So we’ve been doing this learning at home thing for a long time now, and the self isolation hasn’t changed a lot of how we do it…
For those who are trying to find their way outside of school, there are lots of resources being shared online at the moment, and there’s always documentaries and kids’ shows on TV (check out ABC or SBS).
I just thought I’d share a few shows we’ve watched, or are still watching, that you may not have thought of 🙂
For English and maths, there’s “Letters and Numbers” on SBS. It’s probably better for older children, but have a look. It’s a game show with sections on making words from random selections of letters, and sections on using a selection of numbers to come up with an equation to get to, or nearest to, a randomly generated number. These are timed, but we pause to give us a chance to think about it more.
For more maths you can watch Bargain Hunt, at the moment on 7Plus Catch Up. This has two teams competing to buy three items with £300 and make the biggest profit. They have an expert with them, who chooses another item, which they can choose after the initial items are auctioned. I enjoy watching it because you get to see a range of antiques and collectables, and hear about them – after a while you start to understand different time periods, such as Art Deco, Victorian, Georgian… The auctioneer for the day will then appraise each piece and its possible sale price at auction.
For the maths –
– add the purchase prices for each item, then subtract from £300 to see what the expert’s left with.
– compare with auctioneer’s estimate.
– work out profit or loss as each item is auctioned.
“Antiques Roadshow” is another favourite, although there’s not as much opportunity to use maths skills – it’s more for learning about antiques and different time periods. Some episodes have valuations in both British pounds and Australian dollars, so it can be a way to talk about exchange rates and try to convert pounds to dollars.
At the moment you can find it on 9now or ABC iview.
For music history (and just plain fun!) we watch “Spicks and Specks”, a game show where two teams compete to answer questions about a wide range of music genres and eras. Some of the humour can be adult, so check it out beforehand if that might be a problem for you… we watch it with Sweet Bean and talk about it all. I get to reminisce about all the great songs and bands of my childhood! It’s amazing how much Sweet Bean has learned – he went from knowing practically nothing to having a fairly wide knowledge of all different types of music 🙂
There’s not a lot on ABC iview, but at the moment it’s on every night on ABC2, at 7.30.
What else?
We always love “Time Team” for history and archaeology, although it’s UK centred. I don’t think it’s on TV at the moment, but there’s a YouTube channel.
We’ve also been watching “Science of Stupid” – particularly good if you want to learn physics and like blooper type shows… At the moment on 9now, or it’s on YouTube.
These are just some of the things we’ve come across over the years, and we learn a lot from them. But – above all – we watch them because they’re FUN! If you’re tearing your hair out because you don’t know what to do, and everything’s topsy-turvy, it’s OK to just stop. Just for a bit.
Spend time together.
Just have fun ❤
1000 Fields of Roses 