Hungry for learning

 


'I'm not hungry for food Mummy, I'm hungry for learning'.

This was uttered by my six year old as she laid curled up in my lap under a blanket. 

Rewind six weeks previous and she had enjoyed a lovely week full of exciting social events, the likes she had not experienced since before the pandemic. 

The children had visited local playgrounds, soft plays, trampoline bounce parks, arcades and the beach, rebounding with family and making new friends with the children from the local area. They had an amazing week. 

This was to result in five weeks of severe illness for all the children and I did not feel brilliant either, thus Sophia lying in my arms as she was at this moment. 

She was left incredibly tired by this illness, which continually tested negative for covid, despite having all of the current symptoms. Nevertheless she was still keen to work. 

She had been watching YouTube food channels with her Dad, learning about cuts of meat, cooking techniques and grades of wagyu. They had also commenced a Japanese anime season together. 

Her timetable altered during this time. Traditionally she wakes by 6am, however she had been forced to lie in till mid morning due to the tiring nature of the illness, thus the school schedule was in disarray as usually learning takes place in the morning until midday. 

To compensate, Sophia chose to study for a couple of hours every evening before bedtime instead, working one to one with me. 

She only had the concentration and energy to focus on a couple of pages per workbook before she needed to move on to a fresh topic.

She also could not concentrate on heavy reading such as her current reading scheme, so she chose easier, familiar favourites to read to me when we were chilling on the sofa. She was writing out a page of handwriting practice as well, and she was consistent in this workload during her illness and recovery. 

The beauty of home ed was that I could be flexible to her needs. She has now reverted back to her previous routine now she has recovered. 



 




 



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