Learning From Home the Untraditional Way

Parents around the world are all currently feeling a sudden appreciation for teachers.

Asking that all important question, just how do they manage to get through each day without turning to drink?

With most children being asked to continue their learning at home, the word homeschool is now doing the rounds all across the internet and I bet top searches after the coronavirus are all geared towards what activities can be done with children to help them with their learning.

There are differing opinions right now as to whether you should be following a structured day using the curriculum provided from your child's school or perhaps taking a more relaxed approach, allowing kids time to adjust to their new way of life.

Now I'm not a homeschooler, I do however work at a school and I am also a parent so I can see things from both sides.

And in my opinion I don't think any option is wrong.

I believe that you know your child and you'll know best how to approach the idea of learning from home.

For my girls, I've taken the more structured approach but instead of doing all work set by their lovely teachers, I am also mixing in things that they wouldn't get the chance to do at school which include various art tutorials.

So I thought it might be helpful if I shared some of my findings in a post so that all links were in one place rather than you having to trawl through various links to find new and exciting activities to try with your children.

Keeping active

There have been four things that we have had a lot of fun joining in with, keeping us fit and active whilst boosting positivity and they are:

P.E. with Joe Wicks

I love a HIIT workout so its been a bonus being able to continue my own exercise whilst having the kids joining in too. Going live on Youtube 9am Mon - Fri, this man is doing a fantastic job of keeping the nation moving.

Dance with Oti Mabuse

Going live at 11.30am Mon-Fri on both her Facebook and Youtube accounts. Great for strictly fans, and with various daily themes, this puts the fun into exercise.

Cosmic Kids Yoga

A more relaxed approach to exercise but no less fun. Cosmic Kids Yoga is great for the whole family.

Just Dance

If you don't have a computer console you can look up all of the Just Dance songs on Youtube. Believe me you will come away sweating every time.

Getting Creative

My kids have always loved getting creative. Whether that is through drawing, writing or simply making things out of random materials around the house. Some of the best things I've found for this have been via Twitter.

Rob Biddulph

This was the first one I found. Putting up different draw along videos on a Tuesday and a Thursday. These are perfect for any budding artist. Make sure to share via social media with the tag #DrawWithRob

Here's one my seven year old made earlier:

Afternoon @RobBiddulph catching up on this weeks #DrawWithRob with the 7 year old 💕 pic.twitter.com/3VwJWRgSwq

— Chantelle Hazelden (@MamaMummyMum) March 26, 2020

Making Phonics Fun

Reading is something that everyone should be able to do but in order to learn such an important life skill children must begin with the basics which these days means phonics. Teaching the letter sounds, blending etc can be time consuming and with lots of repetitive lessons it can also turn into something rather boring and dull. Not every child will have the same enthusiasm for books and this is why we need to make the subject of phonics more fun!!

It isn't down to any one person to instil this enthusiasm, teachers and parents should be working together to tailor learning sessions to each and every child involved.

My youngest is currently in year one at school and is due to take her phonics test this month which is what gave me the idea of putting this post together. Having had three other children go through the same process I've managed to come up with a few different methods to keep the learning fresh and exciting as well as using the knowledge and resources that their teachers have provided us with over the years.

I've broken this post down into four sections to simplify what I think might just help:

Learning Resources Pretend & Play Post Office Review

As a parent I am keen for my children to learn new things and I find one way they begin to pick things up is through playing. By learning through play, the kids are having fun and a lot of the time don't even realise that they are being taught things because they are busy enjoying themselves.

Learning Resources are a company that produce a wide range of learning aids and toys for children aging from two right up to twelve. Catering for children, parents and schools, they manafacture many award winning toys that help build your child's skills through exploration, imagination and most of all fun.

This lovely company sent me their Pretend & Play Post Office set to review, of course my lovely children would be the ones doing all the testing.

This set costs £35.95, you may look at that price and think slightly expensive but I guarantee once you've read all of my review you will change your mind. I was surprised at how small the box was considering that inside there was over 150 pieces that help your children learn different skills, see what I mean, already you get a lot for what you pay!!

Included is an open and close sign, pen, lots of parcel boxes to make up, letters, envelopes and stamps, tax discs, postcards and money. It is like stepping into a real life post office, postman pat eat your heart out.

This set lets your child's imagination run wild whilst you fill their heads with knowledge. Your children can learn to add and subtract by paying for sending letters and parcels etc. You can help them with their writing as they can write letters and postcards, they can even write the date on the open and close sign. There is a clock so that you can encourage them to learn how to tell the time. As well as all of this your children can learn to play together, teaching them to share. The possibilities with this set are endless.

I love how once they have finished playing with it, all of the pieces fit into the "post office supplies" velcro pocket and it all folds in. There is a carry handle so that is easily transported too. 

I can't give you a true idea of this set without showing you my kids playing with it, so please take a look at the video below, it is only 5 minutes out of the hours they have played with it, however I think it shows just how lovely this set is.

I would recommend this set to any parent who has children who enjoy pretend play. The only thing I would like to see, is separate packs of letters, stamps etc to buy because my children went through these quite quickly. Overall this is lovely set that provides hours of fun, slightly different every time you play depending on what role you choose!!!

xxxx

Disclaimer : I was sent this play set free of charge for reviewing purposes however all thoughts and opinions are my own.