MCS Front Page
The Children are Home...Now What?
Making the most of school closure
Many of you are no doubt overwhelmed by the dramatic changes that are taking place. In addition to your children being at home, a large number of you are now working from home yourselves. Although we are sending work for your children and some of our classes have online opportunities, we understand the days are long when school is canceled. So we have put together some suggested resources for you to help the days pass more productively.
Something you might also consider are jobs, or, as I like to refer to it, the gift of responsibility. At MCS, the children have jobs that involve caring for their environment - cleaning, restoring the classroom to a neat and tidy condition with things in their place, taking care of class pets and plants. They often take pride in their role in making the classroom environment a beautiful place. With the entire family home, you might find it helpful to have a family meeting to talk about how you will all share in the work that makes your home a nice environment. Ask them about the classroom jobs at school and what jobs you should have at home or in the yard or garden.The time is right to even do some planting!
Kim
Have Tech Questions? Call CCSD's Help Desk at (843)849-3400.
Parent eLearning Resources
A Sample Day with Ideas to Help Fill the Time
*disclaimer: what follows is a pretty packed day with a lot of transitions. The purpose here is not to impose a structure but to offer ideas for how to break up the time. Think of it as a menu of options; pick and choose what works for your children and your family. T
8:00 Make breakfast together
8:30 90 minutes of schoolwork that includes reading
10:00 DIY Science project or morning responsibilities/chores
11:00 Exercise! Here are some Indoor suggestions or gardening - remember that all of our students garden at school!
12:00 Creative lunch-making
1:00 Second session of schoolwork
2:00 Round 2 of physical activity - we all need it...
3:00 Healthy snack & DIY Crafts project
4:00 Write, rehearse, and perform a play or mock commercial, or dress up time.
6:00 Prepare, eat, and clean up dinner; everyone helps.
8:00 Board Games/showers/read aloud before bed
Extended Learning: Additional Resources
Accessing Digital Content
New Resources Available in MackinVIA: TumbleMath and TeenBookCloud
TumbleMath
- TumbleMath targets Kindergarten through Grade 6
- Subjects include counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, word problems, geometry, fractions, place value, measurement, probability, division, graphing, finance, and time and temperature.
TeenBookCloud
- TeenBookCloud targets grades 7-12
- The collection includes graphic novels, enhanced novels, eBooks, classic literature, National Geographic videos, educator resources, and audio books.
Resources to Use to Enhance Extended Learning Opportunities
Comcast Offers Affordable Internet at Home
Spectrum to Offer Free Internet
Khan Academy
Mystery Science K-5
Learning A-Z
Starting today, please register for a FREE subscription to Raz-Kids and/or Headsprout, valid through the end of the school year.*
- Raz-Kids is a digital resource that provides a library of differentiated books students can use to practice reading wherever they are (Internet connection required).
- Headsprout is an online K–5 reading program that adapts to the needs of the individual student. It is self-paced, which makes it ideal for at-home practice.
Students Can Respond to Daily Writing Prompts, Inspired by the New York Times
Storyline Online
Scholastic Learn at Home
Edpuzzle Math and Science Videos for Grade Level Standards K-12
Take a Virtual Trip! Over 30 Virtual Field Trips Listed
Stuck at Home? 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours
450 Ivy League Courses Online for Free
Baking = great STEM learning
After you've done all the measuring, then you can think about the chemistry of cooking. At what temperature does butter melt? Or water boil? You and your child can generate hundreds of questions and answers about math and science by the simple act of making cookies.
Then, once those cookies are made, there are all kinds of story problems! If everyone in the family gets an equal number of cookies, how many cookies does each person get? What about the ethical dimensions of cookie-making? Who should get the most? The person who cooks? Who cleans? Who buys the groceries? Or should everyone get an equal amount?