LIFE
Surviving Summer Holiday With the Little Ones
The school year is almost over and I am about ready to exhale because it’s been a trying couple of weeks for everyone dealing with the global health pandemic (Covid-19). In March, when the possibility of schools shutting down became a topic of discussion, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The decision about whether or not to shut down schools dragged on until there could be no denying about the dangers posed to our children. Even though the rate of incidence of the infection in children was reportedly low, not enough was known about the virus and how the variables that determined the infection rates in different populations. What was certain was that there was enough concern that schools had to be shut down. States and school districts had to come up with a plan quickly!
For about a week or two after schools shut down, we were moving blindly, trying to fill in the gap to educate our children. In our house, things didn’t go too smoothly during that time. I had great intentions, but the Little Man and I were having trouble settling into our new normal. The old normal was – I wake up, go through my morning routine, wake him up and get him ready for school, drop him off for the school bus, and go on about my business for the day until it was time to pick him up from school. So I had hours to do my work without having to worry about him and what he was doing. Now, all of a sudden, I had to figure out how we could both be productive sharing my usual work hours. It wasn’t easy. We were moving along with no plan, no schedule, because of course, at that time, we weren’t sure how long the lockdown would be. So we were just kind of winging it. Chaos!
And then the school districts came up with a plan for delivering teaching and keeping up with the curriculum for the year. Finally, a schedule! A time to log in and interact with teachers and friends from school, homework, and some direction. This has been the new normal since mid-March, and apart from some early technical difficulties as teachers and students got accustomed to the online teaching platform, it has been a good experience.
Having said that, do I want homeschooling to be my new normal? Oh, hell no! I respect parents who homeschool by choice, but it wouldn’t be my choice. Teachers have a difficult job. Just doing homework with my one child and I am unraveling, yet teachers have to teach many children at different comprehension levels. Some of these children may be dealing with mental issues and home environments that affect their learning, and teachers have to try and deliver for all their students every school day. Teaching is a hard and challenging job. Don’t wait for Teacher Appreciation Week to thank your child’s teacher. Do it as often as you can.
So we are in the month of June, at the tail end of this school year and planning what the Summer break will look like. Before the shutdown, we were looking at Summer school options and I was even looking into a sleep away camp. The Little Man wasn’t too keen on going away for Summer school but I was trying to convince him that it was a good idea and he would have fun. All that is cancelled now. Even if the program was going to go on as planned, I wouldn’t feel comfortable sending him off to sleep over somewhere. Expectedly, those plans are but we have to stay busy during the holiday.
Being holed up with me may not be as much fun as playing with other kids in summer camp, but we have come up with a plan to satisfy my desire for him to continue learning during the holiday and to do some fun activities of his choice. Most of it will happen online. I have claimed four hours out of every weekday for him. The rest of the time is his to do with as he pleases (as long as his planned activities are legal).
These are the online resources that the Little Man enjoys:
- Khan Academy (free)
- Prodigy (free)
- National Geographic Kids (free)
- Hello Kids (drawing) (free)
- Epic! (subscription)
- Roblox (gaming that allows him to interact with his friends). Beyond gaming, they have platforms to teach children coding, game design, and entrepreneurial skills.
There are many other free online resources to keep your little ones busy. Once they find a platform that they love, you can keep them entertained while they learn.
- Funbrain
- Math Playground
- Math Game Time
- Code Academy (free and subscription options)
- How Stuff Works
- Squiggle Park
- Typing Club
- PBS Kids
- Storyline
- History for Kids
We went through many of these platforms before my Little Man settled on the ones that he really liked. It’s been a hectic couple of weeks for all of us as we adjust to the tools that will shape our new normal post-Covid-19. For those of us who have made it this far, there is a lot to be thankful for.
