Category Archive Family

ByGD

One Month of Pandemic Home School

Last Friday wrapped up the fourth week of pandemic homeschooling. Just when we thought we had a routine going, the schools came up with new systems based on the state’s new requirements for “continuous learning.” Since previous assignments were optional, most of the new schoolwork was covering old ground for the kids who kept up on academics all along. But it still gave us a taste for the potential workload. So week four was a lot about figuring out the new school system, but we had a few projects worth updating, too. Here’s how our first month of pandemic homeschooling wrapped up.

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ByGD

My DIY Norway in a Nutshell Tour to Bergen – Part Two

Needless to say, I’m not going anywhere for spring break this year. But last year, my then-ten-year-old daughter and I went to Norway. A chunk of our trip was dedicated to the “Norway in a Nutshell” tour. Like the Golden Circle in Iceland, it’s a roughly defined loop in the southern part of the country with a few popular tourist attractions that have been built up into “you haven’t been there if you missed this” status. I wrote about the first part of this trip within a trip earlier. Now you can read the rest of the story.

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ByGD

Hamster Wheel of Pain

The year 2015 was the year we tried keeping rodents as pets. It didn’t work out well for us. The first dwarf hamster lasted less than one week – most of it loose/lost in the house. The rabbit (I know, technically a lagomorph, not a rodent; potato potato) turned out to be all work no affection – and very long-lived. Still going.

This hamster was, in theory, a success. She lived as long as dwarf hamsters ever do – nearly a full two years. But she also cost $500 in vet bills and boarding because she got sick right before our family trip to Iceland, and I didn’t want the kids to associate vacations with dead pets.

And she bit us every time we tried to pick her up. For two years. This cute little picture of her next to her wheel was the most pleasure we ever got out of that particular pet.

ByGD

Week Three Themes – Pandemic Homeschool Diaries

Moving into and through the third week of pandemic homeschooling, and typing up every lesson and activity the kids do is becoming burdensome and boring. And honestly, now that we’re getting into a routine, I’m not tracking all that closely. Which is not to say that I’m not as involved – I took most of last Friday off to plan. I think it’s paying off. This week, a few themes have started to emerge.

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ByGD

Pandemic Homeschool Diaries – Week 2 Wrap Up

Home school lunch

What a different two weeks makes. On a normal Thursday morning, I would go to yoga before work; the kids would both be in school; and their dad would be at a meeting downtown. Thursday March 12 was the first day my kids were home from school. Exactly two weeks later, Thursday morning found me doing yoga in the living room, following my teacher’s instructions on Zoom and choking on bunny fur. My oldest was at the kitchen table solving geometry proofs, and my youngest dragged her laptop to my office so she could listen to her math video without the distraction of overlapping audio. My husband took his meeting online from his office in the basement.

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