Mummy idea: Learning whilst doing…

This is an old blog but I think it is really important and relevant now.

This is the bit where I admit to being one of those weird people who loved revision and exam

 time at school.

This was mainly because I knew how to revise, at least what worked for me and I would put in

 the time.

This ‘putting in the time’ was mainly thanks to Buffy the Vampire Slayer until my post graduate

 exams when I watched the West Wing. It might sound strange but I would start on episode 1,

 season 1 and work my way through, sometimes twice but there were quite a few episodes!

This was totally normal to me: my mum was a teacher and used to mark with Buffy or a mindless

 film on in the background. I know a lot of people used to get really stressed and lock themselves 

in the library but that wasn't me and I did alright!

At the end of the day, I would count up the hours of revision I’d done by counting the number of

episodes I’d watched in the background - it actually made it enjoyable.

And, now, as a mother of two: I apply this logic with my children.

Whenever they are in the garden I turn up Alexa (see my post on having a smart home) and put

 on Storynory https://www.storynory.com/ - which provides free children’s audio stories and poems.

 In my opinion this is simply a great free site and I highly recommend it!

It's so easy to use and the children can be doing anything like building a den, playing or colouring. 

You want to get them to listen to a story or poem the first time but then you can just put it on in the 

background - and trust me, it'll go in.

I love poems and I point blank won't play football or whatever they want me to if they stop reciting 

poetry at me. This might sound a bit harsh/mental but I am rather proud that my children can recit

 loads of poems including some quite difficult ones. For example, my son at 6 was able to recite all

 the words to Macavity and Growltiger's last stand by TS Elliot, Smugglers Song by Kipling, Invictus

 by Henley and explain what the poems were about. My daughter could too but I can't remember

 what age she was (bad mummy! Poems like ‘Invictus’ I wouldn't normally expect young children to

 know but it has a special significance for me because of the whole brain hemorrhage thing)

My daughter was able to recite the Owl and the Pussycat poem before my brain haemorrhage 

(when she was 3). I really like that poem and that's a good example of Storynory having an

 excellent selection.

You can also help with school work - my daughter told me she was doing the Greeks at school I

was able to play them myths to go with it….the added bonus with Storynory is not only that it is 

educational but it gets them off electronics!

I also love YouTube and have created playlists for the children. I have one for poems, one for

 stories, one for children generally and lots more including a separate one with just songs from

 horrible histories which I play all the time in the garden (my neighbours must think I am crazy).

Since my brain haemorrhage (see my “about me” post) I can't stand a lot of noise or a lot going

 on at once and if I can put something on it gives me a break without feeling guilty about needing 

one, then great.

I am a big believer in turning something educational and ‘boring’ into something fun with my main

 aim of getting my children away from screens and off computers.