One of the hardest things I have found when trying to home school my ten year old is where to pitch the work. For the first few days I wasn’t really sure of her ability, I know she is bright and I know that she generally works at a greater depth level in the classroom but it was still really hard to get the right level of challenge.
I have noticed that lots of companies have pulled together resources and teaching ideas and whilst they are greatly received it can be hard to know what is suitable. The internet seems awash with activities but I am not necessarily sure of their learning intentions or appropriateness. I want the work I do with Erin to be more than a time filler, I want it to have a purpose.
Take baking for example – we all know that most kids love making cakes and helping with dinner and we may have smiled and said well that is maths done. But in reality weighing out some butter and flour is not rocket science for your average 10-year-old! It’s a nice activity to do and we are certainly enjoying the fruits of her labour but it is not educational enough to satisfy me if I am honest!
I want to find the balance between challenge and impossible as I want Erin to keep making progress during this period of lockdown. I also need to find things to occupy her and work that lasts longer than five minutes! Twinkl is great for age related resources as is the TES website which has free resources written by teachers.
Another brand that I have found really useful is Quarto books who have developed 12 themed booklists designed to help children and parents cope with the fresh challenge of learning at home. These booklists are divided into themes including Learn at Home, Kids Wellbeing and Activity Books.
By sorting the books into lists it has made it easy for me to find books that match our learning at home. The books have ages listed too which indicates whether it will be suitably pitched for your child.
I have had a good look at the lists and I am impressed with the ranges and they have given me ideas for future home learning. I had a look at Love Your Body whuch is aimed at girls 9+. I am very aware that we often see a very narrow image of beauty and of women’s bodies in the media therefore I was keen to explore this book with Erin.
The second book – which I think we all need right now is 100 screen-free home activities for ages 8+. This one is full of quick and not so quick activities to do at home. We are all relying on tech a bit more at the minute but this offers some alternatives that kids will hopefully enjoy, There were also ideas that I plan to have a go at too! Some of them will be quite competitive between family memebers I think!
Finally, I chose ‘We are all born free’ which explores the concept of human rights. Regulars will know Erin is a bit of a feminist and both Chloe and me study and breathe sociology! Therefore I knew this would interest Erin and I want to explore human rights with her over the next few weeks. Published in association with Amnesty International to mark the 60th anniversary of the declaration, the collection leads readers through each of its 30 articles, the full resonance of which is beautifully realised by the accompanying illustrations. Children and adults will recognise the work of their favourite artists and discover new ones as they gain valuable and long-lasting insight into the rights that ‘belong to everyone, whatever our differences.’
Giveaway
I am thrilled that Quarto Books are also offering readers a set of books I received. By entering my competition you can win the three books which will be sent to you. This is UK only and the closing date is 24/04/2020
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142 Responses
Lots of baking!
Painting has been an enjoyable activity and has initiated a creative psark.
We have been bee watching. I never knew there were so many different types.
Arts and crafts
Playing games
We are currently growing our own butterflies it’s so cool ?
Gardening, they have their own mini bed for planting
baking bread, too scrummy though
Ball games..football, throw the ball in the bin.
Playing games and making new ones up!
We like others have been enjoying baking and crafting
Going to long walks with the pram.
Birdwatching, we saw wrens and blue tits today as well as wood pigeons, magpies and crows. We are also photographing buds opening on horse chestnut trees and wisteria vines day-by-day and then comparing the progress each afternoon, the wisteria panicles seem to be lengthening by the hour.
Arts and crafts. Great fun for everyone, relaxing and it allows them to be creative.
We played lots of board games and card games – usually we only have time for these on terrible winter weekends, but we really enjoyed them 🙂
we’ve been enjoying cooking – not just baking but making different meals, prepping the veggies and things.
Lots of baking
I’ve enjoyed baking cakes and doing jigsaw puzzles with my two kids.
We have enjoyed doing loads of badges for Rainbows and Brownies, we’ve baked, painted, drawn, danced and been on bike rides around the local park.
Tidied up the games cupboard, and my aunt who is a nurse took them to the children’s ward, as the charity shops are shut. The kids enjoyed it
We have enjoyed doing lots of baking and have made Easter buns, cookies and quiche and planning lots more x
Planting seeds!
we’ve been doing lots of cooking and playing games in the garden.
We have enjoyed painting and colouring in
I have enjoyed baking with my kids I have always baked with mine but we have been a lot more adventurous like make our own Easter eggs
We have been upcycling finding old chunk and Turing in into something useful like an old chest, which we decoupaged and painted now its in the girls room. I was able to teach them about reusing and the environment
. I have also loved gardening and bird watching with them teaching them about nature and respecting it.
We’ve enjoyed making some Easter cornflake cakes, and enjoyed eating them even more!!!
Making crafts with my 2 boys
lots of baking
I NEED this in these desperate times!!
Rock Painting xx
I have been playing in make-believe tents in the garden with children
We have enjoyed playing lots of board games together.
We have been loving baking.
the GARDENING
We are loving arts and crafts and baking
cooking and gardening
We’ve been enjoying Easter crafting recently, anything messy and fun is always a huge hit!
Making an insect hotel
We have been playing in the garden, watching films and playing games
We love the nature play books there are some fab ideas for great learning all year round. Thank you for this list, Some great books i hadn’t seen before.
We enjoy baking – particularly chocolate brownies!
Running! Something all 5 of us have enjoyed doing as a family but now it has really taken off and all this exercise is so good for the wellbeing xx
Lots of reading together, catching up on some family favourite stories
Board games and cooking
We’ve been doing loads of baking – so good but bad for my diet!
Like reading The Ghost Pirate, Jack and the Beanstalk and Goldilocks
the most succesful for my kids was the three cardboard boxes i fashioned into a fort
playing on the trampoline
We have enjoyed lots of crafting and baking.
We did Harry Potter week where we did various activities including building a quidditch pitch
We have made a teddy hotel out of boxes
Making rainbow pictures for the windows
We’ve loved completing some of her badges for rainbows, thi# week we’ve been taking care of pets and tap dancing.
We have been making rainbow plates, using skittles and boiling water. My girls loved it.
We’ve enjoyed using salt dough to make lots of different models
We have all got into gardening in lockdown
We love baking cakes
We have enjoyed doing a bit of gardening.
DOING SOME GARDENING
Playing in the garden x
Worm searching in the garden thats been fun.
We’ve really been enjoying lots of cooking and baking. Great fun trying out new recipes and teaching my boys how to cook.
We enjoy gardening together
watching films together x
Let me know an activity that you have enjoyed doing at home with your kids on lockdown.
art . . . we have made posters / cards / even tried pottery
We have been doing so much craft and I’ve been enjoying it rather a lot too!
I have been trampolining with my children in the back garden
We have been Enjoying lie ins and gardening
Hello, we enjoy drawing.
We have had a sandcastle building contest in the sandpit
I enjoyed reading a bedtime story to my grandchildren
reading
Teaching my son to play chess
We have been enjoying a free online drawing class on weekdays from a lovely children’s illustrator, it has been so relaxing and fun. Other than that lots of reading , baking and games.
Painting, baking, games, cooking!
We have done a lot of baking and we are going to make our first egg free cake as there still few eggs in our local shop
We’re making photo frames to put pics of the cats and family in with shells and rocks we’ve collected from the beach on our daily walks, we’re also using household items like glass beads and other bits and pieces – they’re looking rather fine, I must say xx
We have enjoyed spotting animals in the garden. Bees, bugs, birds – all sorts!
We have a very active 4 year old so lots of garden activities like chalking letters and numbers on the paving stones and joining them up
The kids have been loving lots of baking with me and woodworking with their dad.
We have been doing lots of baking and playing in the garden!
Been doing lots of baking
Planting sunflowers, snapdragons, tomatoes and lettuces. Putting up a bird box. Playing backgammon.
Arts, crafts, board games.
I’ve enjoyed gardening and times tables
Chalking an obstacle course on the paths outside and planting some seeds.
Drawing and reading
Hi Emma! Thank you for sharing this with us! Do you think needle felting also a good idea during lockdown for the kids to know? Thanks a lot!
I have loved doing the gardening with the kids and teaching them how to grow things.
Den building – crafting – gardening – painting – anything ww can do thats fun – variety is the spice of life
We’ve been baking when I’ve been able to find flour. I’ve had to find as much learning games as I can. My daughter has really struggled with the maths sent home from her teacher.
drawing and inventing robots x
Lots of arts and crafts!
Rock painting
We have been baking, painting and chalking thank you NHS messages on the drive!
Lots of baking and arts abnnd crafts
We have been baking, growing vegetables, sorting out junk and bulding a wooden gazebo so far.
Planting cress, peas and beans in the garden and baking.
My granddaughter has enjoyed planting containers of herbs and doing a scavenger hunt in the garden.
yes please lovely giveaway xx
I have enjoyed baking with my girls
Baking cakes, art and science combined
Lots of baking
Gardening and bug finding/bug home building
Lots of baking and playing with sand here!
I’ve enjoyed them getting interested in certain topics and wanting to find out more, this term my daughter has Victorian’s and my son has Stone Age. I’m learning along with them!
We have enjoyed baking and doing science experiments.
My grandchildren have been helping their dad build a treehouse
Reading books
We have been learning how to grow flowers from seeds, as we arent able to buy bedding plants, its been great !
Baking lots of cakes
painting rocks for people to find with positive messaged, our whole city is taking part
lots of arts and crafts
We’ve been doing some old-fashioned baking. Variable results, but always fun!
We have done some PE in the garden
It has to be doing History with them.
We have loved colouring in and bking
We’ve enjoyed lots of baking and also tidying up in
the garden x
We made an erupting volcano! It went everywhere ha ha
We have been enjoying planting some vegetables and flowers and seeing how they are starting to grow.
Playing board games
We really enjoyed making bread last week, my 6 year old helped with all steps and then made himself a Bakery sign and menu for his new shop!
Lots of delicious baking
gardening
We’ve enjoyed science experiments at home.
I have been enjoying reading with the kids. My 8 year old son had lost his interest In books but has read 3 novels to me since being in Lockdown. I look forward to curling up on the sofa before bed and finding out what happens next in the story.
We made an assault course in the garden complete with a net (blanket) to crawl under
We purchased a soup maker and my kids have loved experimenting with lots of different vegetables and seasonings.
We have been having fun junk modelling different things!
Lots of arts and crafts and baking
Waste paper bin basketball
Me & my two little boys have loved doing arts and crafts
Most of the time, I’ve enjoyed being involved with the home schooling, and we’ve been baking xx
we enjoy gardening
Baking and craft work
Teaching them to play musical instruments.
baking and exploring nature in our garden
We’ve been enjoying lots of baking and crafts – house is a mess and I may not fit back into my works clothes but it’s been fun!!
we have been exercising a lot together
Playing in the pool and killer darts with the kids
Baking and getting the children to help with cooking. Usually after school I rush about to get dinner on whilst they’re doing homework but now they can help and it’s fun and educational!
I’ve been baking loads with my kiddies. Both sweet and savoury.