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Original poster

How much do you get involved in school curriculum 'topics' at home?

28 replies

Gameboy · 04/05/2007 09:37

So, e.g. if your 5 year-old was currently doing a topic all about insects/ small creatures at school, would you....

a) -chat a bit about it together and point our a few spiders and wood lice in the garden

b) - go through all his books for ones related to e.g. caterpillars/ ladybirds/ bugs and read them all reigiously all week

  • go round the garden 'bug-collecting' together
  • make playdough bugs together
  • print off bug colouring pictures and discuss and label them together

c) say "what topic was it again?" a week after it had finished...

OP posts:
mankyscotslass · 04/05/2007 09:42

Mostly a and some of b. Can say this honestly as we are doing minibeasts at school at the moment. We have looked at some books we have, we have had a nature hunt in the garden, and he has also helped remove slugs from the kitchen floor....and spent 20 minutes watching a spider on the ceiling.

Original poster
Gameboy · 04/05/2007 09:46

Yes - I imagine most 5 year olds in the state system are doing mini-beasts!

Would agree with you - I'm normally somewhere between a and b), although on this one I have been very firmly in b) !

Made me a bit sad though, when chatting to some of DS's classmates, to realise that some parents don't get involved at all in this sort of thing. (But I know all the reasons why, so I'm not judging IYSWIM...)

OP posts:
admylin · 04/05/2007 09:47

On the rare occasion that ds is lucky enough to get a project or be doing a topic if interest I will get him to look on the internet or in the library if he wants and we have a lot of books at home. Ds is 8 though.
For 5 year olds i think the "research at home" is not supposed to go very deep, as long as it's fun or they ask to know more.

amateurmum · 04/05/2007 09:48

c - oh dear, and I am a teacher!

Actually, sometimes if child is very interested in topic and talks about it at home a lot we may go on a family trip to somewhere related. Went to local Victorian museum when DS1 was doing Victorians.

However, I tend to feel that my dcs have enough school at school - they are both at high-achieving fairly pushy schools and I feel they need a break from this at weekends.

Enid · 04/05/2007 09:49

oh god oh god oh god I do c

am terrible mother as all others do b and they bring all the books in

am trying to get interested in Island Homes - any suggestions for suitable books very very welcome

QuitYourJibberJabber · 04/05/2007 09:49

admilyn, same here. DD 7

singersgirl · 04/05/2007 09:53

Enid, Katie Morag books are what they always use for Island Homes. DS1 did a looooong thing drawing maps of Katie Morag's island when he was in Y2.

I am mostly a, but will sometimes pick up relevant books from the library if I go (though the library is usually already denuded of relevant books by parents who are pursuing the b) option).

mankyscotslass · 04/05/2007 09:54

With DS the problem is getting the info out of him in the first place "DS, what did you do in school?" " can't remember". We get a note at the start of term so I have to keep going back over it to see where they are at. After half term it's going to be travel that is the topic. We are thinking of taking him to some canal basins locally in the half term so he can see it, and will probably try to take him on a train.
But i do know some parents who dont know what the kids are doing and it is sad...i want to be as involved as he will let me be. I can see me being more involved with the other two as they move up the school system, as DS will have trailblazed the topics for me!

Enid · 04/05/2007 09:55

ooh thanks singers girl

it feels slightly like cheating to go and buy katie morag books

but dd2 will love them so there you go, i have justified it

SSSandy2 · 04/05/2007 09:57

TBH it depends how much the topic interests me personally. I wouldn't go overboard researching insects I don't think

Porpoise · 04/05/2007 09:58

Depends on the topic, TBH.
Can't do Katie Morag - even first time round it did my head in.
Can get v excited about gory history, though: lots of pustule-hunting for Great Plague, for example

NoodleStroodle · 04/05/2007 09:59

If they need help I will point them in the right direction and if it is in the family's interest we will go to a museum or something around the topic but school is school and I want my children to be independent learners.

singersgirl · 04/05/2007 10:05

DS1 was Very Interested in the Romans so we did go to Bath for the day, and he did get some books about Rome for Christmas. My mum is always buying books online for the DSs too.

Hallgerda · 04/05/2007 10:06

I probably wouldn't know it was happening at the time , but if I did I'd be somewhere between a) and b) on most subjects.

On nature, I do a fair bit with my children as I'm interested and I don't think they do nearly enough at school.

Enid · 04/05/2007 10:06

noodle I shall henceforth use that line

kslatts · 04/05/2007 11:00

We get information at the beginning of term detailing what they will be doing and usually go out for a day to a museum or somewhere relating to what they are learning.

MrsWeasley · 04/05/2007 11:04

I think it depends on the topic tbh and how much my DC are enjoying them. I do a and b usually but if child really doesnt want to talk about it away from school we dont.
I usually take the lead from my DC.

Original poster
Gameboy · 04/05/2007 11:37

I know what you mean about wanting them to be 'independent learners', but it just seems that in school they sort of 'skim the surface' of topics and then it's onto the next thing?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting my children to complete worksheets etc, but it just seems to cement their learning if it's augmented at home.

I remember DS1 (7) nagging us to take him to London to a particular gallery so he could see a picture he'd been learning about... so we did go, and had a lovely time!

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 04/05/2007 11:40

mine never ever tell me

I have absolutely no clue what topics they do at school .

Last term, dd got very enthused about the Fire of London (first time I've ever heard her talk about what goes on at school) largely because she wondered if our house caught fire, how much of London would burn down . I took her to the Monument because it's on our doorstep really and seemed silly not to so I suppose maybe I would do stuff with them if they were really interested in something.

But I doubt they'll change and I'm sure I'll always be in the dark!

hana · 04/05/2007 11:42

we get some books from the library, or look things up on the computer. not a great deal, only in reception - depends on her interest as well - she sometimes asks about things they are doing in school so I take her lead

zizou · 04/05/2007 11:50

Am firmly in the c) camp to my .
Will also start using noodle's line to justify it.
If they were all fired up I wouldn't stop them - I might even encourage them by taking them to the LIBRARY - but it has to come from them, not me.
I would love it if school could be school and home could be home. Really really would.
[wistful emoticon].

foxinsocks · 04/05/2007 11:52

so do yours come back and tell you about all these topics?

Enid · 04/05/2007 11:54

we get a note in the home school book at the beginning of term

i have only just realised this

zizou · 04/05/2007 11:54

a resounding no from zizou villas.

hana · 04/05/2007 13:00

dd gets an a4 sheet every half term outlining topics

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