We’re two weeks into the fall semester, & this is undoubtedly the weirdest school year EVER. Thanks, corona!
We muddled through the fresh hell that was distanced learning this spring, as it was thrust spontaneously upon our families & most others. Trying to work from home while six kids adapted to online classes & not seeing their friends?
0 stars- would not recommend.
When it came to deciding what to do about school this fall, however, The Captain & I were torn. Really torn.
The elementary school offered a choice: virtual learning or in-school attendance 5 days a week. After much deliberation, we chose virtual learning until late November.
For those counting, that makes 3 kids home every day, & 2 kids home every other day (high school does a hybrid model).
While we both felt 100% sure it was right decision for our family, I’m not going to lie & pretend that the reality of that didn’t hit me like a ton of bricks… especially when I picked up their supplies from the school:
I work from home. And we knew that in order for us all to thrive (ok, maybe survive) during this semester of them learning at home while I’m working, we needed an organized system. Stat.
Since my work desk is in our basement, it made sense for us to create a work area for the kids down there, too, so giddy-UP!
These measures have made a big difference in setting a tone for the day, & for keeping the distractions to a minimum.
Here are a few of the things we put into place that have actually been surprisingly helpful.
Create A Work Station For Each Child
Since the older three work independently, we needed spots for our younger three. The Captain found a used kitchen table (thanks, LetGo!) for $30, and we put it in our basement. He also found a sheet of Plexiglass that could be used as a partition between work spaces for #5 (4th grade) and #6 (2nd grade):
We set #4 up at our computer desk; as a 6th grader, she was thrilled to have her own area away from the “little kids”.
Charge It! A Power Strip To Charge Devices
Since the kids do the majority of their work on their school-issued iPads, making sure they have power nearby to charge said devices is very important. To that end, The Captain secured a power strip under the table so devices could charge while being used.
Bins For Individual Supplies
We’ve had a toy cubby unit for awhile now, & I swapped toys out temporarily for their supplies.
On top: I picked up three soft baskets from Five Below- each kid has their own basket with their school books, workbooks, & folders. If their teacher asks then to grab a book, they know exactly where to find them- and they put the books back into the basket when done.
I picked up plastic pencil boxes from Dollar Tree so that each kid would have their own pencils, pens, scissors, etc.
Below the pencil boxes I picked up plastic bins from Dollar Tree to store some of their extra school supplies (things not used every day). I also stocked two empty spots with extra lined & blank paper.
Control Center: Keeping Track Of Days/Weeks
Anyone else losing track of what day/week/month it is? Same. The Captain got his hands on a cork bulletin board for next to nothing (again, thanks LetGo!), then I picked up a cheap monthly calendar from Staples to note future changes in schedule.
(And a clock! A $10 clock helps keep us on track time-wise.)
I also set the tone for each day, by writing the day of the week and the date on a dry erase weekly calendar. Since Google meet times can change, I opted for a dry erase calendar so I can edit it as needed.
Headphones- A MUST
Since all three kids can end up in Google Meets at the same time, I knew that they’d need to block out distractions. Once again, Five Below to the rescue- I bought three cheap pairs of headphones, which make a HUGE difference.
Printed Daily Schedules To Follow
Since each kid’s teacher follows her own time format, I printed copies of each schedule & taped them near the desks, so that they know what they *supposed to be * doing when:
*supposed to be*: While they may be in a period of “individual enrichment”, meaning not in a Google Meet, I had to explain to #5 that individual enrichment means reading a book or playing a math game, NOT playing a ‘decorate your nails” game…
While there was definitely a learning curve the first day or so, I have to say that it’s been going better than I expected it to. The first 10 minutes of the first day was a flurry of technical difficulties & questions, & my mental mantra was, “For the love of all things holy… what.have.I.done???
But just to be clear- while this system definitely HELPS our virtual learning experience, by no means is this easy. So if you’re struggling with it, you’re not alone!
There are many days when the energy is flowing well, & the kids are 100% on task. It’s awesome. Peaceful. Productive.
And then… there are the other days… when your brain wants to explode. Days where it’s only 10am, the day already feels like a total dumpster fire, & I send texts like this to my husband, who gets to leave the house to work, the lucky bastard:
The reason for his tears? I told him no YouTube during his independent reading period.
Pandemic life is weird, & hard. If you’re struggling with virtual learning, these tips might help. But even if they help, it’s STILL hard. So if you’re having those dumpster fire days too, it’s not you. All you can do is the best you can do, mama, and that’s enough.
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