Extending Remote Learning

As we have embarked on our remote learning experience due to Covid and schools remaining closed, we have noticed that our teachers have worked diligently to ensure that learning is occurring. The day may look different and the way the students interact is definitely changed, but the learning continues!

Keeping Your Children Engaged

However, watching my own children learn, I have noticed that my kids tend to finish their work quickly and then want to play. We are a big proponent of learning through play and having opportunities to play, but when it is work time during the school day, we also strongly believe that our kids need to work on school work or engage in other academic learning opportunities.

The last thing we want is for our children to fall behind their peers next year and struggle as they move through the grades. To ensure that they keep their skills and make the progress they would have made, we extend their learning.

Remote Learning In Kindergarten

In addition to our two oldest finishing quickly, our third child is in kindergarten. While kindergarten was full day for our district, it is now only half day. Compound that with beginning in the dual language program which has never offered a half day kindergarten option in our district and this spells struggles for our little man. I love that the teaching instruction is only half day; he honestly would not have the attention span for a full day of instruction. However, we definitely don’t want him to get behind on his skills due to only having English every other day and Mathematics/Spanish on the other days.

Older Children Remote Learning

For my older kids, we made a quick choice board of activities that they can work on when they are finished with their work for the day but still have school time. Many of these are the apps that the district has available for their learning: iStation (Spanish), Prodigy (Math), ESpark (Math and Reading), Raz Kids (Reading), Epic (Reading), Path Blazers (Reading and Math), XtraMath (Math) and Dreambox (Math). While they don’t mind the apps, they definitely want other options too. So we added a few additional options with some virtual fieldtrips, brainpop videos, becoming an expert, and writing. Plus they always having reading available too!

Virtual Fieldtrips

Virtual Fieldtrips are so fun for kids. These are usually internet links that take the students to a special place to explore. For example, museums, national parks, libraries, historical sites, and even zoos or farms. The students click on the link and are taken to the special place to explore, watch videos, play games, and learn more information. While it’s not as wonderful as actually going in person, it is pretty fantastic to explore. Plus, you can go to places all over the world not just your own town or area. I try to give my kids one virtual fieldtrip per month that they can explore and enjoy.

Brainpop

Brainpop videos and becoming an expert go great together, but can also be used separately. Most schools have a subscription to Brainpop and your kids can watch videos on so many different topics. These videos often also include quizzes and games to extend learning as well. If you tie these with being an expert, your child can extend their learning so much. For becoming an expert, we have our children pick a topic that they want to learn more about.

We help them to narrow down their topic and teach them how to find information on their topic. Add caution with too broad of topics like dogs, instead pick a specific breed or category. They can even learn a special skill! Then they can write their own questions that they want to research, find their information, and present their information in any way that they pick. Our children have enjoyed making books, slide shows, videos, and posters, but there are so many different ways to share what they have learned.

Writing

For writing, they always have so many different options. They can journal write about their day. Making books is always so much fun. See my store for a few examples of books to make. Writing a newspaper article about something they are learning in school, specifically science and social studies. Writing letters or postcards to friends and family. Creating vocabulary cards with sentences, definitions and pictures. Responding to the books they are reading. There is so much to write about and so many different ways to write too. Plus, you could always schedule a video conference with a friend to share their stories.

What about Dual Language During Remote Learning

For our Kindergartener in the dual language program, we focus on the language that is not taught during the school day. So, when he meets with his English teacher, we concentrate on Spanish learning in the house. Our Spanish days include Dreambox (Math app in Spanish) and Imagine Espanol (Spanish app) for 20 minutes each. Both of these apps are provided by the school district. We listen to a few books on Raz Kids in Spanish too (Reading app).

Then we listen to Spanish music, watch TV in Spanish, learning words in Spanish around the house/neighborhood and have some play time. When he meets with his Spanish teacher, we focus on English in the house. This includes using Lexia and Raz Kids (both Reading apps). We play with words in some phonemic awareness drills (rhyming, segmenting, blending, manipulating of words). As math is taught in Spanish during Kindergarten, we also play with numbers in English. And of course, more play time since he really needs the time to explore his world.

We Would Love to Connect with You

Just because your child finishes their work early, doesn’t mean learning has to end! The trick is to set the expectation that school time will be used for learning as well as providing different options for extending the learning when all is finished. You may also enjoy a few of our other posts. Check out our Kindergarten Pencil Grip and Scissors, Oh My! blog post. Looking for ways to structure your Remote Learning environment, we’ve got you covered. Grab our free easy writing templates too. Head on over to our Learning to Read Series to support your child’s reading development at home. Finally, don’t miss our strategies for Teaching Math Facts at home.

Drop us a comment below and let us know if you found some of these tips and strategies helpful for tackling remote learning. We’d love for you to subscribe to our newsletter to join our community and receive practical solutions to real-life parenting problems and a free freebies here and there.

Hi, I’m Nicole.

Here at Creatingbutterflies we provide families with practical solutions to real life problems for everything parenting, scouting, dual language, and enjoying time outdoors. We are a family of 6 with 4 wonderful becoming bilingual children who loves scouting, camping, and hiking with their family. Mom is an educator and dad is a firefighter/paramedic.