07/24/2020
2020 has proven to be challenging with one obstacle after the next, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any easier any time soon, particularly for families with school-age children. As schools grapple with a decision on how to safely combat the spread of COVID-19 among students, teachers, and staff, many are opting to transition into remote learning for the fall semester. While that drastically alters the traditional classroom experience, parents are slated with a myriad of obstacles to overcome, including how to keep their child/children actively engaged.
We have some ideas.
Let’s talk about “Coastal Distance Learning”. We’ve long established that in this time of COVID-19, vacation rental homes are the safe bet. We’ve also noted that as far as drive-to destinations are concerned, Hatteras Island is where it’s at: clean beaches, warm water, scenery, beautiful fall weather conducive to outdoor activities, friendly community, all of it. What we haven’t touched on is how a trip to Hatteras Island can be a wonderful learning opportunity for your family.
Coastal Distance Learning on Hatteras Island
WiFi:
Let’s start there. A solid internet connection is a requirement during times of remote learning. It’s also a need if Mom and Dad are working remotely. The good news about Midgett Realty is that we provide wireless internet as a standard amenity for all of our homes (unless otherwise noted in the property description).
Rich in Culture, Rich in History:
As a small fishing community surrounded by water, there is a wealth of culture to be explored on Hatteras Island. The even bigger learning opportunity is the rich history that can be found on these shores. Make this the educational field trip of a lifetime with pit-stops at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the Frisco Native American Museum, The Graveyard of The Atlantic Museum and more. Depending on your child’s curriculum, make learning fun and engaging with trips to the sound or ocean or even our large expanse of maritime forest!
Quiet Time:
One obstacle to overcome when sharing a space with remote workers and remote learners is noise. You won’t find much hustle and bustle as you settle into island time. You can relax into the quiet of Hatteras Island and actually hear yourself think! Spreading out in one of our luxurious rental homes is never a problem either. Don’t hesitate to tackle your email inbox or reading assignment under an umbrella by your private pool or down by the ocean, because there are definitely worse ideas than “raft reading” …while simultaneously working on your tan! Look at you multi-tasking!
Change-Up Your Environment:
Sometimes it can be nice to rid your little ones of the distractions of their everyday environment with a change of space. It can be really hard to focus on that online math worksheet when there’s a room full of toys that are dying to be played with. Finding a new workspace less the everyday distractions can be a benefit for some necessary learn time.
Rewarding Good Behavior:
Reward systems aren’t all bad, right? The challenges that you as parents will face in the upcoming months are going to require some creativity. This is a different time for many of us, kids included, and sometimes a reward might be in order…for kid and parent! We haven’t nailed down all of the specifics, but we were thinking something along the lines of:
“You finished your homework? Awesome! As a reward, let’s hit the beach for a couple of hours! We’ll need hydration. A milkshake for you and a margarita for Mommy!”
BOOM! We’ve got you!
