Teaching kids at home while schools are closed due to COVID-19
Schools across Siouxland have closed their doors to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, causing students to miss four weeks of instructional time. Excessive amounts of days off of school can cause students to lose some of their reading and math skills that they achieved through the school year. That’s why it’s important for students to keep their minds stimulated while at home.
Amanda Moser is the mother of three children. She’s decided to implement learning lessons into her kid’s daily routines while they’re off school in the next few weeks.
“So we do their sight words, we do math facts, we don’t do it on paper. You know, we will go out to the drive-way, we will use paint, we make a mess. It’s not going to be perfect. This is unprecedented. We’re all just doing the best we can,” said Moser.
The mother of three is getting inspiration for her in-home learning lessons from friends, family, other mothers and local teachers, like Donny Short.
“Different things students can do remotely so that they don’t feel like they are slipping and missing out on what would be a month of school,” said Short, a teacher in the Sioux City Community School District.
He’s sharing a wide variety of lessons on his Facebook page for parents and students, but he says his main goal is to promote good literature. That’s why every day at 1:30 p.m., he’s reading aloud to students.
“I would just encourage parents to make sure they are reading every day and if you don’t have access to this a book or an online reading resource is a great way to keep your kid up to date,” said Short.
Moser says she’s doing her best to keep her kid’s minds active while at home.
“Communicating with them about the book the kids want to tell you about it because they have told their teachers about it at school and now her or she isn’t there for them your that person now and your kids are smart and they want to talk to you so you need to talk back too,” said Moser.
Click here for a list of free educational programs that you and your child can take advantage of during this four week period.