At-home learning tips from an educator

From PBS

 

Learning is exploring! As your home is now a classroom and you find yourself facilitating learning, don’t be burdened with the stress of wondering,

“Am I doing this right?” “Did I do enough of that?” “Is that how the teacher would do it?”

During this time of at-home learning, rest assured, you can do this! Embrace the fact that knowledge is all around us and your child just wants you to join them for the ride!

So don’t stress. Enjoy these priceless moments with your little one(s) and check out these awesome resources from PBS Kids that are sure to make home learning epic!

As a full-time educator mom, let me say you are not alone. We are all trekking through new territory, trying to balance this new normal of working, educating, and parenting… all simultaneously.

From a seasoned educator, who is also “teacher mom,” there are three things that are sure to make your learning time go FAR:

Flexibility:

This is the key! Your home is not a classroom. Learning is going to come in many different forms, shapes, and sizes.

It’s ok to read treasure maps, predict moon patterns, and measure ingredients! The “school day” will likely look very different than the traditional 8:00-3:00 that children are accustomed to… and that’s ok.

Be flexible! Learning can happen at any time and in a variety of ways.

Attitude:

Attitude is everything. Always remember, it is process over perfection! Learning is a building process.

Be ready to celebrate the small wins, because small wins build into big victories. This new reality is a learning process for everyone.

Modeling is a powerful learning tool, therefore we must model positivity to our children when faced with challenges.

Don’t be overcome by stress and anxiety. Greet each day with renewed patience and a positive attitude!

Routine:

Our little friends have had their routines pulled out from under them.

Our littles function best when they know what to expect, so try to have a basic, non-rigid routine in place to help these tiny minds feel at ease and have a sense of normalcy.

Scheduling every minute of the day is not necessary and will add unproductive stress.

Don’t let the perfectly planned to-the-minute homeschool schedules plastered on social media make you feel inferior.

Rather than a detailed itinerary, maintain a bedtime/wake up routine, with blocks of time for family meals and interactions.

Simple structure is more valuable than you think.

PBS has a great lineup of resources available to you that are standards aligned and ready to ignite our home classrooms! As a current teacher and proud mom of a first grader, these activities are kid tested and teacher approved.

This non-traditional way of learning has broken down the four walls of the classroom and opened a plethora of new opportunities.

In addition Alabama Public Television (APT) is offering Learn at Home opportunities.

Beginning April 6, APT modified its weekday schedule to offer blocks of programming for pre-K through 12th grades.

Popular children’s shows will continue to be seen 24/7 on APT’s digital channel 2 (the PBS Kids Channel) and are also available online and on the APT App and PBS Kids App.

For more information visit ATP’s website https://apt2.org/education/learn-at-home/