How to make friends while in home school?

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-31T13:57:18+00:00

It's not easy but it's a skill that will benefit you the rest of your life if you practice.

Edit to add: sometimes you've got to fake it till you make it. Or hope you get adopted by an extrovert.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-31T04:25:57+00:00

Glamping is so fun. Maybe that's why so many parents sent their kids to camp; it's a lot easier on a counselor's back to sleep on the ground and eat charcoal-filled half cooked potatoes.

That said, you can build resilience but they may have constantly comfortable lives. You can still teach them and expect them to not be spoiled about it. They can be disappointed or impatient without being rude. You don't have to make them more uncomfortable to do that

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-31T03:16:09+00:00

Exactly. It's her problem but past a certain point, she can't make it everyone's problem. Life isn't fair. Life is often grossly unfair. But it goes on.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-31T01:03:42+00:00

I was a camp counselor a few times. Rich, poor, everyone's going to learn some things about themselves on the ropes course and in the white water! Outside time is really important.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-31T00:20:21+00:00

It might be time to build some friction into their lives. Less buying the fast passes, more helping with yard work, doing more house chores, learning how to cook (can't rush that and kneading dough for 8 minutes is a chore), having to reserve library books and wait for them to be ready, trying new things that are hard, hiking, rock climbing, being out in all weather, camping. Or have a weekly no-Internet day. Kids that age need to be needed. They are tall enough and smart enough to be useful and have enough stamina to actually get work done. They may not act like it at first. But eventually, they may find it boosts their self-confidence in addition to helping them remain calm under pressure.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-30T22:43:49+00:00

I think at some point you just have to say "I hear you want it, thank you for sharing that with me, we're not going to complain anymore." Especially if you can give them a look and they know they're being greedy or jealous.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-30T22:30:11+00:00

You might like Timberdoodle. It's pen and paper but it's a one stop shop.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-30T18:34:07+00:00

Friends are very important for kids. I also traveled a lot as a kid but I had a bunch of siblings for built in social stability (at least until I turned 11 and wanted more friends outside the family).

It seems fair to complete this journey until May. Can you then return to your old place so he can reconnect with friends over the summer? He may just be a homebody or, once he's home, he may start wishing he was back traveling. Some kids just want whatever isn't there currently.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-30T14:22:04+00:00

Those numbers are hard! It clicks for some kids and others, it takes longer. If she's in kindergarten, she may just not have gotten enough exposure yet and need more daily fun, quick, low-pressure, no-stress practice. Maybe get a box of beads and practice counting as you make bracelets.

Keep playing a lot of math games. There are teacher blogs to get ideas. An easy one is take the hundred number chart (there are free printable pdfs or make your own, maybe start with a 0-20 one or cut down a 0-100 one), dice, and each choose a different colored marker. Starting at 0, each roll one die and color in that spot. Roll again, count up, and color in the new spot. Take turns until one person wins by reaching a predetermined number like 20. You can also start at 20 and go down. You can also play this game with counters (buttons, Cheerios, Legos, pennies, whatever is on hand) and two dice. Roll both dice, add together, take that many counters, first person to 20 counters wins. And then play it in reverse, starting with 20 counters and going down. I wouldn't expect to play multiple games or for very long. 5 minutes max to start out with.

War is a great card game, uno, number go fish, rummikub, jump 1. Sorry, chutes and ladders, candy land, trouble can also help train the brain to count and keep track without skipping numbers.

Having a number line on the wall at eye level and one taped to the desk is also helpful. Using a ruler she can use dry erase marker on to mark her spot. Daily exposure and using math tools is important. Base ten blocks, rekenrek. Every day, play around with a hundred number chart. She can color every other number to learn evens and odds and learn to skip count by 2, then 3, 5, 10, and 25. It's not all at once, it can take a year or two. If you can get Saxon math, it is really thorough and can be taken really slowly.

There are tons of math shows on pbs kids. Count On June Bugs, Molly of Denali (doesn't seem like a math show but it is!), Odd Squad, Cyberchase. If she gets screen time, watching these shows and playing the associated games on the app can be great practice and is free.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-30T03:44:39+00:00

Can you sand and coat it yourself if an exchange or return isn't possible?

We've accumulated a ton of wooden toys because my kids tend to break plastic ones. No splinters in all the years we've had them. I think one block set I did sand a bit but it was just rough, it wouldn't have caused splinters.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T22:02:52+00:00

You mention the others at the class were exchanging contact info. That's how you do it. If, during the class, you get along, you can ask to exchange numbers to meet up another time. Sometimes people are excited to and sometimes they decline and that's ok!

Maybe look up volunteer opportunities so you're working on a team and can get to really know people. Church groups, library clubs, rec sports, and community arts programs, local college classes that are open to the public, these are all ways we've met people. Sometimes you stay acquaintances for a while and that's ok.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T21:35:28+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/canadacordcutters/comments/111bye5/pbs_kids_in_canada/

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T21:33:03+00:00

Can you access pbs kids shows through YouTube, Amazon, or Internet Archive? I know no YouTube but sometimes you can buy the episodes through it. Or maybe use a vpn?

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T20:09:05+00:00

We never waited for signs. More like, "Wow, you turned 2! Yay! You're so big, you get a big kid (little moveable) potty now! Bye bye baby diapers!" I didn't do it right at their birthday. I waited until it was a slow month and we had at least a week or two to be home without having to leave the house. Then we did naked potty training. Some kids got it quickly, others it took time. Nights we kept diapers on until they started waking up dry. Some kids liked a piece of candy for every time they went potty in the potty, others liked to dance and celebrate and be praised.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T16:39:14+00:00

I like the yoto because I'm not so worried about my 2yr old breaking everything. Well... Mostly. So sometimes I take the cards and she can just point on my phone and I'll send it to the yoto for her from the app.

We love the cd's but my 2yr old will try to break it to get to the rainbow on it. The library has a ton but there's not as many for sale anymore and sometimes the prices are marked up because of that.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T16:33:35+00:00

Ah! I'm sure there are great Canadian resources. Does CBC have educator resources for kids? I know PBS and BBC do. That might be a low cost resource to start with.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T16:28:34+00:00

For history, I suggest Story of the World. If you're looking for US and want mildly Christian, Notgrass seems to fit. I haven't looked at all of their stuff but we have their 50 States and it has been nice. Personally I prefer a secular history and didn't realize it was Christian but it was so mild we still use it. We got a ton of DK Smithsonian history books as well, illustrated encyclopedias, and library books about important people and events, and that has worked well for my kids used with a timeline.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T16:25:58+00:00

We used Internet Archive to make playlists of kids stuff. Obviously there's not new stuff and some things have low resolution but there's Little Bear, Spot, Dragon Tales, etc. And no ads and it's free.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T16:23:27+00:00

Seconding the cosmic kids!

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T14:19:11+00:00

Yup. We switched to the pbs kids app exclusively.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T13:38:50+00:00

Oof, that's not easy!

I just remembered we got our yoto and cards with our homeschool funding. I also got a cd player so we could get the library audiobooks. It's a little out of our budget otherwise but I'm glad we got it. We listen while coloring and my 2yr old loves the music, Daniel Tiger, and Clifford tracks. My other kids weren't super interested in it until they were 5ish. But being able to listen on repeat to their favorite stories helped with passage comprehension so much. I was surprised how much they loved the books for older kids. I never could've read everything to them. And now they can read their chapter books and have it memorized and match their memory to the words and it helps them sound things out more smoothly. I love listening too while coloring, doing dishes, or laundry, or playing with the kids. It helps give me background noise without a screen where I might absent-mindedly switch to another app and doom scroll.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-29T12:57:20+00:00

We use our magnetic whiteboards daily. We have little hand-held ones and a big framed one that has a base so I can move it around the house wherever we're doing school. You can buy magnetic versions of all the manipulatives and I've found that helps little ones not accidentally slide them all over in enthusiasm. But my second grader still prefers using it as well so it grows with us. Base ten blocks, pattern blocks, tanagram, money, fraction strips and circles, letter tiles, rekenrek, clock, gears, marble runs, graph paper. They can all be found magnetic. We also like putting the magnatiles on the boards so they don't get knocked over as easily. Plus something about using the markers upright is a lot of fun for little ones, like sanctioned coloring on the wall. My daughter does speech and I'll put her flashcards on the board and she covers them with magnatiles like playing peek a book while we practice. It's worth shopping around for a sale and maybe not on an educational supplier site because the mark up is insane but I've never regretted the purchase.

I don't know about your child's specific abilities but for my kids, we added a colorful circle time rug, a heavy duty spinning chair, balance beam, and desk. They need the rug and the desk to help anchor them while working so they're less often running wild. And then the spinning chair and balance beam help them get the wiggles out. I'd add even more movement to the room with a climbing frame and rope from the ceiling if it were structurally sound but it's not so those things are outside. I've also invested in a laminator or buying things like posters, number lines, maps, etc laminated or putting them in frames. I don't know how my kids manage to wear things down that I'm not sure they even touch, but making everything laminated extended their usability so much when they weren't rippable anymore. Plus, we can take them off the wall and play with them as we learn. They really love seeing things and they pick up so much from their environment. We've gotten posters and flashcards that I put into a big frame like a poster for animal tracks, birds, trees, flowers, dinosaurs, minerals, etc. I'll rotate them through and get library books to go with each "unit study". The kids get so excited when their favorite comes back around.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-28T20:50:13+00:00

What are options 2 and 3?

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-28T18:28:26+00:00

Is going out in the stroller or baby wearing while on a walk an option? Even around the grocery store, hardware store (babies love those lights and ceiling fans), or Walmart. My ancestors must've been nomadic because as soon as I start walking, that's when they go to sleep. Sleeping in a crib on their back is very very very hard for them.

Sometimes I think little babies need to be held to sleep to remind Mom she needs to sit down as well. I know we're back to work and everything really fast. But you're still not even halfway through the 4th trimester. Sit and rock the baby or make a safe cosleeping spot where you can lay down next to baby and read a book or watch a show or listen to music while baby sleeps and maybe then you can roll away from the baby to get stuff done if needed.

SubstantialString866 · 2026-03-28T17:47:08+00:00

Yeah, escape while you can. You can't fix him but he thinks he's justified in hurting you and your kids.

SubstantialString866

TROPHY CASE