ESSAY WRITING
Essay on how are you spending your time during lockdown (250 -300 words)
Answers
Answer:
Parents can encourage creativity by...
1. Asking questions: Creativity is all about questioning: How can I? Why should it? What would happen if? How can I make this, or how can I change this? It’s about making sure that children are always being asked those questions.
2. Keeping everything: Do not chuck anything away. Keep a bag with all the egg boxes and toilet rolls in a corner, because that’s going to be a mine of incredible craft-making materials.
3. Setting challenges: What kind of musical instruments can you make today from what’s in the bags over there?
4. Giving them time: The beauty is that the parents are in control of the time, for once. So you can give your child two hours to get on with a wonderful creative task, and they wouldn’t have that in school.
5. Finding online resources: Use sharing resources like Twinkl, BBC Bitesize. And then there are the entrepreneurs, like Joe Wicks doing kids’ exercise classes. There are also artists and designers sharing resources.
6. Being creative with space: Think about the space in your house. What can you change, what room could be theirs? What space is not utilized? What can you get rid of to make them a work area or for their equipment? That’s a very easy thing to fix.
7. Thinking outside the paintbox: Creativity is not just about arts and crafts, it’s also about the kitchen. What kind of lunch can they make for you while you’re working?
Get creative together
Art can be so powerful because it makes you escape for a little bit, it puts you in that mindfulness zone, and time passes so quickly. You can actually reflect and say, ‘I did that and it looks good’. As adults, if we are doing this ourselves, then we are showing good habits to our children.
So take time out of your busy, strange lives at the moment, by doing something like cooking, crochet or colouring in with your children. That’s a fantastic thing to be doing together, and it will go such a long way.
Don’t worry about your children falling behind
We’ve really got to be kind to each other: we are in a huge transition and it’s extraordinarily difficult. I can sense the anxiety parents might have about children falling behind, but just make sure they do a little bit, often, so that they are still engaged in the daily routine of learning. And be kind to yourself: even if your child does not complete a worksheet, and you’ve had a really bad day with them, that’s OK. It’s not the end of the world.
The one really positive thing that will come out of this is, I’m hoping our young people can be more independent in choosing when and what to learn. If we create children that love learning, they will automatically be researching and trying to find new things to occupy their time with and to be inspired by.
Zafirakou says it’s important to limit screen time while children are learning at home.
Prepare younger ones for going back
The young people that we really need to work with are 7- to 14-year-olds. We’ve got to be quite careful to keep them inspired and interested – and prepare them for returning to school. A friend of mine has a child with ADHD. She’s worried her child may not want to go back to school, because being at home is quite comforting.
So when we eventually open up the schools, every school has got to be very careful in how they prepare children to come back. They’ll need to think about how every child has been affected by this.
Teach them life skills, too
The most important thing I’ve learned, which surprised me, is that now is a really good time to teach children things you want to be done. Not all lessons need to be academic – they can be life lessons we want our children to learn as well. Even how they should fold their clothes, mop up or vacuum. Take an hour out and show them how you want them to do it. Usually, life is very fast, and we have no time for this type of teaching. But they are invaluable skills.
Carve out family time
In the evening, we have family time. So from 7.30 p.m. onwards, everyone’s devices go away, and we have a very fiery game of UNO or watch something appropriate on Netflix. Every household with children can now guarantee there’s going to be family time.
Let them chat to friends
It’s really important for the children to communicate with their friends. Parents can set up Zoom talks with their children’s friends. Not every day, but during the week, there should be some way they’re connected with somebody else that’s not you, and not another adult.
Try and limit screen time
Lots of parents have contacted us to say they’re worried about children sitting in front of the computer for five hours a day. As a parent, I have printed out lots of worksheets, because young children like to work in their school books. So put parameters in place and try to manage how often they use their online learning resources.
Answer:
I have been locked down in my apartment since Wednesday, March 11. I live alone, with my laptop, a few cactuses and a stuffed cat. I am on the fourth floor of a used-to-be-lively neighbourhood in Turin, Northern Italy.
On the first Sunday, I woke up at sunrise and sneaked out for a quick run. I hate running. But the urge of moving and watching the city still half asleep was so big I didn’t really think about it. I guess I just wanted to fool myself into believing everything was normal. Well, it isn’t. But going out is not the answer. It is crystal clear now that we have to stay at home. It doesn’t matter if I am healthy and young: I have to do my part and not put others at risk, not compromise the weakened healthcare system.
Explanation: