In the wake of school closures and a shift to homeschooling for children around the globe, parents may find themselves lost in a sea of new educational responsibilities. Between finding ways to entertain from the safety and comfort of home, and preparing your pantry for the inevitable snack intake increase that comes with any school holiday, parents everywhere have been asking themselves (and their Facebook friends) “Well, how do I start teaching now, too?” Fantastic Tours is a student travel agency that has been in business for over 35 years. You could say we have some experience in taking a curriculum and adjusting it for a new location, considering that we have been doing just that since our start in 1984. We want to help the parents out there who may be feeling just a bit overwhelmed, so we have compiled some helpful tips and tricks for setting up your homeschool classroom and getting adjusted to at-home education.
Flexibility is Fun!
While some students may have a structured day of online classes, many allow for a certain amount of flexibility. This is a great time to teach children about time management and practice those decision-making skills! Is today a start-with-math-and-get-it-over-with kind of day? Or, are we feeling a bit more arts and crafts in the AM? In a world where things don’t always feel in-control, let your kids have a little more autonomy in the structure of their homeschool day so that they can become aware of how they learn best. Remember, one of the best parts of homeschooling is that you are not tethered to regular school hours. Go easy on yourself and do what works best for your family.
If You Have School Spirit, Let Me Hear It!
We’re not exactly proposing you host a family pep rally… Or maybe we are? We totally are! Get your students excited about the prospect of homeschooling with some team-building exercises. Have schoolchildren come up with a name for their homeschool, and then pick out some school colors and a mascot. Does your school have sports teams or book clubs? It can! Once your school has a name, colors, and a mascot, you’re just about ready to plan your at-home pep rally. Play some music, learn a song or cheer, and allow for a little excitement in your homeschool day. Through years of planning and leading student tours to Washington D.C., we’ve learned that you can’t underestimate the importance of spicing up your day, or your long bus trip, with a good song.
Dare to Go Digital!
Just because you’re practicing social distancing doesn’t mean you have to be stuck at home. With so many creators, organizations, and educators accessible at the tips of your fingers, there’s no reason you can’t take that trip to the zoo and learn firsthand from zookeepers! The Cincinnati Zoo goes live on Facebook every day at 3:00 PM eastern in their Home Safari Series. Visit your favorite animals up close and be sure to submit any questions you have during the stream; you might just get an answer! What if you missed the live stream? There’s still plenty to indulge in on the internet. Thanks to Save with Stories, celebrities around the globe have been reading children’s books on Instagram to entertain, educate, and help parents give their voices a much-needed break. Older school children might enjoy a virtual field trip over an at-home safari, so make it a project to plan your own online Washington D.C. student tours with the many virtual museum exhibits now available for free, and maybe even do some virtual sightseeing!
Don’t forget to be intentional with your screen time when homeschooling. Set up personal and workspace boundaries like sitting at a desk or table during the school day, but on a couch or somewhere cozy outside of school.
You’ve Got This, And So Do They!
The most important thing to remember in all of this? You’ve got this, you’re going to get through temporary homeschooling, and so will they. Practice self-care now more than ever, and try to incorporate it into your daily homeschooling routine. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed and stressed out, and the same is true for schoolchildren who are going through this adjustment period. Be kind to yourself and to one another. Laugh often and stay connected! Build a group chat or schedule webcam playdates between kids and their classmates, and take this time to let kids learn a little bit more about their family history. There’s never been a better time to give Grandma a call or start working on your family tree. Extraordinary circumstances make for extraordinary people, and we are all going to make it through.
