I have 14 years experience homeschooling kids - Ask me anything!

18 Comments

1. AnonymousMarch 24,2020 at 5:41PM UTC

   Wow, that's amazing. Do you enjoy homeschooling? What tips would you give a parent who is now working from home and multi-tasking homeschooling a pre-k child and 4th grader? I know this is a really specific question. :)

2. Pamela TemplinMarch 24,2020 at 8:05PM UTC

   I had a similar question elsewhere, so I will bring my answer here from over there.

   It will, of course, depend on the nature of your work, how flexible you can be, what kind of work his/her teacher has sent home, and how self-directed your pre-K and 4th grader can be.

   Time blocking is perhaps a method you could use. Schedule two blocks of time that are larger - morning and afternoon. 1-2 hours, whatever you can manage. Then schedule mini-blocks of time for check-ins.

   At the a.m. block, go over the day’s assignments they are to do. Answer any questions, demonstrate method, try to start/finish any assignments that require your hands on time, etc.

   Then at the the mini-check ins they show you what they have finished, what they have left to do, and what they are struggling with. If you can answer a question quickly, do so, otherwise tell them to set that assignment aside for the later block when you can give them your full attention, but encourage them to try again to work it out on their own.

   At the p.m. block, you check over the work they’ve finished during the day (if you couldn’t check it during a mini-block), go over any unfinished work, perhaps set them to work on assignments that are longer (say book reading or writing assignments).

   Set these times on your calendar, and let your boss - team - co-workers know. You may have to move the times around a little to juggle work meetings.

   As odd as it sounds, approach your 4th grader like a co-worker, inform them when the time must change. Stress that your work is important, just as theirs is, and that you will do your best not to interrupt their work (or play if they’ve finished all their work), and you expect the same, unless it’s an emergency.

   If they have finished the day’s assignments, resist the urges to stop your work and check it over and then start more work just because it’s noon, and if he/she was at school, he/she would have 2.5 more hours. If they are done, they are done until your p.m meeting.

   You can take a similar approach to your pre-K'er. Give them work to do while you're working - even real work that will help you, if they can handle it, like stuffing envelopes, or sorting.

   This gives you a schedule and minimizes constant interrupts. It let’s them know when and what is expected.

   I hope this helps.

3. Pamela TemplinMarch 25,2020 at 12:52AM UTC

   Oh, and to answer your first question: I *loved* homeschooling my kids. Were there hard days? Oh, yeah, but watching the lightbulbs go on as connections were made and having a front-row seat to their creativity and inventiveness was priceless.

4. AnonymousMarch 24,2020 at 5:47PM UTC

   Thanks for offering! I was just talking to my mom friend about this! She's discouraged with figuring out how to manage interruptions and keeping a relaxed homeschooling style. She knows her kids are feeling her anxiety and so she's trying to reduce her own fears while managing her kid's at the same time. Any advice?

5. Pamela TemplinMarch 24,2020 at 9:42PM UTC

   My kids always like to feel they were helping me. If I was in a time crunch for something, I would ask for their help.
   They would do whatever they could - sort, look up information on the Internet, or housework.

   As far as managing interruptions, kids need to know they have your full attention, but work also wants full attention. The way to madness is to think you can do both of those at the same time. As a result, you have to communicate to your kids when you will be giving them your full attention, and when it's work's turn.

   I was lucky enough to have a room I could go into and put a sign on the door. That was the signal that it was work's turn, and that unless someone was hurt or something on fire, that they should not interrupt. Giving them something to do in that interim time will help.

   They are used to having a schedule they know and can depend on, and adults often need that, too. The best plan is to tell them that and work together.

6. AnonymousMarch 24,2020 at 5:54PM UTC

   Pamela, thank you for providing your expert advice (and sharing again)! My sister is trying to figure out ways to get crafty with her 3 and 6-year-old. Any creative ways to keep kids busy would be much appreciated!

7. Pamela TemplinMarch 25,2020 at 12:09AM UTC

   These two are just off the top of my head:

   One very popular activity I introduced my kids to at that age was creating their own comic books. It inspires creative thinking and sharpens skills in storytelling and fine motor skills. I still have their comics, with the pages laminated.

   Collages are fun, too. Turn them loose on old magazines, stickers, and things printed (photos, etc.), along with markers, ribbons, buttons, and so on. Give them a theme - pets, or family, or blue - and see what they make. If they would feel comfortable doing so, they could then give a "presentation" about their collage.

8. AnonymousApril 10,2020 at 5:45PM UTC

   Thanks so much for sending, Pamela! Love the comic book/collage/stickers/crafty them ideas. :)

9. AnonymousMarch 24,2020 at 6:03PM UTC

   How has your homeschooling changed since the start of COVID? Have you been doing any lessons or anything regarding the virus? Would love to know how to best educate and talk to kids about everything that's going on.

10. Pamela TemplinMarch 25,2020 at 12:21AM UTC

    Full disclosure: my youngest graduated last year - class of 2019! Whew!

    During our homeschooling time, my husband had a heart attack. We used it as an opportunity to discuss the heart, what it does, and what happened. The key for us was to use age-appropriate terminology and be as factual as possible. If I was homeschooling my kids currently, I would most likely follow the same method.

    My first step would be to educate myself on what happened, what the virus does, what the risks are, and what's being done.

    Kids will want to know what this means for *them* and those they care about. And this is where it gets tricky, kids can take a "could" and make it a "fact." How you present this information to them will depend on who they are, but I would certainly say it is best to never lie to them about serious things. That's not to say you can't be selective in how you present the information, but don't lie. I know someone who has flat out told her kids that they don't have to worry at all, that they can't possibly get this virus. They are young, and she doesn't want to scare them, but she's done them a disservice.

    If any homeschoolers are doing lessons on COVID, I would love a peek at your plans. I hope you will share.

11. Georgene HuangMarch 24,2020 at 6:06PM UTC

    My question is this -- how much screen time is appropriate for all these classes who want to move everything online for children who are young? Our preschool is giving parents a little bit of mixed messaging and they don't want to commit to a specific number. What ages do you think online education really work for, in general, and for what kinds of activities. I was surprised that even my 2 year old's sports classes have a streaming option for the next few weeks.

12. Pamela TemplinMarch 24,2020 at 11:56PM UTC

    Wow. There's a lot to unpack with your questions here.

    The key, really, is instruction time. Pretty much all districts who offer online or home study programs require 4 - 5 hours of instruction per day to provide exposure to the main curriculum. Instruction involves lecture and demonstration time, as well as personal assistance during provided work time - i.e. teacher walks around the room answering questions while students work on a few example problems.

    For the youngest kids - pre-school to about 1st grade, it has been recommended that screen time be limited to roughly 1 hour per day, not included Facetime calls with family, which are considered differently as personal interactions, so my personal recommendation would be to keep those ages to that limit and fill the remaining 3 hours with activities that expand on the online lessons.

    Online schooling is a bit more challenging for younger children as a lot of their learning is physical, interactive, and quickly cycled to cater to their shorter attention spans, whereas for older children, a lot of the learning is personal, cerebral, and longer, which fits better with online presentations.

    I would say that online activities involving Language Arts, Mathematics, History/Social Studies, and parts of Science are easily fine online for students in grades 3 and up. Electives can be tricky as, again, they involve more interaction and physical space - gym, languages, shop class, etc, but even those can be managed online for older students.

    As a resource, online learning can be pretty great. The challenge for teachers and parents is make sure that such academic learning satisfies curriculum and time guidelines, which definitely means parents will need to engage more as learning partners.

13. Georgene HuangMarch 25,2020 at 12:03AM UTC

    This is very helpful. I have a 7 year old who is pretty good at focusing and I can tell he'll be great with concentrating for longer periods of time. It resonates with me that there is an element of adjusting the general guidelines to fit the personality and characteristics of your child but its also good to hear about what can and cannot be done in front of a screen in your experience. Thank you so much for the thoughtful response!

14. Deena SegalMarch 24,2020 at 6:55PM UTC

    You are invaluable at this time with so many schools closed and education is now on-line. I suggest you promote your skills and contact information on Facebook, LinkedIn and other online applications. Good luck!

15. Anne KnoxMarch 24,2020 at 7:23PM UTC

    Wow! What a great resource. What are you telling your kids about the virus?

16. Crystal RhinebergerMarch 24,2020 at 7:46PM UTC

    Ok so we homeschool along w public school
    But i expand upon the lessons that are there and have made a few lesson plans to work with what we have. With out being able to take field trips now
    What would you recommend to enhance learning hands on
    Science and such we have covered
    But social studies can be really hard w out exact examples of living quarters and such

17. Pamela TemplinMarch 25,2020 at 12:41AM UTC

    Hey, Crystal! Thanks for the question. Hands-on activities can vary a lot based on the ages you're talking about, so I'm just going to throw out a few things here. If you'd like some more tailored examples, let me know the grades you're working with.

    1. Many of the museums have online tours now, so there are some new resources there for virtual "field trips."
    2. Look for design plans on line and have them recreate a building, machine, or vehicle using Legos or craft supplies. For older students, you could have them write a report on *why* the machine or vehicle couldn't have been built sooner and the effects it had on society or the world, or for a building, what is unique or important about the design.
    3. Have them draw scenes from historical books they may be reading or recreate famous paintings with a report about the artist and the time in which the work was created.
    4. Remember dioramas? Some kids still love to do those. Have them recreate an event in history or a scene from the book they are reading.
    6. For those kids who can sew, you could have them try to recreate clothing from the book or time period.
    7. Likewise, you can have them research recipes for food of the time and try making it.
    8. They can try to learn or recreate music, singing, and dancing from that era.

    I hope this is enough to get ideas going for you.

18. Crystal RhinebergerMarch 25,2020 at 1:04AM UTC

    Alexander is 9 and is in 4th grade, he is advanced placement as well!
    I soooo forgot about dioramas, we are delving into the revolutionary war and that would be perfect! Thank u soooo much from one mother trying to keep her wits about her