Be Home

As homeschoolers, we’re used to being at home with our children and interacting with them all day. But recent events have caused a disruption of activities we participate in regularly. Some of our non-homeschooling friends have certainly been caught by surprise in a big way as well.

The Simply Charlotte Mason team has put together these ideas, resources, and a few special deals to use and share. They are designed not only to help you fill in the gaps, but also so that you can come alongside your friends and neighbors to help them weather this temporary storm.

Isolation Relief

Illustration to pray for those isolated.
Image credit: Kendra Ness. Used by permission.

Please remember those who may be feeling isolated or lonely by the call for social distancing.

You might not be able to be there in person, but a card, text, email, call, or video chat can go a long way.

This is a great opportunity to involve our children in loving those around us even if we can’t physically put our arms around them for a time.

Easing Fears

Our friends, Hal and Melanie Young, have written an article on Talking to Your Kids about Coronavirus. In it, they remind us that difficult conversations with our children often have four common parts:

  • Give them perspective and practical help.
  • Reassure them that they are loved and cared for.
  • Remind them of the love and sovereignty of God.
  • Point them to salvation in Jesus Christ.

We encourage you to read the whole article to get all the details.

Cancelled Conventions

Were you looking forward to visiting our booth and hearing Sonya speak at a homeschool convention? We will certainly miss being at our spring events and having the chance to talk with so many of you.

Here are a few items to help with those cancelled convention blues. Be sure you are signed up for our email list and follow us on social media. We have more planned that will be announced in those places.

  • Many conventions have moved to online sessions and SCM is participating in many of these. Check our event schedule for a list of online events where you can catch some of Sonya’s workshops.
  • We have several great playlists on our YouTube channel with some of Sonya’s best podcast episodes. Get some encouragement for mom, listen as Sonya chats with friends about listener questions, and get some ideas for instilling good habits.
  • If you wanted to get your hands on our products to take a closer look, remember that most of our products have a free sample download available. We totally understand that digital samples just don’t have that new book smell, though. 🙂
  • Use the Contact bubble in the bottom corner of our website to ask questions and get in touch. We are happy to help you walk through your curriculum decisions.

Online Art Instruction Special Deal

Our friends at Creating a Masterpiece have set up a special page with discounted art projects to do while you’re staying home. They also have a free sample project you can do.

Leisure Reading Suggestions

Check out our favorite books for leisure reading on our free CM Bookfinder. Curl up together as a family with some great read-alouds!

Productive Activities

Here are 130+ ideas for productive things to do while you’re staying home. You’ll find even more ideas in an ongoing post on the Simply Charlotte Mason Facebook group.

  1. Music practice
  2. Compose a song
  3. Record a song
  4. Listen to music
  5. Present a concert
  6. Dancing
  7. Nature Study
  8. Nature Walk
  9. Build a bird house
  10. Special Nature Studies of personal interest, like
    • Animal care
    • Birdwatching
    • Flower pressing
    • Prize roses
    • Rock collecting
    • Dog training
  11. Climb a tree
  12. Build a treehouse
  13. Create a nature museum
  14. Plant flower pots for the front porch
  15. Plant a tree
  16. Rake leaves and play in the pile
  17. Sit on a blanket on the lawn: listen, watch, draw, read, eat
  18. Play “Sight-Seeing” or “Picture Painting” (see Home Education, pages 45–51)
  19. Help with yard work
  20. Plan, plant, tend, harvest a garden
  21. Outdoor survival skills, such as
    • Building a fire
    • Using a compass
    • Tying knots
    • Identifying plants
    • Constructing shelters
  22. Canoeing
  23. Rafting
  24. Kayaking
  25. Horseback riding
  26. Basketball
  27. Football
  28. Baseball
  29. Soccer
  30. Badminton
  31. Swimming
  32. Play in the sprinkler
  33. Tennis
  34. Ride bikes
  35. Make kites
  36. Fly kites
  37. Jump rope
  38. Play four-square
  39. Roller skating
  40. Jogging
  41. Exercising
  42. Hiking
  43. Skateboarding
  44. Walk the dog
  45. Sewing
  46. Quilting
  47. Weaving
  48. Woodworking
  49. Leather tooling
  50. Make jewelry
  51. Pottery
  52. Clay figurines
  53. Card making
  54. Origami
  55. Paper Sloyd
  56. Tatting
  57. Lace making
  58. Cake decorating
  59. Flower arranging
  60. Basket weaving
  61. Knitting
  62. Crocheting
  63. Furniture making/caning
  64. Wood burning
  65. Calligraphy
  66. Appliqué
  67. Cross-stitch
  68. Embroidery
  69. Drawing
  70. Silk Dyeing
  71. Sculpting
  72. Paper maché
  73. Wood burning
  74. Painting
  75. Pastels
  76. Sidewalk Chalk
  77. Brush Drawing
  78. Decoupage
  79. Mending
  80. Cooking
  81. Baking
  82. Chores
  83. Car maintenance
  84. Plumbing maintenance
  85. Carpentry
  86. Electrical repair
  87. House painting
  88. Landscaping
  89. Clean the garage
  90. Clean the basement
  91. Paint a room
  92. Rearrange a room
  93. Sweep the sidewalk
  94. Scrub the porch
  95. Scrub the floors
  96. Wipe down baseboards
  97. Wash the car
  98. Vacuum the inside of the car
  99. Clean out a closet
  100. Clean a room
  101. Wash windows
  102. Clean shutters
  103. Tea time with poetry
  104. Snack time with read-aloud
  105. Have a spelling bee
  106. Read to a younger sibling
  107. Rest/quiet time
  108. Create/gather a table centerpiece for the next meal
  109. Leisure reading
  110. Book of Mottoes, or commonplace book
  111. Book of Centuries
  112. Making plays
  113. Making movies
  114. Gardening
  115. Computer programming
  116. Robotics
  117. 3D printing
  118. Construction
  119. Inventing
  120. Science experiments
  121. Photography
  122. Write poetry
  123. Design costumes
  124. Stamp collecting
  125. Coin collecting
  126. Publish a family newspaper
  127. Play board games
  128. Invent a new game
  129. Play card games
  130. Foreign language practice
  131. Creative writing