Back to school season is looking very different this year. Even those who are planning to do the same school plan as years past will have to deal with changes. Those planning to go back to traditional schools will have to adapt to changes schools are making in attempts to keep students and staff – safe and healthy. Those planning to go back to their homeschooling plans will find their CoOps are changing and curriculums and supplies are sold out because of all the new homeschoolers this year.
I hope you feel you made the best decision for your family, whether or not you choose to homeschool or send your kids to a school building. I hope your family is able to adapt and find supports if the covid chaos continues to change school plans. Supports help us go from surviving to thriving. If you are planning to homeschool take time to look up local groups/programs to help your family thrive. Even if you have homeschooled forever there are new options popping up around the world for homeschoolers to utilize!
new homeschool option
Homeschooling options include different style curriculums, co-ops, and supportive resources. Some resources are supports through your local school district. Some schools are offering virtual curriculums for easier transitions in and out and back in to their classrooms. Some families prefer no school supports and unschool their children – which can be as extreme as that term sounds with no schooling or just meaning a flexible schooling approach guided by children’s interests. Before jumping into the homeschool plan take time to look up different types of homeschool approaches and decide what will work best for your family.
Where does your family learn best?
What works best for your family during the covid crisis might not be what worked before or what will work after. What works best for your family might not be what will work for others. What works best for each family and each child depends on a lot of factors. While looking into what homeschool approach will work for your family and your children consider factors such as if your family can afford a parent to stay home and focus on being the children’s teacher or if you’ll need to work requiring a non traditional school/work schedule. Maybe hiring a tutoring-nanny would work best. Does your child have any special needs that require specialized tutoring or therapeutic services? Is your child old enough and mature enough to stay home and work independently? Does your child work and learn best on their own or in a group? Does your child learn and focus better with music or in a bouncy chair or using hands on materials or through an online program? There is so much to consider it can be overwhelming!
learning online / visually
learning by listening in a sensory safe place
learning by doing – hands on approach
Try to not get overwhelmed. Try to have a family meeting to consider the schooling plan and talk through what would make a plan like homeschooling work. Even if you plan to send your kids to school consider how you’ll make homeschooling work should the world close down again. If you homeschool for any reason learn the laws in your state to help you decide if you’ll truly homeschool or do school from home. Homeschool is more flexible and can utilize unschooling methods or explore different curriculums. School from home is using a set curriculum, often online and provided from a school which may require you to log on at certain times or document hours spent working.
My family works somewhere in the middle with our flexible curriculum schedule. My kids work best when they have a schedule to know what to expect when, but they also need to learn that sometimes schedules change and even though the plan says it’s math time we might go pick apples instead that day. Learning flexibility is important, and so is learning that you can learn and do “school” anywhere! Picking apples or going on field trips can be a part of the learning process. If you need ideas how to teach on the go or what curriculums are out there or just want more information on the homeschool processes feel free to email me at Christi@MiFamilies.com.
Mi Families provides consultations, individualized developmental services, tutoring and classes for homeschooling families, as well as programs for families that don’t homeschool … You can learn more about our programs by visiting www.MiFamilies.com or by liking our Facebook page. We’ll be adding program updates soon about our fall programs including a park preschool, Early Ed Explorers, Fit and Fun, Family EDventures, and tween/teen programs such as outdoor ed, morning muscles & martial arts, D&Drama and more! CLICK IMAGES BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS. SIGN UPS START NEXT WEEK AND HAVE LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE.
Leave a Reply