Home education over the school holidays has felt a bit weird really. With their brother home the boys have seemed to do academic work much easier without fighting it – but I guess there’s also the fact that because it is the teen’s holidays the boys have also been allowed to play computer games more. It has been a real mix of learning with post it notes stuck around the house, Explore sessions, paid for programmes/apps, mixed in with board games, bike rides, watching films, going to festivals and playing with friends.
Summer Holidays Festivals
We have been very fortunate to attend a lot of festivals over the summer and still have The Big Feastival as a family. We started with Camp Bestival before heading to Country File Live and the CBBC Summer Social. I loved how it was apparent that the boys were still learning at these events – including picking up new words for their vocabulary (such as decant and condemn!).
Summer Holidays Education
I think the learning has got a lot more academic over the holidays. It has been a lot more sit down and work than during term time. We have used new apps, programmes on the computer, workbooks and Explore Learning Sessions and workshops. The clock seems to be ticking away now until the 11+ and so it feels more that we need to try to focus rather than our usual free range education. Our 10-year-old has been doing more than his word of the day every day now – and is happy to work. This has had the knock on effect that it’s been easier to get the teen to do academic stuff – as he has his GCSEs this coming year. Of course we are also trying to fit in family game nights which may help educationally too.
Summer holidays relaxing
Of course there’s been a lot more relaxing over the summer holidays – with a lot more computer playing (to the point where we had to limit Fortnite because of the behaviour of some of the kids on there). We met up with friends, had picnics and even had birthday parties (including our teen having a birthday). Of course there were also times spent with the rest of our family. Of course we have also seen people at Parkrun and whilst on our bike rides. Not to mention eating out and my Friday nights with friends. The 10-year-old has gone out to play with his friends a lot more and I feel puberty is really kicking in – or the start of it. We have finally let him use What’s App and I can already see the trouble it can cause – but as he hasn’t done anything wrong with it then we feel it is a good way to keep in touch with his school friends (those left there as more children are pulling out to be home educated, at least until they can find somewhere else!). Of course there’s been lots of playing (board games, toys etc) and watching films.
Peter Rabbit out on DVD
The youngest has watched this film at least five times already and my husband is still laughing at the comments about Peter’s cousin’s clothes being a bit “matchy matchy” – as they are all brown (and that his nipples were actually mistaken for buttons!
The Rest of the Summer Holidays
The summer holidays are flying by and the 11+ grammar school entrance exam will soon be here. All our weekends are full and the weekdays are filling up too. People are already planning things when others are back at school and it won’t be long until I am in Spain with my friend to celebrate our 40th birthdays.
How are the summer holidays going for you?