Here in Snohomish, we are still in phase 2 of re-opening. Most of our businesses are open with limited capacity and that means that our schools are still closed. Our kids miss their daily routine, they miss sports, and they miss their classmates and teachers!
However, with the current circumstances, Lyndsay and I are just so thankful that we even have access to programs and technology that make it so our kid’s teachers can still press on with curriculum and not allow them to fall off track. It has absolutely taken some adjusting for our family, but we are making it work and all our boys seem to have a great routine going.
Here’s a look into how we structure our days to keep our kids on track during school hours.
Personal space
For me, it was extremely important for all of my kids to have their own quiet space to themselves. I have one kid in the office, another in the kitchen at the bar top, and the other upstairs in the loft. It was the only way to keep them from distracting (annoying) each other, and thus also annoying me. Lol!
By putting them in their own spaces, they were able to be alone and have their own quiet moments to think and engage with their teacher. Doing this also gave them their own space to get up and walk around without catching the eye of one another.
Distractions
Each of my kids got a fun notebook for doodling. Sounds boring and lame I know, but this was huge for my kids. It gave them an outlet to be creative and kept them listening to their teacher instead of browsing the web. Even if they were bored, they were at least doing something to enhance their creative side.
For when they finish early, we had each kid pick out a couple of new books to read. Keeps reading fun for my boys when they get to pick their reads!
Natural light + fresh air
I have my kids take 10-minute breaks outside in between their lessons. My boys are extremely active so it’s important for them to still be getting the exercise they need and more importantly, take a break from staring into their computer screen. We got a trampoline for them over the summer so they love to spend their time jumping around on that or even helping me organize the storage unit where we keep all our staging items.
Snacks + water
Our go-to snacks have been: apples and peanut butter, popcorn trail mix, and mixed fruits and veggie plates. I’ve really tried being intentional about replacing the chips with healthy snacks during this time because they need that fuel for their bodies. As always, lots and lots of water. They never hear the end of that one!
Incentives
This has been such a confusing time for our kiddos. Mine actually wish they were in school, and still tell me this daily. We started giving them an incentive to look forward to at the end of each week to make them a little bit more excited about getting their work done. The first week if they finished all their homework and activities, we did a McDonald’s run. We never indulge in McDonald’s, but the kids thought it was the best treat ever!
This week, I have told the kids we will go for donuts and they are absolutely looking forward to Friday already.
Here are some of the supplies we have used this year:
- Storage area for all their school items
- Special notebook, pens/pencils
- Headphones (for Zoom)
I hope seeing into my kid’s newly homeschooled world’s inspires you, like reading posts and stories from other moms has inspired me! At the end of everything, we are all just trying to keep these new learning environments fun and encouraging for our kids until life gets a bit more normal again.
Les
