When the COVID-19 quarantine spread across America, my husband and I knew times ahead would be difficult and scary. What would this do to our economy and our family? What would homeschooling during quarantine look like? We were wary of the impact the quarantine would have on us as a society and as a family unit. But as we began charting this journey together, we cautiously held out hope that some good had to come from this period of mass quarantine.
And it turns out, quarantine led to benefits in ways we didn’t expect! We have grown closer together as a family. We have started some projects around the house that we had put off. Surprisingly, we have saved money from not eating out, driving, or spending frivolously. And finally, our homeschooling efforts have become more focused, fun, and meaningful. Here’s how:
1. I have a new sense of thankfulness.
Homeschooling during quarantine has given me a new sense of thankfulness. As a former teacher, I see the chaos that public education has now become with distance learning. I know schools and teachers are doing the best they can with the situation they’ve been given, and it’s not an easy one. But administrators, teachers, and parents are struggling to provide children with the basic education they need right now.
This has made me ever thankful that my learning model hasn’t changed and that my kids will not experience the “quarantine slide”. In our household, learning has continued and has even thrived! This feeling of thankfulness is exactly the motivation I needed, especially these last few weeks before summer break!
2. We learn topics more thoroughly.
I’ll admit it. Sometimes my five-year-old interrupts with so many questions during lessons, and I just want to get through the lesson! I’m guilty of telling her that we’ll answer her questions later, or we’ll address her questions tomorrow.
But since we are homeschooling during quarantine, it’s different. If she asks a question that warrants further discussion, we discuss it! If I don’t know the answer, we’ll find a video or research the Internet for it. We keep digging deeper and deeper until she is satisfied and has no more questions.
It’s amazing how a five-year-old can take a rabbit trail from one topic! But she wants to know things and last I checked, we aren’t going anywhere or doing anything more important. So why not? I have no excuse, time is on our side, and this is a golden opportunity to encourage learning and curiosity. This was definitely one of the most welcome benefits of this quarantine!
3. We have more time for extra-curricular activities during quarantine.
Before quarantine, our days were filled with errands, grocery runs, doctor’s appointments, sitter (work) time for mommy, and all sorts of other essential (and some non-essential) errands. It seemed like we were always in a hurry to get homeschool done, and we rarely had time left for extra stuff, such as arts and crafts or music.
But now…we are home. And staying home. And we have no intent to go anywhere. We have an entire acre of a backyard, complete with a beautiful garden, lots of live science experiments, and natural craft materials. Our deck provides the perfect place for art time and practicing dance moves. We have time for extra, yet educational, activities, and we are taking full advantage of this! My kids are now more well-rounded as we dapple into various activities from the comfort of our home and surroundings during the COVID-19 quarantine.
4. We have expanded our curriculum.
Homeschooling during quarantine has lead us to the decision to expand our curriculum. The COVID-19 quarantine has made my husband and I acutely aware of how fragile an economy can be and how we would like to depend less on it. We want to teach our children important life skills as we practice them in their presence.
Since the inception of the quarantine, we have included our children more in our gardening and cooking efforts. We also plan to integrate more self-sufficient measures (such as raising chickens) in the near future, and we will include this as part of our homeschool curriculum as well.
We feel that learning to cook, take care of animals, and grow vegetables is just as important as reading, writing, and math! This is a more inclusive list of what every homesteader should know, which includes many skills that we hope to teach our children thanks to this quarantine and the state of the economy.
5. Schedule? What Schedule?
Being home all day made me realize that it’s ok to let the kids go outside and play before we start homeschool. In fact, this is a really great tactic if you are homeschooling a child with ADD/ADHD, which I am! We have all day, literally, to get to our lessons. Or we can do a subject, and then play. And then do another subject, and then bake. And then do another subject, and then nap….you get the idea! If we miss a day entirely? Well, oh well! We have Saturday, or any other day of the week to make it up. All the days are just about the same anyway!
Now normally, I’m a very schedule-oriented person and I thought I would have a tough time adjusting to a the lack of a schedule. But a more relaxed day seemed to do my kids some good. They don’t know exactly the horrendous impact of COVID-19. But they can sense a tension, and a more relaxed day helps to ease that tension. By adopting a less rigid homeschool schedule, my kids are all more relaxed and ready to learn when the time is right!
Some Final Thoughts
Quarantine can definitely be a trying time for a family. It’s hard being in the same confined space without the usual comforts of friends, parks, hobbies outside of the house, travel, etc. But quarantine can be quite beneficial for homeschool! It brings out creativity, removes time constraints, and encourages deeper learning. So, until the zoos, museums, and libraries open again, take advantage of this quarantine time! Explore, learn, and dive deeper into topics with a new sense of thankfulness as you continue your homeschool journey!