d.). The rule for our girls was gold necklace for teenage girl

(n.d.). The rule for our girls was that they had to look at all movies, games, and apps up on Common Sense Media and bring them to us prior to asking the question of whether they could play, watch or download something. For later years (grades 3-5 and 6-8) we elected to study math and language arts every day, and study science, history/social studies, art and music one day per week each, leaving the additional day (which happened to be Friday for us) for making up work we didnt complete earlier in the week. Note that this option and how it is implemented differs greatly per state. 2) Identify the subjects you would like to teach each of the children. (Note that this is an unpopular opinion and not promoted or frequently supported in the traditional, long-term homeschooling community, though, so questions about this option in these traditional groups or distribution lists may not be met with the most positive reactions.) It is important to be fully informed of all legal and regulatory requirements prior to making your choice, so that you are making a fully-informed choice. In my previous post, I noted that some schools and some districts are providing work for their students, which is great! Examples of delivery modes include DVDs, online learning games, online video lessons, printable lessons, workbooks and textbooks, fully online classes, and instructions posted online that allow you to create your own. If you plan to homeschool long-term or permanently, focusing on this alignment might not be quite as important or impactful. Here are a few suggestions of where we might start: 1) Develop (and ensure everyone knows and understands) clearly defined goals. What is Montessori Education? It is important to remain aware (and equally appreciative for any help they provide) that the schools and school districts are not required to assist homeschooling families, and that submitting an intent to withdraw (and/or an intent to homeschool) does have a direct impact on their budget, as they are funded on a per-student basis. Parents need to be able to bring concerns to educators and administrators when things arent working for them and their children. When trying to decide what is best, there are always multiple considerations. Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sites. They are used to having their days and activities planned out for them months in advance. Homeschool Organizations. The options are so abundant that it can often be overwhelming, especially for those new to educating their children at home. Making it clear that it was a big kid privilege to sit at the table with us to work on schoolwork was also helpful in motivating (relatively) quiet focus. Your generous tax-deductible gift to USA for UNHCR will be put to immediate use. Its also important to understand what is and what is not likely to happen in the next year curriculum and academic-wise and how that might impact you and your children. For states who are planning in-person school options, many are still providing distance learning as an option, and homeschooling is always an additional option. We cannot control what this pandemic has become or is about to become or the ripple effects it may cause. Schedules created and posted in a common location provide clarity to everyone involved and help the parents avoid questions like what are we doing today? and what subjects are we working on today? There are many free printable planners and schedules available online. (Note that this is not a comprehensive list.) Others split them into pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-5 and grades 6+. Either way, some people are going to be happy and some unhappy, regardless of the plan or approach that is taken. Digital Compass. Bauer, S. W. (2016). With some states canceling in-person schooling for the rest of the academic year and others extending the closures for additional time periods or indefinitely, but messages coming from politicians that we need to re-open the country, we are in a state of wait and see. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html, STEAMsational. Awake and Mindful has collected five yoga videos for kids that might be one option for a calm activity to start off the day. Given the current closure of public schools, many publishers are providing content online for free, as well. Marc Zao-Sanders (2018) wrote an informative article on TimeBoxing, accessible here: Organizing your space is another aspect of your current situation that you have total control over. Current Homeschool Laws. Educators need to be able to express concerns to parents and administrators when things arent working for them, their class, or even particular students. You dont need to go crazy buying organizing supplies. We have never parented (or helped our kids with remote learning) during a global pandemic. (2020). Best Kids Yoga Videos on YouTube. Your compassionate support can help provide emergency supplies, lifesaving care and protection the moment families in Ukraine are forced to flee for their lives. You will need to research your options in your area if this is a deciding factor for you. Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall, as long as CDC guidelines for schools are followed (CDC, 2020)? Retrieved March 19, 2020 from https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/, Bestow. Awake and Mindful. With the main purpose to ensure transparency, accountability and effectiveness of the UHF management, a feedback and complaints mechanism has been established within the UHF performance framework. It is important to understand the risks and the comfort level you have with those risks, and, depending on the approach taken, the health risks for your children and for you (and for everyone in your household). While you are on a conference call today, have your kids stand next to your whiteboard or sit next to you coloring or doing some additional activity, and work with them to complete a bingo card based on what is said or done on your conference call. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from, Center for Disease Control (CDC). K12. Roblox. Complaints from stakeholders concerning UHF allocation processes should be sent to feedback-UHF@un.org. (2020). Accountability is the forth level in the pyramid identified by Lencioni, and aligns closely with constructive conflict and commitment. What if schools are opened in a virtual-only format to start the school year and transition to blended or alternating schedule formats, or even full capacity later in the school year? Why not act like the dedicated school time is just another meeting? (These are usually set at the state-level and enforced at the district or school-level. Greater Good Magazine. No purchase necessary. For parents looking online for content for their children, who may not be familiar with different websites, movies or apps, or unsure how to tell what might be safe or age-appropriate, this post is for you. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/kid-safe-browsers-and-search-sites, Common Sense Media. Patrick Lencioni wrote a book called, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, which gives a simple, straightforward way to think about what is needed for teams to function well and to thrive. Since the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014 up until the end of January 2022, according to OHCHR, at least 3,090 civilians were killed, and over 7,000 were injured as a result of hostilities and mine contamination., The security situation across the large territory of Ukraine has deteriorated rapidly since the start of the military offensive on 24 February 2022. If you want to really make it fun and engaging with everyone involved, you or the meeting organizer can make up a bingo card and send it out to everyone on the call. When I started homeschooling and working from home, we had one preschooler and one toddler. Instead of trying to convince your kids why they should be quiet and calm during your conference calls and hoping for the best, you might try giving them specific activities to keep them busy during these times. One part of this dual system directly addresses any concern or complaint made by UHF partners, while the other part focuses on any concern or complaint raised by the beneficiaries of UHF-funded projects or other stakeholders involved in the implementation process. Trust that everyone is working toward a common goal, for example, is one type of trust. When you are planning your days, you will first need to decide how much time you want (or need) to spend with your focus dedicated to your work (in meetings, for example), and how much time you want to spend homeschooling your child (or children). Common Sense Media includes reviews of some books, as well. See below for our experience transitioning our kids from homeschooling to public school and considerations/lessons-learned that you might find helpful. Attention to results is the top and smallest portion of the pyramid. SheKnows.com. Homeschool Laws By State. Our toddler also participated, at an age-appropriate level, in virtual field trips, science experiments, and other educational activities with her sister. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews, Focus on the Family. Game Reviews. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.roblox.com/, Wiess, S. R. (2020a). If you are teaching one child, you can skip this section. If your student is overloaded with work, have them work with their teachers and administrators to request extensions or accommodations where needed. When we homeschooled, for earlier years, where I had many conference calls, and the kids were younger, we used videos for most of the elective subjects and studied each subject almost every day. There are a few things to consider. There are many options for finding safe content online for kids. Your child or children will be perfectly fine with a couple or a few hours of school-related work and other fun, educational activities while you focus on work. Just take a few deep breaths and enjoy the time you have with your kids, because they really do grow up so fast, and this pandemic and chaos will eventually pass. The reality is that we need to accept that nothing is going to be perfect in this imperfect situation, so for the perfectionists out there (like myself), if we are surviving and our families are surviving, we are doing the best we can, and that is good enough. Making sure others respect your time is actually easier than it might seem at first. (2018). Retrieved March 16, 2020, from, Zao-Sanders, Marc. (n.d.). Many of our kids had packed schedules of school, sports, and other activities, with barely enough time to grab a sandwich in the car for supper. 2) Block off the appropriate time for schoolwork on your work calendar and communicate these expectations to your manager and coworkers. 3) All members of the team should remember that discomfort leads to growth and work on being ok with being held accountable, with hearing feedback that they dont really want to hear, and with giving honest, constructive feedback to other members of the team when things arent working well. Headspace, a mindfulness and meditation app, is providing a series of their meditations for free in the midst of the current situation. (This is in no way intended to imply that they wont help you, since we have always experienced the exact opposite, especially when in direct contact with teachers, administrators, etc. A big lesson learned in this transition is that no matter what homeschool curriculum you choose, there will be differences in what they learn there and what is covered in the public school curriculum, thus, some material will be repeated and there will be gaps to be filled in other places. The state, on the other hand, wants to have as much control and oversight as possible, in many cases. For other jobs, like when I administered analytics servers, I had more flexibility to design my work day around the desired school schedule. at the schools themselves, but something to be aware of when asking them for assistance of any kind. The Fund demonstrated its value during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as an effective tool for disbursing funds in a timely and flexible manner to meet the needs of the most vulnerable., On 27 February 2022, the Humanitarian Coordinator allocated the first envelope of US$18 million to scale up humanitarian response across Ukraine to support the best-placed partners delivering life-saving assistance (like critical mobile health programmes, trauma and psychological first aid, safe drinking water, cash for food, shelter, among other priority interventions). Best of luck with this years educational adventures. In work environments, especially when working on projects, everyone has clearly defined roles and responsibilities which are laid out on a project plan. Administrators need to be able to raise concerns when they see inactivity and absences, to agree or disagree with reasons behind them, and then for everyone to be able to constructively discuss options for solutions, and even test out different solutions (and yes, sometimes fail and try something else). (This is a big deciding factor that can save or cost you a lot of time and stress. Find a fort posted by someone else and draw a picture of their fort and estimate how many people you think could fit in their fort. You will help children, women and men displaced by violence in Ukraine know they are not alone at the most devastating moment of their lives. Khan Academy Schedules for School Closures. There are so many options available to teach every subject, and many are free. Although Im not fully convinced that this is the best approach to managing your time, the concept of Timeboxing is similar to the approach Ive recommended above. A template for this can be found on many of the CT homeschooling group websites or Facebook pages. If you are unsure, Common Sense Media is a great place to start. 4) Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and identify how each will be held accountable and how opportunities for improvements will be identified, evaluated, and implemented. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/about-our-ratings, Common Sense Media. (n.d.). For those that had more meetings than others, I allocated the time for the meetings first, and then figured out what schoolwork I could fit in. (n.d.). USA for UNHCR helps and protects refugees and people displaced by violence, conflict and persecution. 30 Gratitude Games and Activities for Kids to Practice Thankfulness. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://hslda.org/legal, HSLDA. They also expect to have to make up for missed learning in the fall for this last spring, especially for the younger students in lower grades. Stay home and stay safe. Common Sense Media. No year, and no day, to be honest, looked the same for us, even when I tried to plan it to be the same, and my kids turned out just fine. The key is not to be happy or unhappy about the approaches, but to be informed. ), 3) Do you think you might want to send your students back to school in person either some time this year or in future years? Smoothing the transition in our new reality. Will you and your children be ok with this or able to handle any repetition or boredom by supplementing with other activities? Montana requires a notice of intent to homeschool to be submitted to the local Superintendent of Schools, but does not require any other forms or portfolio review, etc. (2020). UNHCR is on the ground scaling its response to provide assistance and ensure those displaced find safety in welcoming arms in this moment of crisis. In these times, I found educational videos that could fill the spaces, where my children could still be learning, but I was able to focus on the meetings and my work. The state regulations say that families MAY submit a Notice of Intent to homeschool and participate in portfolio reviews. 1) Draw out a rough daily schedule (or weekly, if your daily work schedules vary), allocating specific times for work and for schoolwork. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.digitallearningcollab.com/state-virtual-schools, HSLDA. However, with everything clearly defined and with trust, constructive conflict and commitment, holding each other accountable for their respective parts becomes much easier, and does not need to involve finger pointing or other negative non-constructive behaviors. You will need to determine, based on the number and ages of children, your work schedule, and any other constraints, what subjects you want to teach and can manage to do so with minimal stress. How We Rate and Review. ), 4) If you choose homeschooling instead of distance learning, are you fully informed of any reporting requirements, regulations, etc. As a donor, youll receive updates on how your gift helps families like these, Any amount you give can help ease the suffering of those in urgent need. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/, Montessori Northwest. Millions of people mostly women and children have been forced to flee Ukraine. Also, be sure that you are fully informed about what activities are offered or not offered for any who opt into remote or distance learning through the school, as this likely differs on a district by district or school by school basis. The first major hurdle for the transition was figuring out what grade they should be in. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://hslda.org/content/orgs/, K12.com. How might this impact your childs motivation to do their schoolwork? (n.d.). As homeschoolers, they worked at their own pace in different subjects, which was great for their education and learning, but made the transition to an age-based grade-level determination a challenging one. 3) Clear out, setup and organize your dedicated storage area for your schoolwork and related supplies. This includes finding appropriate websites, movies, games, and applications, teaching your children about online safety and digital citizenship, and knowing how to distinguish between free, safe content and free, unsafe content. This is not true, legally. In sports psychology, life coaching and other venues recently, youve likely heard the term locus of control or phrases like control the controllables. Situations like the pandemic we are currently experiencing bring to light the true meaning of these phrases, as there is so much that is truly out of our control. (2020). Everything you need to organize your area is probabily already in your home. While we await final proposals for opening of schools in the fall from states and local districts, we are all asking what if? What if schools open as usual in the fall at full capacity? For example, one was created by E. Gilliam, and is accessible here: https://www.conferencecallbingo.net/blog with the printable version accessible directly here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xbwyrg21rbg79fj/conferencecallbingo.pdf?dl=0. Educators have never taught during a global pandemic, much less taught remotely or taught some students remotely and some in person at the same time. The activities in the basket could be anything from printed mazes, cut and paste activities, manipulative for counting, coloring books, etc. The second consideration is the subjects you wish to teach. As a USA for UNHCR donor, youll receive updates on how your gift is helping. Welltrainedmind.com. Text STOP to opt-out or HELP for more info. Organizing any extra items needed (for science experiments, for example) over the weekend for the entire week will also help make your work/homeschool days flow much smoother. (This is the option rated as highest risk by the CDC) (CDC, 2020). Common Sense Media, for example, provides a list of Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sides, accessible here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/kid-safe-browsers-and-search-sites. Below, I will provide a few options and considerations for finding content for your children that is age-appropriate and safe for them, as well as being safe for you and your computer. What if schools open in a blended format, where schedules are alternating day to day or am/pm? While the kids play, you can plan your day(s). Decorating Amazon boxes and used soup cans make great arts and craft projects and excellent organizers! Retrieved April 19, 2020 from https://grownandflown.com/soft-skills-for-teens/, Minecraft. In my classroom, I start my classes off by having my students volunteer to Tell me something good. The good things could literally be anything, and they have ranged from I had a good breakfast this morning, to My football team won last night. If you want to add variety or switch things up a bit, the Bestow Team created a list of 30 gratitude games and activities for kids, accessible here: https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/. Administrators have never run schools, districts or boards of education during a global pandemic. Yours will too. Almost three years later, I can tell you that it was the right choice for both of them, without a doubt. While you are working on a schedule more customized to you, your kids and your work schedule, two companies, Khan Academy and Scholastic, have recently provided lesson plans and activities free for children who are now staying home due to school closings. (2020). Every second counts in an emergency and your kindness can help newly displaced families quickly find safety, stability and hope. No one knows what the right answer is to any question or problem right now, BUT, we can all try things, fail, get back up, and try something else. An example of this is a new kindergartener starting homeschool in the first year of school eligibility. You can research options for full-time online schooling, which some states offer for free (Digital Learning Collaborative, 2018). Lets face it, we are all in survival mode right now, and trying to claim anything else would be misleading. Before you start, identify an award they will earn if you get a bingo and/or if they black out the entire card by meeting the criteria of each bingo square on the entire bingo card. The fourth consideration is the schedule of the subjects you have selected to teach. Some organizations group activities in the following age groups, for example, Kindergarten to grade 2, grades 3-5, grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://www.headspace.com/covid-19, Khan Academy (2020). You can ask the school about options for continuing distance learning (if they dont already include that as an option in their fall plans). ), Have your parent/guardian take a picture of your fort, with the list of equipment used and post it to Twitter using the hashtag #fortchallenge and tag @HomeschoolWork. Small wins go a long way. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-passport, Common Sense Media. You will need to decide, based on your family values and rules about electronics and screen time, your work schedule and flexibility, ages of your children, and learning preferences and styles, what modes are best for you for each student and each subject. AnimalCams. Others may be planning their own lessons and activities. Some subjects that lend themselves to video lessons are art, music, history, and even physical education, for example. If you have chosen to homeschool instead of opt into distance learning through your school, and the option is temporary, you may wish to file the notice of intent to homeschool and proceed to work closely with the school to ensure the smoothest transition back into the school when the time is right. The public school administrators where we are were extremely helpful in working with us to determine the best placement. Accountability involves all levels, including our children consistently being held responsible for their work. How might it impact their learning?