Home School, Corona Style

 The last time Calista and Craig stepped foot inside their school was March 13. Caleb last went inside his preschool March 11. After that, they've been home.

For Caleb, this transition has mostly just meant less time with me.
For Craig and Calista, it has meant powerpoint presentations and video chats. Online books, computers, and headphones. Lots of screen time, and lots of free time.
For me, it has meant no alone time, grocery shopping in the evening instead of during the day, and lots and lots of time spent learning and teaching.

We did the assignments that teachers assigned.

Counting socks,

watching and singing to Spanish videos,

reading

and writing

and math.
We did schoolwork at the table,

on the couch,

and outside.

We also did some other home learning. We studied marine biology

and space,

and did a country of the week, as chosen by the kiddos.
We learned a little about each country, did an activity or craft, and made tasty food.

• Spain

Empanadas de atun, mosiacs, 

and bull fights.

• Cuba

Cubist face drawing (like Wifredo Lam)

Picadillo y frijoles negros,

and Gloria Estefan.

• England

Playdough Stonehenge,

Bangers and Mash, 

And Beatles.

• Morocco

Coloring a hamsa, 

and eating tagine and couscous.

• Australia

ANZAC biscuits, coloring, and no pictures?

• Russia

Babushka dolls and Borscht.

While listening to Tchaikovsky.

• Mongolia

 Horses and Tsuivan

• Ukraine

Coloring Pysanka and making golubtsi

• China

Dragon masks and Jiaozi.

• India

Yoga (Craig hated this), and butter chicken and naan. Kyler made the food with the kiddos (so no pictures) because I hurt my ankle really badly the day we made food.

• Peru

Miniature Nazca lines and Ceviche. 

So many limes!

• Egypt

Ful Medammes and Pharaohs!

• Denmark

Julehjerters (this also didn't go over well. The kiddos had no patience for weaving the papers together)  

and Wienerbrød.

• Argentina

Miniature Cueva de las Manos and steak with chimichurri.

Calista's favorite country was Egypt. Craig's favorite was Argentina. And Caleb's favorite was carrot cake.
My favorite parts were expanding the kiddos (and my!) culinary horizons and the moments that made them think.
Like when I brought up that while Aboriginal Australians have lived there about 60,000 years, the entire population did not have the right to vote until 1965. "What? That doesn't make sense. Why couldn't they vote? That's not fair!"
Or when we were talking about Genghis Khan, and how he proclaimed a new code of law that forbade the selling of women, theft, and hunting animals during breeding season. "Wow! He was a pretty good guy, wasn't he?" The next fact we learned was that Genghis Khan would completely obliterate any towns that refused to submit to Mongol rule. "Hmmm. Maybe he wasn't such a great guy after all." The world is full of shades of gray, m'dears. Rarely are people just either good or evil.


We went on lots of walks,

played at the park when it opened again,

played outside,

and had somewhat questionable definitions of The Seasons.

I'm guessing they were sick of winter and happy to be moving on to spring?

And, just for good measure, we did a Mentos geyser.

Because why not, when the kids are out of school?


Now the school year is over, with a bit of a cloud of uncertainty hanging over next fall. But there is still much to celebrate, and a whole summer, without Google Classroom, to enjoy.

End of Year Interviews:

 

Caleb wants to be five when he grows up. He loves the color yellow and to eat crackers and cheese. If he could be any animal in the world, he'd be a monkey in the jungle.

Craig wants to be a geologist when he grows up. He loves the color orange and to eat spaghettini. If he could be any animal in the world, he'd be a shark. His favorite part of Grade 1 was probably centers. Craig is looking forward to finding out what teacher he's going to have in Grade 2.

Calista wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up. She loves the color pink and to eat lasagna rolls. If she could be any animal in the world, she'd be a sperm whale because they can go deep, deep, deep underwater. Her favorite part of Grade 3 was her teacher. She's looking forward to learning about basic machines in Grade 4.