Creative Curriculum? Yes please!
I have never dreamed of being a teacher. Yet, with the official announcement on Sunday, March 15, 2020 that Alberta schools are closed indefinitely, I somehow am taking on the mantle of Teacher.
About this Creative Curriculum:
Disclaimer:
This creative curriculum was developed by me, not a teacher. I am an artist-author-filmmaker-art curator with oodles of ideas and energy. This is not official curriculum but merely an attempt to home-educate while schools are cancelled.
Not everyone can be home with their kids and so the following curriculum may not work for you. You can adapt it around your schedule, especially since children’s after school activities are also canceled.
I’m thankful to be a independent creator who does business from my home office, so I am likely more flexible than most. I will take photos of this curriculum in action and report back the successes and failures. Like so many industries right now, we are bootstrapping and improvising.
The Brighter Side:
I am actually a bit excited for the extra time with my kids. While its easy to get bogged down with anxiety (believe me, I know this struggle all too well), I am endeavoring to make the most of this situation. I do that through:
- Turing things into a game
- Focusing on quality time
- Inviting the kids into deciding what goes into their home school curriculum
- Stepping back to gain some perspective, aka this too shall pass, but the memories we create together can be something we look back on fondly
I have a framed image in my kitchen that reads:
The following curriculum is intended to be:
- Easy for non-teachers
- Doable with supplies on hand at home
- Fun for kids (and parents)
- Adaptable for grade level
- Inexpensive
- Flexible in terms of the timeline of the day
Creative Curriculum – Elementary School Age Kids
Lovingly created by Alexis Marie Chute
Monday
9:00 AM
- Subject: Math
- Activity: Crib tournament
- Practical: Whoever is not playing is doing a chore in the house
- Resources: Beginners Guide to Cribbage and video: How to Play Cribbage (2 players)
10:00 AM
- Subject: Social studies
- Activity: Documentary Film (on Netflix or YouTube) and discuss
- Snack while watching
- Documentary idea: Period. End of Sentence. ABOUT: In this award-winning 2018 short film, a group of women in India fight the stigma against menstruation and champion the making low-cost sanitary pads.
11:00 AM
- Subject: Gym
- Activity: Build a snow fort in the backyard
12:00 NOON
- Lunch & ‘Recess’
1:00 PM
- Practical: Video on basic first aid and make-believe how we can help each other
2:00 PM
- Subject: Language Arts
- Activity: Guided journal writing
3:00 PM
- Free-time screen time for kids who earn it through good behavior
Bedtime
- Read aloud from grade appropriate book
PRINTABLE:
Click and download : )
Creative Curriculum Crib Tournament Alexis Marie Chute COVID-19 Coronavirus Home School
Tuesday
9:00 AM
- Practical: Learn survival skills by watching Youtube videos about building traps for hunting and how to build a fire, and discuss
- Resource: Video Build A Long Lasting Campfire: Log Cabin vs. Self Feeding (7:08 min)
- Resource: Video Amazing Quick Rabbit Trap Using Plastic Buckets – Easy Best Rabbit Traps With Buckets Work 100% (8:41 min)
- Search for other videos with the kids and discuss which ones are actually helpful
10:00 AM
- Subject: Language Arts
- Activity: Write a fictional story incorporating the skills learned in trapping and fire building videos
- Inspiration: Book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
- Share story/stories by reading them aloud
11:00 AM
- Subject: Math
- Activity: Math workbooks/activity sheets
- Resource: Math Drills
- Resource: Math Worksheets & Printables
12:00 NOON
- Lunch & ‘Recess’
1:00 PM
- Science: Circuitry (My daughter in grade five just learned about creating circuits and we purchased a small kit)
- Resource: Amazon.ca Circuit kits for kids
2:00 PM
- Subject: Gym
- Activity: Dance with GoNoodle Videos
- Resource: GoNoodle YouTube Channel
3:00 PM
- Free-time screen time for kids who earn it through good behavior
Bedtime
- Read aloud from grade appropriate book
Wednesday
9:00 AM
- Subject: Language Arts
- Activity: Quiet reading time
10:00 AM
- Subject: Math
- Activity: Prodigy Math Games on the computer
- Resource: Prodigy website
11:00 AM
- Subject: Gym
- Activity: Walk/run on the treadmill (or outside) or run the stairs in the house for cardio, and use weights or soup cans to build muscle
12:00 NOON
- Lunch & ‘Recess’
1:00 PM
- Social Studies/History: Watch a documentary film on Netflix or YouTube
- Documentary idea: Greatest Events of WWII in Color. ABOUT: From the attack on Pearl Harbor to D-Day, the most pivotal events of World War II come to life in this vivid docuseries featuring colorized footage.
2:00 PM
- Music: Orff
- Activity: Make drums and other musical instruments from household objects and play along with music or make up your own songs
- Resource: Video What is Orff Schulwerk? (2:49 min)
- Resource: Video What are Orff Instruments? (10:24 min)
- Resource: Video 4 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Crafts you can do anytime | Fast-n-Easy | DIY Labs (8:41 min) *This video uses toilet paper rolls!
3:00 PM
- Free-time screen time for kids who earn it through good behavior
Bedtime
- Read aloud from grade appropriate book
PRINTABLE:
Click and download : )
BTW, my grade two son saw this resource handout and he said: “Epic!”
Creative Curriculum Homemade Instruments Idea Round-Up Alexis Marie Chute COVID-19 Coronavirus Home School
Thursday
9:00 AM
- Subject: Social/Natural World
- Activity: Documentary TV series
- Documentary idea: Night on Earth. ABOUT: This nature series’ new technology lifts night’s veil to reveal the hidden lives of the world’s creatures, from lions on the hunt to bats on the wing.
10:00 AM
- Subject: Language Arts
- Activity: Online research and writing about animals nocturnal habits, inspired by documentary watched
11:00 AM
- Subject: Gym
- Activity: Dance with GoNoodle Videos
- Resource: GoNoodle YouTube Channel
12:00 NOON
- Lunch & ‘Recess’
1:00 PM
- Subject: Math/Critical thinking
- Activity: Chess Tournament
- Resource: Chess Kid
2:00 PM – Early Dismissal Day : )
- Free-time screen time for kids who earn it through good behavior
Bedtime
- Read aloud from grade appropriate book
PRINTABLE:
Click and download : )
Creative Curriculum Chess Tournament Alexis Marie Chute COVID-19 Coronavirus Home School
Friday
9:00 AM
- Subject: Math
- Activity: Math workbooks/activity sheets
- Resource: Math Drills
- Resource: Math Worksheets & Printables
10:00 AM
- Subject: Language Arts
- Activity: Guided journal writing
11:00 AM
- Subject: Gym
- Activity: Walk/run on the treadmill (or outside) or run the stairs in the house for cardio, and use weights or soup cans to build muscle
12:00 NOON
- Lunch & ‘Recess’
1:00 PM
- Subject: Science
- Activity: Through research skills (books and online) and discussion, find kid-friendly human anatomy images and learn what the different parts of the body do.
- Resource: Video Human Body for Kids/Human Body Systems/Human Anatomy for kids
- Resource: Pinterest 10 Terrific Human Body and Anatomy Websites for Kids. ABOUT:
These interactive websites and apps breathe life into textbook illustrations and lessons about the human body and anatomy for K-12 students.
Carson Dellosa Child-Size Human Body Bulletin Board Set (3215), 2 figures, each approx. 50″ tall By CarsonDellosa $34.99 at Walmart $16.09 on Amazon.ca Temporarily out of Stock : (
2:00 PM
- Subject: Art
- Activity: Print out or draw the shape of the human body and draw in the organs and label them. Move on to drawing each other as cartoons and play at drawing realistic eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hands.
3:00 PM
- Free-time screen time for kids who earn it through good behavior
FAMILY TIME
- Pizza-Movie-Night in our house!
PRINTABLE:
Click and download : )
Creative Curriculum Human Anatomy Cut-Outs Resources Alexis Marie Chute COVID-19 Coronavirus Home School
School’s about to start for the day! Mom-school! lol
I will report back how this goes. I may need an extra large glass of red wine after this.
Good luck! I believe in you!
Coming Soon…
April 21, 2020
Goodreads Giveaway Time!
Pre-Order Inside the Sun!
Thank you for joining me today!
Keep in touch: info@alexismariechute.com
Happy quarantine season,
– Alexis Marie Chute
