The Luckiest No Matter What!

My family has been staying home and staying safe for 16 days. My kids are into this new routine we've built, people are doing some learning, things are getting done. We are reading, we are doing math, we are journaling, we are doing art, we are doing science, we are learning about the world. We are going outside, a lot.  None of these things are without struggle and frustration, fun and accomplishment.  All of these things are consuming my entire day and most evenings.  This week, week two, was hard. For whatever reason, I was quite manic in my mental state.  There were a couple of days were I was really in the moment, really enjoying the time with my sons, feeling like we were grooving, feeling like I was being successful. We did a science experiment with soap that was a huge hit, built an awesome snowman, wrote cards to family members, spent a Free-Write Friday writing super silly stories, played some games that we loved, clapped as Preston learned new words, started a ne

Last Thursday night, March 12th, I was reading Ann Arbor Public School's thoughtful letter to their community letting parents and students know they were closing school. Only minutes after that, I happened to catch the governor speaking live as she announced that, starting that Monday March 16th, ALL K-12 schools in Michigan would be closed. It's crazy that it's only been a little over a week and somehow I am living a completely different life. I now have four children at home with me full time. When I say 'at home with me,' it's not like the summer 'at home with me' where we go swimming, play on playgrounds, take day trips, visit museums and trampoline parks and spend countless hours playing with neighbors and family. I mean the 'at home with me' where we stay at our home... like all the time. Sure, we still spend a lot of time outside, but it's in our backyard, on our driveway, sadly waving at neighbors as they walk by or play in their

I haven't been able to sleep much after hearing of Michigan schools, and others, closing their doors for weeks in our national and global efforts of social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak. I know this is massive news, this is a massive change, and has and will produce all sorts of massive feelings, adjustments, and sacrifices for us all. I also know there must be so many parents worried about how they will keep their kids engaged, active, and learning during this time. I do not have all the answers, but as an educator, I thought I would at least share some knowledge and resources with you all that I hope help. I plan to run my time at home set up much like a school day: Begin the day with a soft start- some yoga, puzzles, a quiet game, a breakfast invitation Having time to connect through a morning meeting where we can discuss the day, talk, read a picture book together.  Create a literacy block Break for some lunch and play with outdoor time Create a math blo