Feeling a bit lonely

[Iloveanimals]

Hi :)
Groups don't start back yet for HE and I'm feeling a bit lonely 😂 any chance of a general homeschooling chat thread to keep me sane?

I hear you! Everything stops over Easter for about three weeks, it feels like, and then we are getting into camping and holiday season where people take advantage of not being tied to school term times, and go off enjoying themselves. so unreasonable - why can't they just keep in a normal routine for my convenience?! 😀

Precisely ;) where are you based?

Hello, we went back to an HE group today and despite the chill I sat on the grass with friends and had an adult conversation. It was marvellous, I've really missed it/them. We're in Hampshire.

Aww velvet that sounds nice :)

Things are business as usual here now, barely stopped for Easter. I have mixed feelings about the school kids going back- yes everywhere is quieter, but at least in the holidays the children are with their parents and there's a better adult to child ratio. School trips fill me with dread!

I hear you there!

We just started up again yesterday. We had a very quiet Easter holiday (ended up being 3 weeks because we do things in two counties and they have different holidays in the neighbouring one). Did sod all frankly because I am feeling rubbish with morning sickness!

Glad to be getting back to some semblance of routine now though.

Yep I never know whether it's better to go somewhere on a weekend or in the holidays or on a school day. One of our first family trips when we started HE was to the British museum - virtually impossible to move in the Egypt rooms, it was absolutely rammed with school groups!

Aw Cagliostro, sorry to hear about your morning sickness! It's miserable. Hope your kids aren't bouncing off the walls too much.

Seasoned HE veterans have given me some good tips about avoiding school trips when visiting museums. You can ring the museum's education department to ask when is quietest, because usually groups will have booked in months in advance so they will be able to tell you how many bookings are on each day and whether there is a quieter time of day, or day of the week.

My favourite tip is to go during the first week of term, ideally the very first day school is back. Schools won't want to do trips then because they need to get new children settled in, chase up the last few permission slips, and make sure everyone remembers about the trip! ("Don't forget our trip tomorrow - coach leaves at 8:30. Wear suncream" works much better than "In two weeks' time, our first day back is the school trip - make sure you are here by 8:30 with your sun cream on")!!

Thank you! They've done ok as there have been people to play outside with and we had a few days with my parents too.

Good idea about ringing. I've been wondering about the science museum as the new wonderlab will be packed.

Ooh new wonderlab please tell me more! We aren't very near London but train trips are fun....

It is the new interactive science 'playground' thing, apparently it's awesome. You can pay to go in, or get a yearly pass, but apparently you can go in free during school hours if you book as HE.

Most places will tell you the school groups' itinerary/when to avoid x if you ask.
On the other hand as my 8 yr old pointed out today "it doesn't really matter Mummy because they never get to stay very long at anything anyway before they get told to move"