CORONAVIRUS - What will I do at home for two weeks?!?!? (...and then some!)

So, I thought I'd start up the blog again just to collate information.
Another crisis, another lock down with blogging time!

For parents and carers, there is a big worry about how to pass the time.  To be honest, especially for the younger members of the family, the key word is PLAY. Let them discover new things through observation:

One home learning mum has written this and it's amazing!

 It will de-stress a lot of worried parents.

• Watch the clouds pass by, what shape are they? Can you draw them?
• Can you hear the birds? Count them, learn their names, feed them and observe their behaviour.
• Plant some seeds, watch them grow. KALE, SPINACH, JAPANESE TURNIP, LETTUCE & RADISHES all grow in about 8 weeks or even less. 
• Or grow some sprouts - all you need are kitchen towels and seeds.
• Remember some vegetables are 'cut & grown again' like celery or lettuce or fennel. Put the base of the vegetable in water after you have eaten them and watch the roots grow

• Also on offer are FREE Twinkl resources for a month. If you have never used this it is a fantastic hub for resources for teachers & parents alike.

Basically the free code is CVDTWINKLHELPS

Go to www.twinkl.co.uk/offer and then enter the code. If you're unsure, there is a video link through their Facebook page on how to do it.
One home learning mum has written this and it's amazing! It will de-stress a lot of worried parents.

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And below are just some screenshots I found along the way. As you will see, the activities do not need to be taxing. Follow your child's lead and mould the learning into what they want to do.

• Outdoor Learning Made Easy are also offering free resources for parents. https://www.outdoorlearningmadeeasy.co.uk/outdoor-learning-made-easy-news/free-parent-member-resources-to-help-ease-stress-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/?fbclid=IwAR0beZ61G52p9Z86cgRfVC-aA8wDdNNwOER2VCo-o3HBlXHotd92IvqpIJA

• AND this guy has a great page on Facebook - 'Forest School in the Home & Garden' as well as a YouTube channel that he is developing. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZCIRyP2eX56UaUCL8vISQ?fbclid=IwAR1ca9bieCGdUEjFoupRkMpEjf2X3cJHxxBoGif3hWjl2Mi2I0IQuYA3FJE&app=desktop

• I saw a great activity this morning - cut out one pair of hands and one pair of feet X as many as you want. Line them up , so row 1 could be left hand, left foot, right hand, right foot and then change it for the next row and the next row . Make it as long as you like and stick them to the ground. It's a challenge to follow as you try and go faster and faster !  (if anyone tries this send me a pic to share!)

• Virtual Museum tours - This one is for all ages!! https://www.southernliving.com/syndication/museums-with-virtual-tours?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=southernliving_southernliving&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=1878E92E-6542-11EA-AAAC-CF782FEB5590&fbclid=IwAR04uimZxgM_ojb3Zj5VHGw6fw7fE3YKHxFeXb2f2Zt7PZt6QJQkWNOYV2o

• More outdoor learning ideas - One month free membership - https://themuddypuddleteacher.co.uk/muddy-subscriptions/?fbclid=IwAR1c05__fj-vuukCze94VA0PG4sEaEetC_NgJ29wGHVI9rEfhgoJzpSZGgc

• Scholastic has HEAPS of ideas too and for free - https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html

• Three reception teachers got together to create THIS - it's brill: (Well done Stephanie Barry, Annie Belcher & Cristina Ristano)  

• And one month free subscription HERE to more outdoor learning methods and resources- https://themuddypuddleteacher.co.uk

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/news/national-trust-free-coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR2tlFLeFkJLticGnRsnlBUHgM3Wy59IeHrdGK7JxSJ2NTdHX9XvUO9EfeE

• And this is superb - a link to a page with SOOOOO many more links for you! Museums,activities, languages .. https://chatterpack.net/blogs/blog/list-of-online-resources-for-anyone-who-is-isolated-at-home

• One of my personal favourite activities is SALT DOUGH!!! You can make virtually ANYTHING!!1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup water. Leave it to dry (1-2 days, or bake it -  I personally like to wait for it to dry itself. Paint it et voila! I have made beads before and then made loads of necklaces. And I have even made a MAP using the salt dough to learn about topology. The options are endless.

• And my own favourite activities which you could easily make indoors with things brought back from your daily walks 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14kFDI6S7_lzMbw-9u8OqJixd9WFIfyG8/view?usp=sharing

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• For the ADULTS - use this time to read those books, do some yoga & MEDITATE - This period can wreak havoc on our minds, so please take good care of yourselves (I recommend Yoga with Adriene on YouTube) https://yogawithadriene.com

• My friend has a meditation ready for you here especially for your health and protection- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i2aK8hMDiA&t=4s 

• Get on Skype/whatsapp and catch up with old friends. Check in on your folks and elders (via phone etc.)

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Remember, BE KIND, BE POSITIVE and BE SAFE 

Culture Shocking August 2010

So, we have returned to the UK for the first time together and perhaps it is because of this that we can notice the difference between our home country and Japan, where we have been for a combined total of 8 years.

Walking around Brighton, where we are staying for one of the 3 weeks (4 weeks for Ian) we are back for, we have noticed a grimey madness that we cannot believe we were ever part of. It's not just Brighton. London, what little we little we saw of it, had the very same effect on us. The streets were dirty with rubbish from the passers by, or even children allowed to callously, carelessly throw wrappers to the ground. Smokers seemed to walk past us at each turn. How was this so? What happened to the ban? Did it not make people more aware? Apparently no.

In Japan, the one country where smoking will more than likely always be the national pastime it seems, the streets seem so much fresher, even if the local oyaji (old man)next to you has just sparked up.

It is even in the appearance too. Somehow the air is fresher over there? People look so tired and worn out here in UK. Is it the sushi? Perhaps England needs some mountains to enhance its green but perhaps not green enough landscape and freshen the air.

What is this rant that I have taken on board? Have we become too Japanified for our own good? Why do we suddenly feel so disconnected from our roots?
Living away from 'home' for so long has meant that we have seen many different ways of life. and life in Japan has been an amazing experience that doesn't need to end just yet.

We came back to England still feeling some sort of obligation to move back to UK at some point soon to 'settle'. Being from the UK, surely this is where we should come back to to have a house, to have a family life and to grow old.

But, being here in UK together, we can start to see exactly what we have in Japan and what we need to make our lives even more settled. We already have a loving household. We just bought a dog, we already have hamsters too! One day, we will have children and we are coming to realise that Japan is an amazing place to bring up young kids.

Just take a look around at some of the delinquents in the streets of UK and you can see why we would not want to come home to have children.

For now, the life we have over there, miles away from where we were born, is good. It's better than good. It's an isolated little bubble in which we work, we play and we enjoy on our own time.
The UK has lost its magic, if indeed it held any for us, and while we are here, we are not on our own time.

This of course will change the moment we buy a house here. But that leads us to another 20 stories......soon enough!