From balancing work to making sure the kids complete their homework assignments, being at home and inside can be a challenge. We share some of the tips and tricks we are doing to help keep the kids busy and engaged with their lessons.
MAKE IT FUN
Growing up we would always ask, “Am I ever going to use this?” One of the benefits of having more input into the lessons is that you can tailor it to your kids learning style. One fun thing to do practice math is to set up a shop. We set up a coffeeshop using our Asweets doorway cafe, cashbox and donut/coffee play food set. So the kids have to practice communication, teamwork and then addition and subtraction as they take the orders.
A fun way to practice geography and to stay emotionally connected in spite of being physically distant, is to look at the map. Pick out a state where a friend or relative lives. Look up facts about the state or city. You can even facetime or call the person and ask them about their state. Plus it is a great way to stay connected. We love using our Asweets RV camper and going on a “road trip.”
SCIENCE IN MOTION
From the lifespan of a caterpillar to learning about planets, take the sciences lessons your kids are learning about and have them develop a creative way to tell you about the what they are learning. This will enable them to develop their own correlations and retain the information better than just reading it from a textbook or computer screen. We used the Magnatile x Create On tiles featuring scenes from Eric Carle’s Hungry Caterpillar to create an obstacle course. We set up the tiles to learn about the life cycle of the caterpillar and how it becomes a butterfly. Similarly, we used the Space shuttle set to learn about the planets and built a space station.
GET CRAFTY
Art can be a great therapeutic relief especially during this time. Sometimes kids (and adults) have a hard time expressing how they are feeling inside and slowing down to make something can help them think through some of those feelings. Making a Thank You Card for our first responders can be a great craft as a family. The kids can decorate the cards and write notes. We used the Xyron sticker maker to make super hero stickers. The kids had fun picking out things to print and then creating stickers.
WE ALL NEED HELP
It is totally okay to admit that we all need some help in this. It is uncharted territory even for teachers and homeschool parents. One of the amazing things that has come out of all of this are all of the free resources that companies are putting out to help parents and families. From free apps to worksheets, schedules and even lesson plans, you don’t have to feel like you are doing this alone. We have found it helpful to sit down at the beginning of the week and look for different worksheets or lessons based on theme that our kids would enjoy. Here is our list with all of our favorite free resources.
GO ON A SAFARI
One of the challenges of learning from home has been not being able to go to some of our favorite places like the zoo. Instead, it has helped us to get creative and discover even more. So one fun thing we have done is go on a safari. We might make lion waffles, get dressed in our animal-inspired Bird & Bean clothing, read about one of our favorite animals and then couple it with a video or virtual tour about that animal.
