I never wanted to home school my kids. Never considered it for a nanosecond. I have crazy respect for teachers. You guys are amazing! Parents who home school their kids on purpose? I respect your decision but I can’t relate. I am doing the best I can, but I don’t like it at all. I think there’s a reason kids go to a place away from home with another adult besides their parent teaching them stuff. They listen better. They follow the rules. They interact with other kids. All the tools are there for them.
If I didn’t have kids and I had a job that was paying me to work from home and my family stayed healthy, I’d be loving this! I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. Not only do I not have to go anywhere but I can cancel all plans guilt-free and hunker down at home? Heaven.
All kidding aside, I am concerned for my mom, mother-in-law and uncle all in their eighties. And I’m concerned for my business. But if I can pull this off I plan to knock off a bunch of things I’ve wanted to do, but never have time to for.
The first couple days of quarantine/home schooling I think we were in shock. It was a total free for all of anything goes, no routine, lots of fighting, constant requests for snacks and I don’t mean carrots and hummus, complaining, screen time galore.
Then I pulled it together.
My kids, and I’m guessing most kids, respond to structure. Now, every morning I get out the white board and write out their schedule for the day. Once it’s written down they take it as law and don’t really complain. It’s like magic. It looks something like this…
Once it’s written, it’s law!
8-ish am, Wake up and cozy time.
8:30-9, Breakfast and preparing their work space.
9-10, Academics Time. We follow what their teachers have laid out on the Seesaw app.
10- 11, Snack time and Recess #1: outdoor play of some kind, run around the block, etc.
*11-12 pm, PBS programming. They have educational shows scheduled for different age groups!
12-1, Lunch and recess #2.
*1-2, Quiet time, reading, drawing, napping.
2-2:30, Chores, tidying up.
That’s Pippa cleaning the oven.
2:30-3:30, Academic time, finishing up their work for the day.
*3:30-5 Free time
*5-6 Outdoor play, weather permitting
6pm Dinner, bath, books, a show
8:30 Bedtime
Did you notice there are a few hours * in there that are also leave-Mommy-alone-time? This is where I plan to do my projects like making another book of kid art, KonMari’ing my closet again as well as the kids’, cleaning out the shed again. You know, the fun stuff. So far, it’s only Week 1, I’ve just worked in those hours. I’m trying to set up my whole Pilates business online! If this all continues and I think it will, I hope to get more efficient in my work, parenting and routines.
We’re all in this together. Get outside everyday. Try not to binge eat all day. Try not to get too aggravated with your children. And if you do mess up, don’t worry about it. We’re only human living through a pandemic!