So your child is learning at home (either crisis schooling or homeschooling or doing summer learning) and you know you aren’t going to be able to accomplish much, but you want to feel like you hit the educational basics and make sure your kids don’t backslide. Here’s how to hit the 4 essentials in as little as an hour and some resources to make it easy:
1) MATH
Practice Math Facts. Here’s a site you can do that easily (and for free): https://www.factmonster.com/math/flashcards And here’s the log I created so you and your child can see his or her progress (free to download): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fact-Monster-Math-Fact-Practice-Log-5373801 Remember, seeing progress is great motivation! Facts should be practiced if they are not automatic, which means even high schoolers may need practice!
Bonus: Practice 10 math problems on https://www.ixl.com/ (10 problems free in each subject/day).
2) READ
Pick up a book and read from 20 min to 1 hour (depending on child’s age and attention span). Too hard? Listen to a book on audible, free as long as schools are closed: stories.audible.com Studies show listening to stories light up all the same parts of the brain as reading them.
3) WRITE
Write in a journal. It can be a story, a list of goals, or a diary entry. Younger kids can write letters or draw or doodle. I suggest setting a timer for 15 minutes and requiring only moving the pen or pencil for that length of time with no checking on what they wrote unless they ask you to look. Tell your kids that you have never lived through this before and they may never live through it again, so a diary might be something to pass down to future generations who will ask what it was like.
Or make a mini book each day. Here’s how to easily make a mini book with only one sheet of paper and a pair of scissors: www.youtube.com/watch?v=21qi9ZcQVto
4) MOVE
Send your kids to play outside or go for a walk or have them dance to music, a video game, or a Tic Tok dance (not recommended for young kids independently).
**STOP HERE and congratulate yourself! You have hit all the basics!**
BONUS ROUND:
Learn something…Do an internet search on a insect seen outside, pick up an Usborne-type non-fiction book, watch an instructional video, or watch an episode of Magic School Bus or a TV show in a foreign language. See my previous post for LOTS more ideas.
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