Remote Learning

Manitou School-at-Home

Preparing for Learning

Create a space for your child to work in

Choose a table, desk, or area on the floor that can be their “Manitou Corner.” Ideally, this would be a dedicated space where kids will be able to arrange their classroom materials and visit each day to do their work. You can even use masking tape to tape off an area on your floor to make a larger area feel smaller. It would be best if it’s a spot that you can leave up and not have to break down each day.  If you do not have a dedicated spot (e.g., if they will be working at the kitchen table), make the setting up/breaking down part of your child’s daily routine. 

Keep the space organized and “school-like”

Work with your child to set up their space so it feels like an attractive place to work. Help them organize their materials so they are accessible and organized. Kids can create signs, pictures or whatever they need to make the space feel cozy and personal. 

Find a schedule and routine that works for you and your family and try to keep it consistent throughout the week 

Your teachers will be uploading daily assignments either in the evening (for the following day) or early each morning. It would be helpful to your child(ren) if they could do their assignments at the same time each day. Morning is often a good time for kids to do school work because they are fresh and more focused.  However, we realize that the time must work for you as well. So it might be when a younger sibling naps, when an older sibling is doing their school work or when you finish with what you need to do. Each of your teachers will send or post a suggested schedule for their class. This is only a suggestion, and you should feel free to change it based on your family’s needs.

Find ways to stay connected

Children will be missing their classroom community! Help them check in with their classmates and share experiences by posting photos of their work and their answers to Community Questions.  During “recess,” you can facilitate Google Hangouts sessions with their friends. You can also set up virtual playdates “after school,” or just let kids talk to each other on speakerphone (if holding the phone right is still hard). It can be adorable to be a fly on the wall of their conversations!

 

Getting Started with Google Classroom