How is isolation going for you? We are doing well and seem to have fallen into a pattern that is working for us. I am focussing on academic work with Erin in the mornings, leaving the afternoons free for more creative activities and technology, including playing Cue Cards. The sun also hits our garden in the afternoon which means that we can then make the most of the outdoors too.
I have been using a range of resources for learning and can throughly recommend Collins books, CPG workbooks and Twinkl for great content that replicates much of what Erin does at school.
Erin is doing some 11+ preparation and it is good to have that time to focus on this too. As I am a qualified teacher I have really enjoyed teaching Erin, it helps that she is a keen and quick learner. Just this week we have mastered working out volumes of cuboids. It was a challenge for me to remember how to do long multiplication but we got there!
One thing I have relaxed on is how much time Erin is spending online both playing games and chatting to friends. A few of Erin’s favourite online activities include doing Tik Toks with her sister, chatting to her school and dance friends and playing games.
Many of the games do have some educational benefit and can be a stealth way of sneaking in a little bit more learning. Even Tik Tok is useful in these times as Erin and Chloe make up dances and silly challenges which keeps them moving and also entertained.
Cue Cards
One of the games that Erin has been playing is Cue Cards. CUE successfully combines learning with fun, and brings family members and friends together when they trade with each other and play head-to-head games.
CUE covers topics from Climate Consequences to Paleontology, via Ancient Greece, Mathematics, Wonders of Construction and so much more.
Plus it’s also rather silly, which is something worth treasuring right now.
Cards, the Universe and Everything (CUE) is a card-collecting and battling game that features a bit of everything from across our universe! You can trade cards with others and also battle others using your power to build your deck of cards.
Cue Cards is a free app available on android and iOS. There are a number of in app purchases as you would expect.
Watch this short explanation of the game
We have been playing Cue Cards over the past week and it does get competitive! It is rather like a virtul game of top trumps and you find out interesting facts that will certainly help if your family are also doing zoom quizes and such with family and friends in this new world in which we are living. The cards are visually appealing and the facts are interesting and varied.
We like that it covers history, animals and science, topics that are engaging and educational for children. You will learn things like:
- Grizzly bears can stand up to 8 feet tall and weigh over 800 pounds.
- Asteroids can be made from rock or metal.
- Most deaths from Scorpion Fish stings are due to allergies from the venom that triggers anaphylactic shock.
The Cue Cards also offer me a chance to get on with some work because it keeps Erin entertained allowing me half an hour to catch up on some work. At this time we need to have a range of activities on hand, there is nothing wrong with using technology and watching films to add to entertaining the kids. We haven’t chosen home education, it has been thrust on us and we need to do what we need to do to get through this time.
We even have a special deal for you all. Download CUE at www.cuecards.com and redeem code ESCAPISM in the settings for a bundle of free cards, coins and gems. Then get playing and let me know how you get on.
