Homeschool Day 4: The Troops are Restless

Greetings from Immack Elementary! Isla decided we needed to make our dining room look more "school-like" so she taped a map up on the wall. Graham will be thrilled by the new color scheme! Emma also felt that the living room needed curtains "so the sun wouldn't shine in" (who's kid is she!?) and when I told her no, she made her own set up to keep the brightness at bay.

I'm not sure what was in the water this morning but everyone seems to be a little on edge. I'm getting a lot of push back from the students over requests they usually happily oblige. It must be the Thursday angsties. Even offering screens to work on learning apps isn't captivating their attentions as it has been. Perhaps even screens lose their luster after enough use (one can only hope!!)

I did dial my mom and let the kids chat with her and my dad via FaceTime at breakfast this morning. It was a huge hit for all parties! The kids got to show off their piano skills, their daily multivitamins, their braces-less teeth (Isla), their newly-braced teeth (Emma). All the important things, obviously. We have taken this stay-away-from-those-at-high-risk pretty seriously which means no visits with the grandparents. Thank goodness for technology that keeps us connected! I think we will try to use FaceTime and Marco Polo more frequently to keep the kids in touch with the people they love.

As for special assignments, I've asked each kid to select a planet in the solar system to research. The girls are putting together a Powerpoint presentation and will give the family an oral report to teach us what they have learned. Jack is going to create some sort of poster or visual and recite the facts he learned (he chose earth). Since the libraries are all shut down, we are having to get a little creative with our research. Today I found a video about earth on YouTube and wrote out a few questions I drew from the content for Jack to attempt to answer. I know I'm coming at him with methodologies that are above what is typical for his grade level but he's a bright kid and he's rising to the challenge. Thankfully the girls have been able to work more independently which allows me to focus more on Jack when needed. I spent a good 20 minutes creating the earth activity and he finished it in 10. Worth it? I'm not sure, but I'm definitely getting a taste for just how much teachers pour into their lessons to fill an ENTIRE DAY!!!!

When we learned about a week and a half ago that the library would be closing for good (for now), we made a run for it and I managed to check out from the little that was left on the shelves. I hid the books and I'm doling them out slowly so as to have something "new" to offer the kids. Ha! Never thought I'd see the day where I hid books from my kids to keep them from being read! I've also been thrilled to learn just how many people have videoed themselves reading picture books and then posted them to YouTube. When the library is closed....

Tomorrow is Friday and Graham is off - perhaps we will play hooky and enjoy this glorious spring sunshine and head outdoors. I've gotta say, I sure do love the flexibility!