Well, it's Monday morning of Week 1, Term 4 here.
It's 10:15 AM (but two days ago it was still 9:15am).
No sign of the kids, despite my numerous attempts to rouse them.
Ahh - how times change! I keep reading Facebook statuses that say they would love a sleep-in past 6am. Those people obviously DO NOT have teens/pre-teens!! I feel like saying to them "give it a few years, times will change!"
Teenage hormones plus shift to daylight savings do not for early mornings make! Apparently adolescents naturally shift to going to bed later and also have a increased need for sleep - something that is very noticeable around here with a 12 year old and 13 year old! Before daylight savings kicked in, my two were often still in bed, putting out zzz's at 10 or 11am. Shift the clocks forward one hour and you can make that 11am or midday!!
The article I linked to has a recommendation from the University of Toronto psychologists (who must know about such things) suggesting that Universities and high school classes should start at 11am to take into account the changes in circadian rhythms that adolescents go through. How lovely we can accommodate that recommendation!
One of the many, many advantages of homeschooling is that instead of them snoring their way through a school day that would start at 8:30am, at least one hours travel way (so we would be getting up at 6:30am!), we can just adjust to their changed sleep patterns, so they are not sleep deprived.
I tutor teenagers after school. I've had a couple literally nod their heads and close their eyes at 5pm, because they are exhausted. Doesn't make for constructive learning, does it?
Of course, not everyone here feels the same way...Hubby thinks everyone should be up and dressed at 9am, ready to "work". Especially if he is going to work. But he is also the one who loves a bit of an afternoon nanna nap, so go figure.
So given the absence of any children awake to homeschool this morning, and the fact that I'm getting through loads of washing and cups of tea is not riveting reading, here are a few snapshots of the past couple of weeks, where learning does indeed happen all the time, even in the school holidays, even if you get up at 11am:
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| Little fellow enjoying the spring sunshine in our tidied up garden! |
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| Ahhh, holidays! |
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| Exploring ABACABA patterns... |
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| Measuring, calculating |
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| Verbal explanations |
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| Proud of his work! |
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| Pop-up fractals! Instructions found here (scroll way down to Pop Up Fractals....actually these aren't the instructions I used...but I can't find the ones I did). Would love see your attempts! We will have to try the second template too :-) More instructions found here! |
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| Wave physics on Khan academy |
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| Uno and rugby league grand final |
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| Looking for patterns in nature |
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| Pandemic board game |
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| Great cooperative game, but unfortunately we have yet to save the world from destruction! |
Now if you will excuse me, I have another load of washing to hang out and some kids to attempt to wake up!
If you have teens, do you let them sleep in?
Do you love a bit of a nanna nap in the afternoon?
When was the last time you had a really good sleep in?
Did you enjoy the school holidays?
I think my 10yo would have appreciated a lie in today, but (a) his three younger siblings were all up before 7am and (b) unfortunately we all had to go out to take ds2 to the dentist. Ds1 has been grumbling about being tired since then, but he's not very good at napping during the day.
ReplyDeleteI love those pop-up fractals.
Ah, well my plan only works if all your children are nearly all the same age! Didn't think that one through, did I? I can't remember the last time my kids napped!
DeleteIf you have teens, do you let them sleep in?
ReplyDeleteSometimes
Do you love a bit of a nanna nap in the afternoon?
well .. whilst feeding the baby I sometimes nod off.
When was the last time you had a really good sleep in?
Um, huh! I've had babies for 19yrs so that would be decades ago.
Did you enjoy the school holidays?
actually as we had taken off the last 3 weeks prior to hols we started back when everyone was stopping. one of the benefits of hs to cater to our life.
Babies for 19 years...that is so far out of my realm of experience!
DeletePop-up Fractals? Mind. Blown.
ReplyDeleteMy kids get up at the butt-crack of dawn, so I can only envy you from afar...
I trained my kids to sleep in as I'm a bit of a night owl. Add teenage hormones and it's gotten a bit out of hand!
DeleteYou too can make pop-up fractals! Instructions can be found here http://www.abacaba.org/abacaba-activities.pdf but I warn you - Wombat Girl had to show me what to do...
I love the pictures and envy the lizards. One has to travel a bit farther south to see lizards in this state.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1: No, I'm mean.
Question 2: If I doze, it's never more than 10 minutes unless I'm sick.
Question 3: Yesterday I slept until 7:30, an hour and a half later than normal.
Question 4: Love the holidays, summer vacation, time off, my mind shuts down.
One of the reasons I hate for them to sleep in is that then they seem to think they can stay up all night. Puleeeze - go to bed!
At least now when they stay up late (which biologically-speaking they have to do because of the late onset of melantonin) they don't hang around us so much anymore. They disappear into the bowels of their rooms and...well, I'm not sure what they do!
DeleteWe all had a sleep in this morning, right through to 7am! Makes a change for me, I normally get up somewhere between 2 and 5!
ReplyDeleteSchool hols make no difference here, business as usual all year round, every day is a holiday.
Yes, I love and need 15 mins after lunch, If I'm lucky, Boo 6 will join me and sleep for a few hours. D, 8, is past that but happy to read quietly in his room.
So all is Peace and tranquility.
Fractals weren't invented when I was in school, guess I'd better find out about them.
Alyson
2am and 5am??? Nah-huh. Anything before the 6's is TOO EARLY and I'm not dealing with it!!! The term "fractal" was coined in 1975. It's not on the curriculum per se, but so fascinating and beautiful I think it should be :-)
DeleteI have slept in twice in the past week. This silly daylight saving has thrown my body clock into complete disaray and I have found myself awake at 2am in the morning! We still have another week of school hols in NZ but I find I am often busier at this time catching up on things I haven't had time to do during term. I firmly believe teens should be allowed to sleep in later, especially if they go to bed later ... it's natures way.
ReplyDeleteDaylight savings spin me out too and I'm desperately trying to get with the new times. I've never travelled further than 3 hours away, so I have no idea how I'd cope with serious jet-lag. Badly, I'd guess!
DeleteI too love the pop-up Fractals!
ReplyDeleteWe have always worked our hours around hubby's, so we have never had "normal" hours. We sleep when tired, wake when rested. Being my husband doesn't have an A.M. job it works well for our family.
I am glad you posted the page about teenage hormones because it is true, they really are not trying to be "lazy" by sleeping more but their bodies are going through such huge growing changes. I have noticed Sky, who is turning 12 next week :), sleeping more. Pandemic is on our game "list" for when Little Sis gets a bit older, thought I don't doubt for a minute she wouldn't catch on.
I think with anything "behavioural" it's important to try to understand what's going on, because it changes your mindset from "trying to annoy me" to "oh, so there's a biological reason for this".
DeleteI slept through most of high school and I am with the others - love those pop up fractals. How do you do that?
ReplyDeleteOK - put the link in under the pic! I meant to do that when I wrote the post, but you know how these things go sometimes!
ReplyDelete