Beginning CPS Distance Learning

We began by identifying the date (with day of week, month, and year as well). We put a weather sticker on to indicate it was cloudy. We spelled cloudy. We began discussing birds.

Then we did the distance learning lesson from his usual Pre-K teacher, Ms. K.

He went around the house and identified lots of items that began with the letter B. I asked him to spell bird first, without help. He spelled B-E-T. After we saw the words a few times, he spelled B-I-D. I asked which sound he forgot. He said R, and spelled it correctly. Being a distributed proofreader for Project Gutenberg, I only cried a little. Hahahaha!

He was tasked with making a nest out of household items. Yesterday was Easter (we're mostly atheists in this family, but we still celebrate all holidays - especially at our UU church), so that was pretty effective.

Speaking of Easter, here's some tiny snapshots:

The kids got 4 baskets (2 from us, 2 from their grandparents), super soakers from their great grandparents, and I made "carrots" (croissant type things stuffed with egg salad). There was zero Jesus talk, which was delightful. We all colored eggs on Saturday night (glitter unicorn & foam swirl & regular). There was an egg hunt arranged by their grandma the next morning! I made sweet cheese crepes with raspberry sauce for breakfast.

Rick made special grilled zucchini and spinach lasagna with bechamel! Great-grandparents were celebrating with us and a lovely time was had by all.

Monday's school exercise time was the Ryan's World Exercise Dance Party video. 

There will also be lots of outdoor time today.

Quarantine - Homeschool: Redux.

Due to the COVID-19 executive orders and recommended guidelines of the CDC and WHO, we are sheltering in place.

 What place? Tennessee! With our loved ones and grandparents aplenty. :)

 There are all kinds of differences and challenges here, but I'm so glad we're with our big extended family. We totally miss Beer & Chocolate Tuesdays with our friends, as well as the kids' friends, and our preferred places in Chicago. But the clean air, no confirmed COVID-19 cases around us, wide open spaces, and our ability to expansively garden on acreage are a great thing for us. So far we have onions, garlic, and seeds we'll be planting shortly (radishes, russian kale, leeks, etc). Escher is starting to identify more plants & get more outdoor time than in Chicago. Dahlia is much less depressed than she was in December. She's still struggling a little bit with anxiety, but she's managing well with her therapist's help.

And onto the subject of them being out of school. Since I have more time on my hands than usual, I decided to do an easy homeschool routine with Escher. We do a journal page where he writes the date, then draws four quadrants. Each of the quadrants contains some information about what he's doing, how he's feeling (so I can keep up with his emotional state), something he'd like to do someday, and a fun activity (which allows him to consider what to do if he gets bored). Here's the first day's journal page:

Teaching him to read and write has been on my agenda for a long time (Dahlia could do both by the time she was 3-4 so even though I'm not supposed to compare them for milestones, I kind of do). But I was working full time, hosting a weekly get-together, doing volunteer stuff as needed, tending to Dahlia's emotional & psychological well-being, and other important things - so I was too tired. But now:

He's still getting homework assignments from his regular school, so he's doing those as well. 

Eventually I got a Melissa & Doug school set from the Amish store by us. He seems to love it, particularly because it has a bell, a timer, and a pointer with a fake crayon at the end. 

It bears mentioning that I also have him doing yoga three times per week, gardening with me and his grandma, and he has online meetings with his church friends. He will also start doing distance learning with his regular teacher from Pre-K soon. Which technically means this is supplemental. I think it's important. :) 

Dahlia has started doing Khan Academy & will be expected to continue her school's online learning curriculum. She's been recreationally reading, compiling recipes, being an adorable teenager, and having Zoom meetings with our church's youth group (and BCT in Absentia). I think she and I may start running together soon. 

Rick and I have been doing our best to keep up a nice routine for them (although Escher likes to hang out with his grandma in the early morn - which makes us perfectly happy to sleep in sometimes since we don't ever get that luxury in Chicago). We're organizing our stuff, settling us in, and figuring out our new temporary normal. My resting heart rate has decreased pretty drastically for the past few weeks, which is weird because I was very upset that my life was turned upside down by my regular career's abrupt shutdown. All is well so far. :)