Creative Curriculum Plan (WEEK 2) for Schooling at Home While on COVID-19 Quarantine or Self Distancing – Including Printable Resources

ANOTHER WEEK OF CREATIVE CURRICULUM? YES PLEASE!

Many of us are stepping into the role of Teacher as schools continue to be closed. I have to say: I was not sure what to expect with teaching my three children – ages 10, 7, and 4 – but I actually LOVE IT. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I foresee myself being sad when they go back to regular school. Therefore, I’m going to enjoy this extra time with them while I have the chance. I hope you do too.

Here’s the link to WEEK 1 of the Creative Curriculum I planned for my kids. I hope it gives you some ideas. There are downloadable resources there too : )

Quickly:

ABOUT THIS CREATIVE CURRICULUM:

Disclaimer:

I’m 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. I have had a lot of experience interacting with kids in my job, so I’ve got some good ideas up my sleeve.

I’ve presented to individual classes of students…

… and also to auditoriums full with the whole school population.

I love sharing my passion for stories, reading, and creativity.

I do my best to get students thinking, actively engaged, and having fun.

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.

Here are some of the highlights from week 1:

First day of school photo! Having fun with the new arrangement of home-based education.

Crib tournament and math practice.

Story writing on the chrome book.

Learning first aid and taking notes, then practicing the steps we learned.

Chore time pre-snack and documentary film on WWII. Emptying and refilling the dishwasher = happy Mom!

Gym class = winter walk

Practical: Learning how to build an outdoor fire – two ways.

Practicing opening the airways on an unresponsive person. No, they did not do mouth-to-mouth lol.

Outdoor adventure walks = fun and a great workout for “gym” class

My 10 year old teaching my 7 and 4 year old circuitry she learned in school before the school was closed.

GoNoodle dancing for gym.

I slipped away for a quick outing to pick up the children’s belongings from the school…

… and dropped off groceries for my family member who is quarantined after visiting the US.

They’re smiling in this photo, but math workbooks were NOT a fun process…

We made homemade instruments (some were toys we discovered on a full-house hunt for supplies) and my 10 year old taught us Orff (she was in the Orff Ensemble at school) – then we put on a performance.

We put pots and pans on the stairs and tried to bounce a ping pong ball down them. Physics in action!

Learning Objectives:

Turn things into a game
Focus on quality time
Invite the kids to help plan what goes into their home school curriculum
Step back to gain some perspective, aka this COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic 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

WEEK 2

Creative Curriculum – Elementary School Age Kids

Lovingly created by Alexis Marie Chute

Monday

9:00 AM

Practical: Learn how to make homemade strawberry jam

10:00 AM

Subject: Language Arts
Activity: Continue writing the imaginative stories began in WEEK 1 of Creative Curriculum

11:00 AM

Subject: Gym
Activity: Go for a winter walk

12:00 NOON

Picnic lunch while watching documentary:
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.

1:00 PM

Subject: Math
Activity: flashcards

2:00 PM

Subject: Art
Activity: paint jars to use as piggy banks

3:00 PM

Free-time screen time for kids who earn it through good behavior

Bedtime

Read aloud from grade appropriate book

Tuesday

9:00 AM

Subject: Science
Activity: Make a science journal recording the growth and development of at home plants (seeds planted 2 weeks ago). Draw the newly growing plants. Make observations.
Resource: Gardening with Kids +Free Plant Observation Journal
PRINTABLE: Creative Curriculum Plant Journal Alexis Marie Chute COVID-19 Coronavirus Home School

Click this image to save and print.

10:00 AM

Subject: Language Arts
Activity: Continue writing fictional story
Share story/stories by reading them aloud at end of hour

11:00 AM

Subject: Gym
Activity: Dance with GoNoodle Videos
Resource: GoNoodle YouTube Channel

Image result for gonoodle

12:00 NOON

Lunch & ‘Recess’

1:00 PM

Subject: Art
Activity: Get crafty! Each kid can make his/her/their own craft based on ability and interest level.
Resource: 100+ Easy Craft Ideas for Kids
Resource: Quilled Paper Snail Craft
Resource: 31 Crafts to Make with your Kids
PRINTABLE: Creative Curriculum Craft Time Alexis Marie Chute COVID-19 Coronavirus Home School

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2:00 PM

Subject: Math
Activity: Play math games on the Osmo (educational games system for the iPad)
Resource: Osmo

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 and writing 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

Picnic lunch while watching documentary:
Subject: Art & Creativity
Activity: Watch a documentary film on Netflix
Documentary idea: The Pixar Story – About: Pixar changed animated movies forever with the release of Toy Story, which ushered in a new generation of family films that were fun for kids and compelling for adults. This doc offers a look at the team of designers and creatives who made it happen.

Walt Disney

1:00 PM

Subject: Science
Activity: Imploding Can & Invisible Ink
Resource: Telus World of Science DIY Science Experiments

IMPLODING CAN

In this experiment you will learn about air compression.

What you need:

– An empty aluminum can

– Large bowl of ice water

– A pair of tongs

– Stove

What you do:

With the help of an adult, fill the can with 4 tablespoons of water. Next, heat the can on the stove until the water inside starts to boil (or until you can see steam escape the mouth of the can). When it’s hot enough, use the tongs to pick up the can and submerge it upside down into the ice water (mouth down) and watch the can implode!

INVISIBLE INK

See how oxidization can reveal secret messages.

What you need:

– Lemon

– Water

– Cotton Swab

– Paper

– Lightbulb

What you do:

– Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl and add a few drops of water.
– Dip a cotton swab into the mixture and write a message onto a piece of white paper.
– Wait for the juice to dry so it becomes completely invisible.
– When you are ready to read your secret message or show it to someone else, heat the paper by holding it close to a light bulb.

*An adult should always help with this step and proper safety should be observed.

2:00 PM

Subject: Math/Critical thinking
Activity: Chess Tournament
Resource: Chess Kid
PRINTABLE: Creative Curriculum Chess Tournament Alexis Marie Chute COVID-19 Coronavirus Home School

Click on this image, save, and print.

3:00 PM

Free-time screen time for kids who earn it through good behavior

Bedtime

Read aloud from grade appropriate book

Thursday

9:00 AM

Subject: Creative & Critical thinking
Activity: Documentary TV series
Documentary idea: Abstract: The Art of Design ABOUT: Step inside the minds of the most innovative designers in a variety of disciplines and learn how design impacts every aspect of life.

Abstract: The Art of Design | Netflix Official Site

10:00 AM

Subject: Science, art, critical thinking
Activity: Online research about something watched in Abstract: The Art of Design. Work together to create a Power Point presentation on that topic. Share the presentation.

11:00 AM

Subject: Gym
Activity: Dance with GoNoodle Videos
Resource: GoNoodle YouTube Channel

Image result for gonoodle

12:00 NOON

Lunch & ‘Recess’

1:00 PM

Subject: Math
Activity: flashcards

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

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: Continue work on creative writing stories

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

Picnic lunch while watching documentary:
Social Studies/History: Watch a documentary film on Prime Video (Amazon)
Documentary idea: Canada Untold. ABOUT: Canada Untold is a documentary film that narrates a cross country expedition across Canada with the main aim to understand this beautiful and vast country through the voices of their people and their interesting journeys. Highlighting the differences of each province with the common theme of being Canadian.

Watch Canada Untold | Prime Video

1:00 PM

Subject: Science
(Because we didn’t get to it last week when we switched in the pot/pan ball drop physics experiment)
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.

Image result for human anatomy for elementary 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