how are you prepping your house/family for the next year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dumb technology question. In the spring I would always be able to remind them "5 minutes until your zoom starts", for example. But I won't be able to do that in the fall. Since they may need several similar reminders during the day, just setting a regular timer won't help . What can I use to schedule alarms that specify "Larla's math zoom" or "Larlo's reading group" etc.

Amazon's Alexa can do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are all of you SAHMs or have easy jobs?
I will be managing this without much ability to supervise.
I don’t know what to do. I have a home office in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I cannot move it downstairs because of meetings and phone calls. I might be able to change the extra bedroom across the hall into a classroom. I do not want kid’s computers in their bedrooms. I really hope this doesn’t last long.

In your situation, I would absolutely figure out what you would need to build a classroom in that extra bedroom and do it now. Even if they go in-person it won’t be full time.

We did this with our spare guest room. I took apart the bedframe and moved it to the garage so there’s just a mattress on the floor in the corner (for jump breaks). They each have a desk and comfortable chair set up.

[Anonymous]

Last spring when the weekly assignments were emailed, I made a weekly calendar for each kid and printed it. For both kids it had the list of all zooms for the day at the top of each day. Below that was the list of subjects or assignments for the day (For my third grader it was detailed with specific assignments for each day but for my middle schooler it was just the list of subjects below, so she could ck them off as she completed the days work.) In the morning we'd go over at breakfast what was up for the day and they'd use their list and check things off as they went. They each use an ipad for zooms and the middle schooler had headphones. Middle schooler had a chromebook for doing schoolwork on. We are getting a chromebook for the younger child for this year. We used are formal dining table and just turned it into a big desk for them. Thinking about getting earphones /headset for the younger one also.

[Anonymous]

I'm a full-time working parent and cannot work from home- hospital work M-F 8:30-4:30 or 5:50. My husband worked from home with our 2 year old this past spring and it was awful, a real shit show. He's back in daycare and my 5 year old is not likely going to full-time public school kindergarten. He will most likely participate in an outdoor Forest School K program with 4 other children at a local organic farm in the mountains with a tiny, clean creek running through.

For him, he needs a lunchbox, back-pack, some typical school supplies, and then TONS of outdoor clothing...rain suit, wool long-johns, waterproof coat, GOOD waterproof boots, ect. That will be kind of different...my kid will be weather-ready for ANYTHING lol.

In terms of our home...I've long considered getting my son set up with desk but he is only 5 so I don't know if it's necessary. Because of a family situation where we needed to move in 6 nieces and nephews, we moved both kids into the same room last fall...a small room but they LOVE it!! The "extra" room is a playroom. I'd like to divide them back up at some point but I may make no additional changes to my home right now.

In terms of work, my husband needs to have a convo with his boss about the need for flexibility. we have no family we can rely on for back-up childcare and each new babysitter coming into our home poses a new risk so we try to keep the circle small. In the past, we have had several back-up sitters and 2 sets of very willing grandparents so this will continue to be hard.

That's our plan! I'm actually pretty excited about Forest School...Master's of elem. ed, very small group, wonderful opp! can't wait!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumb technology question. In the spring I would always be able to remind them "5 minutes until your zoom starts", for example. But I won't be able to do that in the fall. Since they may need several similar reminders during the day, just setting a regular timer won't help . What can I use to schedule alarms that specify "Larla's math zoom" or "Larlo's reading group" etc.

Amazon's Alexa can do this.

Alexa was great for the spring. I could set reminders for specific things and if the kids were home alone I could 'drop in' to see how things were going.

For the regular schedule, I had that written on a white board each day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re outfitting each kid with laptop and headset with mic.
They’ll work in the dining room so I can supervise.

Still need some kind of cubby/organizer system for their supplies and mounds of paper, binders and textbooks.
Any recs?

Textbooks? No one uses textbooks.

My kids in Catholic school have textbooks for every subject. It’s not the only thing they use but they are great resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dumb technology question. In the spring I would always be able to remind them "5 minutes until your zoom starts", for example. But I won't be able to do that in the fall. Since they may need several similar reminders during the day, just setting a regular timer won't help . What can I use to schedule alarms that specify "Larla's math zoom" or "Larlo's reading group" etc.

In the morning, I would have my younger DC set alarms on the Alexa for three minutes before each zoom class. He would usually have three a day, and set the alarms all at once at the beginning of the day. I think you can name them but not sure.

Other prepping --got a desk & chair for my younger DS so he can work in his room instead of the family room; small trash cans for each kids' desk; bought new lunch bags (they are supposed to be in school part-time but no more hot lunch). And I really need to teach my kids to make their own lunches for those days when we are on conf calls during lunchtime.

[Anonymous]

We turned our formal living room into the school room. The room is otherwise not used so this worked out well. We have a nesting coffee table, and they are each able to use one as a desk. They like sitting on the floor. We also pulled their beanbags up from the basement to create reading nooks.

[Anonymous]

3 children [HS, MS, Elementary] + 2 adults working from home
We are moving the desk from my daughters bedroom to the living room. [we are not entertaining!] My MS child woke up and did school from her bed. Not OK. We told her this school year, she will be working from the living room. She might have a friend with her for accountability. If so - we will move a long table to the living room for the 2 of them.

I had thought about dropping my kids off at school before school starts each morning so they need to walk home and get moving before their classes start - we will see. [my ADHD kid is much better is getting a little bit of exercise before school]

White board calendar attached with command strips in the dining room.

We just ordered another laptop

Command hooks to hang headsets

We have IKEA Magazine Holders that we use for notebooks / papers.

We have an old plastic set of drawer with wheels on it that had been used for toys and was in the attic. It is perfect for putting everything away at the end of the day.

For the parent with an ADHD child. You may need to put on the calendar each day movement breaks and have it be specific. Jump rope 300 times. Run around the block.... I have found the more specific (working together to be specific) the better. I had my 3rd grader learn to walk on stilts - great for core strength.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dumb technology question. In the spring I would always be able to remind them "5 minutes until your zoom starts", for example. But I won't be able to do that in the fall. Since they may need several similar reminders during the day, just setting a regular timer won't help . What can I use to schedule alarms that specify "Larla's math zoom" or "Larlo's reading group" etc.

Use Alexa - you can set reminders and name them: "Alexa, set a reminder for Math class for 10am" and so on....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumb technology question. In the spring I would always be able to remind them "5 minutes until your zoom starts", for example. But I won't be able to do that in the fall. Since they may need several similar reminders during the day, just setting a regular timer won't help . What can I use to schedule alarms that specify "Larla's math zoom" or "Larlo's reading group" etc.

Amazon's Alexa can do this.

But she can (and does) also listen to everything in your household. I’m not even allowed to have one of those or similar devices due to my job (lawyer——attorney-client privilege etc)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumb technology question. In the spring I would always be able to remind them "5 minutes until your zoom starts", for example. But I won't be able to do that in the fall. Since they may need several similar reminders during the day, just setting a regular timer won't help . What can I use to schedule alarms that specify "Larla's math zoom" or "Larlo's reading group" etc.

Amazon's Alexa can do this.

But she can (and does) also listen to everything in your household. I’m not even allowed to have one of those or similar devices due to my job (lawyer——attorney-client privilege etc)

We can't use Alexa for privacy reasons as well.

We set up a Gmail family address and made a Google calendar, color coded for each kid. Kids (second grade and fourth) can update it themselves and set recurring appointments.

[Anonymous]

Thank goodness, a problem-solving forum with great ideas, links, and input. Thank you!

Almost given up hope that DCUM was in it to b*tch, pick a fight, and/or take down as many people as they could with them on their personal road to hell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dumb technology question. In the spring I would always be able to remind them "5 minutes until your zoom starts", for example. But I won't be able to do that in the fall. Since they may need several similar reminders during the day, just setting a regular timer won't help . What can I use to schedule alarms that specify "Larla's math zoom" or "Larlo's reading group" etc.

I want this too, and not in a phone. Kids are 3rd and 1st and I need them a hair more independent, but can’t trust them to watch the clock.

[Anonymous]

^^^

I also don’t want Alexa.