Surviving Summer — share what’s working

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s our routine (nanny to 5yo twin boys):

They wake about 6:30 and get themselves dressed and brush their teeth then come wake me up and they play while I get dressed, unload DW, make breakfast, pack snacks, etc.

About 8-10 we go for a walk to a park near the house with a big empty field and some shade trees. They play a little but if it’s hot we end up just laying in the shade and reading chapter books

10-12 they play with toys, then at noon we eat lunch

After lunch we do “school” where I do some basic reading/writing/math practice stuff with one and the other plays a semi-educational app on my phone. Then switch kids.

Around 2 we lay down together and listen to an audiobook for 30-45 minutes.

After that they each choose a “project” (peg board, pattern blocks, dominoes, anatomy felt board, etc.) and they play in different rooms for 15 minutes.

Around 3 they get swimsuits and water shoes on and run through the sprinklers for 20 minutes while I water the plants and vacuum the bottom of our inflatable 6’x10’ wading pool. Then they get in the pool and play for a while. Around 4:30 we go in and do baths, then dinner, stories and bedtime.

We do the exact same routine 4 days a week, but importantly, one day a week we shake it up and go on an adventure. Berry picking/baking pies, driving to a far-off hiking spot and hiking to a creek to play in the water, camping overnight, walking around the monuments downtown and cooling off at the WWII memorial, etc. I find that having that one day a week of something different makes all the other days manageable in their sameness.

I hope they pay you well. I wouldn’t be okay if the kids I nannied for came to wake me up.

[Anonymous]

Routine:
During weekdays (18mths and preschooler): breakfast, sprinkler, storytime on youtube, lunch, “school time” - 15 min w/older one, movie time, then things sort of devolve from there.

Other things: pool, walks (even tho hot). We’ve started our days later so we can take advantage of evenings. Some people eecide to start earlier.

[Anonymous]

It's been tough. My kids are in middle and elementary school, so we've done some virtual classes (art, etc.) to at least give some structure to some of the days. One has been doing some soccer practices with her team (safe, all outside, short time frames, SD drills) which has helped.

The older one has gotten into cooking and baking which has been great. Lots of bike rides once the sun is not so high in the sky, after dinner. On days when it hasn't been so hot they SD socialize in yard with neighbors. More TV than I'd like. Lots of reading. They have been doing some projects together - art, making little films, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s our routine (nanny to 5yo twin boys):

They wake about 6:30 and get themselves dressed and brush their teeth then come wake me up and they play while I get dressed, unload DW, make breakfast, pack snacks, etc.

About 8-10 we go for a walk to a park near the house with a big empty field and some shade trees. They play a little but if it’s hot we end up just laying in the shade and reading chapter books

10-12 they play with toys, then at noon we eat lunch

After lunch we do “school” where I do some basic reading/writing/math practice stuff with one and the other plays a semi-educational app on my phone. Then switch kids.

Around 2 we lay down together and listen to an audiobook for 30-45 minutes.

Now that everyone is working from home they get a little time with parents here and there throughout the day but other wise it is 7-7:30pm right before bed. Then 9:30-2 on Saturday and 8:30-2 on Sunday.

After that they each choose a “project” (peg board, pattern blocks, dominoes, anatomy felt board, etc.) and they play in different rooms for 15 minutes.

Around 3 they get swimsuits and water shoes on and run through the sprinklers for 20 minutes while I water the plants and vacuum the bottom of our inflatable 6’x10’ wading pool. Then they get in the pool and play for a while. Around 4:30 we go in and do baths, then dinner, stories and bedtime.

We do the exact same routine 4 days a week, but importantly, one day a week we shake it up and go on an adventure. Berry picking/baking pies, driving to a far-off hiking spot and hiking to a creek to play in the water, camping overnight, walking around the monuments downtown and cooling off at the WWII memorial, etc. I find that having that one day a week of something different makes all the other days manageable in their sameness.

Sounds great but when do they see their parents? Is it like Downton Abbey? From 5:30-6pm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s our routine (nanny to 5yo twin boys):

They wake about 6:30 and get themselves dressed and brush their teeth then come wake me up and they play while I get dressed, unload DW, make breakfast, pack snacks, etc.

About 8-10 we go for a walk to a park near the house with a big empty field and some shade trees. They play a little but if it’s hot we end up just laying in the shade and reading chapter books

10-12 they play with toys, then at noon we eat lunch

After lunch we do “school” where I do some basic reading/writing/math practice stuff with one and the other plays a semi-educational app on my phone. Then switch kids.

Around 2 we lay down together and listen to an audiobook for 30-45 minutes.
After that they each choose a “project” (peg board, pattern blocks, dominoes, anatomy felt board, etc.) and they play in different rooms for 15 minutes.

Around 3 they get swimsuits and water shoes on and run through the sprinklers for 20 minutes while I water the plants and vacuum the bottom of our inflatable 6’x10’ wading pool. Then they get in the pool and play for a while. Around 4:30 we go in and do baths, then dinner, stories and bedtime.

We do the exact same routine 4 days a week, but importantly, one day a week we shake it up and go on an adventure. Berry picking/baking pies, driving to a far-off hiking spot and hiking to a creek to play in the water, camping overnight, walking around the monuments downtown and cooling off at the WWII memorial, etc. I find that having that one day a week of something different makes all the other days manageable in their sameness.

Sounds great but when do they see their parents? Is it like Downton Abbey? From 5:30-6pm?

Sorry, formatting error.

Now that everyone is working from home they get a little time with parents here and there throughout the day but other wise it is 7-7:30pm right before bed. Then 9:30-2 on Saturday and 8:30-2 on Sunday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s our routine (nanny to 5yo twin boys):

They wake about 6:30 and get themselves dressed and brush their teeth then come wake me up and they play while I get dressed, unload DW, make breakfast, pack snacks, etc.

About 8-10 we go for a walk to a park near the house with a big empty field and some shade trees. They play a little but if it’s hot we end up just laying in the shade and reading chapter books

10-12 they play with toys, then at noon we eat lunch

After lunch we do “school” where I do some basic reading/writing/math practice stuff with one and the other plays a semi-educational app on my phone. Then switch kids.

Around 2 we lay down together and listen to an audiobook for 30-45 minutes.

Now that everyone is working from home they get a little time with parents here and there throughout the day but other wise it is 7-7:30pm right before bed. Then 9:30-2 on Saturday and 8:30-2 on Sunday.

After that they each choose a “project” (peg board, pattern blocks, dominoes, anatomy felt board, etc.) and they play in different rooms for 15 minutes.

Around 3 they get swimsuits and water shoes on and run through the sprinklers for 20 minutes while I water the plants and vacuum the bottom of our inflatable 6’x10’ wading pool. Then they get in the pool and play for a while. Around 4:30 we go in and do baths, then dinner, stories and bedtime.

We do the exact same routine 4 days a week, but importantly, one day a week we shake it up and go on an adventure. Berry picking/baking pies, driving to a far-off hiking spot and hiking to a creek to play in the water, camping overnight, walking around the monuments downtown and cooling off at the WWII memorial, etc. I find that having that one day a week of something different makes all the other days manageable in their sameness.

Sounds great but when do they see their parents? Is it like Downton Abbey? From 5:30-6pm?

Are you new here? This is very common in the DC area. I was a nanny and I worked 7am-6pm (I was not live in). Parents saw the kids 6-7. I had them fed, bathed and ready for bed.

[Anonymous]

1 hour bike ride early in the morning like 8 to 9
Maybe a stop at a playground or a nature walk thrown in
Lots of legos, and lego challenges
2 hours at the pool
Movie in the afternoon
Grilling or cooking something fun together for dinner.

[Anonymous]

Turned the basement into a dedicated playroom - it's a really nice, dry, carpeted space.
Bought a bouncy house for the basement playroom. It's super noisy when running but the kids love it and it helps get energy out indoors on hot days like today.
Inflatable pool for the backyard. Water table and sprinklers too.
Neighborhood walks and walks in the nearby parks (no playgrounds).
Daily time spent doing puzzles.

If the kids were a bit older, we would probably join the neighborhood pool. But they are still at ages where we can't trust them to properly distance or wash hands or just not put stuff in their mouths.

Trying to find a pod family for my oldest (3.5 years old) to play with. He won't be going back to preschool next semester and so far we haven't been able to find another family who has been as cautious as we are...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s our routine (nanny to 5yo twin boys):

They wake about 6:30 and get themselves dressed and brush their teeth then come wake me up and they play while I get dressed, unload DW, make breakfast, pack snacks, etc.

About 8-10 we go for a walk to a park near the house with a big empty field and some shade trees. They play a little but if it’s hot we end up just laying in the shade and reading chapter books

10-12 they play with toys, then at noon we eat lunch

After lunch we do “school” where I do some basic reading/writing/math practice stuff with one and the other plays a semi-educational app on my phone. Then switch kids.

Around 2 we lay down together and listen to an audiobook for 30-45 minutes.

After that they each choose a “project” (peg board, pattern blocks, dominoes, anatomy felt board, etc.) and they play in different rooms for 15 minutes.

Around 3 they get swimsuits and water shoes on and run through the sprinklers for 20 minutes while I water the plants and vacuum the bottom of our inflatable 6’x10’ wading pool. Then they get in the pool and play for a while. Around 4:30 we go in and do baths, then dinner, stories and bedtime.

We do the exact same routine 4 days a week, but importantly, one day a week we shake it up and go on an adventure. Berry picking/baking pies, driving to a far-off hiking spot and hiking to a creek to play in the water, camping overnight, walking around the monuments downtown and cooling off at the WWII memorial, etc. I find that having that one day a week of something different makes all the other days manageable in their sameness.

I hope they pay you well. I wouldn’t be okay if the kids I nannied for came to wake me up.

The alternative is that I get up even earlier because their parents don’t ever deal with them until after 8:30am. It is what it is. My base rate is $20, but I work a lot of overtime obviously so it works out to be close to $24 an hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s our routine (nanny to 5yo twin boys):

They wake about 6:30 and get themselves dressed and brush their teeth then come wake me up and they play while I get dressed, unload DW, make breakfast, pack snacks, etc.

About 8-10 we go for a walk to a park near the house with a big empty field and some shade trees. They play a little but if it’s hot we end up just laying in the shade and reading chapter books

10-12 they play with toys, then at noon we eat lunch

After lunch we do “school” where I do some basic reading/writing/math practice stuff with one and the other plays a semi-educational app on my phone. Then switch kids.

Around 2 we lay down together and listen to an audiobook for 30-45 minutes.
After that they each choose a “project” (peg board, pattern blocks, dominoes, anatomy felt board, etc.) and they play in different rooms for 15 minutes.

Around 3 they get swimsuits and water shoes on and run through the sprinklers for 20 minutes while I water the plants and vacuum the bottom of our inflatable 6’x10’ wading pool. Then they get in the pool and play for a while. Around 4:30 we go in and do baths, then dinner, stories and bedtime.

We do the exact same routine 4 days a week, but importantly, one day a week we shake it up and go on an adventure. Berry picking/baking pies, driving to a far-off hiking spot and hiking to a creek to play in the water, camping overnight, walking around the monuments downtown and cooling off at the WWII memorial, etc. I find that having that one day a week of something different makes all the other days manageable in their sameness.

Sounds great but when do they see their parents? Is it like Downton Abbey? From 5:30-6pm?

Sorry, formatting error.

Now that everyone is working from home they get a little time with parents here and there throughout the day but other wise it is 7-7:30pm right before bed. Then 9:30-2 on Saturday and 8:30-2 on Sunday.

NP but wow, you're working every day of the week? is this normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s our routine (nanny to 5yo twin boys):

They wake about 6:30 and get themselves dressed and brush their teeth then come wake me up and they play while I get dressed, unload DW, make breakfast, pack snacks, etc.

About 8-10 we go for a walk to a park near the house with a big empty field and some shade trees. They play a little but if it’s hot we end up just laying in the shade and reading chapter books

10-12 they play with toys, then at noon we eat lunch

After lunch we do “school” where I do some basic reading/writing/math practice stuff with one and the other plays a semi-educational app on my phone. Then switch kids.

Around 2 we lay down together and listen to an audiobook for 30-45 minutes.
After that they each choose a “project” (peg board, pattern blocks, dominoes, anatomy felt board, etc.) and they play in different rooms for 15 minutes.

Around 3 they get swimsuits and water shoes on and run through the sprinklers for 20 minutes while I water the plants and vacuum the bottom of our inflatable 6’x10’ wading pool. Then they get in the pool and play for a while. Around 4:30 we go in and do baths, then dinner, stories and bedtime.

We do the exact same routine 4 days a week, but importantly, one day a week we shake it up and go on an adventure. Berry picking/baking pies, driving to a far-off hiking spot and hiking to a creek to play in the water, camping overnight, walking around the monuments downtown and cooling off at the WWII memorial, etc. I find that having that one day a week of something different makes all the other days manageable in their sameness.

Sounds great but when do they see their parents? Is it like Downton Abbey? From 5:30-6pm?

Sorry, formatting error.

Now that everyone is working from home they get a little time with parents here and there throughout the day but other wise it is 7-7:30pm right before bed. Then 9:30-2 on Saturday and 8:30-2 on Sunday.

NP but wow, you're working every day of the week? is this normal?

No, I work Monday-Friday and Saturday and Sunday mornings. They have a different sitter who comes in the afternoons on weekends so I do have a little bit of time off. I have been with them since the day the twins got home from the hospital, so I am their primary attachment figure and they prefer me to the parents anyway.

[Anonymous]

Outdoor tennis lessons
Hiking
Biking
Babysitters Club TV Series
All books by Roald Dahl
Learning guitar together
Building pool reservations
Baking brownies
Theatre Lab virtual classes
Early morning, pre-crowd playground playdates with one other family with masks
Big kid haircut and products so she can experiment styling on her own
Just Dance
Nail painting
Growing garden
Bubble blower
Hoola hoops
Basketball
Volleyball
Frisbee
Mathnasium
LA tutoring and pen pals
Spangler Club STEM subscription boxes
Long weekends at airbnbs nearby where we have own pool and or can canoe or fish
Learning to do more independent tasks like making own sandwiches

[Anonymous]

For those who are privileged to make lists like this, please remember, always that fur many impoverished kids, surviving summer is literally a matter of survival.

[Anonymous]

Mathnasium is open?

[Anonymous]

We haven't really changed the schedule since mid March. An hour or two homeschooling in the morning, the rest of the day is work/feeding the kids/lego