Whether you have chosen SLOCA @Home or SLOCA Live for your family, chances are the start of the school year is going to be an adjustment for all of us. So as we head into the week before the kick-off of the new school year, I (Sharon) have put together some suggestions that will hopefully help you and your kids ease back into school. Because let’s face it, transitions can be tricky and we are all probably a bit “out of shape” when it comes to school. I’ll be implementing many of these for our family and calling it Back to School Bootcamp.
Expectations:
Before you jump into anything new, it is prudent to evaluate your expectations.
- Identify your own expectations: What’s your ideal schedule? What do you expect from each school day? How will you approach chores, meals, school attire, etc.?
- Ask your kids, if old enough, what are they envisioning for school. Aim to give them as much information as you can to help prepare them for this school year.
- Work together to attempt to align both your expectations and theirs and then make plans to work toward those goals.
Schedules & Routines:
It’s been a long summer and new routines and patterns have been established. At my house this summer, there have been several mornings where my kids have not had breakfast until 9:45. And quite a few nights when bedtime has been gone way past the usual time. This schedule is not going to be ideal for school. Starting next week alarms will be set and bedtimes will be stricter in an attempt to ease us back into a schedule more conducive for school. My goal is that by the end of the week, we will manage to have breakfast at 7:30. It is going to be rough to wake them up and get them moving when we don’t necessarily have anywhere to be, but I’m hoping it will help them to feel more ready for when we do.
Our kids have done mostly okay with our established “morning chores” routine, although some days they are more aptly named “afternoon chores”. Responsibilities like making their beds, getting dressed, brushing their teeth and hair, and caring for their pets are our set expectations for each day. How about you, do your kids have a morning routine? If not, this might be a good week to start moving towards one or reinstating previous ones long forgotten with the allure of summer.
Get Organized:
If you haven’t gotten to it yet, this is probably the week to get your homeschool space ready.
- Do you have all your supplies and curriculum? (Check the Parent Portal for lists and visit The Den to pick up what you might be missing.)
- Set up your space — Where will your kids be doing their work? Do they have what they’ll need readily available? Do you have what you’ll need readily available? (Check out this Down Home post for some ideas on how to organize your homeschool supplies.)
- Trash or Treasure — Go through drawers, backpacks, binders, tubs, etc. and play “Trash or Treasure”. Recycle or toss what is no longer needed and set aside what can be reused or simply needs to be saved for posterity.
Wake Up Those Brains:
Don’t stress if your kids have done absolutely nothing “academic” all summer! It’s been quite a summer. Chances are they were still learning without any structured lessons. With that being said, keep in mind that our brains are like muscles that need “exercise”. With the extended summer, we may find that our kids’ brains have “atrophied” a bit. Now is an optimal time to start getting them back into school shape.
Consider spending some time this upcoming week doing some simple reviews. Go over math facts and/or grammar definitions, review a few spelling words or quiz them on Latin. Whatever you do, try to make it fun by playing games or finding ways to insert it into everyday life. A little each day will go a long way in preparing them to use those amazing brain muscles. Check back this Monday, Sept. 14th for an introduction to our Monday Mix-ins series. We will have some fun and easy activities to get those brains working.
Celebrate:
Last but not least, enjoy these fleeting days of summer.
- Spend some time as a family reflecting on this unusual summer.
- Take time to talk about the highs and lows.
- Discuss favorite books read, meals enjoyed, activities accomplished, and/or adventures experienced.
- Scroll through photos together to remember how you spent your time.
- Enjoy a celebratory “end of summer” meal or treat.
- Affirm each other, acknowledge any positive character growth this summer.
- Encourage your kids, do your best to help them feel ready to start school.
- Take the time to do the things you may not get to once school starts. (I am fully aware that this may conflict with all the aforementioned suggestions for Back to School Bootcamp.)
This will most likely be a summer that we never forget, let’s make sure we remember the good stuff too!
How are you spending your last week of summer? Let us know by sharing in the comments below.
