Hey everyone! I hope you are having a good day so far – I know it’s a WILD time right now and so much of our normal life is out the window because of Quarantine and COVID-19! I wanted to share what we have been trying out as we adjust to this new normal as a family of 6. We just welcomed baby Chase to the family 3 weeks ago and it’s all a blur really haha. We made up a schedule and did some work from their packets and themed craft days… but, like most of you, we are learning as we go what works and what doesn’t. So revised our schedule and added a little more school work into the mix (as requested by the girls)
First things first though…..I want to share my heart with you guys! I think a lot of people keep posting about how they are loving this forced slow down time/family time/free time to do things you don’t normally do…and I have been feeling all the feels about it! First, I feel like I don’t have as much time as I used to so not sure how I’m supposed to squeeze in these hobbies and such that everyone keeps talking about haha. I also feel worry over my community and our country and especially my kids! I want to make this time the least chaotic as I can for them…but that also takes a toll on me as a mama. Yes we might be forced to slow down and have more family time right now and I LOVE being with my kids but I also know that being a parent isn’t just about the fun. You have to do the hard parenting parts too. And right now it can feel like a lot. Maybe other people have kids who listen all the time and get a long and aren’t showing their own kid anxiety about the situation they’ve been thrown into….but my kids are KIDS and are doing all the kid stuff!
SO all that to say…if you feel like everyone else is having sweet calm family time and you are the only one dealing with the crazy…you’re wrong! I know so many moms who feel the same way. And that’s ok. This is a hard time. I told my kids that even though so much of our normal life is out the window…and we have all these worries and fears bubbling up inside…we have to remember all we have to be grateful for and think about all of the people who are suffering or struggling way more than we are. That has helped our day to day quarantine life a lot. My mom also reminded me to, every day, think of something that HAS NOT changed… focus on that and hold onto those constants in our life!
NOW…. time to chat Quarantine Schedule! I just feel like I needed to preface this post with the above so you don’t think I have it ALL TOGETHER and we are just sailing through with no kid melt downs OR mom melt downs haha. I do feel that some routine and structure helps everyone. My kids do much better when they know what is expected of them that day and what they have to look forward to or need to get done. I also wanted to keep our schedule pretty loose. No starting the schedule super early… or filling up every 15 minutes. We are adjusting to this new season AND… we have a newborn. So life is coo coo with that alone. ;) I hope that our schedule gives you some ideas for your own daily routine – make it your own!
OUR QUARATINE SCHEDULE
OUR DAILY PLANNERS
I was homeschooled 2nd grade through high school and my mom wrote up a similar format for my lesson work. Knowing what I needed to do each day, in each subject, helped a lot. We have the work packets for my three big kids that were sent from the school… and it’s not even really “required” as of now BUT… we want to keep the kids learning and sharp on things they’ve already learned. The girls also requested some extra projects and lessons and I think they really were just BORED. So I came up with some lessons that were mostly INDEPENDENT WORK. That is key. During these times, unless you are just rocking the game right now, we don’t need to overload ourselves with work and activities. I mainly planned this all out so we could have some structure in our day but also the kids would have ideas for what they can do. I was kind of tired of being told they were bored or they didn’t know what to do with themselves. The girls requested biography reports or animal reports so I said SURE! More on the details of the lessons below! I pretty much asked the kids what they would enjoy doing and then I added in a few other things that were simple, educational and I knew they would like.
Here is the Girls’ Daily Planner:
DOWNLOAD A BLANK TEMPLATE OF IT
Here is Micah’s Daily Planner:
DOWNLOAD A BLANK TEMPLATE OF IT
We sit down and go over first thing and he tells me what he’s thankful for and what act of kindness he is going to do…the girls do that part on their own.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE
Every week the three big kids will have a project due by Friday! (They are the most excited about this!)
I got poster boards from Michael’s online and made their dreams come true haha.
I found some printables online to help with the “requirements” for the projects. I wanted to have it clear what they HAD to put on it….. but then they could go to town coloring and drawing and cutting stuff out for the project. This is a great independent project for the girls. Micah will need more of my help but not much.
Biography Report Printable
Animal Report Printable
Sophia chose Anne Frank as her person this week to research. She’s already got a lot done!
Sienna chose to research Simone Biles this week!
GEOGRAPHY
I remember doing this type of project as a kid and I loved it. I went on the hunt to find some State Printables and came across a great State Set from Crafty Classroom! It wasn’t free…but worth the $5!
Every day the three big kids have a new state to research (via online or our state book) and they complete the coloring page. This was the first subject the girls dove into… it’s a fun one.
The plan is to order some white binders off Amazon and some plastic sleeves….and have the kids end up with their own little USA Binder.
MATH
The kids were all given math work in their class packets…but ALL my kids need to work on flashcards and just drilling in solving math problems.
So we are alternating between flashcards….and then math problem sheets (My mom actually has them and scanned/emailed them to us! She’s the homeschool pro.)
ART
For art we are going to be working through various YouTube Art Channels.
We’ll get the kids set up at the table in front of the TV and have them learn something!
EXERCISE
Ben put on a Kid workout via YouTube the other day for Micah man and he loved it! So we will either do that…or have them do something outside.
Today it was thundering outside so we did the YouTube workout…except Asher, he was like NOPE. haha.
PASSPORT PROJECT
This is something that if you saw on the planner you probably wouldn’t know what I’m talking about!
I had this idea and came up with the name…..because I know what my kids like! They love crafts, food, themes and projects!
SO… Every Friday Night we will have a themed dinner put on by the big kids.
So on Monday they choose their Country and all week they’ll make their menu, decor, learn facts and really put any little detail into that themed dinner!
Friday they help make the meal. I ordered passports off Oriental Trading so they can use those at the dinners too. :)
READING
At least 30 minutes a day and I’m having them keep track of the titles they read!
BUILD
Micah/Asher have building as one of their lessons and it’s a great hands on project they can do to stay busy.
It can be with Legos or popsicle sticks or marble runs… anything like that!
With a house full of littles..it’s handy to have little activities like this nearby so that when you’re helping one kid you can have them busy. I don’t guarantee no fights will happen….lol BUT it helps!
I also found some great printable for Asher on Pinterest! There are tons of free ones you can use to give them fun learning activities. The Mini Weather Book was a great FREE find on TeachersPayTeachers.com!
I hope this is helpful if you are looking for some lesson ideas!
I really think it’s a good idea to have it laid out for direction.
They want stuff to do during this different times…and it’s helping them use their brains.
I’m enjoying not having to come up with something new every few minutes lol. They can go see the schedule and see their lessons for that day.
We aren’t going to go crazy if we fall behind the schedule or they miss a lesson…. it’s there to help us not drive us coo coo!
Also, you can always see how this goes and adjust if needed. Don’t add any more stress than you already have on your plate- have fun and remember, you’re the boss! ;)
