Project - Camper & Home Learning Begins

I bought a used pop up tent trailer to use to get the kids out exploring. It is a project, that's for sure and I've learned a ton. We are having fun figuring it out and look forward to some great adventures with it.

With schools closed until the end of April, I had to develop a plan to keep each of the kids engaged in learning of all kinds. The kids returned to me Wednesday and we started to get back into our groove and talked about what we wanted for the upcoming weeks. On Thursday, we began a checklist system so that the kids accomplish different areas of learning, chores, physical activity and other tasks during the day. So far, so good. It gives enough latitude and choice that it doesn't get stale (so far) but helps us stay focused each day.

We started out practicing social distancing and allowing the kids to be outside with friends, especially for physical activity. But as the days progressed and we learned more about the virus, it became clear we'd have to stop seeing our friends in person, even outside. But until we knew that, we did get outside with friends. We then started to transition to online social get togethers. A mom of Edison's friend, Tomas, started a book club for those friends and Charlotte is in on it, too - they are reading Lord of the Flies and doing Zoom meetings a couple times a week. It is awesome to see the kids' faces light up when they talk with friends.