Homeschool Hack: A Kitchen Timer
This is our timer my seven-year-old daughter, Ylvie, has named her Kitty Timer.
We use Kitty Timer every day to manage our work and break cycles.
From my previous post, I talked about using a checklist to keep my daughter on task during the day. Since I work from home and can get busy with my own work, Kitty Timer helps us keep track of time.
Many of the items on her daily checklist will say: Brain Pop 20 minutes. Kodable 20 minutes. Ylvie will set Kitty Timer for 20 minutes and get to work.
The 20 minute time limit is a guide. Sometimes, when the timer goes off, she is in the middle of something and doesn’t want to stop. That’s okay. The timer is a guide to keep us on task. Even in the middle of a meeting, I hear the timer and it reminds me to check in on what she’s doing.
Throughout the day, my daughter will ask for breaks where she can have free time. I manage these breaks with Kitty Timer and her checklist. If she’s checked off four items in a row, she can have a longer break. If she’s only checked off one item so far in the day, she can have a shorter break. Over all, the amount of time I set for breaks is based on my judgement of how much time I think she needs to recharge. There are days where she seems to have a lot of energy and eager to learn. Some days, it seems she is not as excited and may need a longer break to recharge. You know your child enough to gauge their temperament.
Sometimes, she will negotiate the length of her break, which I love. I encourage her to ask for what she wants. Speaking her mind in a safe space with me teaches her to be able to express her desires later when she is older.
Whatever time we agree on, she sets Kitty Timer. When the timer goes off, she knows to get back to work. I also will be alerted that break time is up, even if I’m in the middle of working.
These work and break cycles are loosely based on the Pomodoro Technique. I’ve relied heavily on the Pomodoro Technique in the past during code bootcamp and when I studied for the AWS Machine Learning Certification. I occasionally use it when I am working out a difficult piece of code to prevent me from sitting at my computer and burning out. I have learned to make breaks a habit and only rely on a timer for my own workflow during stressful coding situations.
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method based on 25 minutes stretches of focused work broken by 5 minutes breaks. After four consecutive work intervals, 15-to-30-minute breaks are taken.
We love Kitty Timer! We snagged ours from Amazon. You can also use the timer on Pomofocus.io, which is what I use for myself when I need to regulate my work and break cycles with the Pomodoro Technique.
