and has antioxidant properties. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/2218929/how-many-hours-homeschooling-per-day/. Either way, you will need to allocate time for schooling for your children and for your work. In these times, I found educational videos that could fill the spaces, where my children could still be learning, but I was able to focus on the meetings and my work. 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. It is with this approach that MUTHA expands into body & face care. Harvard Business Review. Your next steps are: 1) Identify the age groups of the children you are educating and whether they need to be planned separately or if the plan and content can be the same. 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. (Also, in Connecticut, if your children were never enrolled in a public or private school, no notice of any kind needs to be filed. See below for our experience transitioning our kids from homeschooling to public school and considerations/lessons-learned that you might find helpful. (This is the option rated as highest risk by the CDC) (CDC, 2020). To step back and take a look at what this truly means, it is helpful to have a lens through which to view this team and the relationships and responsibilities of the members of the team. Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/611770255064350720/remote-learning-with-khan-academy-during-school, Scholastic. Discover cutting-edge formulas and groundbreaking technology. (2020). Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://welltrainedmind.com/a/what-are-the-non-core-subjects/?v=7516fd43adaa, Common Sense Media (n.d.). 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. (n.d.). An example of this is a new kindergartener starting homeschool in the first year of school eligibility. For those who are not experienced or knowledgeable about publishers used for K-12 education, the National University Library System has a list on their website, accessible here: https://nu.libguides.com/CommonCore/ccss_publishers. Common Sense Media provides two different options for digital citizenship education. 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, Earthcam. 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?