Your Home is Suddenly a School, Now What?

Parent Resources for Remote Learning

Published April 5, 2020

Come Monday, while schools remain physically closed, a majority of students will “return” from Spring Break, virtually reunite with teachers and begin a new way of education using online learning options available on the district’s website.

This will mark the soft launch of Distance Learning in the San Diego Unified School District. Although some students and educators will quickly resume teaching and learning, many will use the soft launch period to identify gaps in access and technology before we formally launch graded online education on April 27.

Parents too can use this soft launch period to help their students acclimate to learning from home - from designating a learning space to establishing a schedule to setting aside time and nooks for art, crafts, music and other activities.

This shift will require patience and trial and error on everyone’s part, and it’s OK if this is an imperfect process! We’ve pulled together some helpful resources for families as they convert kitchen tables, living rooms and home offices into makeshift classrooms.

Assigned Seating? You don’t need a formal home office or even a traditional desk to give your student an adequate study space. Some experts say it’s beneficial to designate “flexible learning spaces” for students to learn and to allow varying degrees of structure. Give students some options, depending on their lessons or activities.

A desk or table for math practice or writing lessons might work best, but then consider allowing a student to transition to a comfortable chair to watch instructional videos or listen to a podcast. Ask students to participate in setting up learning spaces, and use household items or make signs to give them flair. A pile of pillows or a homemade fort can transform a space into a reading nook or art corner.

Structures and Routines: Some experts suggest establishing and sticking to a “school schedule,” which some teachers may help with in the coming days and weeks. It might be fun for some students to help decorate and to post their schedule on paper signs or on a white board.

The school bell won’t signal the start and end of periods, lunch or recess, but setting cell phone alarms with favorite ring-tones might help students stay on track. The key is to co-create structures and routines, but to be flexible about them changing. The routines for each week can be revisited every weekend as the family reflects on how the past week went and then adjust as needed.

At Home Teacher Helpers: Need an art break, some story time or educator-recommended activities? Connect your students to art instruction from illustrator and author Mo Willems leading daily drawing activities and San Diego Diego Union-Tribune editorial cartoonist Steve Breen’s “Scribble” lessons are here: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/steve-breen.

More and more celebrities are showing up for story time, with Dolly Parton reading bedtime stories and Oprah Winfrey reading Thelma Lynne Godin’s book, The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen https://youtu.be/op9Bc7GWCuw. Another handy collection is here with The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read-Alouds & Activities. There are Free Audible children’s stories available, too. Educator-recommended 26 Best Podcasts for Middle and High School students offer another resource for parents looking for enrichment options.

Setting aside time for music and dancing will help students keep the arts alive, while also providing a break from computers and core academic instruction. Here are a few dance ideas: Design your own dance with My Dance Journal. Take a class in your living room and Dancing Alone Together. Thinking about arranging a Virtual Choir experience with your friends or peers? Read this how-to guide.

Meanwhile, the California Science Center has curated a collection of experiments for kids, called “Stuck at Home Science,” with instructions in English and Spanish. The San Diego Museum of Art has How To Guides for lesson plans and activities for students and families to do at home.

Field trips may be canceled amid school closures, but virtual field trips can take students to exciting places, from the San Diego Zoo to the surface of Mars. Here are more options for Virtual Field trips.

Write On: Journaling is an established writing assignment for students of all ages, but it’s also an effective outlet for students trying to process these uncertain times.

San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy Marten, a published author, literacy specialist and journal enthusiast, recommends setting aside time for your family to document this historic experience, which future generations may ask about. Journals are a place for students to write about their feelings, describe how their family is responding to this crisis, and even include interviews with grandparents or other relatives who live far away or are no longer able to visit due to social distancing. Our Superintendent uses paper journals and a journal app that allows for multi-media creativity. There are many journaling apps available, some of which can be printed into family books/keepsakes.

If your students are reluctant to write about their feelings, encourage them to write poetry or creative stories, which can also help them process their emotional response to this crisis. Another way for students to continue to hone their writing skills is to write letters to classmates and relatives and send them off via “snail mail.” Cell phone photography is another creative outlet that allows students to keep photo or video journals. Amidst all the uncertainty, there is always something beautiful to capture using cell phone photography.

Take a Break: Don’t forget to set aside play time - whether it’s inside your home or out in a yard, if that’s an option. According to the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, play time “allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them.”

Be Kind: Finally, Steve Hartman kindness class daily offers a relevant reminder to us all to always be kind - to ourselves and to others.