Guest Blog Post: School at Home...Tips for NOT Going Crazy

Suddenly parents are at home with their kids and it's not vacation. Whether you made the choice yourself to homeschool, or you are crisis homeschooling the new circumstances you are in can feel overwhelming. Take a look at some helpful tips by Michelle T., veteran public school teacher and homeschool mom.

Start Off Slowly
Get a routine started, without falling into the trap of trying  to get it all done right from the beginning. That just leads to tears, frustration and power struggles. A simple structure (but not rigid) will help keep the crazy away. Add things in a little bit at a time. 

Make a List
I have found that having a checklist for each of us to accomplish helps to keep the routine going and keeps us focused. Check tasks off the list to give clarity for knowing when you’re done. This helps keep everyone calmer and minimizes push back. Our list includes school things to do, but also a job section.

Helping Around the House 
Pick some basic things your kids can do around the house- dishes, vacuuming, washing mirrors, taking garbage out, laundry- and take the time to TEACH them how you’d like them done. Those younger, messy humans are now there all the time too!  I’ve avoided calling the jobs “chores” and instead call it “Helping Out”. This promotes our philosophy that we are all contributing members of this household, caring for each other in the ways we can. No one should be someone else’s servant- including the parents
Extra hint:  Any child in our house who says the word “bored” is immediately assigned a small job.
It only took each kid 3 times.  I haven’t heard the word bored in YEARS! My kids even warn their friends.

Here’s a couple checklists I’ve made.  I don’t have something in each row every day.  Some things I alternate. 

  
The  first checklist I used for littles, when I needed to keep track of what we were doing,
and so they could see when they would be done for the day.  
The second checklist shows what I might include the first, or even second week,
as we’re getting things started. 

Remember

You won’t all get it done all at once.
You can please some of the people all of the time,
and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

Photo Credit: DarkWorkX on Pixabay


For directions on how to make a chart like the ones above please leave a comment below and Michelle will email you. Questions? Need more ideas and tips? Let me know in your comment!