As we move into the Easter holidays this mum looks back on the last 3 weeks of “homeschooling” or “home learning” or whatever it is.

Week 1, Day 1:

9am: Started off the day with Joe Wicks. What a lovely opener to our home school adventure.

9.30am: Then we went straight into some work on fractions. The 6YO was engrossed in his workbook while I did cutting fruit into halves with the 3YO. A jolly good lesson I must say.

10.30am: Playtime. Out in the garden enjoying some semi-decent weather for once.

11.00am: On to YouTube for Maddie Moate and Greg Foot giving us a live science lesson. We all learnt a lot. Well not the 3YO…he was more interested in riding his little car back and forth across the lounge.

11.30am: Art and Craft. We did some colouring in of posters for the NHS and key workers and stuck them in the windows.

12.30pm: Lunch. Really? Only lunchtime so far? OK…a healthy sandwich and salad combo then.

1.30pm: Back in the garden. Mummy has her feet up though. I think Joe Wicks might have been a tad optimistic about my prior achievements in the sporting arena.

3pm: Children squabbling about toys. Decide school is over for the day.

Week 1, Day 2:

9am: Joe Wicks.

9.15am: No Joe. That’s not happening. I am not jumping at the ceiling.

9.30am: Thanks Joe. Yes I have indeed felt muscles I didn’t know existed. I would love to not be aware of them again thanks very much. Going to have a little lie down on the sofa and let the children have some creative Lego play to help with their fine motor skills.

11am: I appear to have dozed off for a bit. At least the children were doing OK on their own for a while. Good social and emotional learning. Perfect for getting the 3YO “school-ready.” Excellent parenting. Don’t want to be in their space all the time. Time to watch Maddie and Greg for our education bit.

12pm: Lunch! Salad and some rice. Crisps for dessert.

12.30pm: Well I figure “proper” lessons don’t usually happen all day even at school. All that queueing up and walking down corridors. Maybe some TV will help to give them new skills. Will put CBeebies on for a while. They both love Bitz and Bob and it really does give good ideas. A future career in engineering perhaps. Cannot get that at school til A level I bet. Streaks ahead.

Week 1, Day 3:

9am: Time for some Zumba Kids. More my level than Joe Wicks. My legs are still hurting after Monday. Bit of jumping around to Minions tunes. Much better.

9.30am: Time to practice handwriting. Starting with a thank you letter to Grandad for the chocolate he dropped off yesterday. Much moaning and crying from 6YO trying to get him to lift the pen. I don’t blame him really. I can barely move after Joe Wicks either.

10.30am: Playtime. The letter is almost done. Just the Thank You part to write and signing off. But he wrote “Dear Grandad” really well so I am taking that as a win.

11am: Time for Maddie and Greg to do the teaching for me. I’ll just play on my iPad a bit while they do that. I am working from home you see. Yes I need Facebook for work. It’s…research.

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Week ???, Day ???

9am: Still asleep. Daddy is still doing Joe Wicks in the morning so it’s best if I leave him to that as it sounds pretty full on.

9.30am: Zumba Kids time. I don’t think I have to do it with the children anymore. Gives them more space in our little lounge. Helping them really stretch. They need it.

10am: Playtime. Well we did have that discussion about how much the toys cost that I cannot order from Argos because it isn’t an essential item. I think that was a good maths lesson in what we can and cannot afford.

3pm: School over. I think they learnt a lot in the garden. Especially nature sounds with all those birds chirping. And sorting out their own arguments is really helping them to grow as people. I think the teachers are going to be delighted with how much they have evolved and matured under my careful gaze.

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Dear Teachers,

Thank you. Thank you for doing this every day with 30 children and not even having a sofa in the classroom. I don’t know how you do it. I will bring a very big basket of chocolate in on their first day back. It still will not make up for the time you put in but I hope it will help.

We have always appreciated you. But now so even more. You are superheroes.

Please be waiting for us when this is all over. We love having our children around. Really.

But sharing is caring, isn’t it? Therefore we will hand them back again when you tell us it is safe to do so.

Stay safe. We miss you.

Signed
All Parents

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