I have been watching this massive compulsory distance learning movement unfold over the past month from the sidelines with concern. With online learning suddenly being in the spotlight, I wondered if there was a way in which distance learning could be easier on parents and children, done with minimal screen time, think #funlearning, #screenfreehomework and #noworksheets. When I saw the results of a poll in Facebook I knew I had to write this post. The poll which was posted in a Facebook group for parents of primary (elementary) school children garnered over 800 votes. About half of the parents thought that online learning was not effective while 40% thought it was somewhat effective but used it because they were no other options.
Problem-based learning is one way forward. Learning objectives can be creatively embedded into intriguing problems that engage and motivate children to solve the problem. While solving the problem, they may learn something in the process and practice some skills that they have learned.
So if you have a bored, restless child that cannot concentrate on the video lessons anymore, why not try one of these problem-based learning activities. These activities put your children’s math skills into practice while providing them with the opportunity to learn valuable skills like critical thinking, creativity, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. They may even learn some culture and craftsmanship along the way. What I like most about these activities is that they allow our children to take on age-appropriate responsibilities and provide them with opportunities to learn independence. It offers them the space to figure out their interests and make choices without being afraid to fail. All of these are valuable in helping our children to thrive in an uncertain new world with new normals.
Picture credit: www.readandspell.com
Note: These activities are most appropriate for children between the age of 10 to 15 years, although the activities can be made more difficult for older teenagers.
1. Home improvement project
Have you been thinking about re-decorating your home but don’t have the time? Put your teenager to the task. You can sit down with your child and select a room (or wall, for a smaller task) to re-decorate. If your child’s room has not been redecorated since he was young, why not choose his room. That will give him the internal motivation to complete the task. Discuss your interior design ideas with them and hear their ideas too. Have them measure and calculate the size of the room. They can then use their measurements to draw a scaled diagram of the room and create a blueprint of how to fit the furniture or decorations in the room. Your child will have to figure out what measurements he needs, how to get those measurements, what tools to use and finally how to select an appropriate scale to produce the scaled diagram. There’s math, critical thinking, creativity and design involved.
2. Make financial decisions
Perhaps your child has been nagging you for awhile about that thing she REALLY wants. Now is a good time to have that talk. No not that one about the birds and bees. The one about money. You can explain to her how she can save her allowance or income from chores to buy the thing she wants. Have her come up with a budget to determine where the money will come from and how long she will have to save to reach her goal. You can also have her compare offers from different sellers and prepare a quotation to present to you before buying it. Your child will have to go on a market search to compare prices and figure out how to reach her saving goal. Through this activity, you will be imparting a very important skill to your child - financial literacy. Financial literacy is the knowledge and skills a person needs to make effective and informed choices about their personal finances. The capability to manage their finances well will provide our children with the freedom to make life choices without being tied down by the limits of their bank account.
3. Become a Lemonade tycoon
I played this game a lot when I was young. Perhaps that was how I developed a penchant for Economics. Basically it’s a game where you get to run a lemonade stand, decide the recipe, how many cups to serve and what price to sell. As the game develops there are upgrades and eventually you might end up owning a lemonade cafe at a street corner earning bucketloads of virtual money. My point is, why not get your child involved in a business. Perhaps your child needs a fundraiser or is interested in producing and selling something. This is one problem that can be scaled to different levels of difficulty. At its simplest, one has to figure out what to sell, the costs of production, the target profit and what price to sell at. They can promote their product or service to friends and family members through one of the many online channels available. If they can’t sell now, it never hurts to be forward looking and prepared. Look at it this way, if they figure this out now, when the lockdown is lifted, they will have a business plan ready to execute. They didn’t coin the term first-mover advantage for nothing. The biggest takeaway from this activity is that your child gets a sense of entrepreneurship. The robots copy that and that’s something worth investing in.
4. Convert a baking recipe
If your child is younger and not quite ready for a big responsibility, then this activity might just be the right problem for you. Have your child think of their favorite baked treat, brownies, cookies, cake, the list is endless. Print out a recipe for them and have them convert and adjust the recipe to suit their needs. You could select a recipe that uses the imperial system (measurements in ounces or pounds) and have them convert it to the metric (measurements in grams) system. If you don’t have a weighing scale at home, have them convert it to cups and spoons using a baking chart. To add some complexity to the problem, you could give them the recipe for single serving and have them double it (to practice multiplication) or use a big recipe and have them scale it down (division). Or the recipe might be for an 8 by 8 inch square tin and you only have a 10-inch round tin. Bam, we’re working on geometry. The best part about this activity, everyone gets a nice treat to savor at the end.
5. Design a knitting or crocheting pattern
I love the needle arts. There is just something that is so satisfying about making my own clothes. But for this activity, you can use a simple pattern for a scarf or a shawl. Knitters and crocheters often have to do math. If we use a different yarn than the one in the pattern (which happens very often, the yarn could be thicker or thinner) or if we want the item bigger or smaller, there is some math involved as explained by this Professor that uses knitting to teach math in college. https://theconversation.com/why-i-teach-math-through-knitting-95896 For our purpose here, it could be as simple as making the scarf bigger or smaller or figuring out how many pattern repeats are required to fit the size of the scarf. You can introduce the concept of the gauge before making the necessary calculations to adjust the pattern. If you’re an avid knitter or crocheter like me, you will love this activity as its an excellent opportunity to share our love for the craft with our children. If you’re not a knitter, this activity might just entice you to start. Read all about the benefits of knitting here. https://www.lifehack.org/314247/6-unexpected-benefits-knitting. And I digress. Forgive me, as you can see, I really love knitting.
I couldn’t wait to share these ideas with you and I hope that it will inspire your child to learn with enthusiasm. This period of isolation is difficult for everyone, especially parents. I want to sign off this post with this message to parents and teachers, we can still create powerful learning experiences in a distance learning environment. Don’t give up and stay safe.
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