Through all of the current chaos there have been hundreds and maybe thousands of wonderful resources shared to help with educating children at home but I have seen less for helping out mothers who suddenly find themselves navigating a challenging time at home. Whether you have been home for years and just lost all of your ‘extras’ or you suddenly find yourself going from working and school to be home together all day, I hope these resources provide you with encouragement and support in this challenging time.
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First, I want to assure you that you can do this. God has placed you here in this time with these children and He will provide you with all that you need to support them through it. Before you worry about academics, focus on the heart of your home. Take care of the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of those you are responsible for and then the academics can fall into place. For some children, the need for routine, structure, and the continuity of academics is really important. Others may need a little time to adapt to this new reality. There is no one size fits all answer.
Right now, you may feel overwhelmed, last week may well have seemed chaotic and challenging. This is not because you were doing something wrong, it is the result of lots of changes and everyone having to learn to adapt. However, you can find a new peace and routine in the midst of this chaos. Your home can become an oasis and safe space for you family.
I would encourage you to take some time to pray, read God’s word, and sing praises both alone and with your children. This can keep you grounded and strong because it will help you remember that God is still in control and he will provide.
Then as you have time in your day, take some time to utilize some podcasts, books, or other resources that can give you helpful tips and encouragement for navigating these times as well as just for creating a home that is a safe haven for your children. One of my favorite podcasts related to the current chaos is this one Podcast by Sally Clarkson. She has many other wonderful podcasts that you can download, but that particular one is directed at the current situation. I also highly recommend Read Aloud Revival for encouragement on the academic side of things. She is great for helping you encourage reading in your home in a fun and natural way.
There are a couple of great summits/Expos going on right now that have wonderful speakers that can encourage you and help you find solutions to the challenges you are currently facing. The Purpose Driven Mom Summit is going on this week with lots of sessions from setting goals, connecting with your children, meal planning and so much more. You can get a free pass this week or if you want to have access for long you can grab the VIP Pass. The Homegrown Generation Online Family Expo 2020 is a great collection of speakers that will encourage you as you teach your children at home. It does cost $20 but you get lifetime access to some wonderful speakers and encouragement from folks like Kirk Cameron, Heidi St. John, Connie Albers, Todd Wilson, and more. You can also check out a few of the sessions for free to get an idea of the content and style.
Finally, take some time to really enjoy this time at home with your family. It may feel overwhelming trying to work out all of the logistics and I am not minimizing those challenges. However, the silver lining in all of this is that we get precious time to spend with our families. Time to make memories by reading books, playing games, baking together and just catching up with each other while the busyness of our lives slows down for a few weeks. I pray that you can make your home a haven for your family and that at the end of all of this, they view this time in a positive light. If I can help you in anyway, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. If you have resources you found helpful, please share them in the comments.
A Few Other Resources that Might Help:
- Play Beside Me Challenge — Hands on As We Grow is offering this FREE 5 day challenge to help out with activities that can keep younger kids engaged in play for 15 to 20 minutes while you get something else done. Great for those with toddlers and preschoolers.
- Fit2B Sale If your gym is closed or you can’t get out to do your favorite workouts, you can try my favorite online program. They are having a great 41% off sale on March 26th and 27th!
- Misfits Market Box, finally if you are having a hard time getting fresh produce in your area or you would just like the convenience of food being delivered to your door you can use code: COOKWME-IW0OPU to get 25% off your first Misfits Market produce delivery.
Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure
When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library you will get a link and password to the library, we are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you up to date on what we have going on.
This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.
Deals and Freebies
Evan-Moor is offering their Daily Fundamentals book FREE right now to help out during this time.
Homeschool Complete is offering a special 10% off discount to my readers! Just use code: SWAG
Some of my favorite homeschooling people are joining together to do a FREE gala all about one of our favorite book series! I highly encourage you to sign up for the Green Ember Gala that is happening on April 2nd at Noon! You will get an art lesson, a nature lesson, and a chance to hear from the author himself!
Get a FREE Literature Kit from LitWits using Code 11READ4FUN. We are currently enjoying the Heidi kit but have also previously loved the My Side of the Mountain kit.
IEW is offering some great free resources right now.
Little Women is only .99 on kindle right now! (Amazon prices subject to change always check before purchasing.)
FREE Baby Yoda Art Lesson from Nana!
All About Learning has released the best deal of the day: A FREE Snowman Pack with reading and spelling activities for a variety of ages.
Free Makeover Your Morning 5 Day Challenge! This is a great way to help re-focus and get your day off on the right foot.
Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)
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