The Kids are Home... Now What?
Dr. Debbie Harnois, MCE School Counselor
Making the most of school closure
The days are long when school is canceled, especially when we're all spending most of our time at home. I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with some suggested activities and resources for you to help the days pass more productively. Our teachers have provided work for students to complete over the break, which will help too. We can keep our spirits up knowing this is temporary, and we will all get through this together.
I'm checking my email throughout the day, so please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance. My email address is harnois-d@harris.k12.ga.us. If you would like me to call you, please include a phone number in your email.
Thank you!
Dr. Debbie Harnois
School Counselor
Mulberry Creek Elementary
Meals for Harris County Students
While the Harris County School District will be closed Monday, March 16th through Sunday, April 5th, 2020, the School Nutrition Department will be serving meals in the community for our students. Meals will be served Monday - Friday from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. each day. Park Elementary School is the base site for any Harris County School District student to pick up a meal at the school.
Base serving site in Hamilton for anyone to visit:
Park Elementary School
13185 U.S. HWY 27
Hamilton, GA 31811
Satellite serving sites:
Pine Mountain - Pine Lane Apartments
134 Church Avenue
Pine Mountain, GA 31822
Shiloh - Shiloh City Hall
1175 Main Street
Shiloh, GA 31826
Waverly Hall - Melody Lakes Fire Station
924 Melody Drive
Waverly Hall, GA 31831
Whitesville - Pine Lake Chapel
1159 West Pine Lake Drive
West Point, GA 31833
Fortson - Dollar General
22 Kennon Road
Fortson, GA 31808
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. Depending upon your child's age, you may need more or less time to work on their packet.
8:00 Make breakfast together
9:00 Work on your packet
10:00 Fun science projects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhS4W0LQP70
11:00 Exercise Fun Indoors! https://www.todaysparent.com/family/activities/15-ways-to-keep-kids-active-indoors-even-if-you-dont-have-much-space/
12:00 Creative lunch-making ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/296182112995871226/
1:00 Work on your packet
2:00 Round 2 of physical activity - we all need it... https://www.familyfuntwincities.com/physical-activities-for-kids/
3:00 Healthy snack & Five Minute Crafts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEOcF6cQfmw
4:00 Write, rehearse, and perform a play or mock commercial, or dress up time.
5:00 Movie time! https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/best-kids-movies-on-netflix
6:00 Prepare, eat, and clean up dinner; everyone helps.
8:00 Board Games/showers/read aloud before bed
Baking = great STEAM 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?
Writing Activities
This is a fun learning activity to fill in the time.
Either choose a school notebook for use as a Writing Journal or staple several sheets of paper together. Each day, your child should choose two activities from the list (It's fine to repeat activities.) How long should the piece of writing be? Whatever your child is able to comfortably write in a 20-minute session. It will be different from child to child.
1. Pick a room (bedroom, living room, kitchen, family room, even bathroom) and describe your dream version of it. What would it look like? What would it have in it?
2. Write a conversation between two people in your home, or two imaginary people, where one person is surprised by something in the conversation.
3. Describe your favorite meal.
4. Interview a person in your family about their childhood. Ask about their favorite: games to play, foods to eat, and music to listen to. Write it up in your journal.
5. Write a journal entry about your dream job. What do you want to do when you grow up? If you have internet, explore this job online. Note in your journal what you learned about this job that you didn't know.
6. Write a journal entry about your dream vacation . If you have internet, explore your dream vacation and record your findings in the journal.
7. If you could create an app, what would it do? What would you call it? Write it up in your journal.