Starting high school... one term in!

There are hundreds of blog posts about preparing your child for the transition from primary school to high school... I even wrote one too! There's so much advice out there and, of course, every child is different.

So, I hope by reading this 'starting Year 7 plus one term' post will help your family as they go through this in 2016 and will continue to help us as a family! I'll be honest with you as well, so that you may feel a little more 'normal' than you think you are!

1. There will be tears... yours and theirs! Try to teach your child when to keep the tears in and when to let them out! (This goes for you too, Year 7 Mum!)
2. Homework will probably be a shock - our primary school does issue homework, but quite haphazardly to be honest. Our high school homework is issued through the week and it all (on average 4 pieces for Year 7) is due in on the following Monday. Doing it as it gets set is easier then leaving it all until Sunday... and you get weekends free to have 'homework-free' fun!
3. Weedle out the 'sick' days. Unless there's evidently a sickness/diarrhoea bug, high temperature or other obvious reason to show they are ill, we've encouraged our child to go to school. This may seem harsh, but if high school is to prepare them for life, we need to learn to just 'get on with it'. A quick phone call to school after they have left will put your mind at rest so if they are ill during the day, school will know that maybe they aren't 100% and so will arrange to contact you to collect your (now) sick child!
4. Teach them to be organised. Get uniforms out and bags ready the night before - it saves time in the morning and so they can have that extra 5 minutes in bed, so long as their belongings are ready and waiting by the kitchen door! There's nothing worse than looking for one shoe when you really need to be out of the door 6 minutes ago!
5. Your child will learn that friends from primary school may suddenly turn into someone that they don't particularly like... even becoming increasingly negative towards them. (Your child will also do this, but not see it them self!) Teach them to make new friends - if there's someone sat on their own, encourage them to say 'hello'. They may also just have lost a friend and need a new one, just as much as your child,

And, there you go. Sounds easy? It will be in the end... good luck! 

Twinkl Education Resources Review - Filling a half term with fun!

For many of you, you have had your half term, but ours is still to come! My children finish school tomorrow for our week of recuperation after a hectic start to 2014. After a long school term, it's nice to take time out and have some fun... but how to keep the brain cells working?

We're spending the weekend visiting family, then back home for the remainder of the week, hopefully with some sunshine to boot!

Just in time for wet weather planning and indoor time, I was introduced to the website Twinkl. Twinkl is a comprehensive website with a wealth of information for anyone involved in primary education, worldwide! As you may (or may not!) know, my children are educated bi-lingually as we live in Wales, with the emphasis at school on the Welsh language. Supplementing their education at home is therefore important to us as a family, as well as having fun at the same time of course!

There are lots of free resources available but to get the full experience, it's easy to subscribe on either an individual basis or as a school.

Navigating the website is simple - resources are categorised by educational level and subject area, so you can either browse by age or subject.

I especially love the Resource Calendar; this is a really helpful tool in planning anything from full days, to shorter activities as time-fillers.

I've chosen some activities to try over the half term holiday and will update you as the week goes by. Here's what we have chosen to do!

Decision Maker Mat - where to go today?

Exploring our own home - what CAN you see?

Send ourselves to space! Making an astronaut friend.

Get science-y with some home experiments!

These are just a small selection of the resources available; have a browse yourself and take your pick!

You can stay in touch with the lovely people over at Twinkl via their social media channels; Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to name just three! With individual subscriptions started at just £24.95, it's a great way to boost your child's education by having thousands of resources literally at your fingertips! Not to mention progress and rewards charts, craft templates and display ideas and backgrounds. Enjoy exploring!

I have received a Platinum subscription to Twinkl for the purpose of review. Views my own.