Last week, I posted some resources for parents who are looking to introduce a school-day type structure into their kids’ days, should they be ready.
This week, I want to talk about the kids and the parents who are in a different situation…who’re struggling to cope with this new normal and who are barely making it day-to-day, never mind aligning their child’s learning with some far out, pretty-on-paper schedule.
These may be parents with likely younger kids who have shorter attention spans than older learners, kids with learning exceptionalities in need of greater supports in and out of school, and kids whose parents have stacked work days as it is, with busy schedules of their own.
I have heard of some parents shifting gears and withdrawing their kids from homeschooling altogether. If your situation is more similar to this group, you are not alone and may want to focus on teaching your child valuable life skills instead.
My teaching philosophy centres on an inclusive definition of learning, and that includes informal learning (such as knowledge and experiences passed down generation to generation through storytelling), as well as learning through travel and experiential learning. This period of physical distancing and social isolation makes it a perfect time to share with your own children all the valuable skills they will need as they grow up. In the process, consider folding in arithmetic, reading and communicating.
Here are some suggestions for activities to focus on instead:
COOKING: (measuring = math; mixing ingredients = chemistry). Food Network Canada has a whole section devoted to cooking with kids.
- Skills to teach include:
- Kitchen safety and safe storing of food
- Meal-planning and simple meals and snacks like sandwiches
- Cutting and peeling
- Breading and shaping
- Using a simple appliances and a blender (healthy smoothies)
- Simple baking (chocolate chip cookies)
- Making simple meals on the stove (grilled cheese)
- Cooking staples such as rice, quinoa and other grains and cereals
- Following simple recipes and helping as the Sous Chef
- Cleaning up
LAUNDRY: (matching, sorting and organizing; folding improves motor skills)
- Skills to teach:
- Separating by colour and type of laundry
- Adding the right amount of cleaning product for the load
- Drying
- Patching and basic sewing
- Folding
- Putting away
BANKING AND BILLS: (dollars and cents; counting; financial literacy & budgeting; economics)
- Skills to teach:
- Banking (account types and their purposes)
- Minimum balances and fees
- Income and expenses
- Managing needs vs. wants
- Setting financial / money goals
- Making budgets
- Smart spending
- Cost-cutting and saving
GARDENING: (seasons, weather, geography)
- Skills to teach:
- What plants need to survive
- The three sisters: plants that thrive together
- Sustainability & food waste
- Heirloom seeds (you can also have them look into the Svalbard Global Seed Vault)
- Botanical classification
- Different regions and plants of the world, with focus on local
- Creating a reading garden
- Bird feeders
HOUSEKEEPING, TIDYING & CLEANING: (looking after and caring for the things we have)
You can also teach them a skill you are particularly good at (drawing, guitar, auto mechanics, carpentry, cartography & navigation, film and cinema, photography, documentaries, knitting — whatever your passion, fold them in). Also, allow them to deepen the skill they are passionate about (drawing, gaming and game theory, music, video production — they take the lead, but hold them accountable for demonstrating what they’ve learned).
If you and your learners do have the bandwidth to incorporate some academics, focus on encouraging your learners to read as much as possible, and involve them in conversations based on the ideas of the readings. You can do the same with movies, if they are old enough.
If you need shorter conversation-starters that are still education-based and are inclusive to many types of learners, I’m a big fan of TEDEd — quick snackable videos that cover a range of topics and offer supplemental material and are an offshoot of the now well-known TED Talks.
As always, I’m happy to hear what’s working and what’s not, as well as to share resources and ideas. Feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts. Wishing you a great start to the week (week 9 for many). 🤓
sp*rk curiosity 