Mum’s tips for lesson planning

As schools across the county have now closed to most pupils, some parents are now homeschooling their children.

Last week the Prime Minister announced all schools would shut “until further notice” as part of the government’s plan to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Some have remained open to provide childcare for key workers unable to take time off.

But, for one mum, homeschooling is already part of her everyday routine.

Catherine Halliday, 31, has been home-educating her fiveyear-old son Maxwell for almost two years.

She says the best advice she can give other parents is to be organised.

“As long as you have access to the internet you can do it.

“If you’re prepared, it doesn’t really matter how academic you are.

“My biggest tip would be don’t go overboard with the workbooks because there is plenty of stuff online.

“There are a lot of homeschooling websites which have codes you can use where you can access resources for free.

“There’s a website called Twinkl where you can get lots of different worksheets, some with characters on them.

“My little boy is massively into Iron Man so I download the customised worksheets, which makes learning a lot more interesting for him.

“At the moment there’s a free code which is Uktwinklhelps.”

Catherine has three children but only homeschools Maxwell.

Alfie, Maxwell’s twin brother, and older sister Tiffany, eight, are both at St Edward’s Catholic Primary School in New Road, Sheerness.

The two have numerous disabilities but are able to be in school with additional support.

Maxwell went to school for a year but Catherine soon decided homeschooling was the best option for him.

From Monday, Catherine started homeschooling all three.

“Max and Alfie are twins so are on the same level academically which makes it a bit easier.

“My daughter Tiffany loves learning so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a routine for her.”

The mum-of-three, from Alma Road, Sheerness, says any parent thinking of teaching from home should take it slow and have plenty of breaks.

“Don’t expect masses of work in the first week. We tend to do about half an hour to an hour of learning, and then have a 15 minute break.

“Mix it up a lot, don’t stay on the same thing for too long.”

Catherine also runs a Facebook group called Home School Kent where she shares her experience with other parents across the county who also home educate.

“On there you can find different advice depending on your child’s age and I try to use the group to share things I come across that other parents might find useful.

“When I first started homeschooling, I spent a lot of time searching for resources.

“I found there were a lot of American pages online but not so much locally. I spent hours trawling through the internet for advice that would work for us.

“Then I bought pack of paper, some pens and pencils and got started with the basics.”

And her best advice?

“A laminator is one of the best things I have ever bought because it means we can use things again and again, like handwriting practice sheets.

“And kids love stickers so stock up with plenty of them.”

Above, Catherine Halliday and son, Maxwell. She prints activities with her son’s favourite characters on to keep him interested in lessons