FamilyHow to make home education amazing

Why, what, when, how? Children are endlessly curious and make sense of the world around them by posing a seemingly endless stream of questions. As a parent, you might not always have all the answers, but you can support their inquisitive nature with a few easy-to-arrange activities and projects. You don’t need lots of equipment, just a few everyday objects and a lot of enthusiasm.

 

Inspire little green fingers

Gazing at the zesty citrus fruits that can be seen from the sun-kissed terrace of Jumeirah Port Soller, we know only too well the feeling of satisfaction that comes from growing your own plants. Armed with a packet of seeds and a few empty yoghurt containers, children can start to get to grips with gardening themselves – with regular watering and a little bit of waiting, their efforts will be rewarded with the sight of green sprouts poking through the soil.

 

Embark on a new exercise together

Burning off energy together can be a bonding experience but, when you are not playing games and racing around the garden, how about trying an exercise that can boost children’s concentration levels and promote a feeling of calm? Recreate our parent-and-child yoga programme at Madinat Jumeirah with your kids at home – you might not have the beachside setting to accompany your bending and stretching, but you can play relaxing music and make the most of the morning sun while learning a few stretches and poses.

 

Nurture their love of nature

Who needs an overseas safari adventure when the back garden is home to a fascinating array of wildlife? Encourage your children to step outside and search out creatures great and small while making a note of anything they spot along the way. You can look up insect and tree varieties online later to learn more, and set up bird feeders to attract feathered friends. If you see bees buzzing between blooms, now’s the perfect time to explain how important these little honey-making marvels are. We should know, there are hundreds living in the rooftop hives at Jumeirah Frankfurt.

 

Create an at-home laboratory

Learn about aerodynamics while building paper planes, set up a sundial in the garden by placing a stick in the ground and arranging stones in a circle around it to represent each hour, and mix baking soda, vinegar and glitter to create a sparkling volcano. Budding Einsteins can be guided through a variety of online science experiments. Teach children that balloons aren’t just for birthday parties by introducing them to a basic principle of physics – static electricity. Blow up a few balloons and rub them on clothing or the carpet to see what happens when held over their hair, then challenge them to push two positively charged balloons together.

 

Have a culinary adventure

Grab your aprons and tackle some recipes. Spending time in the kitchen together is a great way of introducing children to new ingredients and flavours – it’s something that’s very close to our hearts, in fact, it’s what inspired us to create kids’ menus at many of your kitchens. Baking cupcakes can familiarise children with a number of simple preparations techniques, plus they’ll have the chance to decorate their creations, but there are also a range of savoury dishes that are easy to prepare from flatbread wraps to tasty pasta dishes. Once they have mastered a few simple meals, you might just find you can leave making lunch to your own little chefs.