01 May Home learning, schooling and working Part 1/3

Part 1

Back to school…well not really.  Easter has come and gone…much needed and we are back to home schooling, learning and working from home.

The Covid19 pandemic is proving to be an unprecedented event in our lives. It continues to cause disruption across the world. Business, communities, homes and everyday lives have been affected. The impact of which is being felt by all.

A lot has been happening across the board. We have been asked to live ‘new’ and ‘different’ lives. Social-distancing, isolation and other restrictions have led to a number of people being asked/ told to work from home and with schools close – parents are being asked to undertake ‘home learning’.

For some this is all very new.

There have been many articles, news, information and signposting on support for individuals and businesses. There have been some great contributions across a variety of platforms, in this piece I want to share with you how my partner and I along with our three boys, aged 8, 6 and 6 are coping with working from home and home learning.

Working from home and providing home learning (not to be confused with ‘home schooling’) all day has not been easy. Even as a fully pledged ‘househusband’, my house husbandry’ skills have been pushed to the limits. I’m used to being with the boys for long periods, the school-run, prep of tea, homework, play and then dinner. Having to multitask and split my focus has improved with time. This time is different. This time is proving to be more intense.

Home learning is can include almost anything, life experience- e.g. cooking- boiling water, ice freezing, melting, dissolving etc, chalk drawings on the patio, cycling/running/fitness etc, looking at nature- mini- beasts, flowers etc, night sky, shadows from the sun, forces- pushes and pulls. Loads of stuff really.

Whereas some would say home schooling is trying to do as much of the curriculum as you can- maths, literacy, reading etc homework or all the Purple Mash stuff from school. Mixing it up with Lego and board games, lots of art painting and stuff, sculptures, outdoor stuff where possible, e.g. the garden or on the pavement with twigs and leaves and stuff. There’s plenty more as well.

Hopefully, you found this interesting, this is what, my family and I have experienced, and what other parents might be experiencing too.  Parents remain the most influential people in a young person’s life and despite some finding it really difficult on occasions they continue to provide huge amounts of support both physically and emotionally. If you have any ideas or thoughts, feel free to contact me.  I’d more than happy to hear your points of view and see what we can share and bring to the attention of others as we all deal with trying circumstances and work towards coming out on the other side with positive change.

It’s good to talk.