April Study Guide Update: 2020

No foolin’ here. It’s really April. But it’s unlike any other April we’ll ever experience. It’s smack-dab in the middle of a “Stay at Home” order from our state governor due to COVID-19, though we’ve been practicing “social distancing” for much longer than the mandate. The tone around here has been low-key and online.

This is what we have on deck learning-wise this month. For reference, both my kids are roughly at a first and second grade level. Many of the resources I’ve linked to reflect that.

For more family fun inspiration, check out my April list.

Download my free traceable calendar (plus a grid to chart the weather) for the month of April.

Ballet classes continue! This is the activity that managed to survive all of the cancellations. Our ballet instructor put together resources through an app called “Band.” She has been posting coloring sheets, music files, videos and other things to keep her classes engaged and learning each week.

Forest school cancelled but… Their teachers have been posting videos and pictures to the group’s Facebook page. And my dad (an avid outdoorsman) has virtually stepped up to connect with his grandkids about nature. So far, the kids have learned about camouflage. The stack of Forest School books I was able to get before the libraries shut down have also inspired us here.

Monthly kids book club was cancelled but… The children’s librarian for one of our clubs has started offering virtual story times for the kids via Zoom, Facebook Live and Skype. We have also stayed in touch with the kids and parents from our other book club through Zoom.

In other learning news:

Language arts

We’ve started to lean on technology a bit more during this time. The kids have a game called Teach Your Monster to Read that I have them play for twenty minutes or so before they can play the other games on their tablets. The game is geared towards the K-2 set and the adventure play is right up my youngest’s alley.

We try to read together as a family every day and at bedtime and continue our poetry teatime (inspired by Julie Bogart’s Brave Learner) continues. It is our special time to read our library book selections and talk about literature over a tasty beverage and treat.

We’re continuing to learn ASL (American Sign Language) but in a reduced capacity. We have a copy of “Helping Out Around the House” from the Signing Time series sitting by the DVD player that we play on occasion. And we quiz each other with our flash cards.

Music

We’re still kicking off our Mondays with Mozart. General music appreciation is part of our everyday. We often have music playing in the background — from reggae, bluegrass, opera to a motivational playlist of favorites. The kids love playing the keyboard freestyle and dance parties with different music.

We’re continuing to learn piano but mostly informally. The kids have also expressed an interest in learning how to write and read music. I asked them what songs they’d like to learn-by-ear for April: “Let It Go” and the theme song to “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum.” Other resources:

• Learn to Play Piano Worksheet from Education.com.
• How to Read Music Worksheet from Education.com.
• Hoffman Academy – video learning series.

Movement

While all of our out of home activities have ceased for the time being, we’re still wracking up hours for our 1,000 hours outside challenge. Other activities:

• Go Noodle
• Ballet
• Yoga (Cosmic Kids)

Arts and crafts

We discovered a free online video series from children’s book author Mo Willems called “Lunch Doodles.” We usually have a few crafts tied into our learning during the month but the kids tend to go off on their own and create what they see in their heads. They’ve even taken to designing their creation beforehand. It’s a fun process to see.

Social emotional

We found this resource for watching older episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and the kids enjoy that.

We also turned blank notebooks into gratitude journals. Every few days, the kids draw a picture of their current mood and a few of the things they are grateful for.

Another resource:

• 13 Fun Improv Games and Exercises for Kids

Social studies

We started doing “morning announcements” with other kids in our family during this “stay-at-home ” order across the country. It’s been fun to keep each other updated with what’s going on in our area. With Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22, we will focus a lot of our social studies learning on earth-themed activities. The kids have also expressed interest in learning about Hawaii and Texas this month.

• Earth Day Interactive Lesson from PBS LearningMedia
• Earth Day word search from PBS LearningMedia
• Audio: “Aloha Hawaii” Postcards from Buster from PBS LearningMedia
• Write a letter to family that lives in Texas to ask questions what it’s like living there.

Health

Besides helping us in the kitchen, we’ve backed off health for the time being. Handwashing and good hygiene are encouraged daily but this particular subject has taken a back seat for now.

Science

I am planning on continuing our Exploring Nature with Children curriculum but will look for alternate ways to explore the themes. This month, we’re studying: Spring Trees, Plant Life Cycle, Wildflowers and Grasses. We aren’t able to check out physical books or obtain craft supplies at this time. To keep things lively, we’ll most likely do a Kiwi Crate box and or science experiments from the Magic School Bus Chemistry Lab.

The kids have also been helping us get our garden going: planting seed starts, monitoring temperatures, weather tracking as well as prepping the garden space outside.

• Plant Life Cycle lesson from PBS LearningMedia

Math

The kids have been more interested in math lately. We cover a lot of math (especially fractions) when the kids are in the kitchen cooking and baking. The kids work on number tracing daily with calendar practice and through their math sections in their workbooks.

New:

• Prodigy is an adventure-based math learning platform, so I signed the kids up to try it out. So far, they seem to like it.
• Bedtime Math has been a fun way to teach practical applications and story problems. Each story ends with several math questions geared toward different age groups. They have an app, as well.
• Lego challenges – I recently discovered these challenge cards and we’ve all had fun participating.

Still love:

• Math dice game – practice number combinations.
• Moose Math – basic operations practice.

Other things:

We also introduced Minecraft recently to our youngest. He’s really into building with Lego and other sets.

That’s our learning plan for April!