Family Week 1 - Part 1

So this week is all about family and ourselves.

We have decided to start a scrap book for our afternoons doing our version of #TheLearningProject which many schools are putting on their websites. (You can find the plans on the Robin Hood MAT website link if your children's school haven't got it for you.) I find it to have a lovely element of mindfulness we all could do with at this time.

Our focused Maths and English work in the mornings will go in the books sent home from the children's school but I wanted something more practical and meaningful for the afternoons.

These scrap books will be more personal and I feel will keep us sane during our very necessary confinement. They will even become a keepsake for the future as they capture a snapshot of time.

#TheLearningProject suggests looking at photos of family, drawing a family tree, finding out about family, where they come from and what life was like for other generations.

Being a Design and Technology teacher one of the basic skills I see lacking in children is scissor skills. (Please note the correct way children should hold scissors in the picture - the index finger goes in front to guide the scissors and the middle finger goes in the handle hole)

So we made a moving picture family tree which involved my kids having to draw shapes, fold card and cut out parts to make it. My son is in Year 2 so his are simpler hinged leaves that open for him to add names and dates inside.

My Daughter is in Year 4 so hers are folded a few times and layered to create more sections and space for writing. She planned hers more and put close family links together. She also showed more interest in the dates of birth as some were war time and one was just after the Spanish flu we had talked about to try to make sense of what is going on now. The trees are a work in progress but pictured here for inspiration.

Older children could do their family tree using a computer *whispers* but this was more fun!

We enjoyed making these and they will help us feel more connected to the family we are having to stay away from physically to protect them over the coming weeks.

Thanks for reading! Email me if you have any questions and share as you like.

@stephodonnellDT tag me if you post on twitter or facebook, I'd love to see what you create!