by Jill Pratt
Do you feel like you’ve hopped into a weird episode of The Walking Dead yet? When all of this began, I never really imagined that we’d be here where we are today. Quarantine at home, teaching lessons at the dinner table. While our plates as parents are overflowing, some of us are asking ourselves, How am I going to do this? How do I juggle all of these moving parts?
Hear me when I say this, YOU CAN DO THIS! It doesn’t have to look the same as everyone else, it doesn’t have to resemble traditional school. Make it your own, do what works best for your kids and family, get creative, but also remember that it is OKAY to give your kid a worksheet when you are exhausted! It’s okay to have a difficult day, put everything away and find some other activities to relax and enjoy the day with your kids. To help, I’ve created a list of activities for your family to enjoy together.
Math:
-sidewalk chalk math facts
-measuring around the house
-play Monopoly
-use dice to make addition and subtraction problems
-play Grocery Store (set up a store, let the kid go shopping and let them use money to pay for items)
-Cook and let the kids measure the ingredients
-hopscotch skip counting
-make a pizza or a pie and discuss fractions
-Older kids: now is a great time to create a “real life” portfolio. Have your kids decide on what profession they want to pursue and look up the average salary. Start discussing with them about monthly income, look up homes and home prices for mortgage payments, subtract month bills and so forth. Do a section everyday and let them create the life they want based on their salary.
Science:
-observe animals: understand their needs, how they seek safety, how they gather food, etc.
-on clear nights, draw a picture of the moon in detail with colors and shading over two weeks and see if you notice a pattern
-think of a form of technology that you use in your home (microwave, phone, AC, computer, etc.) write or draw how your day would be different if you didn’t have those items. (This is a good science/writing activity every week)
Social Studies:
-Discuss professions that are considered essentials right now and what makes them so important to the community during a time of crisis.
-Make a map of your neighborhood
-Pin the plane on the map (like pin the tail on the donkey) hang a map on the wall and blindly choose a location and explore it. Google info about the place, distance from your home, how much a plane ride cost to travel, things to see while you are there, etc.
Language Arts/Reading:
-Make and play sight word bingo
-sight word hopscotch
-letter/vocabulary/sentence scavenger hunt
-Choose an informational text, read it, and respond to it by writing the main idea and share it with someone in your home
-Pen Pals: let your kids email or write to their family, friends and teachers
Family Activities:
-let the kids construct things with all of your Amazon boxes
-plant veggies
-make a time capsule and bury it
-play with shaving cream
-make a bird feeder
-make an obstacle course out of random supplies sitting around
-Paint rocks and make a colorful rock garden
-create picture books or other fun personalized things on shutterfly.com
-use old boxes to make large dice and play a game in the yard
-create a treasure hunt
-research your family tree
-pitch tent and camp out in your backyard
-watergun tag
-Chore/bored jar
-Use solo cups to construct towers
-Sidewalk chalk paint (cornstarch,water, and food coloring)
