It’s been an interesting time, hasn’t it? It’s been 48 days to be precise, since Friday 20th March, when my daughter’s school shut until further notice! With a 9 and 6 year old, I knew this was bound to be fun.
It sounded good; no school run, we would get the books and do some learning, I could even make a timetable! We would be ready, no problem. I filled the fridge (the most important task of all) and set the ground rules. To make it easier, the teachers provided some bits too. With online learning through Showbie and some paper work, it should be a breeze I thought. The parents on the school WhatsApp group all seemed geared up too, during the first week the chat was filled with loads of posts of their children completing tasks upon tasks. They even provided evidence. everyone was up early to tune into PE with Joe too! And then there was my house.
My House During Lockdown
Ha, where to start? What can I say, I’ve learnt a lot! and I mean a lot! My oldest, Ashli-May, she loves learning and is pretty self efficient. Other than getting her out of bed in the morning and reminding her to brush her teeth before reaching for the iPad, she is pretty good! She loves school and really accepted the challenge. I have to keep her off TikTok and struggled to answer some questions about homophones (it’s been a while, but I don’t even remember covering this in school!) but other than that, it has been a breeze. Praise Google! I now have a spare page open all the time on my laptop for any awkward moments where I don’t know the answer.
So, job done? Not quite…
Now my youngest is the complete opposite. Jaida is up at 7.30am every morning, dressed and ready for the day. We sit at the table to do our work to resemble school life. I get the books and try to explain the day’s task, she tells me she gets it and I’m quickly dismissed. When I return I see she has done her work wrong. She draws pictures and tells me she has made her own maths equation, you have to laugh!
I have learnt that it’s best to try allocate time between my two girls. Breaking up the learning day into small bits has been effective. I’ve taken to using a timer and incorporating some snacks. The timer helps let her know she can access her snacks soon, an end in sight for both of us. For adding and subtracting, we even use lollipops and fruittella to keep her attention. For English, we use an easel and made her teacher! Thankfully, we have a garden and when the weather is nice we work outside too. Plus, they can burn some of that restless energy on the trampoline!
I think it’s fair to say I haven’t posted much on the school WhatsApp Group. I don’t know how teachers do it. Come Thursday, I’m clapping for them too!
Tips & Tricks
- Try incorporating everyday items to help keep your children’s concentration i.e. sweets, fruit
- Use timers for both children, make sure there’s space for recreational time!
- 10 Minutes a Day book series by Carol Vorderman are a great help when it comes to maths and they come with a timer!
- Showbie – a free educational app for teachers and students to use. Teachers can provide assignments through it https://www.showbie.com
- Twinkl – online resources for inspirational lesson plans, interactive activities, PowerPoints and more! https://www.twinkl.co.uk
- 10 Minutes a Day book series by Carol Vorderman are a great help when it comes to maths and they come with a timer!
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