GCSE Summer 2020 - Thread 11 Carry on Corona Cohort - Starting New Terms and Settings

Glad to hear everyone is settling in ok, sorry to hear your DD is unwell Also, I hope she feels better soon, what a rough start.

DS has done a week now, he's "absolutely knackered, mate" but loving it. I can see a change in him already, he's more focused and more confident, just holding himself differently. Also surprisingly organised, asking for ring binders and dividers, whereas before all his books were in a huge heap and when it was time to revise, some of his notes were in such a state they were unusable. It's lovely to see

Thanks @Monkey2001 &. @crazycrofter

@Shimy I will ask DS to answer this when he had finished his piano practice. I think he has it within an hour of a work out which he does 3 times a week.

@shimy I think at the moment only once a day, plus a protein bar and lots of eggs and chicken breasts! It’s difficult to know what impact the diet has had versus the exercise. @Monkey2001 might be better informed? There’s loads of advice videos out there on YouTube too. When ds got his weights I was really dubious he’d stick to it but I think once they start seeing results it motivates them.

@crazycrofter We’ve just ordered it. I think after yrs of everyone pointing out how slim/skinny he is, something has finally shifted and he’s decided to do something about it. He just doesn’t love food, he just eats to survive. I’ve told him he’s got to stick to drinking it regularly or else he won’t see any difference. How often does your DS drink the whey (I know you meant ‘whey’) as in how many cups a day?

Whey protein not why!

@shimy ds had a big bag of why protein for his birthday! He puts it with fruit and milk in the smoothie maker. I noticed the other day that Home Bargains have a protein section now - I bought some pots of ready-porridge and they do protein bars and shakes too that don't break the bank. Ds has been doing weights and sit ups at home since before lockdown and the pull up bar/punch bag for the last month and his shoulders are looking very broad. Your ds will get there if he keeps at it.

Dd had a really good day today, she's managed to speak to all the boys who take her train now and she feels she's building a bit of a friendship group. It was nice to see her fully relaxed after school.

@KingscoteStaff love the question about the microwaves! These are the important things...

@KingscoteStaff That’s hilarious!

Thanks. I’ve heard of Pure but the milk shake version. What’s the frequency with which it needs to be taken? DS hasn’t used any powdered ones before.

We had a Zoom meet the tutor group last night. Gosh some people have tidy kitchens!

We then had a really good talk from Head teacher, Head of 6th Form, Head of Year 12, Head of Pastoral and Head of University applications. Any questions at the end? Apparently one of the 6th form common room microwaves isn't working...

My DS gets Pure from Amazon - www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SP3047S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8 and then other protein products from MyProtein. I mentioned his Thai best friend who has a small build but did a great job on developing muscle over lock down, I think he uses USN Complete Protein 3 Stage System (at least that was what he gave DS for his birthday when starting him off on protein shakes).

Crazycrofter & Miranda
On the matter of protein shakes can I ask which ones are your ds’s are buying? DS who is very slim has been buying Tesco ones but we can’t see if it’s having any effect yet. He desperately wants/needs to bulk up but hasn’t got a big appetite.

DS isn't quite that hard core but does have protein shakes

@crazycrofter, @MirandaWest lunch was 5 poached eggs here (he had frees in the afternoon)

My DS also has a pull up bar and keeps doing press ups. Went to check he'd got up this morning and was met with him doing pull ups

@Monkey2001 that's funny, my ds is a younger version of yours! He is maximising his protein at the moment (is that bulking?) - 3 fried eggs for breakfast, no lunch at school as it's too unhealthy but a chicken breast or two when he gets home, protein shakes etc! He had a pull up bar and punch bag for his birthday so spends a lot of time on that. I think we'll save PE until A Level unless he's really insistent!!

@crazycrofter that is JUST like my DS. He has done so much research during lock down and knows all the muscle groups and has been engaging in various debates on line about nutrition, particularly with vegans. Currently trying to cut out processed food and eat whole grains - which I had given up on trying to persuade my DC to do ages ago! He is also alternating between cutting and bulking and talking about what sort of muscle development that supports.

He did not do PE GCSE and I don't think that is an issue for A level PE, so not doing the GCSE will not close any doors for your DS.

@crazycrofter yes ds really enjoyed the theory side of PE. It's a shame he couldn't continue it for A level. All 4 of the A levels he wanted to do were in the first 2 columns. So he had to not do the PE and also economics. He's doing business and film studies instead. The fourth column didn't have anything he wanted in...so it had to be film. He will more than likely drop that after AS.

Thanks for all the info about PE. My ds sounds like monkey’s - really into weights and fitness, does ju jitsu (but that doesn’t count) and a bit of football outside school but nothing competitively.

The thing is he’s really interested in the fitness/nutrition aspects and also likes ‘real life’ subjects (so is enjoying business). But he’s not great at science. He would have to drop history for PE. I thought history might be a potential A Level (both his parents have history degrees, his sister is doing it and he’s good at it!). I think I might tell him PE is something he could pick up for A Level?

@crazycrofter - my DS did gcse PE and got 9. Competitive swimmer but merely enthusiastic at rugby and athletics. He very much enjoyed it and it overlaps with biology.

He did GCSE PE and got a 9, without being amazingly brilliant at practical sport. His sports were basketball, athletics and badminton and although he did basketball out of school, he wasn't on any teams.

He was very good at the theory part of it - he said it was like Biology but made more sense

DS went back yesterday (and DD in year 10 today). Has felt a long time with no school.

Yesterday was induction including hula hooping where he says he "dominated". Which probably will have been true.

I feel like he has loads of free periods but that's probably because I did 4 A levels and hardly had any! Some are specifically study periods where they are in a set room and have a teacher there but any other ones they are free to come and go as they please and have been told to leave school if they can.

Thank you so much, makemyweek. 🙏

..... and who knows what will happen with practical sports this year. For rugby they need video evidence of certain skills, many of which involve very close physical contact with shared sweat, spit and snot (eurghh!)

Oh and A level PE they do have to compete in one sport out of school. They don't seem to do any sport at the school though for A level.