If your household is anything like ours, these last few weeks leading into school holidays have been a STRUGGLE. Trying to juggle home schooling for two different year levels, plus entertain the girls and keep my own work up to date has seriously strained our schedules (and my sanity!).

I received so many emails and messages from you asking how we're managing, and I am definitely no teacher, so I decided to engage the expert insights from my friend Elise, a Grade 5 teacher with three young children. She's been juggling teaching from home and educating her own children for the last two weeks, so she totally gets it.

Dive into our chat:

It might be school holidays now, but the boys' school is already preparing for Term 2 from home, so we're making plans now to ensure the boys can get into a good routine (instead of endlessly circling the kitchen and asking for screen time every day!).

Top Tips for Iso Home Schooling

1. Pack a lunchbox for the kids just like it's a regular school day so you can ensure they are having 'real' food, not snacking all day.
2. Create a routine and mirror the schedule they'd have at school, with break times etc.
3. Create a designated work space - NOT in bedrooms! The dining table is fine, just make sure they have space for their books and devices, a proper chair (slumping on the couch is a fast-track to energy slumps!) and room to spread out.
4. Dress for success. My boys were guilty of turning up shirtless to the scheduled Zoom calls for their classes (!) and our school has implemented a uniform policy, even while they are at home (hello, WASHING!). Even if your school has a more relaxed policy, the kids should actually get dressed properly to put them in the right mindset for learning.
5. Don't get overwhelmed! We're parents, not teachers, and if you're like me - teaching maths is very different now to when I was learning it as a child. If your teacher outlines a lesson plan, work out what's feasible for your family (and it might not be every single task). If you can tick off one or two assignments with your available time, abilities and more importantly - without arguments - that's a win.

We covered SOOOOO many important considerations for parents struggling to home school their kids during self-isolation, especially when trying to hold down your own job. Check out the video for more and don't miss the Q&A at the end where we answer your questions!