COVID-19 Homeschool, Day 16

Day 16. That's right, we're entering our FOURTH WEEK of homeschool. And I have to say, I think we're finding our groove. My kids' teachers have gotten into a routine of posting weekly "assignments" (not officially required, and they don't need to actually submit anything, but I'd like them to keep up with their classes, so I'm assigning them) and hosting periodic class meetings, which include both socialization and actual lessons. Plus their drama and music teachers have posted options, and my son's trombone teacher is continuing virtual lessons. So our schedule is slowly getting to be somewhat more predictable, although we're still enjoying our flexibility.

Since it's Monday, I'm starting them with looking at their school lessons for the week, then we'll break off into our own additions.

7-8:30am: Get up, have breakfast, brush and wash, get dressed.

8:30-9:30am: Math. Both of their teachers have assigned online math sites, including Zearn and Khan Academy. My daughter has also been doing really well with her multiplication facts flashcards, so she and I went through those again. She's getting to the point where if she doesn't know an answer, she's usually able to figure it out using 5x or 10x and adding or subtracting, without my prompting. Hooray! That's a really big step for her. They both also spent some time posting flipgrids telling their teachers and classmates what we've been doing in homeschool and just saying hello (this was also in response to a request from their teachers).

9:30-10am: Reading. They both read independently. They both chose to read the books I've been reading to them at bedtime: for my daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter, and for my son, Rick Riordan's first Magnus Chase book, The Sword of Summer.

10-10:45am: Science/Music. My son watched the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy program today, which was about how sharks move. We downloaded the shark diagram so he could label it during the program, and he answered some questions afterwards. My daughter watched (and sang along with) Miss Tracey's Morning Circle, then watched a video from one of last weeks' Circle that she'd missed.

10:45-11am: Quick snack break, then finding shoes and sweatshirts for our walk.

11am-12pm: PE. We took a long walk down the street and back. We tried wearing our new masks. We determined that my daughter's wee little button nose and tiny face made her mask wither fall down or ride up and block her eyes, so I'll be doing some modifications after lunch. My son's wasn't too bad except that his breath kept fogging up his glasses, so I'll try adding some wire at the top so it will conform to his nose and stay closer to his cheeks. My mask worked just fine, though!

12-1pm: Lunch break and free time. They continue to be more independent about making their own lunches. My daughter can make macaroni and cheese without help and my son warmed up a reasonably balanced meal of leftovers. Increased independence is high on their list of accomplishments for this shutdown!

1-2pm: Writing. My son's class is doing a Google Meet, so I got him set up, then I started my daughter writing in her journal for a bit. She likes to write in a physical journal rather than typing into a computer, so I sent her outside on the porch to enjoy the gorgeous weather and get some more fresh air while she writes. They both spent some time video chatting with their friends at the end of the hour.

2-3pm: Movie. Last night we started watching The Incredibles 2 but only got halfway. I promised them we could finish watching it at some point today, so the three of us snuggled up on the couch and enjoyed it. And a very large bowl of popcorn, of course.

And with that, we're done for the day!