To barely be doing the school work

[Breezing32]

My daughter's school work is so complex for five. Her maths is all complicated stuff that all adults I've shown have struggled to understand without quite abit of thought. We have awful tinny videos to watch from her teacher's every day. I've got a toddler here all day rubbing riot. I just can not keep up. The day is like this.

9.20 half an hour live registration.

Each day a 20 minute English lesson video. Hard to hear. Toddler wanting to join in. Shouting over it. Volume on my phone and laptop is not loud enough if there's any background noise.

Repeat the same for maths. Also new ways of doing it from my school days so I can't seem to get it to stick in her head.

A phonics lesson. We usually manage this.

Spelling tests each week.

Science lesson each week.

Pe section.

Assembly for 20 minutes each day.

After noon check in at 3.20 for 20 minutes.

Phe lesson a couple of times a week.

So they basically want us as parents to teach the kids a full school day each day. Check in twice. Watch an assembly.

I wish I could. But my toddler does not sleep now and he's not burning any energy of himself with me trying to do all this. I'm trying to potty train. Run a house. Have time for my boyfriend. Cook. Care for myself and get us our for excercise.

I am not alone. My situation isn't the hardest. But my daughter is falling behind because there's just not a quiet part of the day she can concentrate.

I am overwhelmed and exhausted by it all.

What are other people's schools doing?
How are you coping?

OP, she is five and will catch up. I suggest doing one thing a day plus the assembly. Take care of you who is taking care of everyone else.
My kids are older and having gone through the school system with two, I can see missing out a bit aged five doesn't matter as much as the weight you are giving it.
Many will be catching up when school resumes.

Things like cooking etc don't need to be done in the school day. Just give them simple food, sandwiches etc. That'll give you more time. I assume you don't need to give your boyfriend that much attention in school hours? Is he living with you? If so, does he do his fair share of housework and cooking? Is he the children's dad? Could he share the load a bit?

There are several volume booster apps. They don't all work well so you would have to download, try, delete, try again till you find a good one. Some of them work very well. I used to have to basically shove my tech into my ear hole to watch a YouTube video till I found a good one. Has been flipping marvelous since.

I dont think you're being unreasonable to be finding it hard.
Im an ex early years teacher and last lockdown when the schools closed I taught my then 4yo fine. Now he has a 4mo baby sister and I'm struggling. Its not easy.
I've spoken to the school today and they're happy with us to do as much as we can manage.
Perhaps discuss with the school?
Mine is in reception and he has 2 live lessons a day and the rest is set online so we access it when we can. I had him doing some of it over the weekend so dh could have DD and I could focus.

Pick your battles.

The OP hasn't mentioned that her dd is unhappy with the work though. They aren't having battles. Just that it's difficult to do everything else as well.

@squashpocket I massively sympathise. My DD is 3 now and so has some pre school sessions but last year we were in exactly that position. I made sure to timetable in play time together. They went on the trampoline together or we all played a simple game. I actually put playtime in the timetable. I also did PE together (we mainly did just dance) so the toddler got to bond a bit with her older siblings.

The other thing I recommend is some of the early years activities on twinkl. My DD enjoyed some of these and it made her feel like she was doing the work like her siblings. They have things like matching a happy and sad face with a picture so there will be a pic of a boy who's hurt his knee and they have to match it with the sad face. There was a hungry Caterpillar activity where they had to choose things the caterpillar would eat and feed him, that kind of thing. There are also matching games and things. I don't think twinkl is free anymore but you can subscribe for about £4/5 per month so it might be worth it.

I just made sure they were sat together with a specific activity to do each and had fixed toddler time where they were expected to work independently on something like times table rock stars or something else they can do without much help.

On the off chance it might help anyone with volume issues, I just checked and I am currently on Android and using the app
Volume Booster - Speaker Booster & Sound Booster
by Photo Gallery Tools.

It very occasionally closes itself but it boosts the volume very well

Here are some things you can try OP:

• Poor recordings: get your DD some headphones and put her in a quiet room by herself to listen, even if that's sitting on your bed. Distract the toddler while she does.

• If the recordings are completely impossible to understand then email the teacher to let them know. In the meantime, use the Oak Academy resources, BBC Bitesize or White Rose maths instead and let the teacher know this is what you're doing. They should (broadly) be covering the same things. You can also use those resources to help you understand the work your DD is doing.

• If she doesn't have a suitable laptop or tablet then ask the school for help.

I am muddling along. One 7 year old with ASN. One 10 year old who does manage a but by himself. a full time job (well 4 very long days) and I'm flying solo. We've just got to do what we can do. I get up and work before they are awake and then for a bit once they are sleeping. They have multiple Google meets throughout the day for reading, french etc. We get well being Wednesday when there are just tasks like nature walks, baking etc but we often use a couple of hours if Wednesdays to catch up. There are loads of apps like teach your monster to read, sum dog, epic that a 5 year old can manage. We also use twinkl worksheets if one of my boys are struggling we use them to go back to basics. We are all fighting different battles. I feel for the teachers too tbh. I think you need to speak to the school if you are struggling with age 5 maths.

@Feelingconfused2020 thanks, I'll have a look at the preschool activities on Twinkl. That sounds like a great idea.

There is actually quite a bit of the curriculum that the DC can do together - just not the video lessons as toddler DS is too noisy. I can see a lot of people suggesting headphones which I hadn't thought of. This thread has been very helpful!

I think it's just been a massive learning curve around finding what routine works for all of us and adjusting our mindset to believing that we CAN do it 😆

Seems a lot for a 5 year old. And I’m not sure I get the twice daily check in. A 5 year old cannot get themselfs online. Appreciate you don’t work, but you have a toddler with needs. What about the parents that do work? How are they supposed to get a 5 yo on line twice a day at a fixed time?
I would knock the afternoon check in. They can’t expect you to be there at certain times. And just do what you can around everything else you have to do in a day.

Pretty much same here OP. Today I have pretty much neglected the toddler as there was so much work set, we try and do it after DP gets home from work at 4pm but with dinner and toddler bedtime she isn't finished until quite late. I feel thats too late, she is only 7 and needs time to wind down before bed. But its either that or neglect the toddler to do it during the day.
Thankfully we don't have to do live lessons or registrations, so we are just trying to do it when we can, and bribing the toddler with chcolate and too much CBeebies.

This sounds very difference from what my Year 1 child is learning in maths. We're doing number bonds and measuring. Extremely simple.
I tend to just focus on this and the phonics

I feel like you must mean year 5 maths, but then you mention phonics?? In reception the maths is literally understanding the numbers. At this point they should be doing some basic written number sentences. How is that confusing? Or are they teaching it in some totally bizarre way...

Shes 5! I wouldn't sweat it tbh. Shes still so young. Try to dedicate a quality and productive 30-60 mins (assuming your toddler sleeps) rather than feeling flustered the whole day.

Pretty much the same schedule as you, plus a toddler, plus a preschooler, plus working from home. We are just plodding along and doing what we can.

I've got dds yr2 & yr4 sitting in the back room of my coffeeshop whilst xh and I try and run a business...we're both busy with customers and orders so can't really supervise. We're trusting them to get on, they have a timetable of when they have to do certain tasks and when break times are...

I can only dream of a world where I can actually sit with them and help them, working 6 days a week in a shop plus working the 7th at home is no really conducive to homeschooling but we're doing our best

The same. I’ve emailed the teacher and said (kindly) we are focusing on the main things and letting the test go. She was absolutely fine.

But based on my schools whatapp group most parents have older children therefore are desperate for a full day long timetable for their younger children too.

We also have a noisy pre-schooler so really can’t create the best environment for learning like a school day. But I do try to follow the themes and lessons (the letter of the week etc) so that we won’t be behind

That sounds like an awful lot for a 5 year old. Is that year R or year 1?

I have a child in year R and usually have the following daily

• registration - live - 15-20 mins

• English activity with help from parent

• maths video (prerecorded) followed by maths activity

• prerecorded story

• topic work - can range from colouring in/painting/cutting and pasting/play doh etc

Live reading a book with teacher every other day. And then we have PE three times a week (only one live lesson) and then one music lesson (not video just to do as and when) and a foreign language lesson (again; just to do as and when)

I find all of that hard enough to do with toddler in tow (and mine sleeps!)

Honestly don't know how you're doing it. The assemblies alone would finish me off 😂

Are school supportive? Do they expect everything to be completed every day?

Schools, per the Government, have to provide 3 hours of work a day for KS1.

Are they a Church School? Might explain the assemblies every day

So many parents seem to be of the opinion that it’s fair enough to not participate in the assigned school work , so long as they just read some books / write a diary / do a few sums.
Yet the work the school has provided for the little ones is not much more effort than this really? Surely if you want to just let them read a book, it would be good manners to attempt the reading comprehension task if the day ? Or if you can be arsed to draw out loads of your own sums, and teach your child an outdated, unfamiliar method from scratch, it’d be simpler just printing the maths worksheet of the day?
The teachers don’t have a choice . They have to provide so many hours of work. Most are covering the emergency school provision by day, and marking the online work until the wee hours.
Isn’t it just basic manners that we do all we can to ensure the children give it their best go?

I imagine you doing 10 minutes of work with her a few times a day/ in a chunk when your youngest is napping/occupied would be much more beneficial than what the school is providing. Set her up with some educational videos on youtube/bbc bitesize. Numberjacks (I think it's called?) Would be about right for her age. If possible print off some worksheets (or copy them onto paper when you have a minute if you have no printer). Don't put pressure on her or yourself, it's a shit situation and there's only so much you can do.

Look up the Montessori method when you have a minute. It's about teaching children through real life experience. Could you involve her in cooking and cleaning, make it fun and incorporate counting into it?

Pinterest will help find you some activities for her. Pasta necklaces, finger painting, all sorts. It doesn't have to be worksheets and videos to be learning.

You're doing great, she won't be behind, she'll be okay!

@Candiscophonous

So many parents seem to be of the opinion that it’s fair enough to not participate in the assigned school work , so long as they just read some books / write a diary / do a few sums. Yet the work the school has provided for the little ones is not much more effort than this really? Surely if you want to just let them read a book, it would be good manners to attempt the reading comprehension task if the day ? Or if you can be arsed to draw out loads of your own sums, and teach your child an outdated, unfamiliar method from scratch, it’d be simpler just printing the maths worksheet of the day? The teachers don’t have a choice . They have to provide so many hours of work. Most are covering the emergency school provision by day, and marking the online work until the wee hours. Isn’t it just basic manners that we do all we can to ensure the children give it their best go?

It's not 'basic manners' to give children an education. And worksheets and tinny, crappy videos aren't the only way to provide an education. You're oblivious and really shouldn't be as confident in your opinions as you seem to be.

If she's falling behind I think it's probably best to try and kept going otherwise it might be to your child's detriment. Not a brilliant solution but can't your toddler watch tv/iPad for a couple of hours so you can get the maths and English done at least.? I appreciate it's hard having a toddler. However, I think your situation sounds a lot easier than most others who are juggling home schooling multiple children along with work and study. I would try and work out a routine and plough on best you can.

It sounds as if the school is providing work, so why find other worksheets to add to the load. Sounds as if one solution would be headphones for the child to cut out the noisy toddler, so hopefully would be able to hear the videos/assemblies.

If the OP posted some of the maths questions on here I am sure someone would be able to point her in the right direction and how to explain them to her DD, I can't believe it will be that complicated, it is probably the terminology used that might be different.