Many local schools have been out two and a half days or more this week due to the increasingly unsafe conditions caused by rain and, as of Thursday, January 17, the possibility of snow. Obviously, homeschooled kids are not affected by the weather in the same way public school kids are. They don’t have to get outside and drive to school or, worse, ride on a bus to get there. There’s no need to wait out in the elements until a parent can pick them up, or a bus arrives. Realistically speaking, as long as there are no power outages, there is no reason why homeschooled kids can’t continue with their regular schedule.
Do you make them?
Kids are aware that their friends in public school aren’t having to do any of their normal work. They know that they’ve had a mini vacation, and many of them may react with jealousy or frustration. On top of that, day after day of unrelenting rain has left many kids restless, desperate to get outside and run around. There are only so many times you can say, “Why don’t you go read a book?” or “Let’s watch a movie!” A lack of Vitamin D is probably making them cranky, too.
So what do you do? Do you have your kids keep to their normal schedules anyway?
Personally, I’m bribing mine. We dig in and take care of schoolwork now, and then in a few days, when it’s pretty and sunny again, we’ll be able to go outside and play all we want. I’ve considered offering them a trip to the park; but I have the feeling that it’s going to take more than a few days before the water on the paths is going to go down enough for a good walk again, and the equipment is going to be wet for a few days yet.
For now, we’re keeping to our regular schedule as much as possible: chores and schoolwork early in the day, and fun activities after lunch. However, once there’s sunshine again, we may take advantage of it while we can!
What about you? Are you trudging along as usual, just waiting for the water to end? Or are you letting your kids have a little bit of time off like their public schooled peers?
Comments