Virtual learning and homeschooling has been a big topic for the month of July. With the Covid-19 pandemic, families are making the adjustment to transition their children to virtual learning and homeschooling. This is a very new way of learning for so many families! I felt the need to do a July Q&A focused on virtual learning and homeschooling. Here are the top questions and answers.
How much time do you set aside for homeschool teaching?
The time that you set aside for teaching/learning varies. It also depends on the age of your child. It’s important for homeschool parents to understand focused one-on-one instruction with your child is typically quicker than that of a teacher with a classroom of 15-20 students. Therefore, the hours that you teach your child is a lot less than if your child was in public school in a big class. Below, I have an estimate for the amount of actual learning instruction per day.
Elementary school age students: 1-2 hours of actual learning instruction
Middle school age students: 2-3 hours of actual learning instruction
High School age students: 3-4 hours of actual learning instruction
The younger the child, the shorter the focused instruction should be. As a homeschool family try to aim for a well rounded day that consists of direct instruction, independent work, reading, recess/play time, quiet time, and art time. Also keep in mind that having your child involved in extracurricular activities is important as well. Examples of some good extracurricular activities include karate lessons, ballet classes, gymnastics, sport teams, etc.
Do you need a room in your home dedicated to virtual learning or homeschooling?
You do not need to have a specific room in your house for virtual learning or homeschooling your child. Some families don’t have the extra space to dedicate a separate room. If you do, that’s great. Target dollar spot has some great items you can buy to decorate your homeschool room. However, if you don’t have an extra room, I would recommend a dedicated space which can be anywhere in the house. For example, my daughter has a small table and chair set in her room where she completes her school work. She also completes her virtual learning assignments at her table. It’s also important to understand that learning can take place at various locations in the home or outside the home. For example, if I’m doing a science lesson with my daughter, we will go outside.
What are the cons of homeschooling?
Homeschool cons will depend on the family. I believe there are cons with all types of school whether it’s public school, private school, virtual school, homeschool, etc. We cannot specifically point out a con for homeschooling because every family is different. For example, one family might say a con of a private school is the amount of money they have to pay. Another family might say that’s not a con because they have set aside private school money for several years. Another example would be one family might say a con of homeschool is their child doesn’t get to socialize because they live in a small town with limited resources. And another family might say socializing is not a con because their child is in several extra curricular activities and they participate in homeschool co-ops where their child sees children their age daily.
How will a child that’s homeschooled transition to high school or college?
I would first recommend that any parent that wants to homeschool, they make sure the curriculum being used has some similar standards of a public school. If you plan to homeschool for a couple years, you want to make sure your child will academically be prepared when they transition to public school. I would also suggest keeping all homeschool lesson documents as proof of your child’s learning lessons.
With the transition from homeschool to college it should not be a problem. Colleges typically place more of an emphasis on SAT/ACT scores. With that being said, as long as your child is learning up to standards whether that be at a homeschool, private school, public school, etc. the transition to college shouldn’t be a problem.
What are the best ways to keep virtual learning and homeschooling fun yet structured?
Having a daily schedule and routine for kids is what keeps things structured. All kids want a routine and structure when it comes to school. Here is an example of a virtual learning and homeschooling schedule for kids. Simple and Easy Schedule for Kids at Home. I want to point out that every virtual learning and homeschool schedule will look different for each family. Make sure you create a schedule that works for your family.
Making virtual learning and homeschooling fun just involves some creativity. We have a structured schedule for our morning learning session from 10-11am. I plan out creative ways to teach my daughter. Some days we go outside for learning, some days she does virtual learning, other days we are doing fun science experiments outside. Make sure you change up the learning styles to avoid your kids getting bored. Also, check out my blog post on ways to make virtual learning fun for kids. 7 Ways to Make Virtual Learning Fun for Kids.
How do you manage homeschooling and virtual learning while working full time?
Here are a few tips to managing homeschooling and virtual learning while working full time.
- Wake up at least 1-2 hours before your children to get work done and prepare your day.
- Plan out your homeschool schedule and have activities laid out for the day.
- Try not to multitask because you might get overwhelmed. For example, from 10-11am when my daughter is doing school work, I’m completely focused on her. Schedule out times in your day where you focus on work and other times where you focus on homeschooling and virtual learning. I focus on my work before the kids wake up, mid day when my kids have quiet time, and evenings when my husband gets home.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You might need to speak to your job about an alternate work schedule. Or maybe you have a talk with your husband where he is able to teach your child a couple subjects in the evenings when he gets home. Or maybe you can ask other homeschool parents or relatives if they can help in some way.
- Give yourself grace. It’s okay if you have to change things several times to figure out what works for your family with virtual learning and homeschooling.
What are your top virtual learning and homeschooling essentials?
I typically buy all the necessary items as if my child was going to a public school. So we always get those necessary school supplies such as pencils, paper, backpack, crayons, glue, etc. Along with those necessary items, I also buy some homeschool essentials. Here is a link to my top homeschool essentials. 5 Homeschool Essentials. These are items you might not think of, but they are very necessary.
In conclusion, I enjoyed reading all the July virtual learning and homeschool questions! If there are any other questions you have about virtual learning or homeschool be sure to leave a comment below!
XO,
Ashley
