As a parent who is taking care of two boys aged five and two, Shraddha says she has been taking one day at a time in lockdown, planning their schedules and spending time with them. (Picture courtesy: Shraddha Fogla)
Around the country, many parents have been home-schooling their kids for a while now, because the schools are closed due to the pandemic. While curriculums are being set and discussed, parents are still apprehensive since kids are spending more time sitting in front of the screen, as opposed to going out and play-learning. This, many parents feel, could be counter-productive to their child’s growth and overall learning.
Then, there is the problem of really young ones — five years and younger — sitting with heavy headphones and nodding away to their teachers on the other side of the computer screen. Early exposure to the digital world, short attention span, and lack of physical activities have been worrying parents night and day. But they are helpless because there are more pressing chores to take care of, like work deadlines.
A digital professional parenting platform, 2monkeysandme has homeschooling modules for kids between the ages of two years and nine years, comprising various activities, experiments, worksheets, and printables for effective and easy learning.
“I have always loved reading, and would read many research papers. My friends and family often asked me questions on the correct way of teaching things to kids, etc. And that is when I realised I should start a platform from where I can help other parents out, who are not very informed. I wanted to reach out to mothers who were looking for answers related to parenting. I randomly started the blog one fine day. There was no planning as such,” Shraddha tells indianexpress.com.
As a parent who is taking care of two boys aged five and two, Shraddha says she has been taking one day at a time in lockdown, planning their schedules and spending time with them. “I give them more time than I do to my husband. Thankfully, he does not complain, yet. While online classes for my older son are going on, the younger one is being home-schooled. I have schedules that I plan out a day in advance, before I go to bed — things I need to do with the boys, and things for the blog. When my sons are in a happy mood, I take up teaching them, and when they are a bit down, I let them play and I work on the blog,” she explains.
Apart from what he’s learning at school, Shraddha says she plans many science experiments and DIY activities for her older son. “I am teaching him things which are not related to his grade. He’s being taught things from grades 3 and 4, and he is grasping things according to his own pace. I base new concepts depending upon how many challenges they can take up.”
Homeschooling versus conventional schooling
Shraddha says if she had an option, she would home-school both her kids. “In the US, there are modules for homeschooling, and kids can take up tests that can promote them from one grade to the other. But that is not the case in India. And that is why my older one is still taking up his classes online. Whereas with my younger one, I decided to teach him everything that he needs to know at his age.”
About the blog
On her blog 2monkeysandme, Shraddha keeps coming up with activities for kids. These are in line with the topics of the school, but are more practical in nature. If students were to read on different types of soils and rocks, for instance, Shraddha would plan activities such as their collection.
