The family has been sheltering in place since mid March.

"I'm one of the lucky ones who can still 'produce in place.' I actually just shot an ad campaign last week. My family—including our dog Hazel—was not only the talent, but also filled in as assistants, grip, producers, even MUAH (make-up and hair)—thanks YouTube! What an amazing learning experience for all of us!"

"We live in a small 1926 Berkeley bungalow, so we really have to get creative with space. With 5 people working and learning from home, we figured out quickly that it is all about flexibility, respect, and most of all, patience. Our older kids are self sufficient and can keep track of their own schooling. If they need help, they ask. They have each carved out spaces where they can work. However, at times we all have to play musical chairs and move around...usually when Seth (my husband) or I have Zoom meetings, client calls, etc. The main rule is: Leave the space the way it was when you came, including web pages and browsers. Our little guy needs more wiggle room. He's set up in the dining room where he can spread out, use a white board, and constantly eat snacks. I think my greatest accomplishment during this SIP is understanding how he learns. He's a visual learner—white boards, colored markers, and open spaces to make mistakes is how he grasps concepts."

"I think the most important thing right now is to be flexible and forgiving with ourselves. For example, we have scattered start times and 'just get it done' Wednesdays, which means, sleep in, slow down, take breaks as you wish, read, whatever...but just get your school work done by the end of the day. As for phones (our older kids), we ask them to put them away as they would at school, understanding that they do need them for group work and projects. School for us can also include cooking, baking, film studies (watch an assigned film, be inspired by the director, write a script, and film a short with your siblings), or paint by numbers. And then there are days when we just post up and read."

"1990s Bollywood movies—it's incredible what's available to stream. They are huge commitments—they can literally fill an entire afternoon—and every emotion is tapped into while watching one saga or another."

"With a lot of patience, tag teaming with my husband, and most of all, realizing that we have to approach each day as it comes. It's okay if the laundry is not folded, or if breakfast is for dinner...again. We're just happy we made it through another day. I have to remember that if I am feeling the heaviness of the world and the news and SIP, then our kids must be feeling it, too, in their own way. This is probably the only time all five of us will be together in one place without constantly rushing to do something else, and I'm lucky to be able to WFH and really be available to my kids. We always say that in order for our family to move forward with any situation, we have to roll together, so don't be the flat tire."

Find out more on Smeeta here.

The family has been sheltering in place since March 13th.

"No change for me; as a homeschooling parent and the founder of Other Goose, an at-home learning program for kids ages 2-7, I guess you could say I'm required to work from home year round!"

"I'm a firm believer that learning can happen anywhere and anytime, so I don't keep strict boundaries on facilitating the process. There's no designated school room or school hours. Reading on the sofa, memorizing poems in the sunroom, crafting in the backyard, tea parties at the kitchen counter—at this age, it all counts!"

"We have a free workshop full of tips and tricks at Other Goose, but one of my favorites is to rely on the Inchworm Method for structuring our day. It looks like this: together, apart, together, apart, together, apart. So, I might start our day by reading over breakfast (together), and then I'd set up an area where the kids can play independently while I get some work done (apart). When the kids need to transition, we might play a board game or have a kitchen dance party or try an Other Goose lesson (together). Then, the kids will set up backyard blocks or a coloring station to transition to more time apart. We move throughout our day in that same rhythm and—slowly but surely—both the kids and me know what to expect as the day progresses."

"We don't incorporate screens on a regular basis, but when we do, my daughter loves Cosmic Kids Yoga! And the Toothsavers app was a game-changer for teaching our 3-year-old to brush for a full 2 minutes."

"This is pretty similar to my norm, so we're all hanging in there, although I desperately miss our library! The hardest adjustment for the kids has been navigating the temporary closing of our co-ops, classes, and extracurriculars like Chinese or theatre. I never realized how little time we spent at home as a homeschool family! Readjusting expectations has been our saving grace. I've learned to prioritize what matters and ditch the rest. As long as we've spent time in fresh air, read plenty of books, and connected as a family for the day, I count it as a win!"

Find out more on Erin here.

The family has been sheltering in place since March 13th.

"All of my jobs have been cancelled since early March, with no word on what the future of the fashion industry looks like. I have been working on a home studio, in hopes to work with several clients from home."

"Our homeschool set-up has taken over our whole apartment! Lukas is set up at his desk in his bedroom for half of his day and Lily is in the living room for most of her's. I let her sit wherever she wants within the space. Sometimes she’s on a pouf, sometimes it’s the dinner table. They go to a school that is heavy in the arts, so they need a lot of floor space for dance, and table space for art classes daily. They have a lot of the same classes but at different times, which makes me feel like a traffic cop directing one to the living room for dance while the other heads back to the bedroom for Spanish. It’s a lot of moving around!"

"Ease up on the preschoolers. My four-year-old loves school, but is not a fan of distance learning. At first I pushed her to attend all classes, knowing how much she loved going to school and seeing her friends. Pushing her to join in with the class online was met with heavy resistance. It was a daily battle causing us both stress. That’s when I decided to ease up and imagine what this experience is like from her shoes, suddenly being thrown into quarantine and plopped in front of a tablet for school. We cut out the Zoom classes and did her worksheets sent from her teacher for about two weeks. Now, she checks in to her favorite classes and I let her skip the others. She’s so much happier."

"Prepare in advance. On Sunday night, I prepare as much as possible. I go over the package sent by their teachers and print out their classwork for the week and organize their binders with their work for each day. I update their school schedules in their Google calendars and make sure to add their Zoom class links for easy access. I set alarms a few minutes before each class so they stay on schedule. I even taught Lukas to log onto his Zoom classes with a link that pops up on their tablet at their class time. With all of this prep, it assures that my name will be called about 1000 times less during the week. Between classes, I like to surprise them with something fun! Run out to fly kites, bake Funfetti cupcakes, or have a pillow fight! Seeing smiles on their faces during this time means everything to me! As for sheltering in place in general, themed food nights have been the greatest mood booster. Taco night has been a hit—we even blast mariachi music and dance after we eat! My most important tip is to take care of yourself. With the amount of responsibility, stress, and uncertainty, you need to fill your tank back up. After my daily dose of self-care, I’m a much better teacher-mama. Also, if you can, read the news, don't watch it."

"Wild Kratts is their favorite show, they can watch it all day and can tell you so many random facts about animals, it’s crazy. Also, The Magic School Bus, because Ms. Frizzle's the bomb and we love science over here, and Super Wings—their love of travel makes this show a winner! As for apps, they are on the screen so much for classes I try to limit their screen-time on apps as much as I can. The only app they use now is SplashLearn. My 7- and 4-year-old both love to play. It’s great at reinforcing math concepts that they are currently learning. I use Vooks when I’m too exhausted to read a story at the end of the night, I just let the app do it for me! Did I mention that my kids are science fanatics? They love, love, love science. Mystery Science is a great site filled with lessons and experiments to go along with what they at learning in class. The Cosmic Kids Yoga YouTube channel is fun for a break from the routine and to calm them down a bit. Lily’s favorite is 'Frozen Yoga' and Lukas’ favorite is the Pokémon episode!"

"Homeschooling and quarantine are two words that shouldn’t be together! At the start of the pandemic, it was madness. I was left depleted at the end of every day. Dealing with all the anxiety that comes with living in the epicenter was heavy. Juggling those emotions while prioritizing their education, running the household, while staying cooped up inside left me gripping to my sanity. With a little time, I learned how to cope. I had to turn off the news, take quality time for myself—running, sewing, reading, studying photography—and focus on gratitude. These physical and mental shifts made these non-ideal circumstances so much sweeter."

Find out more on Krystle here. And be sure to read our 2016 "Pregnancy Style" feature on her.

The family has been sheltering in place in South Carolina for 7 weeks and counting.

"I already worked from home, and I love working from home. That said, working from home with two boys now home all day is a different ballgame."

"My son Sawyer, who's in second grade, has camped out in the home office for his more structured school day on Zoom and SeeSaw. My younger son Fox, who's in primary school, spends most of the day downstairs with our nanny or me. We do mazes, read books, play piano, and create makeshift science projects. He doesn't particularly enjoy digital classes at 4 years old, so we don't push them on him."

"We try to make routines where we can—breakfast as a family followed by morning Legos, a walk along the water in the evening, story time together each night. But we also let our kids spend time doing what they themselves want to explore. For instance, this past month, we've learned Fox is an amazing illustrator—like, much better than I am! We wouldn't have discovered that if we didn't give him the freedom to play. I fit in work wherever I can all day long and do my best to be gentle with myself (and all of us!) about things not going as planned. If I have a conference call where I need quiet, I'll take it in my room with the kids downstairs or even out of the house for a bike ride to make sure I can focus. I try to keep evenings free of work and get plenty of sleep to handle each busy day ahead. I'm definitely someone who needs her sleep to feel balanced."

"Sawyer is already on screens a fair amount with his classes, so we try to limit screen-time outside of school hours for him. My four-year old loves watching Sesame Street, which feels nostalgic and educational to me, so we watch one episode each morning with him. On the weekends, we'll pick a family movie from my husband's and my childhood to share with the boys, like Mary Poppins (my choice) or The Princess Bride (my husband's choice). In the past, we've used the apps Endless 123 and Endless ABC with our kids to learn letters and numbers, which I love."

"It's certainly a surreal time—sometimes I feel like we are thriving, and at other times, I feel isolated from my friends & community and overwhelmed that there's no transition out of it yet. When I do need to wake myself up from a funk, I take a walk outdoors and listen to some upbeat music, or I call a girlfriend or my mother to just admit out loud that I'm feeling low and need a bit of a cheer up. Sharing those feelings with someone helps them start to dissipate. At some point, I remember that this too shall pass. I also have a Sunday night Kundalini yoga class with my Charleston-based teacher Alex Seaman, which she has generously brought online for us each week. I won't miss it. The class sets a grounding tone for the week for me. It helps me sit in discomfort and reminds me that I can handle more than I think I can. We all can."

Find out more on Molly here, here, and here.

The family has been sheltering in place since March 17th.

"I'm the founder of a creative studio in Oakland, and since most of my work is collaborative, I’ve had to postpone several projects such as photo shoots where it involves a team/production crew. I have been able to do a few projects on my own safely from home, which has been helpful, but I miss working with people!"

"When distance learning first started, we learned quickly how helpful it would be for us to have a daily schedule. We haven’t adhered to it strictly, but it has served as a good template for us:

9am-10am: Academic Time 1
10am-11am: Brain Break and Snack
11am-12pm: Academic Time 2
12pm-1pm: Lunch and Active Time
1pm-2pm: Creative Time
2pm-2:30: Chores
2:30-3pm: Quiet Reading

That's for Monday through Thursday. Fridays are for catching up on work/projects, chatting with friends and family, and free play. The kids have one or two virtual classroom chats per week, which we coordinate our homeschool schedule around. We’ve also been taking advantage of all the green space we have around our neighborhood and take family hikes and bike rides."

"Zearn, Prodigy, Raz Kids, Khan Academy for the older kids, Starfall and ABC Mouse for our preschooler. We have also been showing them documentaries on Netflix and give them questions for reflection and discussion."

"On the academic side of things, I am definitely putting my teaching degree to good use! I have experience with multiple subjects, so I am happy that I can help them when they get stuck on a math problem or need help in organizing their thoughts for writing assignments."

"Generally, I’m growing weary of wearing all the hats. Thankfully, I have a strong partner to help carry the load, but it truly takes a village! Apart from myself and my husband, we have a network of folks who have poured into our kids alongside us. Not having full access to our community has impacted us deeply. Virtual chats are cool and all, but we have developed screen fatigue and long to physically be with people again."

Find out more on Naomi here and here.

"We have been sheltering in place for almost two months. I live in a really friendly and relatively walkable neighborhood in Oakland. The twins and I take multiple walks throughout the week and discover so many new things and people right in our own backyard. We see dead snakes, learn how to walk safely around blind curves, and receive invaluable lessons on plant identification and how to grow our own food from the avid gardeners in our neighborhood."

"As a municipal engineer, I'm considered an essential worker and can fortunately work from home. I also work as a consultant as time permits—mostly evenings and weekends. It's tough to manage two jobs, homeschooling, and all around mothering when there's only so much time in the day. I never have the luxury of boredom. The days are going by fast, so I'm trying to also be grateful for this time with my children."

"Our dining room is command central. We wake up every day around the same time and all get dressed. Fortunately, my twins attend a school that has a fairly robust technology set-up and really creative and organized teachers. They have check-in morning Zooms and I listen in so that I also know the daily expectations. They also periodically have Zooms throughout the day which can be tough to keep track of. They are 11 so they are maturing but sometimes still need help with setting reminders. My calendars are beyond over-scheduled! The twins receive assignments from both their core and specialist teachers. Some of their favorite assignments involve gardening, a special letter to a healthcare worker, and an art project involving a make believe space. I am actually amazed at how their teachers have provided curriculum that is so thoughtful and relevant to today's reality as well as what may lie ahead."

"Nonetheless, managing the expectations and academic success of my children is extremely challenging in a homeschool setting. I find that I am constantly balancing a need to create opportunities and space for my children and me to pause and process while at the same time ensuring that we stay motivated, engaged, and not complacent. Our walks, backyard playtime, and distant porch or curbside visits with friends are our saving grace. My heart really goes out to families who don't have close access to green space. Cabin fever is real, especially when it feels like the sky and earth are so far away."

"When the school day is over, we clean up our space, try to prepare meals together, and enjoy more frequent movie nights. We recently played Scrabble together for the first time. My son was skeptical but ultimately won with the word 'zen'...how fitting. It's not surprising that my big accomplishment was the word 'clog.'"

 "Some of our favorite apps include BrainPOP, TedEd, Curiosity Stream, and The UC Berkeley Falcon Nest Cam. We recently downloaded PlantSnap for our walks and I occasionally drag them into my FitOn routines...not their favorite, ha! Last but definitely not least, we check out a few of the virtual museum tours, watch the Oakland Ballet, and tune into DNice, DJ Maseo (I'm a huge De La Soul fan), and Alice Smith live performances...just to name a few of our favorites."

"I'm enjoying this time with my children. They are growing up really fast and we are approaching the years when they will think of me less as a superhero. For now, I'm taking it one day at a time. This approach seems to feel better than yesterday's 'rat race.' I wonder how our post Covid-19 pace will feel. Hopefully it's way easier on the joints."

Find out more on Charmin here. And be sure to read our 2019 "Mother Stories" feature on her.

The family has been sheltering in place since March 16th.

"Thankfully we finished our home office remodel a week before shelter-in-place began. We have a very long desk that allows more than one person to work at it. Both kids have daily classes on Zoom and Google Hangout and we quickly realized that our lovely wall of windows wasn’t great for distance learning because of the back lighting."

"I was laid off from my job in March and haven’t been able to return. Since SIP began, we haven’t gone anywhere beyond a hike or a bike ride. We have seen our parents from the driveway, but not for longer than a few minutes at a time. My husband has continued to work. We designated him as the shopper because he is already out in the world with work so we decided he would be the one to run errands."

"It’s been easier for us to stick to a loose schedule, but we try to get most of their schoolwork done in the morning because that is when they are most productive. Puzzles and games and art projects fill our afternoons. I’ve opened every kit we have been holding onto for a rainy day, plus lots of ideas from Pinterest. They are both very active, so we’ve set up a hockey goal in the yard and they rollerblade and run wild when the weather cooperates. To avoid large crowds, we hike in the ravine near our house when we want a change of scenery. I try not to be too rigid with the schedule because I never know what will pique their interests. I want to leave time to explore whatever that might be each day. We have been doing lots of cooking—learning to read and follow a recipe. They get to pick what we make a few times a week and that helps engage them in learning this skill."

"We have really enjoyed all of the zoos around the world that have provided videos and virtual tours. They love watching videos on YouTube during breaks to learn about animals. My oldest loves Typing Club online and the youngest loves Go Noodle."

"For me, homeschooling has its ups and downs. Staying engaged and helping my oldest with his work can be a challenge because he truly thrives in a group setting, so he’s missing that experience and can loose patience with me. I keep stressing how important it is to be in control of our learning—you get what you put in—so when they are interested in something, we investigate it. Being home all the time hasn’t been easy. We are pretty social people and miss our friends and family. But it’s also been a blessing in disguise. Talking and walking and cooking with these kids and not having anywhere to rush off to has given us the gift of time. Time to watch them play, hear them whisper, and see what really drives them crazy. The bond these brothers have fills me with great joy."

Find out more on Alicia here.

The family has been sheltering in place since March 12.

"We live in a 2-bedroom condo, so usually we wake up then my husband takes the master bedroom as his 'office,' my 12-year old takes his bedroom as his 'classroom,' and me and my daughter take the main living area as her 'classroom.' Also, in circumstances when I have needed my personal space for taking parent-teacher Zoom conferences, my 'teacher’s lounge' has been the floor of my bathroom."

"Yikes! I feel like I’m fumbling in this scenario, so not too many tips and tricks from me. The main thing I do know is that I feel really lucky and thankful I get to have this time with my family every day. So when we get in fights about walking in on each other’s Zoom meetings, or I yell about cereal all over the couch (and every other nook and cranny in the house; it’s like my SIP glitter), or someone’s having a bad day and says 'I’m taking a nap so I can’t help you at all today,' it makes giving space to all those hard times a bit easier. Like Dave Chappelle said when receiving his Mark Twain Award: 'We’re here to make some memories.' With that said, I do spend an absurd amount of time writing checklists for all my daughter’s schoolwork, which comes in like a flood—you kinda hate that it’s that time of the month again, but also thankful."

"My 12-year-old enjoys Duolingo for foreign language. My 8-year-old likes Math Tango by Originator. Here I’d like to insert my deepest thanks to the creators of these apps. Sincerely, a mom who can reply to a couple emails in peace. P.S. Special shout out to the official YouTube channel of Bob Ross The Joy of Painting."

"We are unabashedly watching all the '80s movies. Neverending Story, Willow, Karate Kid, ET, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future—All. Of. It. My kids poke fun at the horrible graphics and I have fun pointing out all the sexism and racism that I had ingested unconsciously as a kid. So fun and educational; I must say it’s a winning combo."

"I’ve had many breakdowns in my 'teacher’s lounge' while on the phone with my child’s teacher during the first few weeks of SIP. Lots of anger and tears and intangible sentences. And since then...we’re still here making memories."

Find out more on Rizza here.

The family has been sheltering in place since March 15th, which also happened to be Ylleya's birthday.

"The three children that attend school in my home have their own set-up that works for each of them. The eldest girl seems to be fine in her bed! My middle schooler likes a desk and a traditional computer, while my kindergartener is good with her iPad. The kids have a schedule that their schools have set, so we mostly follow that, and it has worked well. Routines are important because they give the children the structure that is necessary in their day to day."

"Not really, though for my four year old twins, YouTube has been a tremendous help with learning their letters and numbers."

"As a children's book author, I am blessed to have the ability to work from home. I actually love having them at home. My children—all of them—had been saying for months that they wanted to be homeschooled and, bam, now they are. Look at God!"

Find out more on Ylleya here. And be sure to read our Mother Essentials feature on her.

The family has been sheltering in place for 2 months.

"I am working full-time from home, and more busy than ever."

"We decided that learning with friends is nicer, so each day the same two friends of each kid join. We have our nanny take care of the classes of the younger kids, and a girl from our neighborhood who just finished high school is helping with the older ones. They have a program from school and next to that we added a few things we find important and we feel they should get more of at school: 21st century skills and English—they get each for an hour every day. After 3 p.m. we do something fun: sports, playing, cooking class, music class, vlogging, or watching a movie."

"A schedule works really well, plus having somebody that helps them that is not us. They love the attention and really make an effort to do well. The addition of friends has been a life saver. That has kept them motivated and made it a fun time. Plus, they love mad science and English as additional subjects to delve into."

"They love Bomberbot and Code.org."

"I love organizing things, so setting up the school was fun. Other than that, in all honesty I am not made for this new reality. I am someone who books holiday vacations and theater tickets a year in advance, and love a full schedule of work trips, parties, dinners, hobbies for the children, and being around other people. I am not partaking in new hobbies, but I am walking a lot more when I have calls. But I really would love to go back to our normal living."

Find out more on Janneke here, here, and here.