There has been a lot of discussion and debate lately within our group about homeschooling our junior survivors. As the Director of our Education Board and First Lady of the survivor group, I have been tasked with creating a comprehensive curriculum for educating our youngsters. I hope this helps in putting together your own curriculum!

1. How much weapons-training is too much weapons training? The answer to this varies by age group but it is important to make sure every child is adequately trained at least in some form of defense. Younger children should focus on the flight rather than the fight side of things; the most useful skills are barricading techniques, improving their speed and memorizing the best hiding spaces in the house. Let older children pick their favorite weapon. If they like the weapon, they will be more likely to practice outside the classroom (it is usually so hard to get them to do their homework!). Of course, safety always comes first so make sure to include lessons on proper weapon storage . Also, remember not to allow the children to play with them at recess!

2. Are field trips to local zombie nests appropriate? Field trips can be a fun break from the three Rs (reading, writing and ridding the neighborhood of zombies) but they also need to be educational. Bringing our young ladies and gentlemen to the zombie hotspots can teach valuable lessons about zombie horde behavior. It also gives the older children a chance to try out a few moves with their weapon of choice. However, the youngest of our survivors tend to develop nightmares when they tag along, so I suggest giving them a day off from school. One final tip: make sure you obtain guardian permission slips for this kind of outing, just in case of…eventualities.

3. What’s the best way to set up the classroom? In our survivor group we have 7 children ranging from infants to teenagers and we have to make sure each student is learning at a level consistent with their age. Our curriculum covers kindergarten through high school all in one room! I prefer to work with the students in shifts. The youngest students spend the morning with Mrs. Lehman, our elementary school teacher, learning their basic reading and writing skills as well as the basic history of the great panic (we have developed a wonderful picture book as part of this process titled Why is Mommy Moaning? and Other Stories). I take over when the middle-schoolers come in mid-day while the high-schoolers practice their weapons training and then they switch for the late afternoon. My husband and Governor, Mr. K often stops by to encourage the older students in their combat-training; you can imagine what a thrill that is for them!

4. What holidays are appropriate to observe? Of course Thanksgiving and Christmas are celebrated in our group as well as The Great Panic Remembrance Day on March 4th. Otherwise, classes are held daily Monday-Friday except in the cases of attack, a sudden move to a new shelter or a funeral (still too numerous for my taste).

5. One final tip – Keep it fun! The many crafts and songs we will share in our Handbook are all fun and can easily be used as teaching tools. Never underestimate the power of a good crafting session to lift the students’ spirits!

Very Truly,
Mrs. K