As the new norm of homeschooling while homeworking sweeps across the nation, these are certainly going to be interesting times. The truth is, nobody knows how this will plan out, how long this will last, or whether all work will just simply dry up as the weeks pass by. I am a firm believer of the notion “start as you mean to on” and while some might say that the best plans are unplanned ones, I definitely need a plan to keep my sanity (and household) in check!!
So today I wanted to share with your own own personal plan for homeschooling while homeworking in case it’s helpful to you to work out your own situation.
Splitting into shifts
We have essentially divided the day into two shifts – I will do the general home life and homeschooling shift from wake up until 1.30pm. Mr C will start work early so that he can minimize disruption to his working day as his startup is at a really crucial stage. He will take over from 1.30 until 5pm.
Who is cooking dinner will be decided by our relative workload, and then as soon as dinner is finished I will go back to work to tie up any loose ends. I’ve decided I’m going to try not to work past 7.30pm as I am going to need that time afterwards to decompress after a very full day of homeschooling and then work to avoid burnout.
The homeschool timetable
I’ve drawn up a homeschool timetable which is loosely based on the subjects my daughter covers at school, with some other elements adding into the mix. We sat down and drew this up with my daughter so she would be on board.
Below I’ve linked our homeschool/daily timetable as it stands now, but I am sure it will be tweaked in the coming weeks. We’ve set a topic together – “The Natural World” – which will be running throughout the homeschooling over the next few weeks and when we feel we’ve exhausted it, we’ll pick a new one.
You can download and view our homeschool timetable here – feel free to use and adapt if that helps!
Golden time
We have also included an element of “golden time” as they term it at school, which is when they get to do certain self-guided activities during free time. We have made a list of these activities so she can refer to them in her “golden time” to head off any “I’m bored” statements. Here our are golden time activities:
- Lego
- Play-doh
- Toy play
- Magazines
- Drawing
- Listening to an audiobook/podcast
- Story writing
- Garden play
- Puzzles
- Arts and crafts
Homeschool rules
As much as we think that kids don’t like rules, actually they do need those boundaries. Again, we sat down with my daughter and drafted the rules – she wrote one, then I wrote one and continued like that until we had ten. I think these rules are going to come in very handy indeed! They are:
- Be respectful
- Never give up
- Be patient
- Be responsible
- Be a good listener and respond to others
- Be the best you can be!
- Be kind
- Share your ideas
- Be considerate
- Put your hand up if you want to talk or need help
Bonus rule: Have fun!
Remaining flexible
Whilst we are working to a homeschool timetable, we also want to retain an element of flexibility. For example, if it’s a gorgeously sunny day, Mr C might take E fishing, or if we have a lull in our work, we may pack up and head out into the country for the day.
While homeschooling is important to us in this period, I still want to use it as an opportunity to have fun times and create new positive memories, against the backdrop of all the Coronavirus doom and gloom.
Equally, if I am working to a tight deadline and Mr C has a bit of slack at work, we may swap shifts or forget about shifts that day. We have to be prepared for every eventuality – including if someone falls ill – which is why when it comes to homeschooling while homeworking flexibility is so important.
For those of you getting your head around how you’re going to be homeschooling while homeworking, I hope the above helps. Don’t forget to check out our guides on how to how to homeschool your children during the Coronavirus, and our list of 50 fantastic homeschool resources. Good luck everybody!
