Diary of a Virtual School Mum - Day 1

Our school has worked very hard to set up resources for the children to learn from home. I fully appreciate all they've done, and can see that they care about the kids. But man, this is a lot of work for me as well. Here's a quick summary of our first day.

Pre-Monday work included receiving log in information for all three children on Google Classroom. There are also additional websites we needed set up, for different types of work. We need to order laptops, but since we haven't yet, I had to download all applicable apps to my phone.

Monday morning. I woke up thinking I would do a YouTube exercise video, but the girls wouldn't stop screaming at each other. They had gotten up and dressed as I had asked, so I'll consider that a victory. We had breakfast, then a short amount of free time before "school."

9:00 Clara logged in to a morning "meeting" with her teachers and classmates. She was excited to be able to see her friends, and her teacher talked for a few minutes about what would be happening for the day.  Clara's assignment was to decorate cardboard eggs and string them up on a garland. I fished cardboard out of the recycling bin for later.

9:20 Lily logged in for her morning "meeting." I must have had the time wrong, because for 10 minutes it was 4 or 5 children chattering until the teacher joined the call. It was another brief call explaining a few things, and then that was finished.

Miles' call was scheduled for 10:00, but two of his friends logged in early to talk. Miles joined them at 9:50, right before one of the teachers did. His main teacher showed them how to access a few things, and the morning meetings were done.

So the whole time the kids were on these video calls, I sat with them to make sure their microphone was muted, that they paid attention, and didn't do anything inappropriate.  I was able to do a load of laundry in between the calls.

10:30 I gave Miles and Clara a Lego challenge while I set up the computer for Lily's work. She had one maths lesson about telling time, and we worked through it together.

10:45 Next was science. We were supposed to find little creatures out in nature, take a photo if possible, and draw them out. Handily, Matt has recently started making terrariums, so we didn't have to go outside.

I uploaded the pictures above, and "turned in" her work.

11:05 Lily and Clara began decorating the aforementioned eggs, and Miles logged in to see his assignments. First was maths, which was figuring out the perimeter and area of a rectangle. There was a video lesson to watch, then a few questions for him to answer and return. I started making lunch (microwave mac and cheese).

11:45 Lunch time.

12:15 Miles gets back on the computer for English. We log in to another website, and he does three different activities. I have to charge my phone because of the video calls and checking the classroom app all day. And the teachers keep adding assignments and meetings.

12:45 Miles finishes English, and I try to find a delivery or collection time for groceries. It's fully booked for three weeks.

1:00 The girls play on their tablets while I relax on the television. The kids all have a snack.

1:40 It's almost time for Miles' music lesson, another video call. He starts out in the dining room with my phone, but I have to move him to the computer in the living room because he has to look at the words on the screen to sing along. A video call with several children singing a song they don't really know is... something. Miles keeps goofing off, so I keep muting him so he doesn't disturb the other kids. I notice that Clara is supposed to have a music lesson later on.

2:40 Music is finished, and the girls are fighting and running around like maniacs. I'm ready to be finished for the day, whether the kids have completed everything or not.

Here's a list of things we haven't done:

• Make more egg garlands (3 in total), and have Clara practice with a hole punch. We don't have a hole punch, so I'll skip that part. Maybe 3 eggs on the string will count (hopefully).
• Have Clara watch a slide presentation about birds building nests. There are questions for her to answer as well.Then she has to gather materials outside that a bird might use, and build her own nest. (This project can be done throughout the week).
• Have Clara watch a video about dinosaurs, and let her create her own.
• Lily needs to look at recipes (some given to her by the teacher, and find some in books at home) and answer some questions about what makes a recipe.
• All three kids have a rainbow art project to do.
• Miles has poem homework for Wednesday.
• Miles has a chapter of a book to listen to.
• Miles has to make a drawing to redesign the school garden.

It's now 3:30, and I have put on a movie for everyone. I need a glass of wine.