How do you spend your days during lockdown? When does your day start? Do you have a routine pattern and how have you had to adjust? Is it any fun? Below, some of our young readers share insights to how they stay productive and have fun at the same time. Please share with us, we would love to read about your days. Nate, 10 One lovely night, my cousins and I were playing when news came around that a lockdown was going to occur. So two of my cousins had to leave, and we were down to three — me and two other cousins. We stayed in total lockdown, and from them on, every morning, we exercise, shower, and then study. And in the afternoon we eat and watch TV. Not too far back, it was my dad’s birthday, my mom made him a cake and it was yummy. Also, my dad helps us exercise. Most memorable times Making tik-tok videos Praying with family Movie time Playing basketball Exercising and staying fit Playing with my dog ********************************************** Solomon (11) and Peter (6 going on 7) Our life in lockdown is diverse. Sometimes fun, sometimes busy, and sometimes boring. Here is our typical day: 8am: Jump into the shower 8:15: Dress up and lay the bed (This is new, now part of daily chores. Tired already.) 8:30: Breakfast with the family (Porridge again! I thought it was going to be different. Sorry it’s #GumaMurugo not the weekend!) 9am: Family prayer (this also new) then home-schooling starts with teacher aka mummy (did not know that she can shout like this). Daddy also gets busy with his very loud phone calls (difficult to concentrate). The fun begins. Frequent breaks, about five in total; basketball, IPAD tasks (no actually it’s games), soccer, and more. 1pm: Lunch (vegetables have to feature we know that). After lunch: No more studies for the day (yeeey) but guess what, there is something called naptime! Who does that in this day and age? 4pm: Wakeup on the dot (natural alarm is very effective) play station here we come! 5pm: Family exercise routine (walking in the compound and cycling all in one spot, or so it seems. Daddy is out of breath, mummy’s hand is supporting her back. Peter and Solomon are bored. After a few hoops, back indoors for the evening routine (washing dishes, telling old family stories by dad, and then checking out some tik-toks. 9pm: Off to bed (wondering when this routine will end so we can go back to my previous life). We love it anyway. **************************************** Abigail, 10 Once upon a time on a lovely day, it was my uncle’s birthday and my aunt had baked a delicious cake. We sang for him at night and watched many movies. We then went to bed; me, my brother and cousin slept in the same room, we told stories about our schools till we fell asleep. The next morning, we woke up, exercised, showered and had breakfast, then we started home-schooling. We studied, and after, played basketball. My cousin’s dog called ‘Bear’ was let loose. At first, I was scared of it because I didn’t know it was friendly, but not anymore. ***************************************** Irene, 8 When the country is on lockdown, people stock up on food. During lockdown, I always wonder when schools will re-open. Things I like about lockdown is that we get to eat with our families all the time. We are more focused on our school work, and we get a chance to spend more quality time with our families. I also got a chance to improve my badminton skills in our yard, and even got to cook. This is how it feels to be under lockdown. ***************************************** Brian, 10 A quarantined life Life in quarantine may not be easy. But good for me and you. Lockdown, isolation and online schooling. Words that rarely came up in my vocabulary Hard to play with friends you have Easy to do things you always can Individual depression on you Global recession on us Doctors, nurses and patients Use the face masks, and not you Quarantine may be tough But good for you and me. ***************************************** Sasha, 11 During lockdown, I have been learning online and it has helped me continue with my studies. I have improved my class marks. We were supposed to be doing some revision papers to prepare for our Cambridge checkpoint, but due to this pandemic, we had to close. I am thankful, although the school is closed, we did not stop learning. Technology has made our learning easier. Instead of going to the gym, I exercise from home and it has connected us more as a family. I now spend a lot of time with my parents and siblings and it has been fun with all the games we play, and having lunch and dinner together. We enjoy being together and I hope we all survive the Coronavirus, I pray that the situation goes back to normal. ***************************************** Jesse, 10 Since we are all at home, I spend most of my time with my siblings; playing. I do various chores such as washing dishes and organising my bedroom daily. Every day, I do one hour of school revision but mostly, I enjoy reading books. I also take part in Discipleship class. My church ‘Christian Life Assembly’ has an ongoing programme for children. I do this at home now because of the pandemic. When it comes to entertainment, I watch my favourite programs on TV, play soccer with my brother and younger sister, and catch up on current affairs. ***************************************** Ryan, 10 I have concentrated more on reading my books and doing my school assignments. It is a bit challenging because everything requires internet all the time, which somehow compels me to ask for internet from my mother, yet she is always busy with her work. Even though my parents connect me to their internet, it is usually slow. This has affected me negatively, as I delay to submit my school assignments. Regardless of it all, I have managed to submit most of my assignments and got feedback from my teachers. Nevertheless, we all have to respect the measures taken by the government of Rwanda to curb the spread of the pandemic and continue washing hands, keeping the one-meter distance, avoiding the unnecessary movements, and calling 114 when we learn we have the symptoms. ***************************************** Faria, 6 My morning routine when I wake up is to shower, brush my teeth, and dress up — keeping clean is my responsibility. I then do my school work. Afterwards, I take breakfast. I am a vlogger; I have a YouTube channel where I post my videos about different topics, especially those aimed at inspiring my fellow children. I am also an athlete; I enjoy playing a variety of sports. ***************************************** Eliana, 4 When I wake up, I greet my parents and my little sister. Say a morning prayer guided by mother. I then go to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and wash my face. Take breakfast, and watch cartoons. My mother gives me the school work, that is sent by my school teachers through our school page. This takes about two hours. I then play with my little sister, take juice or fruits. We take lunch as a family. After lunch, I take a nap of about two hours. When I wake up, I take some snacks and a drink, then after, I play with my sister and do simple exercises like stretching, jumping and running around with my mother. I take dinner at around 6:30 pm. I then sleep at around 8:00 pm. ***************************************** Ian, 10 I have utilized this period to study online in subjects like Maths, Science, and English. My family members and I spare time to do a number of sports every day, to keep fit. I also take part in doing house chores, such as cutting grass in our compound, washing my parents’ cars, do the dishes, make my bed first thing in the morning. My siblings, mother and I bake chapattis in the morning.
