All posts by Danielle Huddleston

Week 3

Some days it feels like nothing has changed for us and that world has not changed overnight.

Then little things pop up, like neighbors talking to each other from their own driveways, and trying to make sure we stay on the other side of the road from them.

People home during the day.

Not being able to easily buy certain things, like soap.

I am very thankful for our yard these days.

I decided to try for a group shot this week.

At first I thought, I don’t want to try to get a dog and 5 kids to cooperate but then I realized he was perfect to get all of my kids engaged.

 

Little Bit always asks for more pics.

Maybe a bit TOO much love for the dog…

He is teaching her how to type!

It is the sweetest thing.

This week, Super Charged Science was all about chemistry and the girls were way more into it then the astronomy classes.

She does not always say what the experiments will be but tells you what you need to make it.

I kept saying I was in NO WAY making slime…

We made slime…

 

I love how he takes notes.

The shed is now in it’s spot!

We went for a hike Saturday at the Keystone Mountain biking trail!

We only saw a couple of people while on the trail and made sure we stayed away.

It was nice to get out for a bit though.

Are you able to get out at all where you are?

Week 2

I took this last Friday but thought it was an appropriate way to start my week 2 of being house bound…
Nick built me two raised beds in the last week!
He also has been moving the shed across the yard all this week (whenever the rain lets him)!
We enjoyed more Super Charged Science again this week.
The lessons were about astronomy and the girls had trouble listening but they still enjoyed the experiments.
There has been frog and lizard catching.
And lots of outside time.
I have been using this time to practice my photography more.
It helps me to look for beautiful moments when it seems dark and stressful.
The girls practiced tree climbing while the guys moved the shed.
I also used this time to do one of my twins hair. Little sister is next!

The news is draining right now and I felt tense this week. Hoping for a better week next week. Hoping you and your family are safe and have dirt to play in.

An Easy intro to Homeschool

With all of these kids and parents stuck at home right now I thought I would share some easy things you could do that won’t ask much from the parents that are probably already stressed out.

First off, take advantage of free classes and resources online right now.

For Older Kids

Science

Super Charged Science (it is having free daily classes right now and they are great for a bit older kids)

Teaching Without Chairs is offering a free study on Viruses for a limited time

Math

Khan Academy Math (my boys have used this for extra practice for years)

Handwriting

-Copywork (have them copy a favorite passage from a book they are reading, after a couple of times you can dictate the sentence to them to get some spelling and grammar)

For Younger Kids

Math

ABC Mouse (free trail)

Math seeds (free trail)

Reading

Starfall

ABC Mouse (free trail)

Reading Eggs (free trail)

Leap Frog Videos (I have loved these to teach letter sounds, Letter Factory is my favorite)

Adventure Academy (free trial)

Science

Cincinnati Zoo daily Facebook live videos (so many zoo’s are now doing this so check out your local one to see if they are)

Wild Kratts (I love educational tv, some seasons included with Prime)

-Magic School Bus (currently Netflix has all seasons online, there are awesome resources available online to go with these if you want to add more)

Handwriting

Copywork or there are free letter practice apps available for most devices

Really just keep it simple!

This is not a good time to add a bunch of stress to yourself!

This is a great time for child led learning, if you can’t get to books that interest them, check to see if your local library has ebooks.

Also, there are better times of day for learning than others.

Have them do the hardest subject like math first if that works for them, before they get tired.

We also have quiet time every day and that helps a lot!

We use the zoo’s live feed to motivate kids to do quiet time and then come out and watch some cute animals.

I hope this helps someone!

Give yourself grace and let me know if you have any questions.

I would be happy to help.