Nov. 29, 2008
on the go
A couple of weeks ago, there was an accident in my family. I decided to go help take care of this particular family member. That required me and my 4 children to, at a moment's notice, pack up and leave the state leaving my husband and the house behind for an unknown amount of time.
I had several lessons planned for schooling, but now, we were having to adjust them, to make them more mobile and accessible.
Instead of packing heavy history books, science kits, and all the tools that go along with it, I packed the easy stuff. I ran to our church to make copies of worksheets, printed out fun pages of holiday stuff, grabbed some light relevant reading book, lots of blank notebooks, our handwriting books, and found lots of colored pencils and crayons that would last til we made our 5 hour car ride to our destination.
I found a great CD to listen to on the way which was really nice so I didn't have to scroll through all the inappropriate radio stations I was sure to hit.
Before getting to our relative's home, I explained to the kids that we were there to help her, not hinder her. We would not make her house a mess, we would continue our daily routine as if we were in school at home, and help her with the chores around the house. That little talk made a big difference when we got to her house. The kids were very respectful and didn't mind doing their school work. What made it nice, was that they took turns reading to her, as opposed to me, for their reading time, so she was able to enjoy their progress in education as much as I had been.
So the lesson plans that I had ready will eventually resume, but we had so much fun with the lesson plans on the go, that they may remain quick and easy through the holiday season. Crafts, science, history, language arts, reading, math, and spelling can all be learned through different mediums. Its not necessarily the publisher of the curriculum, but the concepts they are learning. My kids learned a lot through this time and experience...not just academically, but how to serve.
I had several lessons planned for schooling, but now, we were having to adjust them, to make them more mobile and accessible.
Instead of packing heavy history books, science kits, and all the tools that go along with it, I packed the easy stuff. I ran to our church to make copies of worksheets, printed out fun pages of holiday stuff, grabbed some light relevant reading book, lots of blank notebooks, our handwriting books, and found lots of colored pencils and crayons that would last til we made our 5 hour car ride to our destination.
I found a great CD to listen to on the way which was really nice so I didn't have to scroll through all the inappropriate radio stations I was sure to hit.
Before getting to our relative's home, I explained to the kids that we were there to help her, not hinder her. We would not make her house a mess, we would continue our daily routine as if we were in school at home, and help her with the chores around the house. That little talk made a big difference when we got to her house. The kids were very respectful and didn't mind doing their school work. What made it nice, was that they took turns reading to her, as opposed to me, for their reading time, so she was able to enjoy their progress in education as much as I had been.
So the lesson plans that I had ready will eventually resume, but we had so much fun with the lesson plans on the go, that they may remain quick and easy through the holiday season. Crafts, science, history, language arts, reading, math, and spelling can all be learned through different mediums. Its not necessarily the publisher of the curriculum, but the concepts they are learning. My kids learned a lot through this time and experience...not just academically, but how to serve.