School in the Time of Coronavirus

Like many in the Seattle area, my regular routine has been interrupted by the spread of Coronavirus. I am working from home for a while. My wife, an emergency physician, is working as normal. We have regular childcare arrangements for our younger two children that, so far, are unchanged. As of last week, school for the older two children has been cancelled most of April. It is this last change where things get dicey. Caring for school-age children when they are off of school is tricky for all working parents, but when weeks of it are sprung suddenly without opportunity for planning, it is daunting.

Our plan goes something like this:

5 blocks of 45–60 minute activities spread between 9 and 4. The blocks include time for schoolish stuff they should be working on, reading, piano, art projects, and learning stuff that they aren’t learning in school but are interested in (coding and second language). These blocks are punctuated by free-time, snacks, dog walking, and lunch. The structure isn’t strict and there are adjustments every day, but just having some rough outline for the day has all of our lives more enjoyable so far. Let’s see how it goes in the coming weeks.