I decided early on that I would keep my son Nolan remote for the 2020-2021 school year. He has always needed a very well structured routine to keep him feeling in control of his environment. He likes to know what is coming next. The fact that I am a stay at home mom and former teacher, made the decision easier for us. I wasn't worried about him falling behind academically, because I had the time and resources to help him. I put together a new schedule and remote school has been smooth sailing ever since.
My daughter is still young, and so far very easy going. There is a 4 year age gap between her and Nolan but luckily they play amazingly together. This pandemic has allowed them the opportunity to form a deep friendship. One of their favorite things to do together is to have a dance party. She loves to shadow what her big brother does. She basically goes along with the schedule I have in place for Nolan (besides her sleep schedule).
I love that remote school is only an hour and a half a day (plus 30 minutes of remote specials). Even though his teacher is fantastic, I am still happy that this gives us plenty of time to do our own asynchronous learning.
When Nolan is at remote school, he is set up to be completely independent. He has his own little classroom area with everything he needs. He is away from distractions, and focuses on what the teacher is teaching his small group.
How Create a Home Learning Area that Fosters Independance:
‣organize materials by subject/task so they know where everything is
‣display age appropriate resources and tools on the walls or on a folder i.e sight words, phonics charts, math charts...(you can find pre-k-kindergarten posters and resources in my store here)
‣avoid any distractions (even me being in the room during remote school distracts my son because he wants to talk)
I supplement Nolan's learning and include Kenzie, by creating weekly themes to study. I created a lesson planner to help me organize my ideas. You can download it for free here!
It's also important to note that we are not a screen free house. I believe in moderation and that technology comes with its pros and cons. Nolan's current obsession is Minecraft, while Kenzie prefers watching nursery rhymes and musical shows.
I do my best to incorporate learning through play everyday. I believe that at their age it's one of the most beneficial ways of learning.
I hope this helps you get an idea of what our day at home looks like!