School’s In!

One parent wonders how maths could have changed in the last 20 years, while the other frantically Googles “Where were the Romans from?” Homeschooling is back, and many are pondering a simple question: who will teach the teachers? We’ll leave the curriculum up to the schools and the excellent new resources from the BBC, but here are a few ideas on how to make the most of the other extra time you now have with the kids. 

 

Learn Together

Now as both parent and teacher, you will be expected to know the answer to any question – you are the fount of all knowledge. If that sounds a little too daunting, perhaps choose to learn together, and choose subjects that you’re all into! There is a world of educational videos and apps online, covering everything from science and history, to music and language. We love Backyard Science and the NASA channel on YouTube, but there are many, many more. Don’t think of it as the kid’s learning from home – maybe it’s time for you to go back to school!

 

Get Crafty

Channel your inner Tony Hart, Neil Buchanan, or similarly beloved TV that this writer is now too old to recognise. Art will brighten up any home, and working on it together with your kids will give it a – ahem – rustic charm that can’t be bought from a store. Typo has craft kits that let all ages and abilities create wall-worthy artwork, while Flying Tiger is giving away loads of colouring sheets and DIY templates from their website. Please ask permission from your significant other before getting out the glue gun.

 

Fitness 

Joe Wicks might have the P.E. class sorted, but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn exercise into a family activity. Kids will miss the social side of sport and keeping fit, with activities like football, dance, swimming and hiking all sadly on pause. Now is the time to form your own team, Team Family! Show them your best yoga, HIIT, and Zumba moves, with online classes available from Frame throughout lockdown. Get everyone in on the act, with even the smallest children proving useful as additional resistance during weights sessions.

 

Cooking

Instil in your children a lifelong love of food, or put yourself off pasta for the rest of time. There’s no more traditional and wholesome family bonding activity than cooking, though there’s plenty of ammunition for a fight should a foodie falling-out occur. Keep the harmony, and give them a head start in the home economics classes by discussing nutrition, balanced diets, and diverse food from around the world. Try everything and find out their favourites – you might have the next Junior Masterchef on your hands.