Ritu

Mews: 7 Cardboard Cat Houses Inspired By Famous Architectural Landmarks

13 May 2016 12 Comments

Cat Loving Peeps… and other pet loving Peeps out there, you should check out these amazing cardboard landmark ‘houses’ for them! They are pretty amaze balls! !!!!!!!
Wonder which one Sonu Singh would like…?????

Post SATs – #letourkidsbekids

13 May 2016 17 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Children, Friday, Relaxing, SATS, testing

Finally, Friday is here!!!

Friday the 13th may be unlucky for some, but for the vast majority of 10-11 year olds it will be a great day indeed!

The first day at school in a long time where they won’t have the weight of SATs hanging over them.

I know the staff at our school really supported the children, and they couldn’t have had better back up throughout this whole experience.

I saw one teacher at the end and said “You can breathe now!”

She replied “We were always breathing, Ritu!”

I take this to mean that though there was pressure, immense pressure, on all, not just on the kids, but on the teachers also, to perform, there was an element of belief, that our kids would be OK, no matter what. The calmness with which they have been preparing the kids means that though there were wobbles through this tough time of testing, the kids were pretty stable.

Maybe I felt it more, looking from a teachers perspective, but also as a parent. I saw the effects of these tests on one individual who is more precious to me than anything.

Yesterday there was relief, but by the evening he was quiet, so quiet. Like a deep exhaustion had set in. I asked if he was ok, anything bothering him? He couldn’t even answer. “I don’t know, mum. I don’t know how I feel…”

Today they aren’t having a pyjama day, but spending a whole day outdoors in the park, doing physical and creative activities. A world away from the tests and preparations of the last few weeks. A perfect day for my sporty Lil Man!

I truly hope they can enjoy being kids again!!!

I’m not in school today either, with a family wedding to attend.

Have a blessed Friday Peeps!

#letourkidsbekids

The End Is In Sight – SATs Day 4

12 May 2016 27 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Childhood, Children, SATS, Tests

So the first two Maths, or Numeracy, papers are done.

They were hard again, yes, but the Arithmetic paper, which now takes the place of the Mental Maths test, was pretty much in line with what the pupils had been practicing. The Reasoning one, or the word problems paper, part 1 was tough. Again it’s not just the maths skills involved, but the wording of the questions that can boggle the minds of adults, let alone the children.

I knew he’s find it hard, but you know what, at least he gave it his best.

Actually, one of his friends said to me that he whizzes through things and gets them right! Not sure of the truth in that but nice to see his mates have faith in him!

Today is the last day of tests. One more Maths Reasoning paper, so more stupidly worded maths problems.

Again that whisper will be in his ear, to do his best. That all we can ask.

I’ve already suggested to his teacher they should have a pyjama day tomorrow, to come in and be able to chill for the first time in many months!

Wishing all the SATs takers luck again for this last paper.

Please, step back after today, amd try and remember what it’s like to be kids again. Enjoy yourself, play, be merry. There is a lifetime of education ahead of you and I hope you are able to access it positively without too many scarred memories of this last few months.

#letourkidsbekids

The SATs effect #3

11 May 2016 29 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #letourkidsbekids, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Children, Humanities, Literacy, Numeracy, SATS

So, SPaG is done. That is Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar for those of you who are unfamiliar with the jargon.

Thankfully it was more or less in line with the types of work and practice papers that the children have been doing the last few months.

As before, I sent him in with that encouraging whisper.

I was away for most of the day on a course in London, so I didn’t see him until 7.30pm, and I really didn’t want to make a big deal of it, so I just asked him quickly, how he found it.

Having seen some of the teaching staff before leaving from my course, I was aware that the test hasn’t been harder than expected. Hard, yes. But hopefully not to an extent that tears were flowing.

“It was hard mummy. Harder than others. And the spelling was tough, for me, too.”

He’s like me. He is not good under pressure, tests and exams brought the worst out in me. Ask me a question in the light of day and I can be as verbose as you like… But ask me the same under the darkness of exam pressure and I clam up.

Oh well. They are half way through. For him the ‘easy’ ones are done. Now comes the toughies of Maths. Again, he is like me, maths isn’t my strongest subject, and he struggles too. But we need to keep a growth mindset with these things.

We try to encourage him, to just try his best. It’ll click one day!

And hey, if it doesn’t, there are always calculators!

I’m sitting here at 7am with my son who may or may not pass these SATs. He may be labelled as an underachiever in the eyes of some idiots up in the bubble they call government.

But right now he is watching history videos, increasing his knowledge in other ways. Now, if you people want to test him in the humanities, he migh have had a chance. On sports? His music abilities? There would have been no worries. But no. Just Literacy and Numeracy.

Oh and he loves writing, you know. (Maybe another aspect where he is like me!) I just hope that these tests don’t strip that love of reading and writing from him. If that was to happen, I would not forgive those in authority right now.

Right time to go educate the little masses! I’ll keep you up to date in the mathematical journey tomorrow morning!

#letourkidsbekids