The COVID-19 shelter-in-place order here in Illinois has certainly changed life as we know it. For families that were already homeschooling their children, perhaps not as much has changed, but what is new is the inability to attend library programming. I did what we’re all doing: provide programs online, including our content-based “Homeschool @ the Library” program and our fun “Homeschool Hangout.”
“Explore Your World” was our topic for April, and I had originally planned learning opportunities about a variety of countries, culminating in a World’s Fair where children could share their projects with each other. Students could opt to study China, India, Italy, Kenya, Russia, or a country of their choice. Instead, I created a resource page of e-books on the 5 specific countries, as well as a project menu that respected limited access to materials and different learning styles. I emailed each family a Prezi to explain the project choices in greater detail.Each family sent me photographs of the finished projects, which I compiled into a Google Slide presentation so all could appreciate the projects and the learning that went into them. To celebrate virtually, I also created a digital escape room based on our Explore Your World theme and the five countries we had focused on.
For our Homeschool Hangouts, I’ve offered a variety of brain teasers, puzzles, and even a virtual Mad Libs® story. For the story, I asked each child for a specific type of word (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) and then inputted each word into a story I downloaded from the Mad Libs® app. On the day we would have had Homeschool Hangouts, I sent them the humorous results!
Lastly, I’ve stayed in touch with parents and children alike via email messages, including videos of me saying hello, letting them know how much they’re missed, or explaining the projects. As we navigate this new normal, it’s great to stay connected in whatever means possible. If you offer homeschool programming at your library, I’d love to hear your ideas for ways to connect from afar in the comments below.
Today’s guest blogger is Kary Henry. Kary is the School Outreach Coordinator at Deerfield (IL) Public Library. She absolutely loves offering preschool outreach storytimes and programs, preschool teacher in-services, elementary and middle school outreach, and homeschool programming.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.