To start a thread where you can only share absolute genius hacks for getting through lockdown working with kids or other responsibilities.

[Amithetoxicone]

The best one I have is you set a timer for ten minutes and they have to stay in their rooms for ten minutes and tidy between five and ten things away. You go in after ten minutes and if you can guess what’s gone then you get a point and if you can’t they get a point.

Ooh good idea

Pick a country and do a project on it.
Including geographical features, main industries, political system, language etc.
Draw pictures, paint a giant flag or make a big sewn wall hanging.
Make costumes.
Make typical food.
Put on a play about its history.
A few years ago, we did this with ours and used Canada, it went so well, we repeated it with Wales.

@Serin

Pick a country and do a project on it. Including geographical features, main industries, political system, language etc. Draw pictures, paint a giant flag or make a big sewn wall hanging. Make costumes. Make typical food. Put on a play about its history. A few years ago, we did this with ours and used Canada, it went so well, we repeated it with Wales.

I may have misinterpreted the thread title but I thought the OP was asking for hacks for combining having to work and also having the kids at home.

Everything you listed sounds great! But completely out of scope for a parent who also has to balance working from home.

throw yourself on the mercy of the school and beg for a vulnerable child place. reaping the whirlwind of anger though.

Wine, gin or similar

One of my school mum friends told her kids she'd give whichever of them went longest sitting quietly on the carpet not bothering her would get a pound. Her 9yo managed 4 hours

We have a strict routine here which mirrors school. We are lucky in that we have a separate room for them to work in, a room for me and room for DH.
I load them up in the morning with their work (we already have school work for tomorrow sent over tonight). 9am we all start work. They are allowed in kitchen at break time and again lunchtime. They then return to their room to work. Then play / watch tv. (Finish school work at 3 latest. Regardless if they have finished or not). I mark stuff at lunch / after work.
I don’t get to sit with them and teach, but they are at least doing what they can without help. Not ideal. But we can only do our best.

Tell them they're the teacher and they have to come up with an exam for you. It has to be X pages, Y topics long etc etc. They have to work out the answers and make an answer sheet so they can mark it later.

It should take them a while to make, be fairly quick for you to do based on the level, and then they have to take time to mark it

lego: good for fine motor control and design tech. get them to draw a picture before and after. perhaps a top down view for geography mapping.
play dough: finger strength and art (sculpture) (and it hoovers out the carpet better than plasticine)
get a sand timer and get the kid to count how many times they can do a task before it runs out.

lap books always look fun. google ideas.

anything to get them to work independently while you work.
get the kid to help make tea or lunch... talk about what they could improve: food tech. any weighing out=maths and any changes in food as it cooks=science.
count stuff out on your walk. little kids maths. and pe if you do some hopping, skipping or jumping on the way home.
count any foot ball/throwing /catching in the garden as PE. (or old socks into the washing basket. )

get them to match socks and gloves. Nursery maths. (ditto sorting ie putting toys in the right box)

writing a play with stage directions, writing letters, writing stories, etc.

geography: looking at local area and talking about likes, dislikes.

One of my school mum friends told her kids she'd give whichever of them went longest sitting quietly on the carpet not bothering her would get a pound. Her 9yo managed 4 hours

This is genius!

My 11 year old has an a4 whiteboard so the night before I write up the days schedule and a to do list so she knows what to do when, and I include drinking water, YouTube etc as well as the schools google classroom stuff. She told me today that she and a friend are going to face time while doing some work too so it’s like she’s at school....

She also has some chores to do and will walk the dog with me at lunchtime

We’ll see how it goes.....

We all get up and have breakfast and at 9am, tell the dc 7 and 9 to go out to the front garden to keep digging the magic fairy tunnel with small metal spades, which is brilliant exercise and takes them about an hour. We then do their work online before calling them in, attaching them to ps4s with headsets and bowls of crackers, fruit etc within reaching distance and cracking on with our 8 hour working days. We all emerge about 6 for tea. Works for us.

Cry whenever the need arises. Just cry. Don’t stop what you’re doing, it’s possible to multitask- just let the boohoo’s out. It’s important.

We have a teenager friend who is willing to teach them stuff online. Making websites, coding etc. You could advertise for one on the local fb group, there will be plenty of bored teens wanting some pocket money.

Six hour workday. That's a reasonable expectation. Stick two fingers up to an employer who wants more. Or work the balance in the evening.

Six hours:

Adults work from 6am to 10am. Instruct the kids how to get their own breakfast and clean it up appropriately afterward. Any child over 7 can do this (in theory). Not to be disturbed - Strict instructions and consequences.
One hour of school.
Lunch.
Work from 1pm to 3pm while they watch a movie or play games.
Afternoon walk.
More school or work in the afternoon if you can be arsed. Stuff school. These are unusual times.

Put all the craft stuff out and tell them they can make what they want as long as they don't disturb you (always worked for me when I didn't want to do craft ). Tell them they can watch tv until they disturb you - after that no more tv (always worked for me when I wanted a nap).

I’m hiring the student next door for 4 hours a day. Does that count?

Placemarking gratuitously as I don't have the energy or creativity for brilliant life hacks

Ahhh Sorry.

Zoom pre planned lessons with grandparents.

Go out at night and learn about astrology.

Print off times table sheets and do 20 minutes.

Snap circuits

Solar robots

Code while you Zoom and smile proud if both on camera.

Make a very long treasure hunt list...

I roped in various relatives to do stuff on Skype. Delegating! My brother excelled himself with a lesson in animation (his past life) and DD made a little character which we posted to him and he animated. She loved this.
Got the idea from a friend who has siblings abroad who taught/ entertained kids with 'lessons' on random topics like robin hood, fire fighting, all sorts.

Chores list with coins sellotaped on it. Eg empty dishwasher , followed by lots of 20p s
More motivating to actually see the money!

Mid week movie. So you can sit and have a blooming rest. Pace yourself .

We bought a white tea trolley which we put magazine holders each for the boys with their work folders in and some pots for pens, sharpened pencils and a tub with glue stick, sharpener etc, dictionaries, calculator etc all to hand, then just wheel it up to the dining table while they work.

Twinkl worksheets were so helpful for DC 6 and 4. Print out loads including colouring in sheets.

Timers to stay in their bedrooms so no fighting and gave me time to do stressy work stuff

Movie after lunch, another at dinner.

YouTube art lessons were great.

Bought 2 bottles of glass cleaner and they will happily clean windows, mirrors, kitchen cabinets etc for 20 minutes!

DC played online chess.

Long baths during the day with extra bubbles and toys. Kept them calm and still while I sat on the loo with my laptop.

Desperate times..... I'm really not looking forward to this

Oh good idea snap circuits, I'll dig it out!