To say we don't all have a garden

[drspouse]

DD is home self isolating and they had a trip out on foot to look at autumn leaves planned for today so we've been sent home some fairly well planned work I have to say, I'm quite impressed especially compared to what we had in April/May.
They've sent us this from Woodland Trust

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/03/kids-nature-activities-self-isolation/&ved=2ahUKEwiy1JD918LsAhVOQhUIHRuuB-EQtwIwAHoECA4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw3ZLV8mgXRocDfBMMs-yXXH" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/03/kids-nature-activities-self-isolation/&ved=2ahUKEwiy1JD918LsAhVOQhUIHRuuB-EQtwIwAHoECA4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw3ZLV8mgXRocDfBMMs-yXXH

AIBU to point out (probably to the Woodland Trust but maybe also to school) that we don't all have gardens?
We have a paved yard with pots (no trees, we would have mini beasts but little to collect to make pictures) and two of her best friends live in upstairs flats.
Almost of these refer to "in your garden" or need outdoor space (we can have a picnic but her friends can't!)

6 of the 10 activities can be done without going outside so I think YABU.

No harm in pointing this out to the school, pretty thoughtless in my opinion.

YABU. You don’t need your own garden for any of those things, apart from the bird feeder perhaps.

YABU - You can still do ALL of these things. You could attach the bird feeder to a window ledge. You could have a picnic on your living room floor if needed. DD won't notice the difference unless YOU tell her to.

Most of the activities can be adapted.

I think it was intended so that children without gardens could do the activities on their daily exercise (except the picnic but you could do that indoors). Obviously that doesn’t apply currently as your child is self isolating. But I don’t think it’s a huge flaw in an activity designed by the Woodland Trust to include stuff from outdoors.

From that very website.

If you don't have a garden or it's raining outside, have an indoor picnic on the living room floor instead. Kids will love the change from the norm and it will feel like an adventure.

@ssd

No harm in pointing this out to the school, pretty thoughtless in my opinion.

I’m guessing you couldn’t be arsed clicking on the link? Because when you do you’d know you don’t need a garden for any of them.

You need a garden to
Find minibeasts (happy to say we have none in our house)
Hang up a bird feeder
Go on a nature scavenger hunt (again, not much nature inside our house)
"put the pencils and crayons to one side and look for natural art materials instead. Collect fallen leaves, petals and sticks and use them to make a picture or sculpture."
Also not much of that in our house.

The blog says FOR SELF ISOLATION not for lockdown - if you actually READ IT.

YABU. I don't have a bike but one of the suggestions from school for lockdown was bike rides with your family. Should they not suggest things just because they aren't open to all pupils? Life is full of things that some people can't do but that doesn't mean schools or organisations can't suggest them to others, you find the ones that you can do and do those.

I get where you're coming from @drspouse. It's not that this would be impossible to adapt, but it stings a bit, doesn't it?

There's been a fair bit of publicising of the fact that people who have less space have been bearing the brunt of coronavirus, and that a lot of people who have less access to outdoor space have been finding it pretty tough. I would expect a little bit of sensitivity to that. No need to point it out nastily, but since there will also be children who don't have access to a yard, or who can't hang birdfeeders from windowsills, it'd be good to mention it.

@drspouse

You need a garden to Find minibeasts (happy to say we have none in our house) Hang up a bird feeder Go on a nature scavenger hunt (again, not much nature inside our house) "put the pencils and crayons to one side and look for natural art materials instead. Collect fallen leaves, petals and sticks and use them to make a picture or sculpture." Also not much of that in our house.

The blog says FOR SELF ISOLATION not for lockdown - if you actually READ IT.

Stop being so rude. Finding minibeasts, a scavenger hunt, and collecting leaves, petals and sticks can all be done outside.

The blog says FOR SELF ISOLATION not for lockdown - if you actually READ IT.

Dated in MARCH 2020 - if you actually READ IT.

The blog says FOR SELF ISOLATION not for lockdown - if you actually READ IT.

sassy OP

What does the date have to do with it? People were self-isolating in March too, you know.

Yanbu.
A living room picnic is not adventure unless you're two.

AIBU to point out (probably to the Woodland Trust but maybe also to school) that we don't all have gardens?

Yep, I think so; particularly to complain to the Woodland Trust, from whom any suggestions can be taken or left.

The list is not exhaustive and there are suggestion for gardens, indoors and outdoors public spaces, so there seems to be a good mix. No suggestion you have to do them all, so you'd just pick the ones you want and can do.

Plus, it's the Woodland Trust so makes sense their suggestions might be more outdoors based (even then, they've included indoor suggestions). For more indoors-based lists then another organisation might be better placed as a source.

AIBU to point out (probably to the Woodland Trust but maybe also to school) that we don't all have gardens?

Can’t see the point of pointing it out to the Woodland Trust- it’s just some ideas of things to do outside, and even then they’ve included lots you could adapt and do inside. They’re hardly going to give a list of baking activities or yoga moves, it would be better to just avoid their website if you’re going to get upset at them talking about outdoor activities as it’s a given they’re going to do that. There are loads of other resources for ideas of things to do inside too, nothing wrong with people that do have gardens having access to outdoor ideas too.

In terms of the school again it depends- if it’s just one example of something they’ve suggested then doesn’t seem a big deal to me. If the emphasis is often on completing work that has a need to be outside then maybe mention it.

I would say it looks like they had an original post about lockdown (when we were all out on our daily exercise) and have tried to adapt it with a very minor change in the header section to self-isolating. I would say something to the school, but not the Woodland Trust. The Woodland Trust will of course provide ideas for outdoor activities, that's natural. You can still do most of the activities, but maybe the school should be more sensitive and e.g. write out some of the most accessible/suitable activities and send them directly rather than link to the website. When we've had to send kids home to self-isolate we have to provide them with everything because we know not all of our families would have a pen, pencil, and paper in the house.

We have a paved yard with pots

Pick up your pots. There will be minibeasts underneath.

I have a tiny courtyard. We could do all the things on that list.

If you read it, it says things like "IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GARDEN", so you'd look pretty silly complaining about not having a garden.
Not everything has to suit everyone at all times.

@drspouse

You need a garden to Find minibeasts (happy to say we have none in our house) Hang up a bird feeder Go on a nature scavenger hunt (again, not much nature inside our house) "put the pencils and crayons to one side and look for natural art materials instead. Collect fallen leaves, petals and sticks and use them to make a picture or sculpture." Also not much of that in our house.

The blog says FOR SELF ISOLATION not for lockdown - if you actually READ IT.

Look somewhere else for suggestions then!

The Woodlands Trust is bound to have a few outdoor / nature related activities. There is no need to look for offence everywhere.

It's not the Woodland Trust's fault you don't have a garden, so rather than take your grumpy mood out on them why don't you take advice from someone better suited to give advice to those without gardens? Google is a wonderful thing...

All of those can be done without a garden.

Some might work better than others but its definitely not worth complaining about

One of dds nursery activities for when it was closed was going to a shop and counting out the money. Every shop here has went cashless. So we couldn't do that. But I didn't complain.

There were garden activities as well. We live on the 9th floor.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

We have a paved yard with pots

Pick up your pots. There will be minibeasts underneath.

I have a tiny courtyard. We could do all the things on that list.

I didn't say we couldn't find minibeasts in our yard. I said people can't find minibeasts inside. DD's two friends who live in flats can't do this. Or any of the others requiring access to outside. I'm happy for you that you have trees, nature etc. in your courtyard but we don't have anything we could make a nature sculpture with (she's not pulling up my bay bush to make a branch structure thanks!) or a scavenger hunt or, at this time of year, any flowers.

And yes, people were self-isolating in March, but it really looks like a "list of things to do in lockdown" (when you could go into parks etc.) which has been renamed with zero adaptation.

All of those can be done without a garden.
Can you tell me how people in a flat can hunt for minibeasts or go on a nature scavenger hunt please?

@WellyBootsAreYouFrom

It's not the Woodland Trust's fault you don't have a garden, so rather than take your grumpy mood out on them why don't you take advice from someone better suited to give advice to those without gardens? Google is a wonderful thing...

Funnily enough I'm trying to work from home as well as home educate, and this is what school have told DD to do. I'm not preparing a curriculum, I'm following the one that school have told us to follow.