How to start homeschooling: Step two-Nurture, nurture, nurture

It is very interesting the range of information flying around about what to do with your kids during this current crisis. Yesterdays Shamrock hunt was one awesome example of our community coming together, loved that. There are lots of funny posts about people's homeschooling adventures, and lots of posts about people coming up with great ideas of how to keep the kids busy in constructive ways. While I'm hearing lots of things about online schools and classes, I'm not really hearing of anyone pushing their kids towards those things, maybe people are treating this week as the March break it was supposed to be. And that is definitely what I would encourage people to do. 

If our kids are going to be home for a while, using this week (or two or three) to develop our home community is the best thing we can do right now for an extended homeshooling environment. How can we do that? What can we do right now to foster cooperation and harmony in the weeks to come? Today I encourage you to work on nurturing. Drop some of the rigidity that you may feel you need when you have a busy rush out the door life, and (dare I say it because it is often misconstrued) spoil you family. 

At our house, I've started baking treats. And no I'm not using it as a math lesson on fractions, although I have in the past :)...but I just make a little sweet and call the boys down and sit around the table with them having something yummy. Then with a 'thanks mom' they're off back to their own spaces feeling a little bit more loved. 

If your kids are littler, the ways to nurture are likely more physical, you can cuddle up and read on the couch, bring them into your bed in the mornings before you get up (if they aren't there already) you can get down on the floor and play toys with them. But when you have big teens, that's not so much an option. I have made a conscious effort to hug them everyday, give them an extra pat, or touch, teens are very touchy and your teen may be missing some of the physicality they are used to getting from friends, so don't forget to 'reach out' literally.

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