We are at home again as most of you are as well. My view right now is my daughter singing and dancing with her two year old sister imitating her. Their joyful spirit always shines through any situation. My son is devouring another book and I’m holding our infant son. My husband is working. As a family, we are all adjusting to full time school/working at home with Mom (me) at the helm. And I’m asking “How can I make this work best for everyone?” Changing course is not always easy.
I found out this week that my 3rd grader and 6th grader will be spending approximately 3 hours a day on their schoolwork. Yikes! And some days less. I as a parent need more structure for the day and more educational stimulation for my kids. I feel my children are capable of meaningful educational work for longer than approximately 3 hours.
We’ve already had a few days off while their school gets their online education prepared and we have engaged in numerous different types of educational activities that are creative. The ideas are flying around everywhere. Painting, Clay, play-dough, writing a creative story, long walks and playing outside, science experiments, making cards, writing letters, cooking, cleaning, purging and more I’m sure I’ve missed. I value all of these things but need more structured and independent experiences.
Here is where Veritas’ Self-Paced Courses come into play.
Right now, many parents have the choice between a number of educational companies because many are offering free content. I chose Veritas because I trust their content and approach. I decided to start their bible courses with my children as a supplement to their schoolwork. Their self-paced courses fit nicely into our day, because my children can complete as much or as little as I/they want to in a sitting. The content is stimulating, it includes videos, activities and hands-on tools. And..... my kids can navigate it independently. Exactly what I was looking for.
The courses include activities to check their progress so they aren’t just clicking through the content so I can trust that they are learning during this time. I was able to get them up and running quickly and then they were able to navigate the course themselves.
While sitting at the table, not only did I appreciate the content, but I saw other skills being implemented as they navigated the course and content. For example, my daughter rewatched a video because she wasn’t able to answer a question correctly. She was using her resources wisely, and that is a great skill to have in the age where learning from videos is essential. She was saying aloud some of the content so that she could remember it later. She also asked me if she could write things down. Well of course! She grabbed a scrap piece of paper and took notes. All the other skills we have learned in other contexts she was able to apply to her bible course. This was great to see and she will benefit from these life-long skills.
I appreciate that right now, as our education changes, I can trust Veritas to supply a wide variety of educational content to meet our needs. So for now, sing together, dance together, read plenty of books and hold your loved ones longer. Let’s find joy in the new changes in our homes.
