Raise your hand if you thought “Homeschool Teacher” was going to be added to your “TO DO LIST” this month? I don’t see any hands. I only hear raindrops in Los Angeles. Having been a former teacher, I never imagined I would be teaching my own two children. However, I have to admit I am welcoming it a little bit with open arms! We are faced with this as a community and if you know me, you know that I will do my best to stay positive and find joy whenever and wherever I can. (Talk to me again in two weeks and see how my patience is holding up while I also balance the workload and mental load of Educated Nannies with being a mom and a homeschool teacher). Now, let’s get learning!
COVID-19 has created a world pandemic, where millions of parents and guardians are now faced with the task of educating their children at home. While the idea of having your children home every single day over the next few weeks may seem overwhelming, we have come up with a schedule, ideas to help teach your little ones, and a few of our favorite homeschool resources. Please note that homeschool will not be as rigorous as a regular school. Your children may not be as focused. Each child learns differently. Show them grace. Have fun. Give lots of hugs. Cry if you need to. Be prepared, not panicked. Be kind. Be flexible. Let your children make choices.
Here is the schedule we created for working moms of preschool-age children. This can be used for dads as well or any person homeschooling their children. Please feel free to change the time blocks and activities to be age-appropriate for your children and to accommodate self-care. There may be some anxiety that sets in and we have incorporated yoga and meditation into this schedule to help manage some of the stress. Our favorite meditation apps are Mindfulness, Headspace, and DreamyKid. I also want to take a minute to acknowledge that it is okay, not to be okay right now. We see you. We hear you. We are grateful for this community. We will get through this together!
Here is a list of our favorite websites for learning and homeschool. Please make sure to check with your school first as many schools are going online, emailing homework packets, and doing their best to support families during this time of uncertainty.
BrainPOP and BrainPOP Junior : An animated educational resource for learning different subjects for ages K-8.
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems: 1 pm Eastern Time Mo will do lunch doodles with you.
Khan Academy: A non-profit classroom built for all students to learn. K-12.
ABCmouse: Early Learning Academy for ages 2-8. Fun and interactive activities!
Prodigy: Engaging math curriculum for ages 1st-8th grade.
Discovery Education: Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital curriculum resources for K–12 classrooms.
Outschool: Live online classes for ages 3-18 years of age.
Duolingo: Learn a language for free!
Scholastic: Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking and growing.
Code.org: Learn computer science.
Breakout.edu: A collection of digital games to play at home.
MobyMax: Differentiated learning. The comprehensive software curriculum spans Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies for students in grades K-8 and meets the needs of struggling students as well as those working on grade level and beyond.
Storyline Online: Watch actors read children’s books. Each book includes a supplemental curriculum developed by a credentialed elementary educator, aiming to strengthen comprehension and verbal and written skills for English-language learners. (I mean who doesn’t like listening to Betty White read?)
Mystery Doug: K-5 science lessons. Super awesome!
National Geographic Kids: Igniting the explorer in all of us to learn about the world.
NASA STEM: A great resource for K-12 learning.
The Busy Toddler: My personal favorite website and Instagram account.
We also would like to recommend Facetime and Zoom meetups for kids so that they still feel connected to their friends.
We hope this helps you make the most of your time together as a family. Big virtual hugs!
