Yesterday your kids were in school and today you are homeschooling! You don't know when the kids will be able to go back to school, but you know that you need to continue their learning. Where do you start? First I want to send you a virtual hug! Now, I want you to know that you can do this and it isn't as hard as you think it is. This is an opportunity to spend time with your children and maybe find comfort for your whole family. This is an emergency and I know you are wanting immediate solutions to bring you some peace of mind.
Get started by gaming
This probably seems counter productive, but hear me out. There are so many ways in which board games can help children learn. If you want to know more about what gameschooling is and why it is so amazing, check out our blog post here. Aside from the benefits of gameschooling, you are in an emergency situation and your kids might be feeling some fear or anxiety. Playing board games with them is going to help all your stress levels go down. Calm kids and parents think better, plan better, and learn better too.
If you don't have any board games I have some options for you. Print and Play games are fantastic, inexpensive, and you don't have to leave the house to get them. You can find our list of 10 great print and play games here to get you started. Maybe, like us, you are really bad at keeping your printer stocked with ink or ink is out of stock. I have you covered there too. Our list of 8 awesome board game apps is here. You can also play on Board Game Arena. Learn about BGA in this post. These lists just scratch the surface of what is available to choose from.
Move on to curriculum
This is where you are probably freaking out. In school, your kids have a hundred pounds of curated school books to work through. Well, if they brought them home, just have them keep going as normal. Maybe assign a section for each day for each subject. Since you are here, I am going to assume that your kids are not doing their normal school day online. Most likely, you need to come up with something and quick.
I recommend unit studies! They are incredibly easy to make and you can put it together without leaving the house for supplies. I have a great post about how to create a unit study here. We also have free pre-made units on our unit studies page. As you put together your topic utilize streaming services like SCRIBD, YouTube, Curiosity Stream, Netflix, and Amazon. There are so many books and documentaries available via streaming! Choose books that are available on digital readers. We use SCRIBD and the Kindle reading app, plus our library uses the Libby app so we can check books out too. Pinterest is a wonderful source of homeschool activities. You can really go as far as you want with your homeschooling days. Keep it simple or throw in lots of games and activities. It doesn't have to be uncomfortable for you or your children.
Find community
Most cities have a homeschool group on Facebook. A quick search will find them. These are local people that will answer some of your questions and come alongside you on this journey (if only digitally). I love helping families homeschool and want to do what I can. Feel free to reach out via our social media pages and Adam or I will help you along. We are all in this together. You can also read more tips for homeschooling in a crisis here.