Anonymous wrote:High school kids teaching elementary would work well. The best way to learn is to teach. But the difference between 4 and 15-16 is a bit too big.

No it wouldn’t. They’re supposed to be doing their own work, not teaching younger kids.

OP you haven’t answered if this is for social bubbling or schoolwork.

If schoolwork, no way. Older kids should not be responsible for babysitting/teaching when their priority is their own work.

Hilarious -- my 15 year old is not going to "pod" with anyone, especially not a 4 year old.

I expect my HS student to do his remote work when and with whom he chooses - as long as he follows my family's social distancing rules.

I thought the point of “pods” was to act as a kind of collective for child care and support for online learning, usually for kids of working/working-at-home parents?

If that’s the case, why would teenagers need a formal “pod”? Why can’t they choose their own study groups, and socialize in person with friends whose families are practicing a similar level of distancing? I certainly wouldn’t subject my 13yo to an arrangement like that. She can manage her own schoolwork and find her own friends without my help (and definitely prefers it that way!).

High school kids teaching elementary would work well. The best way to learn is to teach. But the difference between 4 and 15-16 is a bit too big.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pod is for educational purposes you can’t mix ages like that. That doesn’t even make sense. I could see doing 2 grades together maybe , like K/1st, or 3rd/4th.

There can be social pods too

Teens don’t socialize with preschoolers. They babysit.

Whatever you want to call it. I just want my family to surviiiiiiiiiiiive

I understand that. So either homeschool by yourself (and let your teen be away from the preschooler!), or do a pod and separate the preschoolers from the teens. It’ll keep everyone more sane.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pod is for educational purposes you can’t mix ages like that. That doesn’t even make sense. I could see doing 2 grades together maybe , like K/1st, or 3rd/4th.

There can be social pods too

Teens don’t socialize with preschoolers. They babysit.

Whatever you want to call it. I just want my family to surviiiiiiiiiiiive

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pod is for educational purposes you can’t mix ages like that. That doesn’t even make sense. I could see doing 2 grades together maybe , like K/1st, or 3rd/4th.

There can be social pods too

Teens don’t socialize with preschoolers. They babysit.

I can see pods of preschool (4) through elementary (maybe second grade). No issue whatsoever with 1st through 5th. Definitely 4th, maybe even third through middle school. No issue whatsoever with middle and high school together. The only reason to mix those ages would be if you were homeschooling, just your family mixing the ages, or coming together with whole families for music, art, pe. There’s zero reason to keep teens and preschoolers together when you have 2+ families; each family hosts one pod, either permanent or rotating homes.

So you’re going to make your older kids babysit your 4 year olds, even though the older kids are supposed to be doing their own school work? LOL.

Anonymous wrote:If the pod is for educational purposes you can’t mix ages like that. That doesn’t even make sense. I could see doing 2 grades together maybe , like K/1st, or 3rd/4th.

There can be social pods too

If the pod is for educational purposes you can’t mix ages like that. That doesn’t even make sense. I could see doing 2 grades together maybe , like K/1st, or 3rd/4th.

I don't understand. A pod of just 4 year olds seems fine, as long as they have adult supervision. That's what their class would be like if they were in preschool.

A pod of just older kids seems fine, too.

Mixed together seems a little awkward. They're in really different places in their lives. Maybe for half of the day or if they were doing different things, but I wouldn't advocate for that unless necessary.

Why would you do that? The teens are not there to babysit?

Is a pod of 4 year olds too young? Is a pod of 14-16 year olds too old? And if I were to mix the 4 year olds with the teens, who have babysat the younger kids before, would that work? How many kids per pod?