Tomorrow begins week three of our quarantine and homeschool life. In an effort to remember these strange (but not altogether awful) days, I'm back to share highlights.
Week two continued in a very similar vein as week one. I am finding that tackling most of the academic work in the mornings works best for us, which means I tend to schedule most work meetings in the afternoon. I spend a few minutes each night (and a good chunk of time on Sunday evenings) planning out what's next, printing any needed documents, and scheduling in workouts and other things likely to fall by the wayside if not specifically and dutifully written into the schedule.
Our homeschool sessions find me rotating between each kid, but I've created a staggered start that sets us up for less frustration and better output. I'll get Rowan set up with a solid understanding of the lesson at hand, and then can leave her for bits of time to work through self-led exercises and computer assignments, responding to any questions she has along the way. Graham requires more diligence as once would expect. We watch videos and complete assignments together, checking off our lists as we go. His morning zoom meetings with his teacher and class are precious and earnest in a way that really pierces my heart. I'm grateful to be able to glimpse them and participate during this period. On Friday, a classmate celebrated a birthday and G's sweet teacher offered a blessing that had me bawling. "Why are you crying, Mom?! Danny's birthday is fun, not sad!" This is a sweet and fleeting age, and I'm happy to have access to this view of his learning.
We go outside daily - the backyard continues to be great for stretches of independent play. We find them playing school and house and acting out sports games and driving their playhouse-turned-boat. They make good use of chalk and kinetic sand and bubbles, and we are grateful for outdoor space to facilitate their play. We continued our daily walks this week, but we upped the ante with new bikes for Mom and Dad. Family bike rides have become our new thing, and I really love it. It's a nostalgic throwback to the countless hours my brother and I spent tearing thru neighborhood streets on our bikes, and it has been amazing to watch Graham go from a tentative pedlar to a passionate biking pro in the span of a few days. His eyes are barely open for the day before he's asking when our next ride will be.
The rest is a mundane mix of everything else: we wash our hands (a lot), we disinfect countertops and electronic devices, light switches and doorknobs, faucets and toilets and everything else. We follow the news on a schedule that balances our need for information against our need not to be overwhelmed with dramatic headlines and a never ending flow of sadness and uncertainty. We read books, and lots of them. We workout and take vitamins. We eat three meals a day together. That's such a nice change of pace from normal meals which are largely separate and even when together, hurried. And yes, the kids (and us) watch movies and shows and play games. We try to limit yelling and frustration - I must confess that BJ is better at this than me, but I have a new week ahead to try again.
We remain grateful for our health and for each other, and we pray diligently for our family and friends and loved ones near and far, for our heroic healthcare workers, for world leaders and for our fellow humans all over the world. I hope we will soon be able to relish in a new way the gift of hugs and time together. And I hope we'll keep some of what we've learned with us forever.
Be well, friends. xo
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