If you’ve found yourself unexpectedly thrust into the whole idea of having your kids at home for the next couple weeks and needing things to do, I see you.

There have been plenty of memes going around making fun of this situation, but I honestly don’t think they are very funny. Making light of someone else’s stressful and unexpected situation doesn’t help anything. In fact, it just puts up walls. I won’t do that. What I will say, is I have compassion for you.

I think we’ve all been there, where our plans look good and organized and then, because of something out of our control, it all falls apart. I understand that feeling of anxiety, rushing to figure things out, praying, feeling overwhelmed.

I can easily remember back to when my oldest were four and I was debating homeschooling. I had a full year to research, listen to the wisdom of others, go to conferences and homeschool meetings, and think it through. I still felt anxious and unsure of my choices and if it would even work.

If I felt anxious with a year of prep work, I can only imagine the anxiety that comes with having it all thrust upon you with hardly a moment’s notice. There’s no time to plan, no time to research, no time to adjust. I feel for you.

I don’t have any easy answers. I’m assuming that most of the public schools will provide online learning so you don’t have to gather curriculum and do all that leg work. That helps. But it’s only one facet of having your kids suddenly at home. Suddenly your children have much less interaction with their friends and teachers. They might have to be home unsupervised if you have to work, and we all know how well siblings get along all day, right? You’ll probably have a lot of down time because they’ll be able to get work done quicker than at school. You may even be scrambling to figure out childcare so you can work.

None of this is easy on any of us. I feel for those of you having to quickly change up your daily schedule and hope for the best. Those of us who have been homeschooling a long time don’t have all the answers, but hopefully we can offer encouragement if you reach out to us. Hopefully we can offer some insights and hope.

Here’s some fun you can have online and virtually to learn and pass some time!

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is offering a free Home Safari Facebook Live each weekday at 3pm, featuring one of their animals. Check it out on their FB page.

The Rustic Orchid Creative Workshop is offering free art lessons for your kids! How fun!

Here’s another with free art lessons:McHarper Manor

The Metropolitan Opera will live stream shows so you can enjoy them in your home! https://www.playbill.com/article/metropolitan-opera-after-shutting-its-doors-will-offer-free-streams-from-live-in-hd-catalog?fbclid=IwAR0wDHrxGizhjCUNPx1IYfGZ9wZupVgQVxBGLahFz7jHUg_C1ROAFVXBSTk

Some museums are even offering virtual tours! https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?fbclid=IwAR1X3pvz-CjKOUQNVvOTANq3VjNRkG4Paan4ePNi7slDPhPGQ0YrQw5C1II

I’m sure there are many more out there! I hope if you find something of interest, you share it and keep the encouragement flowing. Together, as a community lifting one another up, we can get through this. In the midst of social distancing, there can be more unity than ever!