advice from a veteran home schooler in the time of covid-19

as a family of seven that has been home schooling for about 12 years, i wanted to share some tips that may help families with children who will be spending a lot more time together in the coming weeks.

make a fresh start. As we live through uncertain times, we can take the opportunity to reframe social distancing as a time to reconnect with our loved ones.

• set your intention to reconnect as a family
• do a mental health check-in: address concerns and worries, discuss the situation in an age-appropriate manner
• get buy-in & input from your children on how they envision the next few weeks
• set realistic expectations
• re-evaluate & reflect regularly: what is working? what needs to change? what was learned? what to do next?

 

• is there something you always wanted to do as a family? do that!
• develop a loose, general routine
• expect to exercise your patience muscle
• use short durations for activities and tasks
• use do-overs when someone makes a mistake, gets frustrated or upset
• do not try to recreate school at home or buy a bunch of “educational” stuff

 

create a new normal that works for your family’s specific situation.

• make a point to show affection and give positive affirmations
• get spouse and older children involved in leading and teaching activities
• go outside regularly
• read aloud together
• watch lectures, TED talks, movies and documentaries
• play board & car games; do sudoko, crossword and coloring books
• get crafty or journal & draw

 

• do science experiments
• teach life skills: cooking, cleaning, laundry, personal finance
• cook & eat as a family
• worship, pray and read sacred scriptures
• take naps
• learn one new thing every day
• manage screen time

 

Remember — the Force be with you, always.

 

homeschool day at adventure park

my homies helped me win tickets to the adventure park at sandy spring friends school so I was able to take three of my girls and join them in the trees.

it was a challenging, yet rewarding experience for them. after completing a trail, they would go right back to the start to have a go at another trail.

there were times when we called for help (“Staff!”), there were some tears of frustration, there were times when we bailed out before the finish, but we all left happy and spent. kind of like our normal homeschool days.

can you find my girls (three of them) in this picture above?

tennis bubble

PrayerGirl, our little homebody that claims everything is boring, has finally found a sport that she likes. After 8 weeks of her first class, then into this second session, she still gets excited about going to class. Yes!

pumpkin harvest days at butler’s orchard 2015

since the first hint of color in the leaves
prayerGirl has been asking to go to the pumpkin patch.
this year butler’s orchard did not disappoint.
even as the weather threatened rain on the way there,
when we arrived there was nary a cloud in the sky.
the animals were all out,
the apples were crisp,
the pumpkins were perfect,
and the big girls managed to find the exit to the corn maze
before i had to come looking for them.
we ended our visit with a pumpkin roll from the farm market.
pumpkin roll…mmm-mmm.

now i’ve just got to make sure we actually do something with pumpkins we picked.

archery

the girls ended their summer with an archery workshop
that included archery anatomy, safety and techniques,
making their own arrow,
and, of course, time at the range getting close and personal
with a bow and arrow.
this was not their first time shooting,
but no class has been this thorough.
ms. behrend was their certified 4-H archery instructor
at the rustic Patuxent River 4-H Center.

now all we need is a archery club for kids in PG county.

woods wise

this summer three of our girls attended
ancestral knowledge‘s woods wise camps.
the progression of their comfortability with nature
and knowledge and hands-on application of survival skills
makes me so…envious.

they came home mud-stained from neck to toes,
sometimes with a tick or two,
but always with a sense of confidence, camaraderie with their peers,
and calm.

i didn’t catch a pic of signGirl, but after her first woods wise camp
she is comfortable wielding a very sharp knife of her own,
and us parents are confident that she can handle it responsibly.

in woods wise 2,
among other things,
mercyGirl learned how to use a bow drill to make fire.
that’s some primitive power!

this is radianceGirl’s third woods wise camp.
she made her own bow and arrow.
how cool is that!

though they still ask us parents to remove spiders from their rooms
or squeal in terror because of some many-legged insect,
there is something about spending all day outdoors
(with some excellent counselors as their guides)
that gives them the courage to go farther.

six flags

making use of the six flags read to succeed tickets the girls earned last year
by reading recreationally for just six hours.
easy peasy.

in october, homeschooling parents & teachers can
register children in grades K – 6 for the 2015 – 2016 school year.

wizard of oz playground at watkins regional park

we’ve been waiting for this park to re-open since winter.
we’d drive by on our way to or from classes at watkins nature center
and peek at their progress.
i don’t know if it’s been officially opened
since workers were still painting on the yellow brick road during our first visit
along with some other works-in-progress,
but that, nor the heat, stopped my girls from exploring this “wizard of oz”-themed park.

the play area is awesome,
but thankfully there are still lots of places for shade,
and the nearby picnic pavilions remain,
plus there is another flat area suitable for a game of, say, kickball, or the like.

now we’re waiting for the new camping areas to open…

lotus and water lily cultural festival

right on time for spectacular views
of the lotuses and water lilies in full bloom
was the 2015 lotus and water lily cultural festival
at kenilworth aquatic gardens.

there were free hands-on activities, demonstrations, educational workshops, Civil war reenactors, and Asian and African dance performances —
something to tickle everyone’s fancy.
the free face painting was a particular hit with the kids (line be damned!).

this event will be on my calendar next summer inshaAllah,
but the aquatic gardens has other interesting wildlife and art park programs that we may check out before then.

bird’s eye view of the nation’s capital

a chilly, drizzly day in february is the best day
to take a tour of the washington monument.
lines? what lines?
the day was cloudy,
but the clouds were high
and we could see clearly in all four directions
to both maryland and virginia.

we learned all about the washington monument’s history and structure,
including cool facts about what’s on top of the monument,
what’s inside the monument,
and why the stones are two different shades of white.

because we’re curious homeschoolers we can also discuss
why this monument to the first president of the united states
looks like it was copied from ancient egyptian architecture.

free first-come first-served timed tickets are available
at the washington monument lodge just down the hill,
but if you’re coming on a busy day with little people who have little patience
it may behoove you to make advance reservations for just $1.50 a pop.

later, inshaAllah, i plan to get a different take on this nation’s most notable obelisk.