Quarantine: Thurs. 3/19
Another day of quarantine. We're edging into a rhythm. Schoolwork and typing, playing, lunch, Mo Willems, two rounds of Zombie Kidz board game, a sewing project, playing. Piano lessons via FaceTime. Playing. Dinner. A TV show.
A few years ago, I found two boxed DVD sets of Little House on the Prairie, seasons 1 and 2. I may have said something like, "If we're ever quarantined, we can binge watch these 50 episodes!" Kidding. I didn't say that. BUT we are now quarantined, and these two seasons do comprise about 50 episodes, and tonight we watched season 1, episode 1. We just finished reading A Long Winter and are going to start On the Banks of Plum Creek, which is apparently where season 1 picks up, so it's perfect. The girls were enthralled. Pa works all the time EVEN THOUGH HE'S HURT! Wait--now MA'S pulling the oxen! OH NO LITTLE CARRIE IS CLIMBING INTO THE LOFT! It's thrilling to witness their easy wonder with the Ingalls family. They're all-in with the 1800s' version of suspense and drama.
Turns out I've been giving exactly the right inflection to Ma's endless admiration/shock/surprise when she exclaims "Charles!", and the girls are going around now saying "Charles!" dramatically, in a breathless prairie-matron voice. When I told the kids there are nine seasons of Little House, Lucia asked if we could watch them all, and I nodded and said yes. Yes, quarantine, it seems we'll survive you by watching the entire lifespan of Little House. Andrew baked a soda bread tonight, which seems of a piece with this initiative.
Maybe I'll create a homeschooling unit about 1800s life in the Midwest, the impact on Native Americans, the amazingly harsh living conditions, and the ingenuity required to survive. We'll build our own shelters and study farming techniques from that era, and we'll do intensive units on the wildlife and natural resources abundant in that time period. HA HA HA! HA! I'm kidding, obvs, but this is the kind of thing that's been coming through my Facebook feed nonstop this week. Resources resources resources. A MILLION RESOURCES. Way, way, way too many resources. I'm just starting to realize the right way to handle these resources and ideas is simply to....tune them out. There are good ideas out there (Mo Willems, you are a genius and I love you), but also--I know how to do this. I have craft and activity ideas that would take us months to get through. My kids protest when I tell them to stop reading. I mean--we'll be fine.
Believe me: I admire these resource lists and schedule templates and all the rest. Maybe I'll even commit to homeschooling someday. I 100% think I'd be an awesome homeschooler*, and that my kids would 100% thrive as homeschooled students**. THIS IS NOT THAT TIME. Not the right time at all. I need my Facebook feed to simmer down a little.
*this is probably not true.
**also probably not true, but more true than the first statement.
A few years ago, I found two boxed DVD sets of Little House on the Prairie, seasons 1 and 2. I may have said something like, "If we're ever quarantined, we can binge watch these 50 episodes!" Kidding. I didn't say that. BUT we are now quarantined, and these two seasons do comprise about 50 episodes, and tonight we watched season 1, episode 1. We just finished reading A Long Winter and are going to start On the Banks of Plum Creek, which is apparently where season 1 picks up, so it's perfect. The girls were enthralled. Pa works all the time EVEN THOUGH HE'S HURT! Wait--now MA'S pulling the oxen! OH NO LITTLE CARRIE IS CLIMBING INTO THE LOFT! It's thrilling to witness their easy wonder with the Ingalls family. They're all-in with the 1800s' version of suspense and drama.
Turns out I've been giving exactly the right inflection to Ma's endless admiration/shock/surprise when she exclaims "Charles!", and the girls are going around now saying "Charles!" dramatically, in a breathless prairie-matron voice. When I told the kids there are nine seasons of Little House, Lucia asked if we could watch them all, and I nodded and said yes. Yes, quarantine, it seems we'll survive you by watching the entire lifespan of Little House. Andrew baked a soda bread tonight, which seems of a piece with this initiative.
Maybe I'll create a homeschooling unit about 1800s life in the Midwest, the impact on Native Americans, the amazingly harsh living conditions, and the ingenuity required to survive. We'll build our own shelters and study farming techniques from that era, and we'll do intensive units on the wildlife and natural resources abundant in that time period. HA HA HA! HA! I'm kidding, obvs, but this is the kind of thing that's been coming through my Facebook feed nonstop this week. Resources resources resources. A MILLION RESOURCES. Way, way, way too many resources. I'm just starting to realize the right way to handle these resources and ideas is simply to....tune them out. There are good ideas out there (Mo Willems, you are a genius and I love you), but also--I know how to do this. I have craft and activity ideas that would take us months to get through. My kids protest when I tell them to stop reading. I mean--we'll be fine.
Believe me: I admire these resource lists and schedule templates and all the rest. Maybe I'll even commit to homeschooling someday. I 100% think I'd be an awesome homeschooler*, and that my kids would 100% thrive as homeschooled students**. THIS IS NOT THAT TIME. Not the right time at all. I need my Facebook feed to simmer down a little.
*this is probably not true.
**also probably not true, but more true than the first statement.
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