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.

Music practice
Compose a song
Record a song
Listen to music
Present a concert
Dancing
Nature Study
Nature Walk
Build a bird house
Special Nature Studies of personal interest, like
- Animal care
- Birdwatching
- Flower pressing
- Prize roses
- Rock collecting
- Dog training
Climb a tree
Build a treehouse
Create a nature museum
Plant flower pots for the front porch
Plant a tree
Rake leaves and play in the pile
Sit on a blanket on the lawn: listen, watch, draw, read, eat
Play “Sight-Seeing” or “Picture Painting” (see Home Education, pages 45–51)
Help with yard work
Plan, plant, tend, harvest a garden
Outdoor survival skills, such as
- Building a fire
- Using a compass
- Tying knots
- Identifying plants
- Constructing shelters
Canoeing
Rafting
Kayaking
Horseback riding
Basketball
Football
Baseball
Soccer
Badminton
Swimming
Play in the sprinkler
Tennis
Ride bikes
Make kites
Fly kites
Jump rope
Play four-square
Roller skating
Jogging
Exercising
Hiking
Skateboarding
Walk the dog
Sewing
Quilting
Weaving
Woodworking
Leather tooling
Make jewelry
Pottery
Clay figurines
Card making
Origami
Paper Sloyd
Tatting
Lace making
Cake decorating
Flower arranging
Basket weaving
Knitting
Crocheting
Furniture making/caning
Wood burning
Calligraphy
Appliqué
Cross-stitch
Embroidery
Drawing
Silk Dyeing
Sculpting
Paper maché
Wood burning
Painting
Pastels
Sidewalk Chalk
Brush Drawing
Decoupage
Mending
Cooking
Baking
Chores
Car maintenance
Plumbing maintenance
Carpentry
Electrical repair
House painting
Landscaping
Clean the garage
Clean the basement
Paint a room
Rearrange a room
Sweep the sidewalk
Scrub the porch
Scrub the floors
Wipe down baseboards
Wash the car
Vacuum the inside of the car
Clean out a closet
Clean a room
Wash windows
Clean shutters
Tea time with poetry
Snack time with read-aloud
Have a spelling bee
Read to a younger sibling
Rest/quiet time
Create/gather a table centerpiece for the next meal
Leisure reading
Book of Mottoes, or commonplace book
Book of Centuries
Making plays
Making movies
Gardening
Computer programming
Robotics
3D printing
Construction
Inventing
Science experiments
Photography
Write poetry
Design costumes
Stamp collecting
Coin collecting
Publish a family newspaper
Play board games
Invent a new game
Play card games
Foreign language practice
Creative writing

Be Home

Isolation Relief

Easing Fears

Cancelled Conventions

Online Art Instruction Special Deal

Leisure Reading Suggestions

Productive Activities

Great Homeschool Conventions (Columbus)

Teach Them Diligently (Pigeon Forge)

Teach Them Diligently (Branson)