Innovation and development in housekeeping and homeschooling
Innovation and development in housekeeping? The barriers between my writing jobs and my housewife role must be disappearing. Each time I read an article on productivity and how R&D and automation are helping firms, or supposed to help, in overcoming the labour shortage; I think to myself, how can I as a home-working, housekeeping, homeschooling, mother of four growing children leverage on this myself at home?
I have been sharing on how I am re-modelling or rather, re-shifting, things in my house and spring cleaning to gear up for the new school year. It occurs to me, I am re-purposing my home much like how factories re-design the floor to facilitate workflow and maximise asset usage.
Take floor space, how much of it is being used to stack up things you no longer need or do not use often? By moving them to a part of the home where there is a lower activity level, you are able to maximise your usage of that section for yourself and your family. There is of course the need for disposing and letting go of things you no longer need, I'm afraid. Where space is short, like in Singapore, hoarding is not an option.
As a homeschooler, you will need to have space for teaching your children and if you use a method like Montessori where quite a bit of hands-on materials are used, you will have to think of how you and your child will move through the day, where you want to present your materials and how you want your house to be like when you are not having school. You will also need to harmonise this with your home needs like where you will have your meals and enjoy personal and family time.
I realise that my children tire of their materials after a while and seeing them the whole day at home doesn't help. You can use the option of storing some for later and rotating the materials as and when the children move to different levels of ability. When doing Montessori at home, some of us do not have that luxury of space like in schools where you can display all your materials.
One of my ideas to overcome this is to have mobile shelving units to display my Montessori materials during school time that can be closed up and shifted away when school's over. This can double up as a magazine holder and extra shelf space when not used for school.
I have been sharing on how I am re-modelling or rather, re-shifting, things in my house and spring cleaning to gear up for the new school year. It occurs to me, I am re-purposing my home much like how factories re-design the floor to facilitate workflow and maximise asset usage.
Take floor space, how much of it is being used to stack up things you no longer need or do not use often? By moving them to a part of the home where there is a lower activity level, you are able to maximise your usage of that section for yourself and your family. There is of course the need for disposing and letting go of things you no longer need, I'm afraid. Where space is short, like in Singapore, hoarding is not an option.
As a homeschooler, you will need to have space for teaching your children and if you use a method like Montessori where quite a bit of hands-on materials are used, you will have to think of how you and your child will move through the day, where you want to present your materials and how you want your house to be like when you are not having school. You will also need to harmonise this with your home needs like where you will have your meals and enjoy personal and family time.
I realise that my children tire of their materials after a while and seeing them the whole day at home doesn't help. You can use the option of storing some for later and rotating the materials as and when the children move to different levels of ability. When doing Montessori at home, some of us do not have that luxury of space like in schools where you can display all your materials.
One of my ideas to overcome this is to have mobile shelving units to display my Montessori materials during school time that can be closed up and shifted away when school's over. This can double up as a magazine holder and extra shelf space when not used for school.
Now, for me to learn carpentry… or do the impossible task of finding a carpenter who's willing to do the job for a reasonable price in Singapore.
As for automation, I believe every multi-functioning mum/dad deserves not just her/his Macs and iPads but even more the washer-dryer, dishwasher, ovens and especially the vacuum robot. These are like extensions of your self and the more they can do the job without you being there, the better. These are however expensive, it makes me want to ask whether I can get a grant, but well worth the investment just like in most factory floors.
As it is, my time has been freed by the washer and dryer, although I am still putting clothes on the clothesline as we have heavy laundry traffic. The electric oven meanwhile has allowed me to just place food into it and let it do the cooking while I busy myself with matters of greater interest to me. Yes, I'm not much of a cook.
I checked the i-robot vacuum a few days back and it costs at least SGD1,100; oookaaay, I guess that will have to wait for some time while I turn back to managing my available manpower at home. The children have a housework schedule and I have calibrated it according to their abilities. This is so far limited to throwing away the rubbish, laundry, floor cleaning and library-keeping.
The older children are also now able to iron their clothes and Ihsan does help with cooking the meals once in a while. Planning however does not mean that you are freed from reminding your children of their duties ever so often, but I'm sure some of you have little angels who are always waiting to do their share.
I see room for taking on greater responsibilities like guiding the younger children in their studies and grocery shopping. Ihsan has also shown an interest in planning lessons with me. In fact the boys have given me ideas for a book I was working on, but that's another story.
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