Day 4: When there is a Crisis (5 Days of Teaching Creatively)

Homeschooling in a crisis? Yes, life still happens to homeschoolers. And this is where we can shine. . . or sink! Certain crisis don't slow us down.

• Bad weather on the roads? Car broken down? We can still get to school! 
• Sick with something viral? Mom can bring your books to your bed!
• Nothing to wear? Jammies meet the dress code!

But some things do slow us down. 

• A loved one is in the hospital, and kids aren't allowed to visit. Sorry, no field trip there.
• Mom is sick. Oh no!
• A death in the family and everyone must travel.

So what do you do when life throws a wrench? You get flexible. This is why we homeschool right? Make a lesson out of it, take the day off, call for re-enforcements? Here's a few things you can do to make it smoother. You're already in a crisis; lets not make it worse!

Throw a meal in the freezer! This is something you can do in advance, you will be glad for later. Choose something dad (or the sitter) can make when mom is at the hospital with a friend, or maybe when mom is the one sick! I love to have soup in the freezer, because it freezes well, and is soothing when you're sick. Here are a few good ones:

• Home-Made Chicken Broth
• Dairy Free: Ham and Potato Chowder
• Two Chili Recipes
• Cabbage Burgers also freeze well!

Have some fun lessons on video, so the kids can be distracted, but still learning.

If you have a laptop the kids can use, or a personal DVD player this can be a great option. Your local library will often have some great choices. You can check these out when you need them, or be sure to hit the library's annual fundraiser sale. I've loaded up on lots of great videos there. :)  I've also filled my Netflix queue with educational shows I can have the kids pull up in a pinch. Nearly anything Ken Burns does works for us. For younger kids, the Leap Frog videos are fun too.

Another great option is subscribing to a curriculum that has lessons ready to go, that the kids can use by themselves. We are currently reviewing Supercharged Science, and are loving the easy-to-use, ready-to-go lessons and videos. You can check it out for free at this link, just sign up for the free homeschool lessons! (Be watching my blog for this review, which will be posting sometime the week of April 8-15th.) Also, Schoolhouse Teachers .com has math videos your kids can watch, and SO much more.

Have a Travel Pack
You can have lessons torn out into little folders, so the kids can take a little school with them if you have to travel suddenly. This is a great place to stash your extra Highlights Magazines or those fun activity books you find in the Target dollar bins every August. If you're going far, be sure to stop at your library first and pick up some books on CD. That way road time can still be school time.

Plan for Grace

Grace is for days when nothing will work. Plan for "snow days." The school district does it, so can you. Plan a week "off" that doesn't land on the calender until you need it. I add up our school days on my school planner, and then subtract the number of days off we might need. This is the number I use to divide up all of our assignments.

Remind yourself that you are teaching today. You are teaching your kids how to meet a crisis with grace and poise, and how to run to your Heavenly Father for help. That's a lesson you hadn't put in your planner, had you?

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