Two Week Home Learning Update

Two week Home Learning Update


It’s been two weeks since we started this new journey of ours and I think me and the husband have learnt probably more than the kids. 
For example:
  • Nothing is taught like it was when we were at school
  • All phonic sounds just sound the same to me
  • Our 2 year old is way cleverer than we thought (second child - often gets overlooked)
  • However long you think an activity will take them, divide this by 4 for the actual time it will take them
  • This same logic does not apply to when you ask them to tidy up..... which I ask around 83 times a day
  • I now know why my teachers drank so much tea and coffee.

On a serious note though, it’s hard work. I look at all those people with no children and just wonder how lovely it must be to just not know which Netflix series to start next, or how many home work outs you can fit into your lunch hour. I get even less time to watch anything as I used to do the majority of that on my commute, which has now been cut down to 20 seconds. But then on the other hand, my house is full but my heart is even fuller. I don’t get a chance to feel lonely as every 5 minutes I get the biggest hugs and kisses from the kids. 

Trying to manage working, trying to teach them, keeping them engaged, feeding them and running the house is exhausting. Even the normal day to day mess is so time consuming, I have had a cleaner for 8 years now so I’m not used to doing the bigger cleaning tasks on top of that too. I don’t often feed them 3 times a day either, so coming up with ideas on what to make that we have the ingredients for, is healthy and balanced and that they will eat is another decision to add to my list. I’m not the type of person who likes complaining but so many of us are facing the same situation and it’s ok to say this is bloody hard work. It’s not as hard as some of our doctors and nurses are working, and would not change this position for anything else but it’s not easy. The days are long, but they are full, precious and filled with beautiful everyday moments.

So what have we been doing to keep ourselves entertained:

School learning
👦 school send daily videos with phonics, literacy, maths and other activities daily. We try to do them, some days we don’t have guess what nothing happens. I try to focus mainly on the phonics and maths side for now. I find earlier in the day works better before his attention has run out and he is just full of energy. He loves doing more practical stuff and is just so keen to learn. I know some people are against parents teaching their kids but he genuinely is always asking for the next learning task.

Nursery learning
👧 started her online learning this week with activity packs and several zoom classes, she loved seeing her teachers and friends. But in terms of her learning, she is developing so much just watching her brother and us. She does the same activities he does, just at a slightly easier level. She loves helping in the kitchen with cooking, mixing and chopping and going outside in the garden. I often find her talking away to her dolls trying to teach them too.

Husband's learning
Definitely the stricter parent and a lot more old school in his approach, but he has been great with ðŸ‘¦ and building on the basics of numbers and letters. The white board was all the husbands idea.
We don’t have a set time table for us or the kids as both our work days are quite fluid and we just try to step in and out of both roles as parents and employees as and when we can.

My learning

Apart from actually just struggling to find the physical time in the day, I’ve really enjoyed teaching and watching the kids learn and relearn. 
Some of my favourite activity so far have been:

  • Washing baby dolls and toys 
  • Cosmic Yoga
  • Daily reading time in our loft 
  • Themed days 
  • Musical jams
  • Scavenger hunt 
For more details on these activities check out the post on Theme Days
Free time

A great believer in letting them get bored, and sometimes we have no choice when we both get pulled into work. But they have an entire house full of toys and fun, leave them for long enough and they always find something to do.

We are also lucky enough to have a garden so they love running outside for a play, I think the alone time is good for both us and them. They aren’t used to be around us all day either and get to have some of their independence back, so I tend to leave them to it when they are outside. Until they come knocking at the door for a cake normally 3 minutes later.

Screen time

Most of ðŸ‘¦ work is all provided online, great for the environment, also a lot of his work involves watching educational you tube videos before starting a task. The phonics videos on alpha blocks are great as I never think I get the sound right so they are not having a screen free time. But I do think for my kids you tube is a bit like a drug, if they don’t have it they are fine and happily play with everything else. But once they watch one video that’s it they are trapped in this strange world and will literally sit there for hours, which is what I don’t want. I would rather than watched a movie or tv show online which often have a hidden message. So yes they have had screen time, because sometimes we need them too and also at the end of a long day we as adults like to unwind with tv so it’s fair they get to too. However we do try to draw the line before addiction kicks in.


Magical time 
The most magical part of all this is watching their bond grow. The last week ðŸ‘§ has only wanted her brother to get her ready in the mornings, the past two days they have both been obsessed with two tiger cuddly toys that they take all over with each other. They disappear to tell secrets and eat chocolates and cakes together, they always got on really well but now they are becoming so close. Even the fighting often gets resolved between themselves, with only a few issues needing adult intervention. 

We’ve enjoyed family walks together and I cannot wait for some sunshine this weekend and nowhere to be but with my favourite peeps. Just wish a few more of my favourite peeps could come too....

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