by Linda Castillo
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, many parents have been tackling homeschooling for the first time. For me, the first few weeks have been a challenge to say the least. I am sure my daughters were feeling the same this way this boy did, as noted in his first journal entry of homeschooling. Below is this 8-year-old’s journal entry on first of homeschooling goes viral (Candice Hunter Kennedy post below).
And of course, entering into homeschooling, I thought, “I got this.” Then the reality set in, and I felt like this meme below LOL.
Now I just heard the news that California schools will be out for the remainder of this school year. I am honestly taking deep breaths and trying to figure out how I will manage working and homeschooling my two little ones while maintaining a positive attitude. Here are some things I am doing to make homeschooling work for our family.
Get Organized
I don’t have a lot of space in my casita, so I had to get creative with how I created a learning zone. I organized the library by reading level and language so my girls can get the books they need (hopefully, they put them back in place). I stored all downtime activities like PlayDoh, puzzles, coloring books and crayons, paper for drawing, and more in easily accessible crates. These activities are essential to have handy when you need to keep the kids occupied to take a work conference call. Create a checklist of all the daily activities to make sure they are doing all of their school coursework.
Be Flexible
I am sure you have seen homeschool schedule examples detailing every activity by the hour. But let’s be real keeping to that schedule, well, it isn’t realistic when you have work meetings in the morning. So you may need to shift the homeschool schedule around. Sometimes this means that the hands-on lessons won’t get started till after 4 pm or that kids have PJ day. It’s important to tell your kids that they need to be flexible too. It’s the only way that this all works.
Get Creative
I love crafting, so I have plenty of supplies in the garage ready for stay-at-home days for the kiddos. However, it’s not realistic for me to do crafting every day with my kids. So here are some ideas to help when you can’t be hands-on with your kids and will provide about a half-hour to 45 minutes to keep them occupied.
Look for online classes for the kids to watch and learn a new activity. Bay Area artist Sirron Norris is Zoomtooming on Mondays and Fridays. For more information on the free online drawing classes visit to view previously recorded classes and stay posted for upcoming sessions by following at @SirronNorris.
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My girls were wholly captivated by Sirron’s drawing lesson and they had fun creating cartoon characters of our dog Coco.
My eldest daughter’s teacher shared the 30-day Lego challenge with all her students. I love that my girls are working together, concentrating, experimenting, and problem-solving to create their Lego masterpieces.
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Also, Comcast has made nearly 2,000 hours of programming and thousands of free titles available to Xfinity video customers to give children and parents quick and easy access to educational programming by grade level as part of the company’s comprehensive response to the Covid-19 crisis.
The education collection is being organized by grade level, from kindergarten through 12th grade. It includes topics and tutorials across history, English, math, science, social studies, reading, yoga, biographies, animals and arts.
Michaels craft store has over 100 craft ideas on their website and is also offering Facebook lives every Wednesday at Noon PST.
Go Outside
When you are cooped up in your house, taking breaks outside is crucial. Have some fun outdoors with your kids, whether it’s playing games in the backyard like chalk art, jump rope, or some lawn games. Today, I went for a walk around our neighborhood with my girls, and they were so excited to see a few bears in windows. Consider placing a teddy bear up in one of your windows to join the scavenger hunt, and I am sure you will be putting a smile on the face of many kids.
Let your Kids Follow their Passion
Our school system and teachers did an amazing job of helping parents with homeschooling efforts. They provided a checklist of school lessons to complete daily and even have Google meet-ups with the class daily. And our teachers have been there to answer students’ and parents’ questions.
After my girls finish their schoolwork, I am trying to learn more about what my kids are into these days. For example, my eldest has been begging me to start a YouTube channel. So I am going to make it a family project to help her start it. I want her and her sister to think about the types of videos she wants to include, the name and her audience. While my younger daughter has been asking for to do more math and loves playing with Legos.
Practice Patience
Everyone is going to get a bit stir-crazy being around their family 24/7. And every day your kids will likely drive you crazy saying they are bored, hungry after you just fed them, fighting with each other and even battling with you when you ask them to do their schoolwork. Well, at least that is how it is going in my home somedays LOL. So I try to remember to be patient with my kids, step away, and let them just be kids. Let them get a little silly and give them space to play when they should be studying. After all, we have to remember they are missing their classmates and dealing with all the uncertainty around COVID-19.
Give Yourself a Break
As moms and parents, we are being asked to do so much during this time. We are supposed to be working, parenting, and teaching, and it really isn’t possible to do it all. So be kind to yourself and give yourself a break. At the end of the day, pat yourself on the back on went well that day, and if it was a bad day, remember tomorrow is a new day to start over!
Looking for more tips to help you with homeschooling visit:
- Homeschooling: Tips for Getting Started
- How to Educate & Entertain Your Kids
- Tips For Homeschooling During Coronavirus
- The Best Homeschooling Resources Online
- Homeschooling Methods
- Teaching kids at home due to coronavirus? Homeschooling moms share their tips
Shopping for homeschooling essentials: