17 Feb Homeschooling subjects that are harder to teach than stepping on Lego
Getting our children to listen to us is one thing, but homeschooling is made even harder when we realise there are a lot of subjects we need to brush up on – especially Science, according to new data.
Even though homeschooling may be easier this time around – we’ve survived it once and can do it again – we’ve still got to contend with rebellious children, refusing to learn, and interrupted work calls – oh and making time to learn the curriculum ourselves.
With parents taking to social media to share their homeschooling ‘expectations vs reality’, parenting network Mas & Pas has carried out some research to uncover which subjects and topics are leaving us feeling like we could benefit from a day at school ourselves, rather than the home office.
Using Google data, along with responses from its own community forum members, here are the areas we’re all finding the hardest to teach, in order of difficulty:
Science
When it comes to science, it’s Biology we’re baffled by the most. The data shows parents are most likely to search for explanations on how fossils are formed and how the circulatory and digestive system work, with hundreds of searches for diagrams, facts and individual parts of the body.
History
A subject giving us a real ‘blast from the past’, searches for ‘History help’ have increased by 40% since the pandemic began. Parents are having most trouble recalling information on the Bronze, Iron and Stone Age as well as details about Roman Britain, and how our land once became part of the Roman Empire.
Geography
With Geography, the data indicates parents can teach their children more about latitude and longitude and biomes (anyone?) than they can about renewable energy. Searches for KS2 sustainability have also increased by 67% since the start of the pandemic.
Computing
We may have grown up in the digital age, but it appears we’re struggling to explain computer algorithms and how to interpret data. Hundreds of parents have also turned to Google to help their children with the curriculum’s internet safety module.
Languages
When it comes to languages, it’s actually French that’s causing the most frustration. The KS2 curriculum requires, among other things, for the learner to be able to say different colours and weather conditions in French – both of which parents are not très bien at, consulting Google for translation help.
Maths
The KS2 curriculum doesn’t require parents to get to grips with Pythagorean Theorem (yet!), but the learner does need to understand factors, which has seen a 164% uplift in searches since April 2020. Square numbers and symmetry also seem to be causing parents to want to reach for a glass of wine before midday.
Despite our struggles, the research also indicates that parents may actually be enjoying learning certain languages and getting crafty, with a decrease in searches for help with English, Spanish, German and art and design.
Parents in need of a helping sidekick can head over to BBC Bitesize for the KS2 curriculum. BT Mobile, EE and Plusnet Mobile customers can use BBC Bitesize content without eating into their data allowance.