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

Life Lately

Do you know what, life has flown by this year.

I can't even remember the last time I came on here simply to write a post of my own instead of reviews. In all honesty I think the last time I put any sort of life update on here was right at the beginning of the year when I started my new job.

Everything has been quite honestly, chaotic.

So where to begin?

Well my husband and I have just reached the milestone of fifteen years together as well as eleven years married to one another. It's hard to believe that I've been with Mr Hazelden for almost half of my life now!

Candylocks Collectable Dolls Review

My youngest two girls still love to play with dolls and are alway on the look out for new ones to add to their collection (especially ones that have an added bit of fashion and style.) As it happens, just last week we were kindly gifted a brand new kind of doll and now we're ready to show you.

Meet the newest collectable dolls, Candylocks from Spinmaster.

Who's in there with the cotton candy hair?

These oh so sweet-smelling collectible dolls have unbelievably soft hair and just as their name suggests, it looks just like cotton candy!

Some Days I Don't Want to Adult

I don't want to adult. I'm sure you've heard this phrase mentioned at least a couple of times in your life. I'm betting some of you will instead hear 'I don't want to be a grown up' when that saying is mentioned but that isn't what it means, well at least not for me.

When I was younger (enjoying my teenage rebellion years) I couldn't wait to make it to adulthood. The thought of more freedom, the chance to choose more things for myself was definitely an appealing one. 

The trouble with what I was thinking back then, it wasn't all very realistic. 

I have been putting a lot of thought into it and I just don't think being an adult is going to work for me.

It missed out all the things like having to pay bills, for fixing anything broken, having to make hard decisions and being put in unwanted situations.

Time to Juggle

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about the idea that you have to juggle all the things in your life and the struggle to keep that act going. Since then I think I've managed to develop that skill quite well. 

During the past two years I have passed a course to become a teaching assistant, be a midday supervisor every lunch time and continue to volunteer daily at my children's primary school too. But I'll admit it's felt like I haven't had a moment to myself.

Fast forward to now and what can I say ... I'm quite simply tired.

I was lucky enough to gain a full time teaching assistant position in another school, something which I previously spoke about, asking could this be the year for me? However I'll admit that there's been a day or two where I've had a feeling of trying to stay afloat.

Don't get me wrong, I am truly enjoying my job but it's an adjustment going from being a volunteer able to pick and choose my hours to being in full time work, having to be places at certain times and jigging about previous commitments.

I always felt that I was an organised person but now even more so.

My day starts at 5.45am. Strong black coffee is in order as I begin my day. I make prepare the pack lunches, put a load of washing on and on certain days I also make sure I fit in a type of workout too. That may be weights, resistance or HIIT based.

Now this is also where I'm glad that I already meal plan as I can also get dinner started so that's one less job I have to contend with when I get home from work. Hooray for the slow cooker, this is an appliance that gets used a lot!

Something I'm missing is the school run.

Guinness World Records Challenges Review

I love a good board game and it has become a sort of tradition that I buy a new one each year for the family to enjoy at Christmas. This year I was saved the effort of buying one when I was asked if I'd like to review the new Guinness World Records Challenges board game. I of course jumped at the chance. My eldest daughter has always been fascinated with the books so I thought it would definitely be one for the whole family to enjoy together.

Do try this at home! Pick Your Challenge!

The idea of the game is to put each players knowledge about the Guinness World Records to the ultimate test as well as challenging opponents to try their best to demonstrate some record breaking skills and the best part is that it uses every day household items so it is fully accessible for anyone who chooses to play.

Stocking Up For Christmas with Wicked Uncle

As we near the second half of November, you can't deny that Christmas is coming. Now if you're like me, you'll already have most things bought and be rather organised for the occasion but I know I'm in the minority there. So if you the opposite and you've barely started and you are in need of some inspiration, I'm here to help, or rather Wicked Uncle is.

I was lucky enough to work with Wicked Uncle a couple of years ago and since then this is a company who have gone from strength to strength.They stock a wide range of toys that would be suitable for any occasion such including the all important Christmas. 

On their site you'll find everything is divided up into age and gender but they also make sure that you can search by interest too because we all know that girls and boys can play with whatever they like. And with new products added on a weekly basis in the run up to Christmas, there is something for everyone to be discovered.

Monopoly is Back Mario Kart Style

I used to love playing Monopoly when I was younger. Well if I'm being completely honest, I used to enjoy playing when was winning, I guess what people would tell you is that I used to be a bit of a sore loser but hey who doesn't like to win? My favourite character used to be the dog and what I do also recall is that this was the type of game that would go on for quite some time and if you wanted to come out victorious it was all about buying the most expensive properties.

Fast forward in time and Monopoly is still going strong with and there have been over 1300 different versions released at various times over the years and now they are back again with Monopoly Gamer Mario Kart. Now the race really is on, the question is who will reach the highest score first?

Time to choose your character, power up and complete races with Monopoly Gamer!

Sports Day, Days Out and People Coming Together #weeklyroundup

Another week has ended and for many of you the school holidays have well and truly begun. Not so much the case in this household. The eldest actually finishes at 1pm today, yay for her. My other three and myself don't break up until Thursday and it feels like a life time away, we're all in desperate need of a break now.

July always seems to be a busy month. So many school trips, sports days and various other events to remember and of course then there is the preparation for the youngest's birthday at the end of the month. I seem to be constantly on the go and all I want is to sit down and have a hot cuppa, not too much to ask is it?

But despite my usual moaning I'm going to start with something I read this week that has put things into perspective for me.

Read

Earlier in the week I read something so sad and I'm sure utterly devastating for some. A fellow blogger passed away on Monday leaving behind two sons and a lot of broken hearts. I never had the opportunity to meet the love Kate Sutton personally but I followed her on social media, joined in conversations with her and she always bought humour to any situation.

I just wanted to share a link to a Go Fund Me page which her eldest son set up in the hopes that some of my readers might take the time to donate something, anything to help. And if you knew her make sure you keep the tag #bemorewitwitwoo trending in her honour!

Thorpe Park Annual Pass Giveaway

Thorpe Park might be closed right now but that doesn't mean that there aren't some real bargains to be had right now. Their annual pass is on sale right now and what's great about that is you pay for a day and gain entry for the entire year!!

Why I Love Portable North Pole (and a reader discount)

Way back in 2013 I reviewed the Portable North Pole, back then I was creating free personalised videos and even then my kids were in awe, it just added that little bit more magic to Christmas. 

Portable North Pole 2017 lets you create highly personalised video messages delivered directly from Santa in just a few minutes on the web, smartphone or tablet. Watch your child's (or friends or other family members!!!!) smile light up the minute Santa greets them by name and shows their picture. PNP brings the magic of the North Pole Village to life and lets kids be kids a little bit longer as they see real-life Santa’s home, the magical reindeers, and the hustle and bustle of the elves.We want to work with you to showcase PNP and the joy it creates.

Tipping Point IDEAL Game Review

So for the past couple of weeks I have been sharing with you some reviews for board games that you could/should be buying this Christmas time. If you liked Telestrations, loved the look of Think Words Spin, then you are about to be impressed with my next offering, Tipping Point. Following on from the success of the TV programme, you can now play along at home with your own electronic version of the game.

Think Words Spin Board Game Review

Last week I shared with you my review of Telestrations, a great game from John Adams/IDEAL. This week is the turn of Think Words! The game that asks you to spin it, name it and take it!

A game aimed at anyone aged eight and over, it is what I would describe as a fast paced game that is nice and simple to play, making it the perfect game for all the family to play together.

Telestrations - John Adams - Board Game Review

I don't know about you guys but one of the things I love about Christmas (yes I said it) is the time spent with family and something we really enjoy doing together is playing a good board game, even though there is always someone complaining that there's a cheater amongst us and of course there is always the obligatory sore loser.

In aid of my love of board games over the next three weeks I will be showing you three board games from the wonderful people at John Adams and IDEAL (before you read on go and check out their Facebook page for more gaming fun). First up is a new favourite of mine, Telestations.

Must Haves For Christmas in the Hazelden Household

With only four more Fridays after this until Christmas I thought I'd share with you what my girls and I are considering must haves for Christmas. The toys they already have and are recommending to you and the ones that are on their lists in the hopes that Santa might be kind enough to pop them down our chimney.

So lets start off small. Think stocking fillers.

Here's one for the adults. I'm thinking retro with TOP TRUMPS, a classic game that I used to love playing as a child and it is definitely making a come-back. A great card game to play on Christmas afternoon as dinner settles.

And for the kids how about Hatchimals colleggtibles. The new Hatchimals surprise can be way out of budget for some people but the colleggtibles make a more affordable alternative.

Easy Peasy HomeMade Chocolate Scented Moon Sand

Ok so you've probably seen the craze for the slime that you can make at home, well I tried it and I'll be honest it was a disaster, not sure what I did wrong but all I can say is what a mess. So instead of trying again I decided to test out something less messy, and that was moon sand.

This easy peasy homemade moon sand, only takes 3 ingredients (well 2 if you leave out the cocoa) and honestly you can't go wrong when making it.

Step Into an Augmented Reality and Enter a Smurftastic Giveaway

Imagination is a powerful tool that we should encourage our children to use and with the release of Smurfs: The Lost Village we want you guys to step away from reality and make use of your imaginations by spotting some Smurfs in your own back garden. 

My girls were keen to join in with this activity. We were kindly sent a Smurf house, a set of instructions, some summoning tools to make and a guide on just how to spot those sneaky Smurfs, just where would they be hiding?

Pie Face Sky High Review

When Pie Face first came out it was a huge hit, not just in my house but everywhere, it was one of the must have games so when I was given the opportunity to review the latest edition, Pie Face Sky High, I knew my kids would be rather happy with me.

What is Pie Face Sky High?

The concept of the game is still the same, the aim is to get pie on your opponents face in order to score points but this time instead of turning a dial, this time you get to hit a target to see if you can actually pie your friend.

Dinner Time Treats at Frankie & Benny's

As a family we love eating out but being a family of six it can be quite an expense, especially when the children decide they want desserts as well as a main meal. Although I can't blame them because well I can't resist a good pudding either. So when you find somewhere that not only delivers delicious food but is good value for money, you end up becoming a frequent visitor and this is definitely the case for Frankie & Benny's.

We were recently invited to our local Frankie & Benny's restaurant to see what their new kids menu had to offer and I was more than happy to oblige because we've always enjoyed what they have to offer. Our nearest branch is one at Westwood Cross in Thanet and the staff there are wonderfully friendly and always brilliant with my girls, offering them colouring to keep them them entertained while they waited for their meals and balloons to take away when they finish eating. But what about the food I hear you cry.

On Tour With Tsum Tsum #TsumTsumTravels

It's the Summer holidays and even though we haven't actually gone abroad this year, the kids and I have been making the most of our time away from school and this year we've had a bit of company.