How to learn at home while the schools are closed and looking or some Tips & Ideas.?
If you are a parent whose children typically go to school, but the schools are closed due to the coronavirus or whatever other reason, you might be wondering how to learn or pass time at home with your children.
First, Don’t be panic. It will be ok. A few days, weeks, months, or even a year without formal education will not set your child up for failure for the rest of their life. Kids learn an incredible amount of information just through everyday interactions and experiences. Take some time to talk about it together. Help them understand what is happening and give them both space and time to relax.
Next, consider how this experience is making your children feel. Kids who are feeling stressed or anxious about their situation cannot learn well. Take some time to talk about it together. Help them understand what is happening and give them both space and time to relax. There is no need to rush into doing a school-like day with your children. It’s more important to care for a relationship with your child than to force education into them because it seems expected
First, see if your child has any assignments or homework to complete during this time. Sometimes, schools offer online tools to share projects or assignments, so check with your child’s teacher, if possible.
Next, if there is nothing official, here are some ideas of ways to learn at home that are free or cheap.
1. Do a Unit Study. Pick a topic your child loves and dive in. Go to the library and stock up on books. Check YouTube or Netflix for documentaries or related TV shows. Use Google and search for “(topic idea) lapbook” and you can often find some great resources to build on for learning. This can work for just about anything and for any grade student.
Topics like: Science, space, animals, history, cultural studies, theological studies like computer programming or even Minecraft.
2. Learn in Unusual Ways:
- Life is learning, so check out some of these life learning ideas.
- Videos/Movies-Check out the TED-Ed website for educational videos on a huge selection of subjects. Teach With Movies helps you watch entertainment movies and turn them into educational conversations and projects.
- Play games. Whether it’s a board game or a video game, kids can learn so much. Try Scrabble or Bananagrams for language and spelling. Monopoly and Poker for math.
- Read: Read out loud together. Use AudioBooks. Have a reading challenge.
- Take some virtual field trips. Google has thousands of museums you can walk through on your computer. Here are some other famous museums. You can visit Nunavut, or the Parliament Buildings, or even a farm.
3. Use Websites & Apps:
Khan Academy: Math & More. This is a free website that aims to bring an open platform of education to anyone who wants it.
ProdigyGame: This is a free Math RPG game where kids use math to cast spells against enemies. It’s a lot of fun and a great way for kids to learn though games.
Daily Grammar: Your kids can do a free grammar lesson every day. Click on the topic you want to work on or start from “Verb” for Lesson 1.
CrashCourseKids: This youtube channel is the kid edition of the popular Crash Course series and focuses mostly on sciences through engaging and fun videos. Their high school and up videos are at TheCrashCourse and cover all kinds of subjects such as history, science, literature, film, and more.
Mango Languages: French. Many libraries across the country have teamed up with Mango Languages to offer free language course so that you can learn at home. You aren’t limited to French either. Check to see if your library offers this program.
OR Duolingo – a free app that you can download to learn a ton of different languages.
4. Workbooks / Worksheets:
If you feel the need to add more “traditional” style while you learn at home (which you don’t usually need to do, especially for short-term school breaks), here are a few cheap options.
The Complete Canadian Curriculum series of books for grades 1 through 8 covers math, English, science, and social studies in a single book per grade. Aligned with the curriculum plans for each grade, these are terrific books for when you want to touch base with learning for a while.
Pinterest is an amazing search engine. If you look for worksheets on just about any topic, you will find something – I’m sure. So many teachers, homeschoolers, and companies have made terrific printable pages. All you have to do is find something that matches what you want to learn, print it out, and get started.
Hopefully, these ideas will help you during this period of no school. Most important thing to remember is that learning should be fun and that you don’t need to panic. Try just to enjoy this time with your children.
