So how is everyone doing with the lockdown? It’s taken us a while to settle into a new way of life, learning what we should focus on, do we enjoy no routine, or do we like structure.
I wanted to give the children and us a chance to process what’s happening, their lives have been turned upside down and a routine that they’ve been used to for many years. My 15-year-old has had it the worst, he’s currently in year 11 and was due to take his GCSE’s this summer, but now they’re cancelled and everything else they had planned for leaving school has been cancelled. We had already looked together on ways he could revise, and things that would help him, so it’s very frustrating for him that they’ve been cancelled and it does feel to him like all his work over his school years is for nothing. Of course, it’s isn’t, but I’m sure he will feel better over the months.
We were contacted by Nathan McGurl, the founder of The Study Buddy, who has created The Study Buddy board to help students and their parents come up with a personalized study programme to follow. It allows you to break down each subject into bite-sized chunks of work which you can then arrange into a timescale that suits you and your chosen subjects.
This all came from being a Father himself and seeing his son going through the stresses of GCSE revision. He wanted to create something that allowed him to plan out his own routine and allowed his son downtime, lunch breaks and football training, but still fitting in his revision.
The Study Buddy was made!
Nathan has created magnetic cards which can be moved around the board allowing you control on when, where and how much study time you want to do. Each subject has been broken down so you once revised you can move it to a done pile.
Of course, now the GCSE’s have been cancelled so my son no longer needs to use this for now, so I decided to start using it for our family life planning during the lockdown.
The Study Buddy During Lockdown
Nathan realised that Tyler wouldn’t be using his Study Buddy, and asked if we wanted to receive his new cards for primary school-aged children. My twin girls are in year 6 of primary school, so have a range of subjects they cover. Nathan can supply a range of subject cards that suit your own children and make the boards personalised to you.
This board has been brilliant for us, keeping us focused on what needs to be done and has given the children some ideas on what we can fit in each day.
I don’t stick to it every day as I want to keep a relaxed routine during the lockdown, after being at home for around 5 weeks now I have found this is better for us as a family. However, not all families work like that and some love routines. We were massively routinely based when the children were much younger, it worked so well for us and as soon as we got out of routine everything went to pot!
But that is the beauty of the study buddy, you can plan your days just how you want them to be. Leaving gaps throughout the day, adding in sections yourself, and as it’s a whiteboard you can write on the sections yourself.
We have spent so much time in the garden during the lockdown, so adding in project cards gave us time to do those jobs, as well as balancing schoolwork, like Maths and English that needed to be done each day.
Our To-Do List!
On the left of the study board is a large white open space, this has been brilliant for us adults. Kev is Furloughed and he’s not used to stopping, we’ve had days where we’ve stopped and done nothing, but after a couple of days, it’s made us quite down and frustrated. So we’ve been using this section to add on jobs around the house!
We had an extension done at the end of last year, and there were lots of internal jobs left for us to do once the builder left. Kev has been doing them on and off during the weekends, but as he has this time off, we’ve been using it to tick lots of jobs off! Hopefully, once lockdown is over, we can then get back out exploring and walking again, and not feel guilty because there are lots of jobs around the house that needs doing.
So study buddy has been great for us as a family, staying organised and on top of the jobs
We then use this section for adding shopping items to the board when we run out, we’ve told the kids to add to it when they would like something, or when they finish something and it needs replacing. Makes creating a shopping list so much easier!
We even put the dinners planned for each day on it, it saves being asked 3 times each and every day what’s for dinner today!!
Having the kids around all the time means they’re always asking what could they have for lunch! So I’ve started to add the lunches to the board, including ones which have dates on and needing to be used by then. Means we don’t forget use by dates and the kids know to eat that food first.
I have loved using the study buddy board to keep us focused during lockdown, and love that it is so adaptable to different times in our lives.
Nathans Podcasts
Nathan has also recently started a new podcast channel where he is talking to a range of experts, parents and students about studying. With practical tips on surviving and thriving in study and revision at home.
I loved the recent one ‘We’re all in the same boat’ which is helping support parents with homeschooling their teens, and a reminder that we’re all in this together.
Thank you to Nathan for working with us on this review, it’s been so helpful for our family during this difficult time and we really appreciate it.
Head over to the website where you can purchase your own Study Buddy Board and find out more information on how it works, and how it could work for you as a family.
22 Comments
What a great idea! My boys are only in Reception and Year 2 so I don’t think they need this so much but I can see how it would be so helpful for older students who have alot more subjects and areas to cover.
Yes there is lots to keep on top of with the older kids, it’s going to be hard for them to get their heads back into it once they go back!
Oh I’m so jealous! I’d love to be this organised. I love the idea of this board – I shall get one for myself I think.
It will keep you well organised!!
This is such a great idea, it must be so hard for people like you with older children, I cannot even imagine what they are going through. At least with resources like this you can keep up the studying and of course, there is always plenty of time for exams in the future.
Put it this way the work is much harder than it was when I was at school!!!!
Visual organisation – my dream! I think I need to create on for my everyday too!
I love visual organisation as well!
Ohh I do love being organised! Something like this will be fab when my daughter is at school age.
The family organisation, once they get to school, is a must! So much to keep track of!
Yes yes yes! This is awesome! I’m definitely going to recreate this in our house now that my daughter is older. She actually wants to help so I might as well make the most of it.
It’s lovely when they want to help out and can see what they could do, thanks!
This is such a useful post for so many parents. A really positive and practical approach to give structure in our current unusual situation. Will share worth my parent friends!
Thank you very much!
This is such a great idea! I love how it’s nice and bright, so appealing to look at and encourages children to get involved to! It’s so organised as well, something i really need!
They love colour don’t’ they, and I don’t blame them!
Oh I really feel for him not being able to take his GCSEs, especially when so much of secondary school is geared towards them. It looks like a fantastic product though and a creative way to help with the organisation
Yes very sad for him, they do so much in secondary ready for exams. I love its creativeness, looks cool on the wall!
I love how organised this is! We have been just about managing to keep on top of school work. The two at high school get loads, and it just seems to keep coming.
Yes my friends have said their older ones are getting loads, makes you realise how much they do at school each day! My son has nothing being sent to him as he’ in year 11, so they’ve given up on them!
This is a great idea! I have created a Google Doc listing our timetable, but I think this is a much better way of communicating the plan to your children.
Yeah it’s great for them to see what’s happening each day, great for independent work too