Temporary home ed

[rockybalboa]

I have mentioned on other MN threads that my DS needs to change schools following a serious injury sustained at school. It might take a month or so to to get him into a new school and I feel like I should be doing something with him at home. He is in Year 1. He's Sept born and one of the more confident/competent in his class so I'm not too worried about him slipping behind but other than reading with him (which we do anyway) I'm not sure what else I should be doing. I was thinking of getting a maths workbooks
from The Works but am not sure what (if anything) I should be doing. The council know we are keeping him off until we have a new school place so no concerns in that respect.

Nice fiction to read. Some paints and paper. A collage to make. Bake some cookies.

Have a nice month together!

As regards maths you could try KS1 revision guide and workbook from Letts or CPG.

The Letts Mythical Maths series (they also do Enchanted English)

Wilkinson's also used to do fairly cheap and cheerful year 1 books. (I don't know if they still do).

On line there is Khan Academy, BBC bitesize or nrich. All these are free sites.

Basically see which he likes doing best.

Off at a tangent from maths, dd loved the BBC dance mat typing course for children at that age.

If you think your son is only likely to be out of school a month or so, I wouldn't bother with a maths workbook unless that is an area he specifically needs/wants to work on.

As your son is already doing well academically, you could think more widely about what constitutes a good education, and tackle some aspects of it which he can't get so effectively at school. Branch out; do some interesting and fun things which he wouldn't usually get to do at school.

Are there any good museums etc in your town, or near enough for a day trip? Would he enjoy some kitchen science projects like making a "volcano"? Does he like art and music - can you experiment with different media, make some simple musical instruments, watch and listen to different instruments on YouTube? (We love YouTube!) Can you scour the library for some nonfiction books on subjects which interest him, which might be too advanced for him to read himself but which you could read to him? My older daughter loved DIY at that age and helped paint and tile the bathroom. We also did a lot of road safety when we were out, observing cyclists' behaviour, discussing how you can try to predict what a driver will do (is that car parked on the pavement going to reverse toward you?), how to choose a safe place to cross the road, etc.

Most importantly: HAVE FUN!!! This is a great opportunity.

Sorry, just realised how tactless it was of me to refer to this as a "great opportunity" under the circumstances.

What I should have said was, home education doesn't have to resemble school and your little boy can do some very different things while waiting for a school place. The fact that you are HEing doesn't have to be a chore or add to the stress you are already under. It can be a very positive break.

By the way, are you all sorted with the legal side of things?

While your son is medically unfit to attend school it doesn't really matter whether he's still registered there, as it will be authorised absence. By the time the doctor decides he is able to attend, you should ensure he has been formally deregistered from school. If you live in England or Wales and he attends a mainstream school, you can do this on demand by simply sending a correctly worded letter. Here are example letters: www.educationotherwise.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=69

You did say that the council is aware you are keeping him off while waiting for a school place elsewhere, but technically you do need to deregister in order to stay on the right side of the law with respect to school attendance. Firing the letter off is quick enough.

However, I have an idea that you might need to keep him registered at the school if you are pursuing a complaint against them. But I may be mistaken about this, so you might want to get advice about that before you deregister.

Learn a short poem each day?

Play LOTS of games!

Make a map of your neighbourhood by exploring a little more each day?

Sing.

Singing and games! Great ideas. I think you'll have a lovely month, just having plenty of Time to talk and play.

Don't even bother thinking about maths books, there's tons of time for those, they'll arrive soon enough.