I don’t know about you but it feels like the term has hardly started when suddenly the children are off again!
I am really looking forward to having no school run and to spending some relaxing time with the kids but I also want to make sure I am ready for Monday week.
Here is my, thankfully, very short checklist for half-term –
1) Wash uniform and sports kit NOW at the beginning of the holiday rather than at the end. It means you can check that it is all there and prevents that ‘oh why won’t this sports kit dry?’ moment on the Sunday evening before the kids go back.
2) Check that everything still fits – if you bought new shoes and trainers in September, your children may already have outgrown them if they are having a growth spurt. Better to get to the shoe shops now than in the going back to school rush the weekend before.
3) Homework – personally I think that primary school children shouldn’t be given homework in the holidays but some schools do set projects or expect them to catch up on missed or unfinished work. When asking about homework, it is usually worth checking homework books as well. I find that the answer ‘not much’ can actually mean a project to construct a working volcano or something equally time-consuming. Better to get the homework out of the way at the beginning rather than the last minute panic on Sunday afternoon.
4) Revision – some teenagers may have (mock) exams after half-term. You need to check that they have some kind of revision plan and are actually revising – although this can mean bracing yourself for a lot of moaning and groaning !
If you are looking for somewhere to go with the children, try your local Mumsnet or NetMums.
Whatever you do, have fun!!!
