What can Home-Ed look like?

Snuggly English

With Small feeling rotten all weekend, we’ve been taking it pretty easy just chilling at home doing crazy amounts of unnecessary Science. This morning, Small still has three pegs left to complete from last week. As I looked at what was left I actually removed two. Spanish I realised was not needed as she’s still only in KS1 and they generally only start languages in KS2. Plus, she can already count to ten in two different languages and gets plenty of exposure listening to Big on Duolingo (who is in the middle of a hundred-and-something day streak…) We didn’t need that one. I have to keep reminding myself that she’s 6. And not like some of my others were 6. Normal 6. Art went too, as I remembered finding her painting while I was cooking yesterday.

She’s 7. It was her birthday the other day. D’oh! Now, the only peg left from last week was English, which is a bit of a fight for her even when she’s feeling Tip-top. What’s the beauty of home-ed? You can choose when it’s ok to curl up on the sofa in your PJs and do an English workbook together. I found these cool Peanuts Workbooks the other day in Lidl, and Small had much fun giggling and drawing baseballs in all of the fingerspaces.

What boggles my mind, is that both girls were sent off to school in Reception with a perfectly good pencil grip and capable of writing…… this last week I have noticed that they both hold their pens in such a weird and unsteady way – making writing anything by hand an uphill battle! WHY?! What have they been teaching them? Or in this case, seemingly, unteaching them?! Do they not cover pen control anymore? Still obsolete cursive, but not basic pen control?!

The Incredible Machine

While trying to deflect Big’s constant requests that I help her continue with her Rube Goldberg machine because “I’m not as good at thinking of things to do as you!” I quickly found an easy online problem solving game, which both of the kids loved. As I was watching them, I had a sudden flashback to something I used to be OBSESSED with when I was a kid on a geriatric laptop my Father got given. (I wonder why I’m so good at thinking of Rube Goldberg ideas…) After a quick search I actually found a version you can play online! We were lost for hours taking turns and solving problems. Try this 90’s epic HERE, it’s well worth a reprise! Big’s face was an absolute picture when I showed her the Freeform mode….