Tag Archives: isolation

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Homeschool Day 1 – plans vs. reality

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Let me preface by stating that today would be our second day of isolation. This means, no playdates, no meeting anyone outside of home unless absolutely necessary (such as a grocery store visit) and following all precautions even if we do step out.

The day started off well. We managed to stick to our schedule for the most part. I was very proud of A for grabbing her workbook and working independently at the same time that she would when in school. The morning went smoothly, with us sticking to the general plan with minor delays/alterations. In addition to the math worksheets, A chose to draw and make stories today, an activity full of whimsy as she dreamt of squirrels and kids playing in the forest.

This afternoon, our county along with other counties in the Bay Area announced a complete lockdown. This means, all 6.7 million residents of the Bay Area are ordered not to leave home except for food and medical reasons for the next 3 weeks. This is a difficult and crucial step in order to contain the spread of the virus. While that debate belongs on a different platform, it did derail our afternoon education plan. Anyway, more tomorrow!






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Homeschooling Day 1

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Today will mark day 1 of homeschooling.We’re hopeful, dare I say ambitious? 

Here is the schedule we have put together for ourselves: 

Time

Ananya’s Activity

8:00-9:00

Breakfast

9:00-10:00

Call grandparents / Read

10:00-10:30

Shower, pooja

10:30-11:00

Writing activities – workbook – alternate between Language and Math

11:00-12:00

Learning activities – alternate between Science and Arts

12:00-1:00

Lunch

1:00-2:00

TV

2:00-4:00

Reading / Playtime

4:00-4:30

Milk / Snack

4:30 – 6:15

Outdoor time (if weather permits) OR Game time OR Exploration time (music/dash dot/ pick a topic)

6:15-7:00

Dinner

7:00-7:30

Call grandparents

7:30-8:15

Reading

So this is our ambitious timetable. As the week unfolds, it will be interesting to see how much of the schedule is replaced with screen-time. However, my daughter is great at self-regulating and doesn’t do well with a lot of screen-time. The thing she is truly going to miss is playing with her friends, but right now it’s all about the bigger picture. She’s been a champ at understanding the impact of coronavirus and COVID-19. She’s read through / watched clips including this one from Washington Post, and the episode “How do people catch a cold?” from Storybots. More on this in another post. 

Some notes on my homeschooling philosophy/curriculum: 

  1. I shall ensure my teachings align with Common Core and NGSS as applicable, and continue to work on developing A’s critical thinking abilities. 
  2. I intend to follow an integrated approach to her learning. This means that I will try to develop simple projects and activities to do at home which will guide her learning in Math, Language and Science. In this regard, cooking and baking remains a favorite especially considering we are confined to home, but we’ll see what else we can come up with. 
  3. My biggest challenge so far is possibly incorporating a Montessori approach to her Math lessons. 

Signing off for now. Wish us luck!

Covid-19

The times we live in!

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As I open this blog (yes I know it’s been years!) I’m overcome with a feeling of writing a diary. A diary cataloging our experiences during the interesting times we live in. I mean, the first thing I want to say is that it’s 2020, and Planet Earth has been overcome by a pandemic known as COVID-19! While this sounds like the opening lines of a post-apocalyptic thriller, this is just our life as we now know it.

Well, enough of the drama and on to reality. My daughter A, now past the 4.5 age mark, is at home for the foreseeable future. Since the last time I posted here, she has grown to be a friendly, kind, social girl who loves going to school to learn and play with her friends. On Friday, 2 days ago, her school made the decision to remain open through the pandemic, while requesting parents who could manage childcare to support them by keeping their children home. So, tomorrow will mark Day 1 of homeschooling. The libraries and community centers have shutdown as well, and with several days of rain forecast, we’re going to have to get very creative very quickly with my homeschooling efforts.

In addition, our family has started practicing social distancing. In recent days, we slowly but surely cut back social interactions. Today marked the first day of many spent in complete isolation, with just me, A and her dad. To get some fresh air and movement, we chose to go to a park for a walk, and were amazed, and perhaps even a little spooked by how empty the place was. In hindsight, however, I am glad to see how ghost town-life places were; it leads me to believe that more and more people are practicing social distancing as well.

In the following days, I’ll be using this space to chronicle our days of isolation. I’ll share some resources that help us, lessons I’m doing with my daughter, activities, games, routines, you name it, I’ll try and document it. I’d also love to her from all of you, as to what you’re doing with your kids.

Take care of yourself and your loved ones, be mindful of the times we live in and enjoy your time with your family!