An interesting article on time spent learning in school :
https://monkeymum29.wordpress.com/2015/09/13/time-is-precious/
The conclusion is, that for HE to have a learning time equal to that in mainstream school, it will take 100 minutes every day of term. If you work on a 365 basis it's 51 minutes per day.
Thursday, 17 September 2015
Wednesday, 16 September 2015
The Trouble With Coasting
We are gradually realising that W doesn't get challenged enough.
He expects to pick things up without listening to instruction and when he doesn't get a concept in the first 5 seconds he is prone to melting down, going to dramatic lengths to brand the whole exercise completely impossible and stupid.
When he was much smaller and trying to get a t-shirt on, he struggled, descended into floods of tears and declared that now he'd have to eat his arm. It's become a family catch phrase for anything tricky.
"I can't get this jam lid off."
"You'll have to eat your arm."
Once he's actually overcome the difficulties and mastered a task he instantly transforms back into his usual, rational self. And he'll never ask for help with it again. Because it's easy now. Obviously.
I'm planning challenging situations and tough work. It's going to be a tricky couple of weeks. But who will eat their arm first?
He expects to pick things up without listening to instruction and when he doesn't get a concept in the first 5 seconds he is prone to melting down, going to dramatic lengths to brand the whole exercise completely impossible and stupid.
When he was much smaller and trying to get a t-shirt on, he struggled, descended into floods of tears and declared that now he'd have to eat his arm. It's become a family catch phrase for anything tricky.
"I can't get this jam lid off."
"You'll have to eat your arm."
Once he's actually overcome the difficulties and mastered a task he instantly transforms back into his usual, rational self. And he'll never ask for help with it again. Because it's easy now. Obviously.
I'm planning challenging situations and tough work. It's going to be a tricky couple of weeks. But who will eat their arm first?
Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Social Animal
Since we went HE K has progressed leaps and bounds in terms of his willingness to interact with people he meets along the way. Only a few months ago, there was no natural interaction with unknown children or adults when we went on outings. He always needed encouragement.
It's a whole different world now. I see blossoming.
At swimming, K made friends with a slightly older girl and played catch for ages. At Crocodile World he was chuffed to bits when a boy he has seen at free running called him the Parkour Master, and he played with a big group of mixed age boys at the playground.
Another swimming outing and K politely explained to a dad that his child has pinched his swimming toy. At Jump In, two of the jump crew lads started a game of dodgeball with K&W, just for kicks - they had a ball (literally). At Explore Learning I was telling one of the tutors about the joys of Jump In and K asked if he could tell the story. At parkour he asked the instructor whether he would spot his backflip after the lesson and got the answer 'yes', it made his day.
He'll talk to adults and children and expect to be heard. He knows he can handle himself and explain himself (in his careful, quiet way!) in any situation. It might not be a big deal for lots of children but for K it's epic and I couldn't be prouder.
It's a whole different world now. I see blossoming.
At swimming, K made friends with a slightly older girl and played catch for ages. At Crocodile World he was chuffed to bits when a boy he has seen at free running called him the Parkour Master, and he played with a big group of mixed age boys at the playground.
Another swimming outing and K politely explained to a dad that his child has pinched his swimming toy. At Jump In, two of the jump crew lads started a game of dodgeball with K&W, just for kicks - they had a ball (literally). At Explore Learning I was telling one of the tutors about the joys of Jump In and K asked if he could tell the story. At parkour he asked the instructor whether he would spot his backflip after the lesson and got the answer 'yes', it made his day.
He'll talk to adults and children and expect to be heard. He knows he can handle himself and explain himself (in his careful, quiet way!) in any situation. It might not be a big deal for lots of children but for K it's epic and I couldn't be prouder.
Sunday, 13 September 2015
Sunday Night Forced Fun
We should not have opted for chess. It was late, everyone was tired, we hadn't had dinner.
It became clear that not one of us is competent enough to ensure a fun family game in a reasonable time frame.
I printed out a Dummies Guide for each team but we still had to keep googling the more complex rules - eg: when pawns reach the far side of the board what can they be promoted to? I've never heard of the En Passant rule either; I'm convinced W & I would have been triumphant if we'd known about it earlier...
Anyway, we gave it our best shot, and ended up with S & K's white queen + king chasing our black king around the board with all other pieces captured. After 20 minutes of W & I gallantly evading capture, one gruelling space at a time, we called it a day. There may be an official name for it (stale mate?) but we'll just call it Boredom 1, Chess 0.
We were young (OK, not that young), we were crazy. We were riding high on an amazing week and a fantastic afternoon swimming. We took on too much, too soon - we reached for the stars and got stuck about half way up a ladder.
Speaking of which, we'll be back to snakes and ladders next Sunday.
It became clear that not one of us is competent enough to ensure a fun family game in a reasonable time frame.
I printed out a Dummies Guide for each team but we still had to keep googling the more complex rules - eg: when pawns reach the far side of the board what can they be promoted to? I've never heard of the En Passant rule either; I'm convinced W & I would have been triumphant if we'd known about it earlier...
Anyway, we gave it our best shot, and ended up with S & K's white queen + king chasing our black king around the board with all other pieces captured. After 20 minutes of W & I gallantly evading capture, one gruelling space at a time, we called it a day. There may be an official name for it (stale mate?) but we'll just call it Boredom 1, Chess 0.
We were young (OK, not that young), we were crazy. We were riding high on an amazing week and a fantastic afternoon swimming. We took on too much, too soon - we reached for the stars and got stuck about half way up a ladder.
Speaking of which, we'll be back to snakes and ladders next Sunday.
Saturday, 12 September 2015
A Long Road
I'm gradually feeling my way around the HE network. We're a diverse bunch.
The only thing that HE families have in common is that they home ed some or all of their children. Religion, philosophy, beliefs, teaching (or deschooling) style, parenting - vary across the whole spectrum.
The variety is part of the fun of HE. Whenever you feel weird, are judged or have to defend your decision to a stranger, it's reassuring to know that there are other people being more radical. (But probably handling it better).
I was speaking to a wise mum recently who has been home-edding for many years. Her children are a delight; polite, confident, kind - kids like hers do more to big-up HE than any parent banging on about individual learning and freedom. She confessed it took years to feel comfortable with her family's decision. It's hard enough to trust your own judgement when there's no measure of success. It's even harder not to care what other people think, especially people you respect.
We're lucky that our friends and family are broadly (cautiously) supportive. Perhaps because they've been there every step of the way as we've deconstructed our life from high earning, exhausted corporate cogs to .. well I'm not sure what we are but we're out of the machine and we're still exhausted, just happier. They know we're not afraid to take control, to have less, to change direction or admit when we've taken a wrong turn. To say I'm grateful for the support would be a huge understatement; it's a lifeline.
The biggest anxiety is still the responsibility. Another HE friend explained that the fear for her is having no security blanket - no school, teachers, bullies, classmates to share the blame if things go wrong - if test scores are low, detentions are issued, friendships change.
If you home ed there's nowhere to hide. You only have two options: 1. Take full responsibility for any problems that arise and beat your self up until you can't stand. 2. Remember that things go awry because this is real life.
There is no destination, just a journey.
The only thing that HE families have in common is that they home ed some or all of their children. Religion, philosophy, beliefs, teaching (or deschooling) style, parenting - vary across the whole spectrum.
The variety is part of the fun of HE. Whenever you feel weird, are judged or have to defend your decision to a stranger, it's reassuring to know that there are other people being more radical. (But probably handling it better).
I was speaking to a wise mum recently who has been home-edding for many years. Her children are a delight; polite, confident, kind - kids like hers do more to big-up HE than any parent banging on about individual learning and freedom. She confessed it took years to feel comfortable with her family's decision. It's hard enough to trust your own judgement when there's no measure of success. It's even harder not to care what other people think, especially people you respect.
We're lucky that our friends and family are broadly (cautiously) supportive. Perhaps because they've been there every step of the way as we've deconstructed our life from high earning, exhausted corporate cogs to .. well I'm not sure what we are but we're out of the machine and we're still exhausted, just happier. They know we're not afraid to take control, to have less, to change direction or admit when we've taken a wrong turn. To say I'm grateful for the support would be a huge understatement; it's a lifeline.
The biggest anxiety is still the responsibility. Another HE friend explained that the fear for her is having no security blanket - no school, teachers, bullies, classmates to share the blame if things go wrong - if test scores are low, detentions are issued, friendships change.
If you home ed there's nowhere to hide. You only have two options: 1. Take full responsibility for any problems that arise and beat your self up until you can't stand. 2. Remember that things go awry because this is real life.
There is no destination, just a journey.
So let's make jelly sculptures.
Weekly Roundup
There's not a lot of Home in our Home Ed at the moment. So many outings and classes I'm clocking up miles on the car. It feels like a typical HE week - the plan lies in tatters but we headed off on some interesting tangents.
It started tough - the back to school facebook photo frenzy causing ripples of self-doubt, a major not-back-to-school wobble wondering if I'd planned enough and whether I had all my resources in place.
Worries unfounded; it's been a productive, eye-opening week. Here's how it looked.
Monday
30 mins of maths.
Tuesday
30 mins of maths.
K did prepositions and pronouns while W did apostrophes. Backed up with some Bitesize games.
2 hour specialist parkour class for K while W did Explore Learning.
Sums challenge (quick fire multiplication and division to colour the blocks to reveal a Minecraft picture)
Wednesday
30 mins of maths.
Thursday
Outward bound day (1 of 2) - archery, climbing, canoeing.
Major wins: meeting some fabulous HE families with kids the same age, I learnt a lot from them. W having a serious wobble about climbing but with a little encouragement from the instructor he pulled it together and kept going. K making a new friend in the first 2 minutes of arriving. Awesome.
After canoeing the instructors let the boys jump into the lake from the jetty. Next week is caving, sailing and bushcraft - we can't wait.
Friday
Making a movie with stills and audio in Movie Maker.
Sending an email with an attachment to Daddy - basic email etiquette, proof reading.
30 mins of maths.
Writing a postcard to Ralf in Germany (from Post Crossing) - remembering captial letters and full stops.
Handwriting improvement - workbook, getting those js to sit right!
Introduction to chess.
Confidence class with a behaviour consultant.
K headed to free running to practice back flips while W had some Daddy time.
Rounded out the week snuggled on the sofa for a family movie.
It started tough - the back to school facebook photo frenzy causing ripples of self-doubt, a major not-back-to-school wobble wondering if I'd planned enough and whether I had all my resources in place.
Worries unfounded; it's been a productive, eye-opening week. Here's how it looked.
Monday
30 mins of maths.
K then focussed on averages and did some online games while W did 'ou' spellings from his literacy book.
Learnt about cloud types and names with some great Twinkl resources and MET office printouts.
Walked the dog - climbed trees, threw sticks and cloud spotted.
Tuesday
30 mins of maths.
K did prepositions and pronouns while W did apostrophes. Backed up with some Bitesize games.
2 hour specialist parkour class for K while W did Explore Learning.
Sums challenge (quick fire multiplication and division to colour the blocks to reveal a Minecraft picture)
Wednesday
30 mins of maths.
Outing to Crocodile World. We did a school class on habitats; the lovely expert also let the kids hold a python and stroke a baby alligator. Absorbed loads of info on crocodiles, alligators and caiman and met a massive tortoise.
Thursday
Outward bound day (1 of 2) - archery, climbing, canoeing.
Major wins: meeting some fabulous HE families with kids the same age, I learnt a lot from them. W having a serious wobble about climbing but with a little encouragement from the instructor he pulled it together and kept going. K making a new friend in the first 2 minutes of arriving. Awesome.
After canoeing the instructors let the boys jump into the lake from the jetty. Next week is caving, sailing and bushcraft - we can't wait.
Friday
Making a movie with stills and audio in Movie Maker.
Sending an email with an attachment to Daddy - basic email etiquette, proof reading.
30 mins of maths.
Writing a postcard to Ralf in Germany (from Post Crossing) - remembering captial letters and full stops.
Handwriting improvement - workbook, getting those js to sit right!
Introduction to chess.
Confidence class with a behaviour consultant.
K headed to free running to practice back flips while W had some Daddy time.
Rounded out the week snuggled on the sofa for a family movie.
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
Reluctant Reader
W is my reluctant reader. It's not that he can't but if something doesn't have a definite purpose he'll skip it, thanks all the same.
It's an ongoing challenge to find opportunities for him to experience reading for pleasure. Sometimes it happens spontaneously and I am delighted - like when he discovered a Simpson's comic in a waiting room. He didn't want to leave!
Here are more ideas for reluctant readers :
1. Making a snuggly reading space with cushions, blankets and toys who love to hear stories.
2. Treasure hunts - reading a clue to get to a prize is very motivating!
3. Your page / my page - W would get disheartened by how long a story would take so we do a page each.
4. Reading together (literally). The sound of my voice helps model expression, encourages W to use a louder voice and gives a starting sound to any tricky words.
5. Sign up to the summer reading challenge at the library.
6. Non-fiction is your friend - fact books or strategy books on topics that W finds interesting are a winner.
7. Embrace younger books. W has a board book that he bought with his pocket money in reception and he loves to read it, even though it has about 20 words. As a reading experience it's pure joy and reading easy material has a profound effect on confidence.
8. Screen reading is fine. Games, instructions, articles, news - it is still reading. It doesn't replace the quiet joy of a book in the sunshine but it does count.
9. Write your own. Staple paper together, get the kids to do the illustrations and write or type the story they dictate - it could be something that actually happened or imaginary. It's so cool to read a story about yourself. Be crafty and include vocab from their spelling lists.
10. Remember it's the skills not the literary prowess. Whatever W is reading he'll still get the key skills of absorbing, analysis and understanding. I read novels and biographies. S reads guides and articles. We're both prolific readers but we enjoy different things.
Monday, 7 September 2015
Free Will. Or - I Want the Rainbow Glasses
When the boys were tiny I started giving them choices. Red t-shirt or yellow? Mister Maker or Thomas? Peas or broccoli? One biscuit or two? Slide or swing?
It's pseudo-choice because the available choices were set by the grown ups; it can't be a free for all, they're only (mini)humans after all...
It's pseudo-choice because the available choices were set by the grown ups; it can't be a free for all, they're only (mini)humans after all...
Choosing is a vital life skill. Having choice is to have power over a decision. Power over a decision leads to feelings of being in control. Feelings of control lead to feelings of being empowered. Being empowered leads to good self-esteem and a strong sense of individual identity. Happy days.
Let's hop to last week. We're in the opticians. It's new glasses time and I've always (smugly) taken the approach of letting the boys have free choice on the frames because, well, they have to wear them and I mean how bad can any pair of glasses be?
K struggles a little with confidence. Internally, he's a pretty tough cookie but in the big wide world of new situations he presents as uncertain. He cares what people think but he's no sheep; he won't be persuaded to do anything he's not happy about.... and he knows what he likes.
What he likes is bright. He's the boy equivalent of a magpie. If it's shiny, big, colourful or brash he loves it.
I don't spot them in time to sneakily remove them from the display and hide them. K's eyes light up. "Those ones" he points.
Quandary.
They are multi-coloured glasses. They are truly horrible.
He tries them on. They are still truly horrible. He loves them.
I get him to try on 10 other pairs. He still loves the rainbow specs.
I frantically signal to the optician to help me out because I'm the one paying. She is a super-star (or super villain depending on your position) and tells K that unfortunately they're just not the right fit for him.
I frantically signal to the optician to help me out because I'm the one paying. She is a super-star (or super villain depending on your position) and tells K that unfortunately they're just not the right fit for him.
We compromise on K's second choice, a sky blue pair. They're still from the Elton John range but more of an everyday pair than a Saturday night pair.
So I offered pseudo choice. I'm not proud of it, but on this occasion Mama Bear won over Democracy.
P.S. W chose a leopard print pair. I suppose eyesight and fashion sense are both genetic.
P.S. W chose a leopard print pair. I suppose eyesight and fashion sense are both genetic.
For some interesting links to studies on how choice in education impacts students, see : http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/choices-children/
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Feeling Lucky
It's only 10.30am and already it's been an emotional day.
I saw children on their way to our old school this morning and found it incredibly hard. Are we doing the right thing? Are the boys missing out? Is this really happening? It was easy to finish off last year HE. It's much harder to start a new year HE and I wasn't expecting that. I miss seeing other mums and catching up on summer holiday adventures over coffee.
I asked the boys how they felt. "Fine, Mummy" was the reply with a pair of shrugs - they tell me they are not bothered about going into a new class or meeting a new teacher. They're just excited to be in a new year and W desperately wants to know if he's now tall enough to go without a car seat ("Keep eating your vegetables darling..")
On the way to their art lesson K said he feels his luck has changed. "How so?" I ask. In his typical chatty fashion he gives me a long winded reply but the gist is this : He always felt unlucky - like he'd never be picked or never get the things he wanted. Lately though he feels lucky; he said he hopes for the best and quite often it happens.
I could cry for fear and indecision; holding the weight of the responsibility for the two most precious things in my life. I know why we're doing this. I know to trust my instinct. I know I can do it.
But there's no external measure for success. Whether it was the right thing or not will never be proven; you'll never know what might have happened if you'd done things differently.
That's the scary thing. We can only look at where we are now, what we have now, who we are now and base our decisions on that.
I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself. Small wins are still wins.
And today, we feel lucky.
I saw children on their way to our old school this morning and found it incredibly hard. Are we doing the right thing? Are the boys missing out? Is this really happening? It was easy to finish off last year HE. It's much harder to start a new year HE and I wasn't expecting that. I miss seeing other mums and catching up on summer holiday adventures over coffee.
I asked the boys how they felt. "Fine, Mummy" was the reply with a pair of shrugs - they tell me they are not bothered about going into a new class or meeting a new teacher. They're just excited to be in a new year and W desperately wants to know if he's now tall enough to go without a car seat ("Keep eating your vegetables darling..")
On the way to their art lesson K said he feels his luck has changed. "How so?" I ask. In his typical chatty fashion he gives me a long winded reply but the gist is this : He always felt unlucky - like he'd never be picked or never get the things he wanted. Lately though he feels lucky; he said he hopes for the best and quite often it happens.
I could cry for fear and indecision; holding the weight of the responsibility for the two most precious things in my life. I know why we're doing this. I know to trust my instinct. I know I can do it.
But there's no external measure for success. Whether it was the right thing or not will never be proven; you'll never know what might have happened if you'd done things differently.
That's the scary thing. We can only look at where we are now, what we have now, who we are now and base our decisions on that.
I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself. Small wins are still wins.
And today, we feel lucky.
Sunday, 30 August 2015
Fear, Trust and an Epic Fail
W is not keen on the dark, spiders, being upstairs on his own, or how the bathroom looks when the light is off and you walk past it.
A bit of tough love is needed.
W is marooned in the bathroom shouting that he won't make the 15 step walk to his bedroom unless I go to collect him. I'm stood by the door to his bedroom, shouting encouragement with such gems as :
"Take 5 steps and you'll be able to see me!"
"I'm right here darling"
"It's the same as the day only a bit darker!"
"There's nothing to be scared off, you can do it"
There's a scream and the bathroom door slams. My tough love weakens as I hear wracked sobs and I head to investigate.
"There's a huge spider!" he gasps through the tears.
"No, no, don't worry it's just your imagination. There isn't a ........ Oh."
At this point (note: I'm not a fan of spiders either) a massive, genuinely big, 12cm leg-span monster house spider legs it across the dark hallway. I dart for the light and the cat comes to help. I'm frantically trying to locate a cup while the cat helpfully bats the spider in my direction. I find myself in the bathroom, grabbing a beaker when the cat literally shoves the spider towards where W and I are standing.
W leaps on the bath side with a full-on scream of sheer panic. I pointlessly say "It's fine love, don't worry" as if he might believe me. I flap ineffectually at the spider with a book until the spider eventually realises that the cat is marginally less scary (annoying?) than the insane woman with a book and a cup and screaming child... and he heads back out to the hall.
Cup over spider, out of the window, job done. W took 10 minutes to calm down, all the while sobbing "I told you it was scary, there was a huge spider".
We may have trust issues, going forward.
A bit of tough love is needed.
W is marooned in the bathroom shouting that he won't make the 15 step walk to his bedroom unless I go to collect him. I'm stood by the door to his bedroom, shouting encouragement with such gems as :
"Take 5 steps and you'll be able to see me!"
"I'm right here darling"
"It's the same as the day only a bit darker!"
"There's nothing to be scared off, you can do it"
There's a scream and the bathroom door slams. My tough love weakens as I hear wracked sobs and I head to investigate.
"There's a huge spider!" he gasps through the tears.
"No, no, don't worry it's just your imagination. There isn't a ........ Oh."
At this point (note: I'm not a fan of spiders either) a massive, genuinely big, 12cm leg-span monster house spider legs it across the dark hallway. I dart for the light and the cat comes to help. I'm frantically trying to locate a cup while the cat helpfully bats the spider in my direction. I find myself in the bathroom, grabbing a beaker when the cat literally shoves the spider towards where W and I are standing.
W leaps on the bath side with a full-on scream of sheer panic. I pointlessly say "It's fine love, don't worry" as if he might believe me. I flap ineffectually at the spider with a book until the spider eventually realises that the cat is marginally less scary (annoying?) than the insane woman with a book and a cup and screaming child... and he heads back out to the hall.
Cup over spider, out of the window, job done. W took 10 minutes to calm down, all the while sobbing "I told you it was scary, there was a huge spider".
We may have trust issues, going forward.
Tuesday, 18 August 2015
Friends, the Best Medicine
When you've got a boy missing his best friend, 2 clear days and a YHA card that needs using it's a no brainer.
We hopped in the car and headed to the amazing New Forest YHA for a quick south coast visit to our fabulous friends who moved away a year and half ago. Their son is a carbon copy of K and as well as it being a joy for the kids to spend time together, there's also a big dose of comfort in comparing notes and finding that our families go through things in perfect sync. You do so much more comparing with your eldest - with W, however old he is, I've already had a boy of his age so I'm just that tiny bit more clued up than I am with K!
I digress - I wanted to gush about the YHA. Amazing properties, polite and friendly young people and cheap. What more could you want? We camped in a palatial pre-pitched tent which was supplied with beds and bedding and of course access to a kitchen and proper showers. Possibly the laziest camping experience of my life. It was bliss. The boys couldn't believe there was a lounge with a TV they could use in the hostel (don't judge me too harshly, it was 6am and preferable to them bickering in the tent!)
It was a fabulous 2 days with friends. We relaxed, we went on walks, spotted fish, played in the park and went crabbing. I wish I wasn't so clumsy as I would have loved to get some crabbing photos but I'm not to be trusted with a phone anywhere near water. Even toilets.
We're back and the boys are wiped out - in a good way. It'll take us a few days to catch up on sleep but it was well worth it. Friends are good for the soul.
We hopped in the car and headed to the amazing New Forest YHA for a quick south coast visit to our fabulous friends who moved away a year and half ago. Their son is a carbon copy of K and as well as it being a joy for the kids to spend time together, there's also a big dose of comfort in comparing notes and finding that our families go through things in perfect sync. You do so much more comparing with your eldest - with W, however old he is, I've already had a boy of his age so I'm just that tiny bit more clued up than I am with K!
I digress - I wanted to gush about the YHA. Amazing properties, polite and friendly young people and cheap. What more could you want? We camped in a palatial pre-pitched tent which was supplied with beds and bedding and of course access to a kitchen and proper showers. Possibly the laziest camping experience of my life. It was bliss. The boys couldn't believe there was a lounge with a TV they could use in the hostel (don't judge me too harshly, it was 6am and preferable to them bickering in the tent!)
It was a fabulous 2 days with friends. We relaxed, we went on walks, spotted fish, played in the park and went crabbing. I wish I wasn't so clumsy as I would have loved to get some crabbing photos but I'm not to be trusted with a phone anywhere near water. Even toilets.
We're back and the boys are wiped out - in a good way. It'll take us a few days to catch up on sleep but it was well worth it. Friends are good for the soul.
Saturday, 15 August 2015
Still Waters
With the summer hols upon us we moved from structured to semi-structured HE, a state which held for the best part of 5 days before we went all de-school-y and threw the timetable (literally) out of the window. (It fell of the fridge and blew out onto the patio).
Any nods to the ed of home ed then? There have been a few, albeit rather half-hearted. They're the sort of nods of acknowledgement you'd give a friend's son's friend's mum when you wheel past each other in the fruit aisle at Sainsbury's. We've plugged on with maths (almost) daily and our weekly literacy and Art/DT have remained mostly in tact.
Interesting developments though. W is doing fine but doesn't thrive on the lack of structure and is looking forward to a proper timetable in September.
K, on the other hand, has had a bit of a meltdown.
I've seen a lot of discussions on the forums about how essential many families find a de-schooling period when they leave mainstream schooling. For some it's a permanent state and defines their home education. The LA use the term as well; in the HE community I'm taking it to mean a complete departure from organised education and a focus on the child following their own interests at their own pace. So you could say that this summer holidays, we've de-schooled.
Picture a typical summer's day: playing in the garden, a bit of baking, writing a letter, making lego. Pick a minuscule, irrelevant trigger - anything will do: 'no' to the TV being on / W touched K's swing / assigning chores. Cue a highly-out-of-proportion tantrum from a 9 year old.
K goes off to his room to calm down and I head up after a cooling off period to see if we can get to the bottom of the episode. I just sat and listened and a lot of stuff came out. A volcano of hurt and upset:
Missing his friends desperately (the ones who have moved away). Being pushed out of the huddle at PE. Always being the one to step aside. Never being captain. Not fitting in. Being invisible. Having his hand up and not being picked.
I've been judgmental about a more relaxed approach to HE thinking we didn't need a de-schooling period. Longer term, our family will still need structure. But I'm feeling humble about the benefits of taking the pressure off completely.
My little boy needs a break.
Any nods to the ed of home ed then? There have been a few, albeit rather half-hearted. They're the sort of nods of acknowledgement you'd give a friend's son's friend's mum when you wheel past each other in the fruit aisle at Sainsbury's. We've plugged on with maths (almost) daily and our weekly literacy and Art/DT have remained mostly in tact.
Interesting developments though. W is doing fine but doesn't thrive on the lack of structure and is looking forward to a proper timetable in September.
K, on the other hand, has had a bit of a meltdown.
I've seen a lot of discussions on the forums about how essential many families find a de-schooling period when they leave mainstream schooling. For some it's a permanent state and defines their home education. The LA use the term as well; in the HE community I'm taking it to mean a complete departure from organised education and a focus on the child following their own interests at their own pace. So you could say that this summer holidays, we've de-schooled.
Picture a typical summer's day: playing in the garden, a bit of baking, writing a letter, making lego. Pick a minuscule, irrelevant trigger - anything will do: 'no' to the TV being on / W touched K's swing / assigning chores. Cue a highly-out-of-proportion tantrum from a 9 year old.
K goes off to his room to calm down and I head up after a cooling off period to see if we can get to the bottom of the episode. I just sat and listened and a lot of stuff came out. A volcano of hurt and upset:
Missing his friends desperately (the ones who have moved away). Being pushed out of the huddle at PE. Always being the one to step aside. Never being captain. Not fitting in. Being invisible. Having his hand up and not being picked.
I've been judgmental about a more relaxed approach to HE thinking we didn't need a de-schooling period. Longer term, our family will still need structure. But I'm feeling humble about the benefits of taking the pressure off completely.
My little boy needs a break.
Monday, 3 August 2015
Under Seige
A short, hate-filled post on cause and effect.
1. Aphids land on the green gage tree which sits between swings, trampoline and slide.
2. Wasps like to eat aphids.
3. Hundred of wasps swarm on the gage tree.
4. We can't go in the garden.
5. We spend yesterday entertaining ourselves indoors shooting evil looks at the wasps.
6. K can't settle at bedtime as he's been cooped up indoors.
7. 11pm, still up.
8. He's tired, I'm tired.
9. Today is going to be a looooooooong day.
Stupid wasps.
1. Aphids land on the green gage tree which sits between swings, trampoline and slide.
2. Wasps like to eat aphids.
3. Hundred of wasps swarm on the gage tree.
4. We can't go in the garden.
5. We spend yesterday entertaining ourselves indoors shooting evil looks at the wasps.
6. K can't settle at bedtime as he's been cooped up indoors.
7. 11pm, still up.
8. He's tired, I'm tired.
9. Today is going to be a looooooooong day.
Stupid wasps.
Sunday, 2 August 2015
Is it Home Ed?
Now we're getting into our summer stride it's tricky to work out what's home ed, what's holiday fun and what's regular family stuff. (I wish family stuff was the same as holiday fun. I tried to pull a Mary Poppins and convince the kids that dusting was fun. Failed.)
We've gone from structured HE to semi-structured HE for the summer hols and it's liberating and confusing in equal measure : a line has been blurred.
Last week we spent a fabulous day with friends at a National Trust property. Here are two versions of what happened; my perspective is in italics and the boys' version is in courier.
We visited Waddesdon Manor. On the way we discussed divergent thinking and came up with as many ways as possible to use a paperclip to stretch our creative brains.
We made up ways to make weapons out of paper clips.
When we arrived we met up with our friends, caught up on each others' news and went on a shuttle bus.
Said hi, sat at the back of the bus.
When we arrived we looked at Vasconcelas' candlestick installation identifying it as modern art and discussing what it might look like at night. We looked at the symmetry of buildings and talked about Victorian Gothic architecture.
We ran along the grass and saw wine bottles made into a tower and a big yellow house.
We practised map reading and sign reading skills. We read menus, ordered food and the boys had their own table to talk and socialise over lunch.
Ate sandwiches in the cafe. No-one liked the yoghurt.
Afterwards we headed to the woodland play park and explored. There was excellent risk assessment in action during tree climbing, collaboration on the spinner and an abundance of team work when other children spontaneously joined them to design and build a den out of sticks. Sharing sweets, negotiation and great manners - tick. They developed their den to include seats, shelf, a secret hiding place and entry password.
We played at the park, climbed a tree and built a den with some other children. It was fun.
We stopped for an ice-cream which the boys bought independently, working out the costs and change for 4 cones with a flake.
We had ice-cream and got chased by a wasp.
Being solely responsible for the boys' education piles on the pressure to see everything as an opportunity for learning, analysis and extension.
Thirsty? Of course darling, what's the chemical symbol for water?
Biscuit? No problem. If I have 11 in a packet and we eat 2 each how many will be left?
It's a bore. I'm a bore. Some things are just fun, like friends, parks and ice cream.
I shouldn't moan because it sums up the reason HE is working for our family right now. The contextual learning, the confidence building and the socialisation all happens in the course of our normal life and adventures.
As my own confidence builds I'm looking forward to relaxing into our new rhythm and putting my 'What Are We Learning' checklist down.
Thursday, 30 July 2015
Weirdos
We are regularly reminded that our boys will not be developing social skills by being outside of mainstream school.
I could write a book about K&W, assessing how much of their character is nature Vs nurture, why they behave as they do, which traits come from family members, experiences, failings or big high-five parenting moments or decisions, what we'd change - if anything, how they socialised at school. It would take so long that the boys would have left home before I'd finished, rendering the whole exercise pointless.
Background reading:
This is a sensitive subject because social skills aren't easily measured or assessed. There are underlying individual factors - character, genes and disposition. It's easy for people to say: "they won't develop the social skills they need" without defining the skills to which they're referring.
It's frighteningly easy to feel defensive.
To decide whether we're enhancing or diminishing the boys' social skill set there are a few considerations before we begin:
1. What are social skills?
2. How do you measure social skills?
3. Do my boys' social skills need attention?
There are lots of lengthy definitions for social skills but I like the succinct one from Psychology Today :
[Social skills are] the abilities necessary to get along with others and to create and maintain satisfying relationships. Social skills are about being able to flexibly adjust our behavior to fit a particular situation and our personal needs and desires.
A fine starting point, but good luck measuring it.
I accept the challenge and head to point 2 : how do we measure social skills?
A key aspect of HE is the lack of competition and comparison because the focus is on the individual child but to be able to assess anything, even something as fluffy as social skills, you have to have a yardstick.
So who or what are we assessing the boys' social skills against? Is there a model human being out there hailed as the pinnacle of socialisation to whom we must all aspire? Of course not. The biggest underlying factor by a mile is individual personality. We're not all wall flowers. We're not all the life and soul of the party.
Human diversity is layered over a simple common core. Emotions are universal; Darwin identified 6 : surprise, fear, anger, happiness, disgust, sadness. In the context of social skills what's important is how we handle those emotions, whether we can identify them in others and how we respond when they're expressed by the people around us.
Rather than looking at how an individual impacts others, which can only be observed and inferred, it makes more sense to assess social skills by looking at how an individual feels about their own interactions. In short, a person with good social skills will usually feel comfortable and capable in social situations, even if those situations are diverse, difficult or new. A person with weaker social skills may feel anxious, be unsure of how to respond and/or avoid new situations.
It gives a loose framework to assess the children by they way they speak to others, their acts of consideration, their willingness to go to new places and meet new people.
When it comes to point 3, it's getting personal.
The boys were the same people before we took the home schooling decision however their social skills weren't judged directly because we were conforming within a well established system. Any and all personality traits were chalked up to who they are, their disposition.
Now we've left the system it's acceptable to assess the boys for social awkwardness against the backdrop of HE as a cause rather than an effect. Ouch.
I could write a book about K&W, assessing how much of their character is nature Vs nurture, why they behave as they do, which traits come from family members, experiences, failings or big high-five parenting moments or decisions, what we'd change - if anything, how they socialised at school. It would take so long that the boys would have left home before I'd finished, rendering the whole exercise pointless.
Here's the crux : my boys are not the most naturally social creatures. Like their parents they love being at home and love being with family. They prefer to have a few close friends than to be in a big group. In this respect, they are no different now to when they were in mainstream school.
There have been changes though since de-schooling and we, and our closest friends and family, have seen the boys' confidence grow. They don't feel invisible; they are asserting themselves, being more independent and interacting more confidently with children and adults.
So in answer to point 3, yes the boys' social skills need work - just like every single child and adult on the planet. We aren't teaching social skills so that K&W succeed at school. We're teaching social skills so they succeed at life.
So in answer to point 3, yes the boys' social skills need work - just like every single child and adult on the planet. We aren't teaching social skills so that K&W succeed at school. We're teaching social skills so they succeed at life.
PS. Everyone's definition of success is different. Explore your own definition here : https://www.ted.com/playlists/152/what_is_success
I'm not interested in competing with anyone. I hope we all make it. ~ Erica Cook ~
Background reading:
For a fantastic discussion of social skills in schools:
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/socialskills_fs.aspx
The US Stop & Think project
http://projectachieve.info/stop-think/stop-and-think.html
Darwin's 6 emotional states & assessing them across cultures
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/facial-expression-culture-_n_1434175.html
Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Forest Fun
It's been raining non-stop so while the boys bicker I'm drinking tea and dreaming of sunnier times. Like last Thursday.
Out in the woods there's a lovely big hollow which we speculate was a T-rex lair, meteor-impact hole or the result of an aborted attempt to dig to Australia. Whatever its origins, it's now perfect for running/sliding down to the bottom, or scrambling out, or... actually that's about it but remarkably that's good enough for an hour of play.
It's one of those places where the reason we leave is parental boredom. S & I kick our heels at the edge, spotting birds, whittling sticks to pass the time, lamenting our failure to bring a thermos of tea... but after 60 minutes we have an arsenal of spears, sore hands and still no tea so it was time to get moving.
We headed over the edge of the ridge and straight into a magical fern forest. The evidence that it's magical is circumstantial but with an abracadabra there were some disappearing boys and Bailey the dog made an enthusiastic fern monster for the purposes of our game.
We impaled ourselves on some blackberry thorns and noted their position for a foraging return in the autumn. On the way back we had time for a bit of balancing and tree climbing, plus all of the usual stick-throwing for Bailey. A perfect way to spend an afternoon.
Out in the woods there's a lovely big hollow which we speculate was a T-rex lair, meteor-impact hole or the result of an aborted attempt to dig to Australia. Whatever its origins, it's now perfect for running/sliding down to the bottom, or scrambling out, or... actually that's about it but remarkably that's good enough for an hour of play.
We headed over the edge of the ridge and straight into a magical fern forest. The evidence that it's magical is circumstantial but with an abracadabra there were some disappearing boys and Bailey the dog made an enthusiastic fern monster for the purposes of our game.
We impaled ourselves on some blackberry thorns and noted their position for a foraging return in the autumn. On the way back we had time for a bit of balancing and tree climbing, plus all of the usual stick-throwing for Bailey. A perfect way to spend an afternoon.
The boys are still bickering, so it's wellies on and out we go. Just as beautiful in the rain!
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Catch of the Day
My Facebook news feed is a lot busier since I joined a raft of HE groups. As well as feeling more sociable it's a nifty way to find out about the events and activities happening in our area.
Yesterday, a post on the Canal and Rivers Trust led us to the Love Parks event which led us to the Tring Anglers. It's like a treasure hunt for fun things to do on a Monday.
That's how we found ourselves sat by the canal learning the basics of coarse fishing under expert Richard's watchful eye. The afternoon had it all : folding chairs, maggots, a very persistent duck and a nature wee in the nettles.
Safety briefing complete ("don't fall in") we were assigned our rods and a pot of colourful maggots and we took up our position on the bank, trying not to look like people who have never held a fishing rod before. We had taken our own chairs in a futile attempt to disguise our inexperience. It became clear that a thermos of tea and a hot cross bun were the must-haves. Noted for next time.
I was relieved that Richard took control of the bait situation and got us started. I'd love to say we then sat, relaxed, for hours, whiling away the afternoon but it was not to be : those fish were hungry. 90 seconds in and we had our first bite from a cheeky little perch and a level of boy-excitement roughly equivalent to getting 1000 coins on Dragon Mania Legends.
I'll skip the catch-by-catch account but in no particular order we caught 2 rudd, 10 perch, 1 mallard and 1 roach. All of which were returned to the canal to live to catch another maggot. Perch #4 did look an awful lot like Perch #8 though.
The boys loved it and are asking to go again. I'm all for it but I'll be taking a thermos.
Yesterday, a post on the Canal and Rivers Trust led us to the Love Parks event which led us to the Tring Anglers. It's like a treasure hunt for fun things to do on a Monday.
That's how we found ourselves sat by the canal learning the basics of coarse fishing under expert Richard's watchful eye. The afternoon had it all : folding chairs, maggots, a very persistent duck and a nature wee in the nettles.
Safety briefing complete ("don't fall in") we were assigned our rods and a pot of colourful maggots and we took up our position on the bank, trying not to look like people who have never held a fishing rod before. We had taken our own chairs in a futile attempt to disguise our inexperience. It became clear that a thermos of tea and a hot cross bun were the must-haves. Noted for next time.
I was relieved that Richard took control of the bait situation and got us started. I'd love to say we then sat, relaxed, for hours, whiling away the afternoon but it was not to be : those fish were hungry. 90 seconds in and we had our first bite from a cheeky little perch and a level of boy-excitement roughly equivalent to getting 1000 coins on Dragon Mania Legends.
I'll skip the catch-by-catch account but in no particular order we caught 2 rudd, 10 perch, 1 mallard and 1 roach. All of which were returned to the canal to live to catch another maggot. Perch #4 did look an awful lot like Perch #8 though.
The boys loved it and are asking to go again. I'm all for it but I'll be taking a thermos.
Monday, 27 July 2015
Loser!
I forgot to acknowledge a win.
It was a massive win because K was a loser. A total loser. Sunday games night - he was knocked out of knock out whist like a boxer who was knocked out in round 4.
We held our breath. Finger poised on the super-nanny speed dial. Shoulders tense as we prepare for the inevitable. Whispering 'we're playing for fun' like a mantra.
And then :
Nothing.
No grumps. Not a grumble, not a grizzle nor a strop or a stamp. He took his loss with good grace and kept score for the rest of us.
I couldn't be prouder. Sunday evening forced-fun-time-dread has been replaced with Sunday evening forced-fun-time-fun.
Happy days!
It was a massive win because K was a loser. A total loser. Sunday games night - he was knocked out of knock out whist like a boxer who was knocked out in round 4.
We held our breath. Finger poised on the super-nanny speed dial. Shoulders tense as we prepare for the inevitable. Whispering 'we're playing for fun' like a mantra.
And then :
Nothing.
No grumps. Not a grumble, not a grizzle nor a strop or a stamp. He took his loss with good grace and kept score for the rest of us.
I couldn't be prouder. Sunday evening forced-fun-time-dread has been replaced with Sunday evening forced-fun-time-fun.
Happy days!
Sunday, 26 July 2015
If Music Be the Food of Love..
.. play on.
The weather was kind and so the play was indeed on - and it was fantastic!
Surrounded by the reassuring sound of champagne corks popping and a sea of Waitrose picnic food, we picked our spot and then passed the time cartwheeling across the lawns and eating our tea while I tried to conceal our haribos in the infinitely-more-becoming mint crumbles bag, bought specially for the occasion.
The play was performed by a traditional all-male troupe which adds to the fantastic confusion of a man playing a woman who is disguised as a man. It's asking a lot of a 7 year old and a 9 year old to follow but our pre-reading last week really paid off.
As the play opened and the first infamous line was delivered with gusto W expressed his confusion at ye olde English language with an embarrassingly loud 'HUH?' while dramatically shrugging his shoulders. I reached for the Fox's glacier fruits like a child-shushing ninja.
K was mesmerised from the beginning and it only took a little while for W to get drawn into the rhythm of the play with me whispering the main character names as they appeared on stage. As the farce continued apace we passed notes to keep abreast of the story line. Amazingly, both kept up although evidence suggests K was briefly distracted by the glacier fruits..
We laughed ourselves silly when Malvolio appeared in his yellow stockings. We were on the edge of our seat during the duel. The boys loved Feste the fool's lute playing and singing. The teenagers in front of us giggled every time the word 'bosoms' was uttered. It was pure joy.
And posh though Waddesdon Manor is, you can still get a Smarties ice-cream during the interval.
The boys may have consumed a week's worth of sugar in one evening but it was well worth it. As I tucked the boys in at 11pm, a final thought from K :
"I like Shakespeare Mummy"
So do I darling. Why this is very midsummer madness.
The weather was kind and so the play was indeed on - and it was fantastic!
Surrounded by the reassuring sound of champagne corks popping and a sea of Waitrose picnic food, we picked our spot and then passed the time cartwheeling across the lawns and eating our tea while I tried to conceal our haribos in the infinitely-more-becoming mint crumbles bag, bought specially for the occasion.
The play was performed by a traditional all-male troupe which adds to the fantastic confusion of a man playing a woman who is disguised as a man. It's asking a lot of a 7 year old and a 9 year old to follow but our pre-reading last week really paid off.
As the play opened and the first infamous line was delivered with gusto W expressed his confusion at ye olde English language with an embarrassingly loud 'HUH?' while dramatically shrugging his shoulders. I reached for the Fox's glacier fruits like a child-shushing ninja.
We laughed ourselves silly when Malvolio appeared in his yellow stockings. We were on the edge of our seat during the duel. The boys loved Feste the fool's lute playing and singing. The teenagers in front of us giggled every time the word 'bosoms' was uttered. It was pure joy.
And posh though Waddesdon Manor is, you can still get a Smarties ice-cream during the interval.
The boys may have consumed a week's worth of sugar in one evening but it was well worth it. As I tucked the boys in at 11pm, a final thought from K :
"I like Shakespeare Mummy"
So do I darling. Why this is very midsummer madness.
Monday, 20 July 2015
Delicate Matters
Money. The most delicate of matters. If you choose to HE you are rejecting the state option so - like private education - the costs are yours and yours alone.
In theory there are savings : no uniform or commuting to school, bye bye fund raising requests from the PTA and gallons of nit shampoo. The reality is that being solely responsible for a child's education does cost - the question is, how much?
We'd considered private schools for K as he doesn't thrive in a big group and we had some savings earmarked. They may yet be used for school, who knows, but in the meantime we're nibbling at the edges of the fund to support home education.
I say nibble.. it's more of a big greedy bite.
Home ed for us has been more expensive than we'd expected even if it is considerably cheaper than private school. This is my list of the financial impact of HE (so far). I've deliberately ignored the opportunity cost that if I'm home schooling then I'm working less because the reality is I am sleeping less. Some of the outgoings would have been spent even if the kids were still at school but now the boys are not wiped out at 3,30pm Mon-Fri we do more clubs, outings and adventures.
Costs
Things that are supporting our primary level HE - not all essential but they make life and learning easier, more fun or both
Resources - books, online subscriptions
Stationery - folders for work, art sketch books, drawing and painting materials, exercise books
Tutors - for the kids' interest areas, weak areas or strong areas, including Explore Learning, music teachers and subject tutors
Memberships - like the National Trust
Sports - swimming, badminton, bowling etc
Trips - zoos, theme parks, city trips
Topic kits - like science experiments, sewing kits
Looking ahead if we were home schooling into secondary (not something we're worrying about yet) then we'd need to budget for exams as they are expensive. The cost can sometimes be spread as you're not having to do them in a single lump.
Unexpected Costs
Things we didn't factor in, because, well you just don't think of these things
Extra food - more fresh air and running around means more food
Printer ink - from enthusiastic printing of resources
Fuel - so many outings, we're clocking up miles on the car
Cheap & Free
In theory there are savings : no uniform or commuting to school, bye bye fund raising requests from the PTA and gallons of nit shampoo. The reality is that being solely responsible for a child's education does cost - the question is, how much?
We'd considered private schools for K as he doesn't thrive in a big group and we had some savings earmarked. They may yet be used for school, who knows, but in the meantime we're nibbling at the edges of the fund to support home education.
I say nibble.. it's more of a big greedy bite.
Home ed for us has been more expensive than we'd expected even if it is considerably cheaper than private school. This is my list of the financial impact of HE (so far). I've deliberately ignored the opportunity cost that if I'm home schooling then I'm working less because the reality is I am sleeping less. Some of the outgoings would have been spent even if the kids were still at school but now the boys are not wiped out at 3,30pm Mon-Fri we do more clubs, outings and adventures.
Costs
Things that are supporting our primary level HE - not all essential but they make life and learning easier, more fun or both
Resources - books, online subscriptions
Stationery - folders for work, art sketch books, drawing and painting materials, exercise books
Tutors - for the kids' interest areas, weak areas or strong areas, including Explore Learning, music teachers and subject tutors
Memberships - like the National Trust
Sports - swimming, badminton, bowling etc
Trips - zoos, theme parks, city trips
Topic kits - like science experiments, sewing kits
Looking ahead if we were home schooling into secondary (not something we're worrying about yet) then we'd need to budget for exams as they are expensive. The cost can sometimes be spread as you're not having to do them in a single lump.
Unexpected Costs
Things we didn't factor in, because, well you just don't think of these things
Extra food - more fresh air and running around means more food
Printer ink - from enthusiastic printing of resources
Fuel - so many outings, we're clocking up miles on the car
Cheap & Free
Places to claw back some value
Museums and open days - best if you go for a specific exhibit or event to keep things focussed
Libraries - reading in the children's section for a change of scene
Places that give annual membership when you've been once - like Beaulieu and Bletchley Park
Natural resources - woods, rivers, lakes, etc with a picnic for the best in outdoor learning. Take a picnic and a reference book and go spotting for wildlife or historical interest. Unconstrained by the timetable, go when the weather suits
Matinees - be surrounded by school groups by heading to the theatre for the Wednesday matinee or get Tuesday daytime cinema tickets if you want to feel like you've booked a private screening
Museums and open days - best if you go for a specific exhibit or event to keep things focussed
Libraries - reading in the children's section for a change of scene
Places that give annual membership when you've been once - like Beaulieu and Bletchley Park
Natural resources - woods, rivers, lakes, etc with a picnic for the best in outdoor learning. Take a picnic and a reference book and go spotting for wildlife or historical interest. Unconstrained by the timetable, go when the weather suits
Matinees - be surrounded by school groups by heading to the theatre for the Wednesday matinee or get Tuesday daytime cinema tickets if you want to feel like you've booked a private screening
Online resources - thank you internet, especially YouTube, the BBC, TES
Holidays - everything's cheaper and quieter in term time although we have to go without friends
Saturday, 18 July 2015
Back in the Game
We saved the week!
Friday was a big pile of awesomeness topped with a cherry of brilliance.
We managed (despite a few internet issues from the preceding rubbish-week) to do our maths first thing and then the boys made their own lunch - that's home ec right there - and we headed out for a swim. Sorry, PE. Which happened to be swimming. Conveniently it's the same pool where K used to have his school lessons so how's that for continuity?
After that we had a bit of a lunch break and then hit literacy with a big Shakespeare-shaped stick. I would say BOOM but I think that's implied.
We read the charmingly accessible Marcia William's version of Twelfth Night. Not to miss an opportunity for a bit of cutting out, we picked out the main characters, made some cute little red hearts and visually tried to keep track of the bard's star-crossed, cross-dressing, love-struck chaos.
W (very much a web-thinker) grasped the story better than K (logical-steps thinker) which is no great surprise but I was chuffed to bits that they both kept up as Shakespeare wrote some great plays but it's probably fair to say that the under 10s weren't his target audience.
There's an outdoor production at a local stately home next Saturday and I'm hoping our bit of background work will make the live production a blast while we picnic on the lawns. Idyllic.*
O, had I but followed the arts! (Twelfth Night 1.3.94)
*Success on Saturday is by no means guaranteed. We have read a very short kids' version of Twelfth Night. The weather may or may not be wet and/or cold and/or windy. The play is authentic - so the boys won't understand most of what is said. It's 2 hours long (see previous note about wet, cold and windy). I'm still willing to give it a go but I am taking a lorry-load of sweets and I'm not promising the boys won't end up playing Angry Birds on my phone.
Friday was a big pile of awesomeness topped with a cherry of brilliance.
We managed (despite a few internet issues from the preceding rubbish-week) to do our maths first thing and then the boys made their own lunch - that's home ec right there - and we headed out for a swim. Sorry, PE. Which happened to be swimming. Conveniently it's the same pool where K used to have his school lessons so how's that for continuity?
After that we had a bit of a lunch break and then hit literacy with a big Shakespeare-shaped stick. I would say BOOM but I think that's implied.
We read the charmingly accessible Marcia William's version of Twelfth Night. Not to miss an opportunity for a bit of cutting out, we picked out the main characters, made some cute little red hearts and visually tried to keep track of the bard's star-crossed, cross-dressing, love-struck chaos.
W (very much a web-thinker) grasped the story better than K (logical-steps thinker) which is no great surprise but I was chuffed to bits that they both kept up as Shakespeare wrote some great plays but it's probably fair to say that the under 10s weren't his target audience.
There's an outdoor production at a local stately home next Saturday and I'm hoping our bit of background work will make the live production a blast while we picnic on the lawns. Idyllic.*
O, had I but followed the arts! (Twelfth Night 1.3.94)
*Success on Saturday is by no means guaranteed. We have read a very short kids' version of Twelfth Night. The weather may or may not be wet and/or cold and/or windy. The play is authentic - so the boys won't understand most of what is said. It's 2 hours long (see previous note about wet, cold and windy). I'm still willing to give it a go but I am taking a lorry-load of sweets and I'm not promising the boys won't end up playing Angry Birds on my phone.
Thursday, 16 July 2015
Fail
A chaotic few days as life and work issues throw the entire timetable out. This is the flip side to HE flexibility - not covering what you want to cover and then berating yourself for it.
The phone ringing for the 8th time during maths. The printer running out of magenta ink. Watching a film instead of doing spellings. Internet connectivity issues. A proliferation of Mummy minutes, as in 'I'll be there in a minute' as I frantically empty a cupboard to find dishwasher salt because the stupid machine won't stop beeping at me.
When I say "you've got 5 minutes" the boys ask: "are they real minutes or Mummy minutes?" Over time, we've worked out that one Earth minute is equivalent to 10 Mummy minutes. This is not something I'm proud of.
Weeks like this are wearing, moments when life's treadmill gets up too much speed and you can't do anything other than concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.
Luckily weeks like this pass and if I don't beat myself up too much then I'll emerge next week a bit fitter. Albeit bruised.
Sunday, 12 July 2015
Non-Holidays
I'm feeling a bit unsettled.
In less than a week the schools break up and the tables turn. While I make the boys do their maths every day and march them to their classes, the sounds of carefree, lesson-free children will be drifting over our fence.
Suddenly all 'our' places will be overrun. The parks, swimming pool, museums, river - everywhere we find peace and a notable lack of queues during term time are no longer ours alone.
Like a toddler, I have to learn to SHARE. Hmph.
This will be our first long holiday since taking the boys out of school so it'll be interesting to see how it goes. We'll be more flexible because we've got friends to see and adventures to plan. I can't see us ducking off in the middle of a picnic declaring "Sorry, we have to learn 3-column subtraction".
But a flexible routine in term time necessitates some continuation of the routine into the holidays. I'm feeling the pressure to grab any consistency I can now that the Monday-Friday school pattern has been thrown out.
There are some advantages to the ongoing learning approach. As the boys get more free time in their afternoons they're not strung out or exhausted so a big break isn't a necessity any more. Particularly with maths and literacy, the little and often approach to learning is an effective way to maximise retention and encourage application.
Maybe it's not that we're missing out on the holidays, we're grabbing them as just another learning opportunity.
In less than a week the schools break up and the tables turn. While I make the boys do their maths every day and march them to their classes, the sounds of carefree, lesson-free children will be drifting over our fence.
Suddenly all 'our' places will be overrun. The parks, swimming pool, museums, river - everywhere we find peace and a notable lack of queues during term time are no longer ours alone.
Like a toddler, I have to learn to SHARE. Hmph.
This will be our first long holiday since taking the boys out of school so it'll be interesting to see how it goes. We'll be more flexible because we've got friends to see and adventures to plan. I can't see us ducking off in the middle of a picnic declaring "Sorry, we have to learn 3-column subtraction".
But a flexible routine in term time necessitates some continuation of the routine into the holidays. I'm feeling the pressure to grab any consistency I can now that the Monday-Friday school pattern has been thrown out.
There are some advantages to the ongoing learning approach. As the boys get more free time in their afternoons they're not strung out or exhausted so a big break isn't a necessity any more. Particularly with maths and literacy, the little and often approach to learning is an effective way to maximise retention and encourage application.
Maybe it's not that we're missing out on the holidays, we're grabbing them as just another learning opportunity.
Saturday, 11 July 2015
Colour
The boys had some homework and it's a minibeast behaviour investigation. Hypothesise, theorise, colour in - and then my favourite bit - sit down in the sunshine for 20 minutes. Lovely.
The objective was to find out which colour insects prefer. To land on I mean, not for their lounge wall. For lounge walls it's got to be dead salmon, mouse's back or clunch http://www.farrow-ball.com/colours/paint/fcp-category/list
The little critters didn't disappoint. The bugs were well behaved too. Within seconds of setting up our experiment we had creepy crawly visitors landing on our colour spots.
Orange was the run-away winner... or should that be Charlotte's Locks?
The objective was to find out which colour insects prefer. To land on I mean, not for their lounge wall. For lounge walls it's got to be dead salmon, mouse's back or clunch http://www.farrow-ball.com/colours/paint/fcp-category/list
The little critters didn't disappoint. The bugs were well behaved too. Within seconds of setting up our experiment we had creepy crawly visitors landing on our colour spots.
Orange was the run-away winner... or should that be Charlotte's Locks?
Friday, 10 July 2015
More Disasters
Today we said hello to tsunamis *waves*
We're still on natural disasters but the boys are loving it so I'm indulging their boundless interest in how nature wreaks havoc on humans, cats, cars and buildings.
We need to move on to some cheerful weather but I'm struggling to find any. Sunshine? UV rays! Sunstroke! Melting chocolate! Warm white wine! Argh! We tried rainbows but I died a little inside explaining that rainbows aren't a thing you can touch, they don't have an 'end' and even if you kept running towards one you could never ever reach it. Inspiring stuff; sucking the fun out of one of nature's finest creations. Well done me.
Perhaps I should go for safe and boring weather. A lesson on drizzle perhaps. Or snow that looks like it might settle ........ and then doesn't.
Our investigation into tsunamis took us onto the map to find Indonesia and Japan and identify the main tectonic plates. We spent a few hours exploring disaster responses, human and environmental impact, rescue efforts and the awesome power of water.
We got practical with a bit of swooshing up and down the bath and should there be a tsunami on the River Thames in the middle of the Eurasian tectonic plate I am confident that the boys are adequately prepared. To run away. Quickly.
Enough doom, we learned about drizzle.
We're still on natural disasters but the boys are loving it so I'm indulging their boundless interest in how nature wreaks havoc on humans, cats, cars and buildings.
We need to move on to some cheerful weather but I'm struggling to find any. Sunshine? UV rays! Sunstroke! Melting chocolate! Warm white wine! Argh! We tried rainbows but I died a little inside explaining that rainbows aren't a thing you can touch, they don't have an 'end' and even if you kept running towards one you could never ever reach it. Inspiring stuff; sucking the fun out of one of nature's finest creations. Well done me.
Perhaps I should go for safe and boring weather. A lesson on drizzle perhaps. Or snow that looks like it might settle ........ and then doesn't.
Our investigation into tsunamis took us onto the map to find Indonesia and Japan and identify the main tectonic plates. We spent a few hours exploring disaster responses, human and environmental impact, rescue efforts and the awesome power of water.
We got practical with a bit of swooshing up and down the bath and should there be a tsunami on the River Thames in the middle of the Eurasian tectonic plate I am confident that the boys are adequately prepared. To run away. Quickly.
Enough doom, we learned about drizzle.
Thursday, 9 July 2015
Unnatural Disasters
Really enjoying our weather topic.
Today was all about tides which is perfect opportunity to do some timetable reading, how the universe works, gravity and water safety.
The boys were mesmerised by videos of rip tides and how waves are formed. We covered beach safety, what to do if you find yourself in a rip tide and watched a video of a boy being rescued by the RNLI.
There's been a lot of talk about disaster planning this past week. Think hurricanes, lightening, earthquakes, blizzards, tsunamis, UV rays, rip tides, running out of biscuits ... OK, the last one is not weather related but I'm getting very low on bourbons and that is serious.
I'm concerned that I've over-egged the safety element. K shouting 'we're all going to drown' every time there's a light shower and W lying face down in the middle of the lawn because a door slammed wasn't what I had in mind.
With the gorgeous weather I was planning a beach trip but I fear we'll get all the way to the coast and K, who is a worst-case-scenario boy, will insist that he's identified a rip tide or that the water DEFINITELY just sucked back so a tsunami is imminent, thus ruining my paddling plans. W, my err-on-the-side-of-caution boy, will probably refuse to get out of the car.
Aged 8, I spent an entire holiday on the Isle of Wight under a blanket because there was a solitary wasp on the beach. Nature, nurture.
While we were discussing the moon we had a quick diversion into planets. It was about time for a snack (it's always time for a snack in my universe) so we made an edible line of planets. Notice there are no bourbons.
Mysteriously, during clean-up Saturn was most popular.
Oh, and we exploded the sun in a vice (mwah ha ha)
Today was all about tides which is perfect opportunity to do some timetable reading, how the universe works, gravity and water safety.
The boys were mesmerised by videos of rip tides and how waves are formed. We covered beach safety, what to do if you find yourself in a rip tide and watched a video of a boy being rescued by the RNLI.
There's been a lot of talk about disaster planning this past week. Think hurricanes, lightening, earthquakes, blizzards, tsunamis, UV rays, rip tides, running out of biscuits ... OK, the last one is not weather related but I'm getting very low on bourbons and that is serious.
I'm concerned that I've over-egged the safety element. K shouting 'we're all going to drown' every time there's a light shower and W lying face down in the middle of the lawn because a door slammed wasn't what I had in mind.
With the gorgeous weather I was planning a beach trip but I fear we'll get all the way to the coast and K, who is a worst-case-scenario boy, will insist that he's identified a rip tide or that the water DEFINITELY just sucked back so a tsunami is imminent, thus ruining my paddling plans. W, my err-on-the-side-of-caution boy, will probably refuse to get out of the car.
Aged 8, I spent an entire holiday on the Isle of Wight under a blanket because there was a solitary wasp on the beach. Nature, nurture.
While we were discussing the moon we had a quick diversion into planets. It was about time for a snack (it's always time for a snack in my universe) so we made an edible line of planets. Notice there are no bourbons.
Mysteriously, during clean-up Saturn was most popular.
Oh, and we exploded the sun in a vice (mwah ha ha)
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Grammatical Errors
The back of a yoghurt is an unlikely place to find cause for complaint but as I emptied the boys' lunch boxes I spotted a very bad joke on the packet:
What's a vampires favourite fruit?
Punchline aside there's a serious problem in this horror story... and so begins the case of the missing possessive apostrophe.
There's an art to complaining. Sadly I'm not very good at art. I've emailed my grammatical concerns to Yoplait with a helpful image to illustrate the issue and how seriously I'm taking this affront to the English language.
Neck-tarines.
Brilliant.
PS I know I urgently need to see a hairdresser and/or put some make up on but I have no time in the day now. The best I can do is whack on a pair of fangs.
What's a vampires favourite fruit?
Punchline aside there's a serious problem in this horror story... and so begins the case of the missing possessive apostrophe.
There's an art to complaining. Sadly I'm not very good at art. I've emailed my grammatical concerns to Yoplait with a helpful image to illustrate the issue and how seriously I'm taking this affront to the English language.
Neck-tarines.
Brilliant.
PS I know I urgently need to see a hairdresser and/or put some make up on but I have no time in the day now. The best I can do is whack on a pair of fangs.
Monday, 6 July 2015
Break Times, Finnish Style
My sister sent me a link to an interesting article last week about Finnish schools.
The small Nordic nation's educational success and reputation can be irksome especially when it goes against the assessment focus of our own schools. There's a concept of 'Finnish envy' as the UK and US take Finland's success as an insult to our own exam-driven, competitive schooling culture.
Here's a brief summary of some ways in which Finland's schools differ from our own:
1. Shorter school day : fewest school hours in the developed world
2. Minimal homework : rarely any until their teens
3. Regular outside breaks : 75 minutes+ per day
4. Cross-curricular topics rather than subjects : see article below
5. No ranks, comparison or competition between students or schools
6. Minimal formal testing : just one standardised test at the end of high school
At an individual child level, the parallels to HomeEd are evident.
The article my sister sent was reflecting on Finland's system of 15 minutes breaks after every 45 minutes of instruction. Breaks have been embraced as a way for children to regulate their energy levels and improve engagement and knowledge retention. The UK and US education systems have moved the other way however - with an ever growing curriculum that puts pressure on teachers to utilise every minute of the day with longer periods of sitting coupled with ongoing suggestions of introducing a longer school day.
A shift in attitude is crucial to appreciate that length of time teaching isn't directly correlated to amount learned.
For the original article mentioned :
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/how-finland-keeps-kids-focused/373544/
The small Nordic nation's educational success and reputation can be irksome especially when it goes against the assessment focus of our own schools. There's a concept of 'Finnish envy' as the UK and US take Finland's success as an insult to our own exam-driven, competitive schooling culture.
Here's a brief summary of some ways in which Finland's schools differ from our own:
1. Shorter school day : fewest school hours in the developed world
2. Minimal homework : rarely any until their teens
3. Regular outside breaks : 75 minutes+ per day
4. Cross-curricular topics rather than subjects : see article below
5. No ranks, comparison or competition between students or schools
6. Minimal formal testing : just one standardised test at the end of high school
At an individual child level, the parallels to HomeEd are evident.
The article my sister sent was reflecting on Finland's system of 15 minutes breaks after every 45 minutes of instruction. Breaks have been embraced as a way for children to regulate their energy levels and improve engagement and knowledge retention. The UK and US education systems have moved the other way however - with an ever growing curriculum that puts pressure on teachers to utilise every minute of the day with longer periods of sitting coupled with ongoing suggestions of introducing a longer school day.
A shift in attitude is crucial to appreciate that length of time teaching isn't directly correlated to amount learned.
For the original article mentioned :
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/how-finland-keeps-kids-focused/373544/
For a more in depth discussion with research links, see :
For a comprehensive report on why Finland's schools are successful:
The news that Finland is replacing subjects with cross-curricular topics:
Sunday, 5 July 2015
We're All Winners
We've been scheduling forced-fun time on a Sunday.
K has many wonderful traits but one of his less endearing ones is that, to put it mildly, he is a bad loser. One hint of being the underdog he'll roll out the grumps faster than you can mutter 'don't play then'.
The game of choice was kids' Monopoly. An easy game of chance with a bit of counting and a temperamental cash machine that either dispenses a single £1 or its entire contents.
Ignoring the 'it's not fair', 'everyone is lucky except me', 'I NEVER win' etc we carry on with grim cheery determination as W & dad win every square on the board between them and begin a property empire while K & I have £5 and one bad attitude to our name.
When K lands again on one of W's swanky hotels and duly hands over his last £5, W helpfully points out that it does include breakfast.
S, K and I all end up in prison (if the game had gone on much longer there's every chance life would have imitated art) and W also landed on the square but 'just visiting'. He said he'd brought some of the leftover muffins from one of his hotel breakfasts. Thoughtful boy.
We roll on. S loses patience, not the card game though, and I point out that the only way we'll improve matters is with exposure therapy. The only cure for bad losing may be to play more and more games of chance until you realise the odds are roughly 50/50 and it's fun anyway.
Looking forward to next Sunday evening already ...
Saturday, 4 July 2015
Snow in July
After our wilful abandonment of the timetable earlier in the week, it was time to knuckle down in the blissful sunshine. Cultural obligations require me to point out that it's far too hot and it won't last so we have to prepare ourselves for (moaning about) the grey weather which will undoubtedly blight the great British summer.
This is a perfect time to learn about rain and snow.
I'd covered water cycle with K earlier in the year so it was revision for him but a new topic for W. We found some fantastic little wheels for showing stages of the cycle and with the sunshine outside our water cycle experiment was a breeze. Which was good because it's been really hot today. Too hot really. I mean would a few degrees cooler be too much to ask?
W's commitment to the experiment was admirable as he put 3 Lego people onto his island with a cheerful comment that if everything went well they'd be drowned by tea time. Slightly sinister but then this is science.
We learned how snow is formed, which is roughly the moment I realised I have NO IDEA HOW SNOW IS FORMED. I get the gist; it's made of tiny ice-cubes carved by the cloud elves, but when K asked why some water vapour falls as rain, some hail, some sleet and some snow ... I blagged it with a response about air temperature but the smart cookie spotted my lack of conviction and requested further clarification.
I turned to google, the font of all knowledge, finding a nice summary and some precipitation I never even knew existed. I thought snow pellets were what you fed to snow rabbits. http://www.theweatherprediction.com/preciptypes/
In a nutshell it's all to do with the bands of temperature in the troposphere.
The Met Office is good too, this is their area of expertise after all, and they have a handy video although there's nothing in there about the cloud elves.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/snow/how-is-snow-formed
A few cut out snowflakes later and a brief diversion into hexagons; then we learnt about similes and metaphors before tackling a quick acrostic poem on Snow. Literacy side notes on what creative writing is and identifying occasions where similes/metaphors aren't appropriate.
I asked W why snow was naughty as a naughty boy. "Because it's cold."
OK then.
This is a perfect time to learn about rain and snow.
I'd covered water cycle with K earlier in the year so it was revision for him but a new topic for W. We found some fantastic little wheels for showing stages of the cycle and with the sunshine outside our water cycle experiment was a breeze. Which was good because it's been really hot today. Too hot really. I mean would a few degrees cooler be too much to ask?
W's commitment to the experiment was admirable as he put 3 Lego people onto his island with a cheerful comment that if everything went well they'd be drowned by tea time. Slightly sinister but then this is science.
We learned how snow is formed, which is roughly the moment I realised I have NO IDEA HOW SNOW IS FORMED. I get the gist; it's made of tiny ice-cubes carved by the cloud elves, but when K asked why some water vapour falls as rain, some hail, some sleet and some snow ... I blagged it with a response about air temperature but the smart cookie spotted my lack of conviction and requested further clarification.
I turned to google, the font of all knowledge, finding a nice summary and some precipitation I never even knew existed. I thought snow pellets were what you fed to snow rabbits. http://www.theweatherprediction.com/preciptypes/
In a nutshell it's all to do with the bands of temperature in the troposphere.
The Met Office is good too, this is their area of expertise after all, and they have a handy video although there's nothing in there about the cloud elves.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/snow/how-is-snow-formed
A few cut out snowflakes later and a brief diversion into hexagons; then we learnt about similes and metaphors before tackling a quick acrostic poem on Snow. Literacy side notes on what creative writing is and identifying occasions where similes/metaphors aren't appropriate.
I asked W why snow was naughty as a naughty boy. "Because it's cold."
OK then.
Friday, 3 July 2015
Grow Your Own
We planted seeds earlier in the year and K & W have (mostly) remembered to water them so we are beginning to reap the fruits of our labour. The beans are doing well, so too are our pepper plants and tomatoes.
It's not all happiness and hoe-downs in the garden though; our strawberries are rebelling. This might be the rudest strawberry we've ever grown.
It's not all happiness and hoe-downs in the garden though; our strawberries are rebelling. This might be the rudest strawberry we've ever grown.
Sex ed next week perhaps?
Thursday, 2 July 2015
The Vortex of Flex
I was 100% committed to the plan. I had weekly and daily timetables and I was going to be strict every day. I said we would be regular, routine - like All Bran. It's not nice but it's good for you.
And then boom. Just like that we've gone a bit Coco Pops. The kids think it's great having it every day but it was really only ever meant to be a Sunday cereal.
I've been sucked into the Vortex of Flex(ibility). So powerful it's a proper noun.
Being British it's traditional to blame the weather and I do like tradition. This week was just gorgeous - Mediterranean gorgeous - it's a rare thing to be able to get your washing done and dried so fast you feel like you've literally stolen time from the Gods. So satisfying.
Washing done (in record time), back to the timetable :
Option 1: Stick with the plan. Learn about longitude and latitude.
Option 2: To hell with the plan. Swim at the lido.
I'm weak I know but the water looked so inviting*.
*the lying water. It was flipping freezing even though the air temp was 28 degrees. "Fine once you get in". Pah. I spent the morning with my feet dangling in while K & W splashed about.
Not content with the morningskive swimming lesson we topped it off with a walk down the river, chilled and happy as we spotted fish and dragonflies, K pointed out how the ducks had dinosaur feet and W collected swan feathers.
A typical EHE conflict. On one hand I feel guilty that we didn't stick to the plan, on the other hand we improved our swimming (OK OK, I just improved my paddling), got a lovely big dose of nature and fresh air and took advantage of an opportunity that presented itself.
Oh - and I got a teeny tiny hint of a tan.
So good, it can't be wrong.
And then boom. Just like that we've gone a bit Coco Pops. The kids think it's great having it every day but it was really only ever meant to be a Sunday cereal.
I've been sucked into the Vortex of Flex(ibility). So powerful it's a proper noun.
Washing done (in record time), back to the timetable :
Option 1: Stick with the plan. Learn about longitude and latitude.
Option 2: To hell with the plan. Swim at the lido.
I'm weak I know but the water looked so inviting*.
*the lying water. It was flipping freezing even though the air temp was 28 degrees. "Fine once you get in". Pah. I spent the morning with my feet dangling in while K & W splashed about.
Not content with the morning
A typical EHE conflict. On one hand I feel guilty that we didn't stick to the plan, on the other hand we improved our swimming (OK OK, I just improved my paddling), got a lovely big dose of nature and fresh air and took advantage of an opportunity that presented itself.
Oh - and I got a teeny tiny hint of a tan.
So good, it can't be wrong.
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Missing, Presumed EHE
I miss
Catching up with mums in the playground
My 8.55am cup of tea
Being up to date on the washing
Regular play dates
Sleep
I don't miss
Ironing school shirts
Buying school shoes
Homework lost in the bottom of a bag and only discovered 5 minutes before school on the day it's due
The morning rush
Stinky PE bag trainers
Post-school crankiness
Nits
Catching up with mums in the playground
My 8.55am cup of tea
Being up to date on the washing
Regular play dates
Sleep
I don't miss
Ironing school shirts
Buying school shoes
Homework lost in the bottom of a bag and only discovered 5 minutes before school on the day it's due
The morning rush
Stinky PE bag trainers
Post-school crankiness
Nits
Swings and roundabouts.
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Topic Planning
My Sunday night activity - planning. I'm full on work mode so this is a quick snapshot of what it looks like to put together a HomeEd topic plan. This isn't particularly entertaining (sorry) but it might be useful.
1. Choose the topic
HomeEd means the pupils can choose the topic. Having 2 in my class makes this pretty easy as they can take turns; K was up first and inspired by the impending heat wave (hooray!) his choice for the topic this month is Weather.
He did a quick mind map of things he's interested in relating to weather.
2. Produce a Scheme of Work (SoW)
A good topic will give opportunities for teaching across the curriculum; weather is a great choice as I can bring in geography, science, D&T, art, maths, PSHE and literacy. The SoW is a rough plan for what you're going to teach - linking topic elements to the curriculum. It can live in your head but if it also lives on the fridge that's a bonus.
I took K's mind map, added a few notes and made it into a more formal scheme.
3. Find resources
Trawl the internet for resources which will support the teaching. Powerpoints, youTube videos, worksheets, posters, etc etc. One of the most useful things to do in terms of preparation is to get powerpoints downloaded or prepared and worksheets printed in advance - the days flow better when I've got things ready to hand out.
4. Use the SoW, loosely
It's absolutely essential to scribble all over it as you go along, crossing out entire sections and going off on fantastic tangents...
Marks for showing our working - here's the process :
K mind maps, I add some notes as we're discussing
Write up the SoW noting curriculum links and beginning to capture task ideas
Start searching for appropriate resources and annotate with links and experiments and the topic order
As resources turn up so do opportunities. I'd put compass readings in the climate section thinking it would be a brief side note but I found a fantastic resource using treasure maps which links to literacy so it's enough to spend a day on. It's been upgraded to compass points, exploring directions and how to write instructions.
A note on differentiation. It wouldn't be fair on K if everything was too easy or on W if it's too hard. Some sites provide low/medium/high ability worksheets which (as K & W are only 16 months apart) is enough for us to cover all bases. Even if an activity feels like a single version, differentiation is always possible: any worksheet can be made more accessible by writing in sentence starters, prompts or annotations. Any task can be extended or made more accessible - the tricky bit is pitching every activity so that both kids are challenged but not overwhelmed...
For a great summary of differentiation and what it means to teaching, see:
http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/MethodsofDifferentiationintheClassroom.aspx
1. Choose the topic
HomeEd means the pupils can choose the topic. Having 2 in my class makes this pretty easy as they can take turns; K was up first and inspired by the impending heat wave (hooray!) his choice for the topic this month is Weather.
He did a quick mind map of things he's interested in relating to weather.
A good topic will give opportunities for teaching across the curriculum; weather is a great choice as I can bring in geography, science, D&T, art, maths, PSHE and literacy. The SoW is a rough plan for what you're going to teach - linking topic elements to the curriculum. It can live in your head but if it also lives on the fridge that's a bonus.
I took K's mind map, added a few notes and made it into a more formal scheme.
3. Find resources
Trawl the internet for resources which will support the teaching. Powerpoints, youTube videos, worksheets, posters, etc etc. One of the most useful things to do in terms of preparation is to get powerpoints downloaded or prepared and worksheets printed in advance - the days flow better when I've got things ready to hand out.
4. Use the SoW, loosely
It's absolutely essential to scribble all over it as you go along, crossing out entire sections and going off on fantastic tangents...
Marks for showing our working - here's the process :
K mind maps, I add some notes as we're discussing
Write up the SoW noting curriculum links and beginning to capture task ideas
As resources turn up so do opportunities. I'd put compass readings in the climate section thinking it would be a brief side note but I found a fantastic resource using treasure maps which links to literacy so it's enough to spend a day on. It's been upgraded to compass points, exploring directions and how to write instructions.
A note on differentiation. It wouldn't be fair on K if everything was too easy or on W if it's too hard. Some sites provide low/medium/high ability worksheets which (as K & W are only 16 months apart) is enough for us to cover all bases. Even if an activity feels like a single version, differentiation is always possible: any worksheet can be made more accessible by writing in sentence starters, prompts or annotations. Any task can be extended or made more accessible - the tricky bit is pitching every activity so that both kids are challenged but not overwhelmed...
For a great summary of differentiation and what it means to teaching, see:
http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/MethodsofDifferentiationintheClassroom.aspx
Friday, 26 June 2015
Time Out
We are struggling a bit with time.
Problem 1 : There's not enough of it.
Problem 2 : W is struggling to tell it.
I'm just focussed on the second issue today. W is good at maths but if you stick a clock in front of him he'll try every trick in the book to get out of telling you what it says. If he waits long enough K will shout out the answer anyway or I'll fall asleep.
Time then for a concentrated lesson on time. The internet provides some great stepped resources to introduce and then extend, so with a cup of tea, a bucket of patience and about an hour of one-to-one, we're ending today a bit further on than we started.
W prefers online games to worksheets and as this is a tricky topic for him I'm happy to oblige until his confidence builds up. Here are some nice free resources (plenty on TES & Twinkl too) -
Start with the basics - hour/minute hands, am/pm and 24 hour clock:
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/time/
Exercises with the colourful Bitesize characters:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/telling_the_time/play/
(Pick up the worksheet for re-enforcement)
Match analogue to digital:
http://resources.oswego.org/games/stoptheclock/sthec3.html
Cheerful little plenary game:
http://www.ictgames.com/hickory4.html
Use the empty clocks from :
http://nrich.maths.org/7384/note
to write the times of your own day (wake up, breakfast, lunch, etc)
A good day, definitely time for a glass of wine.
Problem 1 : There's not enough of it.
Problem 2 : W is struggling to tell it.
I'm just focussed on the second issue today. W is good at maths but if you stick a clock in front of him he'll try every trick in the book to get out of telling you what it says. If he waits long enough K will shout out the answer anyway or I'll fall asleep.
Time then for a concentrated lesson on time. The internet provides some great stepped resources to introduce and then extend, so with a cup of tea, a bucket of patience and about an hour of one-to-one, we're ending today a bit further on than we started.
W prefers online games to worksheets and as this is a tricky topic for him I'm happy to oblige until his confidence builds up. Here are some nice free resources (plenty on TES & Twinkl too) -
Start with the basics - hour/minute hands, am/pm and 24 hour clock:
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/time/
Exercises with the colourful Bitesize characters:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/telling_the_time/play/
(Pick up the worksheet for re-enforcement)
Match analogue to digital:
http://resources.oswego.org/games/stoptheclock/sthec3.html
Cheerful little plenary game:
http://www.ictgames.com/hickory4.html
Use the empty clocks from :
http://nrich.maths.org/7384/note
to write the times of your own day (wake up, breakfast, lunch, etc)
A good day, definitely time for a glass of wine.
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