It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Bluegreen143

Oh yes, there definitely is a huge range of abilities. It’s normal anyway for bilingual children in immersion schooling to take much longer about this kind of thing - I looked into it all when we researched the school and they do “catch up” to their peers in mainstream school later. 

Thanks again all for the fun family activities - hopefully it’ll be a useful resource this summer!

I’m working (from home) today and DH has the kids out in the garden and has invited MIL over to spend the day with them. The kids are just as excited to see Grandma as they would be with an expensive activity! We’ll have to pay a taxi both ways for her though (our car is getting a fault fixed today) - she no longer drives and she won’t get buses or trains. She recently moved to a smaller flat with no garden too. DH is worried about her mental health being cooped up at home alone with no garden so we’ll need to make sure we have her over more often.

Auntycaz

Don't know if any of you use Trolley.co.uk to check prices but they have found a sponsor so they are no longer closing down.

OrkneyStar

There is definitely variation in how we ALL learn to do everything and anything, it makes me sad when some parents make their child's learning and development a competition. Of course we should encourage and help, but we also cannot force it. If a child is really having more than average difficulty in a particular area then parents/teachers should look into that a bit deeper, obviously, in case there are any concerns such as dyslexia. I often laugh when someone tells me they learnt to read a 'x' age, I honestly don't recall what age I was reading at, all I know is I was read to, taken to the library, and encouraged to read.   Free public libraries are such an amazing resource, for all those who love books/reading it really is a way to save money while times are tough.

On another note, we are finally getting some sun here, and I am finally feeling like I am recovering from the tiredness of Covid - I have been testing negative for a while but was still feeling so drained I could do very little. Last week I started gradually walking a bit more again. Yesterday I swam 25 lengths (25m pool) and walked over 4 miles and today I swam 40 lengths and walked over 3.5 miles - I have a monthly pool/gym membership, and so will be getting my money's worth again soon all being well! It's so good to feel even 3/4 human again! Eventually I hope to get back to a mile or so swimming and at least 5 miles walking at a time, but I am doing it gradually! I hope all other poorly folk are feeling better too, on at least on the way to feeling better.  

Take care all.

Floss

OrkneyStar said:

 ... I often laugh when someone tells me they learnt to read a 'x' age, I honestly don't recall what age I was reading at, all I know is I was read to, taken to the library, and encouraged to read.   Free public libraries are such an amazing resource, for all those who love books/reading it really is a way to save money while times are tough.

But such a shame that councils are so short of funding that libraries are an easy money saving target ☹

CKhalvashi

Floss said:

OrkneyStar said:

 ... I often laugh when someone tells me they learnt to read a 'x' age, I honestly don't recall what age I was reading at, all I know is I was read to, taken to the library, and encouraged to read.   Free public libraries are such an amazing resource, for all those who love books/reading it really is a way to save money while times are tough.

But such a shame that councils are so short of funding that libraries are an easy money saving target ☹

The worst one I've seen was an attempt to move a library to a fire station.

Saving money on paper, until you consider children and parents who can't park properly being mixed with vehicles that need to go on demand.

That plan was quickly shelved and the library remains open following backlash.

YoungBlueEyes

I can’t remember now if it was on a bookmark or a poster or something, but it stuck with me anyway. 

Keep your head well stocked, it’s the only thing they can’t take away from you!

elsien

The plan is for our purpose built library to be demolished then a minuscule proportion of its current provision shoe-horned into a less suitable building elsewhere. This is after already repurposing part of the initial library as a job centre. Such a waste of money. 

Meant to be part of a town centre regeneration plan but the current building doesn’t need regenerating and it’s hard to see what else they can bring in when new retail outlets are looking very unlikely and it’s not the sort of town that would  go upmarket. Local folk are more of the “pile it high, sell it cheap” frame of mind. 

euronorris

Our library here is part of a larger complex which also houses a small cafe, a hall and several spaces/rooms that can (and are) let out for things like exercise classes, baby clinic, birthday parties etc. It also has a very small, very warm, pool that has additional equipment installed so it's more of a hydrotherapy pool than anything else. I think the combination of these things helps to spread overheads, and keeps an income stream flowing to support all of the functions.

London_1

Floss said:

OrkneyStar said:

 ... I often laugh when someone tells me they learnt to read a 'x' age, I honestly don't recall what age I was reading at, all I know is I was read to, taken to the library, and encouraged to read.   Free public libraries are such an amazing resource, for all those who love books/reading it really is a way to save money while times are tough.

But such a shame that councils are so short of funding that libraries are an easy money saving target ☹

So true, I go to my local library and borrow books, and I also go to the tiny library near to my DDs for book club once a month and always get a couple of books from there as well as the little libraries need 'footfall' to keep them open.

Libraries are such a great essential local service that we all pay for with our council taxes, and to see a library close, and be sold off for redevelopement is so sad. I am of the generation that used libraries almost constantly as a child as we didn't have TV until I was 16 in our house. But a book was such a great way not only to learn, but to open your mind up to amazing places and people. It one of my many pleasures in life, reading and knitting  I have been on holiday for the past 10 days and so far have read two books and started on my third last night before sleeping I am a total bookworm , the hardest bit I will find when I move next year is sorting out the books I want to take and the books I won't perhaps have room for.
I can gurantee that when I go into a CS, the book shelves are the first place I head to

JackieO xx

CKhalvashi

One of the best ideas I've seen (and it may work actually where we live as we are close to an airport) was actually in Armenia.

A library has been re-purposed as a hostel, but keeping the library (and an adjoined cafe) open, but no requirement to buy anything. It was the only reasonably cheap accommodation we could find. We were only there 2 nights but it was always frequented by locals.

Just had a quick look and can't find it online, so it unfortunately may have been a victim of Covid.