{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"Home educator and parenting blogger @tigerlillyquinn takes part in our #RaceRoundTheWorld and shares some top tips to keep young people\u2019s imaginations whirring at home","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12223/2020-06-26-101246-1.jpg","width":4032,"height":3024,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen I heard about how many Scouts groups have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, I wanted to see if we could help at all.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI knew what a great resource Scouts is: providing opportunities for children to learn and grow and try fun new things.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI knew how many young people rely and depend on these groups, especially in vulnerable areas.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd, as a home educator, I\u2019d been meaning to sign my own children up for \u003Ca href=\u0022/beavers/\u0022 title=\u0022Beavers\u0022\u003EBeavers\u003C/a\u003E and \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022/cubs/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Cubs\u0022\u003ECubs\u003C/a\u003E for a while.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETaking part in #RaceRoundTheWorld \u2013 a sponsored race to raise money for Scout groups at risk of closing in the wake of the pandemic \u2013 was a no brainer. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EAs a family, we had a look at the website and decided that, instead of physically completing our sponsored \u2018mile or more\u2019 in our local area, we\u2019d take a look at a few of the alternative challenges on offer and incorporate them into our day.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12232/fritha-xvii-27.jpg","width":2048,"height":1365,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EEach activity takes 5-25 minutes to complete and builds on a different skillset \u2013 including creativity, cooking, teamwork, movement, motor skills and logic.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd each is tailored to suit children and teens aged 6-16, making them ideal to slot in amongst home-schooling or playtime, while also counting towards your sponsored \u2018mile\u2019 (or direct donation) to raise money for Scout groups in need.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor us, learning about different cultures, countries and customs seemed like a great way to brighten up a rainy December day, so we dived right in to some of the international-themed activities for Beavers and Cubs. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EWhilst we\u2019re new to home education \u2013 having made the decision this year \u2013 I thought it might be fun to share some of the things we tend to do during our typical week. Even if you\u2019re not a home educator, I hope these techniques can still help spark some ideas, whether you apply them to your home or Scout life.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12224/2020-07-01-020306-1.jpg","width":3024,"height":3024,"altText":"Fritha Quinn","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKeep some sort of structure \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne thing that has really helped us is keeping some sort of structure.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe start our learning at roughly the same time each day, starting the week with more \u2018sit down learning\u2019 activities, which we typically do for an hour in the morning before we move on with exploring whatever topic has sparked interest.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETowards the end of the week, we might focus more on getting outside for the day or curling up with a book.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBut be a little flexible, too \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019re still dipping our toes into different learning styles until we find one that fits best, but I\u2019d say we lean towards a mix of classical home schooling and what\u2019s often known as \u2018unschooling\u2019, where we try to be a little flexible and spontaneous in our learning, listening to our instincts and seeing where our interests take us that day.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe latter was definitely an approach that helped us adapt and cope during those initial months of staying at home in lockdown.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERemember: learning doesn\u2019t always look like learning\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPlaying with Lego is learning. Playing with the mud in the garden is learning. Reading a book is learning. And getting bored can be a great catalyst to kickstart the imagination!\u00A0\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EChildren are individual and it\u2019s important to let them explore and nurture their interests. What one child excels in and is passionate about can be completely different from what another enjoys.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhilst I fully encourage supporting them in areas they may struggle with, I try to remember it\u2019s okay to put those to rest for a while, until they feel ready.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u00A0\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12228/2020-04-12-031953-1-1.jpg","width":4032,"height":3024,"altText":"Fritha Quinn Outdoor Activity","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERemember this is a learning process for grown-ups, too \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t have all the answers.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou\u0027re not a teacher: you\u0027re a facilitator of learning.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI love discovering things and re-learning them along with my kids. Often, they\u2019ll pick up information and excitedly tell me about it. I\u2019m learning more now in my thirties than I\u2019ve ever done before!\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETake each day at a time\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKnowing when to encourage my children and when to lean back is a skill I\u2019m trying to hone, but I always try to remember that learning should be fun.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn our house, we tend to take things as they come and can usually judge pretty well if we need to spend that day learning through board games that day opposed to practising grammar.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBoth have a time and a place, and both are just as important. \u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003EFor the most part I would say if you are thinking about home schooling, are isolating from school due to the pandemic or just want some more ideas to keep the kids busy, go easy on yourself.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKnow you are doing a brilliant job and don\u2019t put too much pressure on yourself. \u003Cbr /\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003EAnd, on that note, we\u2019re off to spend half an hour colouring in flags of the world and designing a new Scouts uniform!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12229/2020-12-03-034613638-1.jpg","width":4032,"height":3024,"altText":"Fritha Quinn Scouts Uniform","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EI really recommend taking part in the race. Even if your children aren\u2019t in Scouts yet, they can still join in with the activities and either do a sponsored race (by 11 Dec) or make a token donation, if you\u0027re able.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are so many ideas and activities to give you tonnes of ideas which you can incorporate into home learning and play: sparking their imagination while raising money to support young people just like them. We had a lot of fun.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"09 December 2020","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48615,"nodeName":"How to keep kids entertained (and educated) at home, with Fritha Quinn","title":"How to keep kids entertained (and educated) at home, with Fritha Quinn","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/12223/2020-06-26-101246-1.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd147511d0","caption":"Fritha Quinn Blog 2","type":"jpg","size":4922038,"width":4032,"height":3024,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"How to keep kids entertained (and educated) at home, with Fritha Quinn","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Home educator and parenting blogger Fritha Quinn shares some top tips to keep young people entertained.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODYxNSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2020/december/how-to-keep-kids-entertained-and-educated-at-home-with-fritha-quinn/"}