Hi Parents,
As we look at starting Kindie at home I just wanted to give you some information to help you navigate the activities I have posted on Freshgrade for your child to do. Before I explain anything further I want to assure you that your child’s safety and mental health are of utmost importance. If you need to make a choice between snuggling your kiddo and reassuring them that they are loved, or doing a math activity, snuggling is definitely higher priority right now. Our children are resilient but they are also very perceptive to our stress and our feelings. Just do what you can and don’t worry about the rest. And breathe- you’ve got this, and I am here to help in any way I can. I am always available by email and will have opportunities for you to connect with me throughout the week (more on that later).
Some questions that have probably been rolling around in your brain and some answers that hopefully help you breathe a little easier:
Q: “How much should I be doing with my child each day?”
A: I have put all the of the activities for the week on Freshgrade. It is up to you to decide what you do each day and when in the day you do them. I would recommend trying to set up some sort of schedule that you can stick to in order to help facilitate a sense of normalcy for your child. Ideally, you will be reading with your child each day (perhaps at bedtime) and providing them with an opportunity to be physically active each day as well (go play in the backyard, go for a walk or bike ride, do GoNoodle at home etc). In addition to reading and physical activity, I have planned that you should be able to do 3 other activities a day (ideally, a Language Arts activity, a Math activity and then a Science/ Social Studies activity or Art activity). I have also added some “other” activities if you are looking for some additional things for your child to do (Bible stories, scavenger hunts etc). You can choose to do these, or leave them entirely. It’s up to you.
Q: “How much time should this be taking each day?”
A: It definitely depends. On average, I would estimate 1.5 hours. That being said, you may have a child who really wants to read and spends a lot of time reading on Raz Kids. You might also have a child who really enjoys Counting Collections and wants to count as many collections as he has at home. That’s great! A lot of these activities are designed to be done more than once. If they want to do spend more time on something, and that works for you, that’s great!
Q: “How do I let you (the teacher) know when we have completed an activity?”
A: At the bottom of each activity there is a place for you to upload or comment. This is the best place for you to put your child’s work. You can simply take a photo of your child’s work and upload it right there, or add a video of your child doing the activity. If no photo or video is needed you may simply choose to write a comment in that place. If you aren’t sure how to do that, we can go over that.
Q: “I am not sure how to do one of the activities with my child. What should I do?”
A: If you have a question about an activity you can email me directly any time and I will get back to you as soon as possible. You could also type your question into the comment section at the bottom of the activity and I will answer you as soon as I can. Alternatively, you can jump on google meet and ask away. I am planning to be available on Mondays from 10-11 am each week and Wednesday from 1-2 pm (with the exception of holiday Mondays) for any questions that you might have. Please note, this is a time for parents to ask questions, not for students to come on and show me things (we will save that for our weekly meetings).
I hope that helps answer some of the questions that you might have right now. I know there is so much to think about and wrap our minds around now. Hang in there! We’ve got this!
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