Jill Atogwe

Your children are doing a hybrid of homeschool and pre-school this fall. How is it going so far? And how did you mark the transition from summer to fall?

I would say it's going extremely well. We've wanted to do University model schooling-which is a school that students attend for two days a week and are given a curriculum to homeschool the remaining three days of the week-for years. We applied in January for the Fall school year and our son was accepted (!) but then the world blew up. It made the school decision extremely difficult but once we saw the measures the school was taking and after the baby and I had Covid and the big kids were asymptomatic, we had peace of mind with this system.

What does a typical day look like?

On Monday, I homeschool, Tuesday both kids are at school, on Wednesday, my husband does the homeschooling and on Thursday they're back at school in-person again. On Friday, I get some sweet one on one time with my older daughter for a little bit while my son has two electives in-person in the morning. Every day looks like trying to be very present with the kids and letting them get wiggles out, have independent time, help with chores, be creative and get schoolwork done all while trying to meet deadlines of my own. I should also mention we have a four month old baby in the mix which means the kids are so patient when the schedule goes out the window because the baby is cluster feeding or has an appointment. She just makes their days so much sweeter and I love the twist in our routine. 

On your homeschool days, how do you plan a curriculum for children of different ages? And how do you work with what they are also learning in school? 

We homeschooled both kids last year and had a system we loved. We also were able to get a better glimpse into how the kids learn in that time. Thankfully, my son is in Kindergarten and attends the University Model school which sends home a full set curriculum they expect to be done at home. We (and I say "we" very loosely because it was 90% my husband's doing) taught my son to read this summer so we are doing a bit more than the curriculum to keep his skills sharp. 

My daughter is in preschool and just turned four last month so she doesn't have any homework due which is lovely. We have her do homeschool alongside her brother just to keep her in a learning state of mind throughout the week, but we tweak everything so she's mostly just having fun and exploring rather than strapped to a desk. We always want to be aware of their age and never underestimate the power of simply reading aloud or painting a picture together. 

What advice would you have for parents who want to make it all a little more fun?

I'd say music, a change of scenery and a "project." The kids typically work on some sort of instrumental or classical music but we have regular dance breaks to music you just can't help but dance to. Getting fresh air and setting up something like a Busy Toddler sensory bin or activity makes all the difference in the world. When I'm really on top of things, I set this up the night before. But more often than not, I'm winging it and choosing an activity on the fly when I see they need some fun. I also love to add in something like a tie-dye day that has nothing to do with learning at all, or maybe a nature walk that is informative while also being just plain sweet. 

Any tips for combining, work, play, life, school, all under one roof?

I'm not going to lie, for the parents it can be really difficult. (Every parent is nodding their head right now.) Both my husband and I work for ourselves which is an enormous blessing, but it also means we can have some dangerously unhealthy work hours to adjust. Full disclosure: I'm typing this at 12:22am because it was just that kind of day. I clock-in to work every night when all three kids are in bed but the baby needed me for a few hours. This is just how it is right now, but this isn't how it will always be. And that reminder is what gets me through the difficult moments. 

For the kids, having designated areas to do schoolwork have been the game changer for us. We are a homeschool family so we've had a school area set up for years, but our homes are simply more lived-in than ever. At the beginning of sheltering-in-place we tried letting it be more loose and doing school at the kitchen table instead but it has been so much healthier for them to know "when we're in this zone, we are in school." The rest of the house is available for them to just be kids. Lastly, getting outside as often as possible makes it feel like you added an addition to your home. They've spent more time freely playing outside than ever and it's been wonderful. 

What is the happiest part of your day?

Breakfast time and Dinner time, hands-down. We're all together at the table and it's such a safe space so we get some magical one-liners and questions. My son's in-person days are very early since school begins at 7:50am but dinner time is guaranteed to be a long meal where we light candles and linger at the table, even if we only had some boxed vegan macaroni and cheese. At the end of the meal, we all say our "high/low/buffalo" of the day which is the best part, hardest part and silliest part. Without fail, the kids almost always say dinner was their high. I couldn't agree more.