Go in the attic and get that old set of Jarts or Ouija Board out ...for recess.
https://www.khanacademy.org/ (but most are free on Youtube)
https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
Have them do household chores and get them involved in cooking.
Learning to self care is as important as any formal schooling.
Teach them some board games.
Contact your local homeschooling association. They will frequently have monthly get togethers or special learning events for families involved.
Schoolhouse Rock.
As an addendum to my original comment, get them to cook something well above their pay grade to improve their skills. They have the time.
Go in the attic and get that old set of Jarts or Ouija Board out ...for recess.
Please see my FULL 8-12 history curriculum at www.wildworldofhistory.com
I have both US 1 & 2 from Columbus to Trump (bundle: $169) and World History Since 1775, 1 & 2 (Bundle: $169).
Each includes: Teacher’s guide with learning objectives, activities, and book outline based on “A Patriot’s History of the United States” or “A Patriot’s History of the Modern World,”; a student guide; tests/answer keys; ALL images/maps/charts used in my instruction; and ME teaching all 22 chapters of “Patriot’s History” in high production video or all 15 lessons of World History in the same high production video.
In addition to all this, you get a free one-year subscription to the VIP side, which has lesson series such as:
“The Horrible History of Howard Zinn”
“Enduring Lessons on Life and Citizenship”
“The 1620 Default”
and more.
You can buy the bundle on line-—ALL downloadable, no license to expire, print as you need.
If you send me an email at Larry@wildworldofhistory.com I will send you a free “Reagan” Webinar, a free “How to Teach History” mini-course, and a free “Excellence in American Business” webinar.
However, it seems not to have been maintained for several years and some of the links may no longer work, although just about all of those that I clicked on were still good.
Another useful site is Gateway to the Classics, a database of online books, poetry and stories for young people. Ebook versions of the materials are for sale but they can be read on the site for free. The site is searchable by author, title, and type of material (books, poetry, stories, even nursery rhymes). Information for each item includes date of publication, grade level, and genre.
And millions of books, videos, archived websites, etc. are available on the Wayback Machine, which has been in existence since the late twentieth century.
Connections Academy
In Washington State, it’s Washington Connections Academy or WACA
Certified credentialed teachers
All books and lab materials sent but returned later
Live lessons via webcam
Online office hours
Flexible hours outside live lessons
Ok to skip some live lessons
Great for when family traveling
Excellent curriculum
Can get ahead or fall behind but always catch up
Active extracurricular clubs and outings
Field trips
Homeschool group hobbies
Sports and varsity sports with brick and mortar schools
Free
Kids love it, they can interact outside the core curriculum
Requires parent or learning coach at home
Team with other parents for drop off when need to go to work
Need internet connection and computer
Laptop computers provided to low income (must return)
Technical assistance via toll free line
Some school districts talking about going ‘digital’ in the way described above.
Turn school campuses into mini-college campuses for shop, productions, band, sports, art, acting, scriptwriting, welding, robotics, etc.
Rather than call it ‘homeschool’, it’s called by districts and legislators as ‘digital school’.
Digital school kids much more focused, grounded, no nonsense.
It’s the future.
I use BBC Bitesize lessons a lot - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Our schools are closed, so I am keeping kindergarten age granddarlin’. Instructions from his teacher was to design and build a “Leprechaun Trap”. It is a S.T.E.M. activity (with a St Patrick’s Day theme). Upper grade kids will involve pulley systems, trap doors, levers, ladders, etc and the younger kids will have a simple design. Of course there has to be bait (leprechauns are attracted to shiny things, gold). We found a bunch of stuff around the house to use and had a fun time all morning. There are a ton of good ideas for them on Pinterest and google.
This link has a page of lots of links. My conservative teacher in Washington posted it on Facebook. I think they’re out of school for four weeks.
We were told that our son would never go to college or be able to read by his senior year in highschool. In one year, she brought him up to his grade level in reading - tested. He still struggled in math, so we had him go through a learning center. In high school he liked ROTC.
Through ROTC, he went to Valley Forge Military college on a 2.0 high school rating and he looked like a million bucks in his Air-force outfit. He graduated college which the teachers and school administrators in Maryland said he never would.
Today, he is a Police Officer in Marietta, has a wonderful wife (by many of our prayers) and is smarter than a whip. He is on the SWAT Team and trains new police candidates.
Yeah, Homeschooling can lead to some very good things and it sounds like it's going to be very good for the kid(s).
As a former home-schooing mom (and now grand-mom), all I can say is use your imagination and reinforce the 3 R’s. Read harder books together but encourage reading on their own. Older kids can do a book report or presentation. Keep up with math basics, but don’t force them to sit at a table doing problems for hours.
I agree with the advice up-thread about cooking (teaches fractions, chemical reactions, following instructions, etc.) and teaching life skills (balancing accounts, budgeting, household upkeep).
There can be valuable learning in many “non-formal” ways, if you just look at things from a relaxed point of view or different perspective. Minecraft, Sims, Lego, playing “store”, caring for pets, board games & other games (20 Questions is one of my grandson’s favorite these days), puzzles, logic problems, even silly things like Madlibs ...
You don’t have to create a formal school at home, make it fun and even let the children direct some of their learning (it’s okay to read nothing but books about dinosaurs for days, if they want to, just figure out ways to incorporate that into other lessons) And let them play outside a LOT if the weather co-operates.
Have them read classic literature.
A huge list of free online resources with links compiled here:
https://hip2save.com/tips/free-educational-games-for-kids/
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education FIRE’s High School Curriculum
https://www.thefire.org/resources/high-school-network/high-school-curriculum/
Prager University free online videos by topic.
https://www.prageru.com/playlist/mythbusting-history/
https://www.prageru.com/playlist/what-you-need-to-know-about-taxes/
https://www.prageru.com/playlist/ideas-for-a-better-you/
https://www.prageru.com/playlist/the-ten-commandments/