So Now You’re Homeschooling- Homebound Help

2020 has been a pretty interesting year so far, hasn’t it? No matter what your thoughts on COVID-19, it’s true that most of us are finding ourselves with a lot more time at home than we originally planned. Kids are home from school, and you’re home with them. It’s not like this is a long weekend that’s been marked on the calendar since the beginning of the school year. As schools are closing, you are feeling a lot. And among all of your mixed emotions, you may also be feeling like you’ve been thrown in the deep-end of homeschooling.

First of all, if this whole thing is freaking you out, take a deep breath. Seriously, do it right now. You can do this.  You don’t need superhuman patience or a master’s degree in education. Trust me, despite knowing a lot of homeschooling families, I know almost no one with either of those things. You’ve got this. Don’t psych yourself out.

You probably know a homeschooling mom who would love to help you brainstorm ideas for enriching activities. And if you don’t?  I’m here for you. I’m going to assume you already know to google “free math drill websites” and things like that, so I’ll give you some ideas for enrichment. If you don’t know what something is or how to do it, YouTube is your best friend. We have learned how to do so many things, thanks to YouTube.

• Play restaurant – You give your child a budget, and let them decide what they want to serve the family for dinner. They purchase the food and are in charge of cooking and serving. It gives them practice in managing time and money, allows them to brush up on their measuring skills, and gives you a night off from cooking dinner.
• Nature Walks – take along a sketchbook and sit down and draw what you see.
• Make Kites and fly them – see which can stay in the air the longest.
• Make Beaded Jewelry
• Assemble mosaics with different colored pebbles, fruit loops, beans, anything.
• Learn how to tie different types of knots
• Learn to whittle
• Dot Paints
• Build models of constellations with toothpicks and mini marshmallows – download an app like Skywalk to help find the constellations you build.
• Read poetry and act it out.
• Have a dance party to different genres of music
• Write a handwritten letter to a long-distance friend or family member
• Soap carving
• Make a sundial
• Learn how to weave using a loom or your fingers
• Invent a new kind of soup
• First Aid/CPR
• Make a list of small house projects and come up with an action plan together
• Baking
• Learn folk songs from 100+ years ago
• Embroidery
• Hygiene 101
• Write comic strips
• Canning or preserving food
• Create art with pastels, watercolors, charcoal, oils, or clay
• Learn and identify bird calls
• Watch documentaries
• Car mechanics- learn how to change a tire, check the oil, etc.
• Listen to podcasts – Smash Boom Best, Wow in the World and Pants on Fire are some of our favorites
• Plan a garden

One last but very important thing, don’t underestimate the power of cuddling up on the couch with some good books, engaging in good discussion, and really making the most of this time together. It’s certainly a less than ideal situation but it could end up being a sweet experience for you and your family. Wishing you all good health and happy homeschooling as we buckle down to get through this.