Spinning more plates than ever before!

As the nation gets used to working from home during the COVID19 pandemic and the parents amongst us juggle the demands of work with homeschooling, we thought we’d share some of our thoughts on how we’re coping at Mzuri in these incredibly challenging times.

Katherine and Lisa have been working from home and homeschooling for 2 weeks now. It’s fair to say it’s a steep learning curve, so here are a few top tips from Lisa:

Create a ‘flexible’ home learning schedule!

I quickly learned that although I start every day with great intentions and a schedule, it’s hard to stick to it religiously! I’ve tried not to worry and have found flexibility and going with the flow keeps things as stress-free as possible.

We have a start and end time to our school day so that everyone knows what’s happening. Plus, an outline of what we need to achieve each day so that the boys can tick this off as we go. Having some backup ideas for when you get a phone call or have something you urgently need to action will help keep them busy. 

We try to keep the harder, more demanding school work to the morning, with a bit more creativity and free play in the afternoon. (Ezra is going to be a pro-basketball player in a few months’ time with the amount of time he spends bouncing his ball on the patio!!).

Independent tasks

I’ve written some ideas down so they can dip into this whenever they need to. So far, they’ve named our school, designed a logo, designed a circuit training course for PE and created a reward chart. I keep these simple so that they can do these unaided so that I can get on with things when required.  

Separate ‘school’ from ‘home’

We are keeping all our school-related resources in a big box and cupboard, so we can shut up shop when school finishes. This has really helped to separate school and home time.

Always keep a box of games and snacks handy!

Every morning I’ve put simple games on the coffee table, a water bottle and a small tub of snacks to keep them going when I’m on a call or head down in something. I’ve seen some ingenious parents making a Tuck Shop for snacks, with price lists and real or pretend money – a sneaky way to get some additional maths practice in!

A weekly raffle

The boys love the raffle that takes place in their school class each week, so we’re doing one at home now. Every time they complete a particular piece of work, work together well, finish a water bottle etc, they earn a raffle ticket!

We draw the raffle on a Friday afternoon, the prizes are simple, but the excitement levels are pretty high! 

It’s certainly a lot of plate spinning for everyone. Amongst all the background noise and juggling, remember to fit in a few minutes of relaxation for yourself too. Whether that’s meditation, a soak in the bath, catching up on the latest Netflix series or going for a run – it all helps to keep the mind and body healthy.

How can we help you?

If your plate spinning means you need some marketing support, get in touch today and see how we can help. Call 01428 722990 or email hello@mzuri.co.uk. Whether you’re working from home during the COVID19 pandemic or in your office, let’s set up a call or video call and get the ball rolling.

Plus, why not check out our work while you have 5 minutes?