Senior Blog: 9th July 2020

Welcome to the KJ Tutors Senior Blog!
Issue 10

For most of you the summer holiday has begun. Online lessons have ended and it is time for you to take a little time to relax and enjoy a well-earned break. We agree that summer is the time to chill, spend time doing the things you love and to make the most of the summer sun. We decided that we should send our blog out every other week throughout the summer, as we thought you would all be otherwise engaged in summer activities.

We know that many of you still like to study during the holiday period, so we wanted to keep our information rolling out so that you can take advantage of some extra catch up time. The summer holiday is a great time to get up to speed on those subjects that you find a bit more tricky or to get ahead with other subjects that you know will give you the edge when you are back in the classroom.

Hopefully we can provide you with what you need over the summer months.

This weeks feature gives you some great ideas of how to get out and about in ‘Let’s Get Back Into Summer’. We are putting our usual ‘Day In The Life Of’ on hold this week so that we can look at how you can stay safe whilst enjoying your summer activities. Mental well-being goes under the microscope as we move through the different stages of lockdown easing. Our usual regular items will take you through the media charts, ‘Feel The Burn’ and of course, some educational activities for those of you that just can’t stop learning.

Whatever you are up to this summer we hope that you find our blog useful. Let us know what you would like to hear about, how we can help you with your education challenges and let us know what you have been up to so that we may share with our readers, perhaps you can inspire someone else…..

Have fun and see you in a couple of weeks.

Sam

Let’s get back into Summer!!

This summer will undoubtedly be the strangest that many of us have seen in our lifetime and although we may not be able to enjoy the usual events and gatherings, there are still heaps of fun, interesting and relaxing things that you can get up to. For many of us, the gradual easing of lockdown brings longed-for opportunities (even if at a social distance) – to see friends, play sports, resume contact with family in ‘real space’ or get back to work that we value. If you need a little help deciding what to get up to, get ready for Katie Jayne’s whistle stop summer tour….

What shall I do this summer?

Go kayak! With so many venues in and around London you can get out and enjoy the freedom of kayaking, you don’t need your own kayak as many venues hire them. But if you do have your own kayak, get down to your local tidal stream or river.

Bike Trek – Download the Strava app and find some great cycling routes to take you off the beaten track.

Surfing – Excellent beaches for beginners and accomplished surfers or perhaps try an indoor surf school.

Picnic in the National Trust parks – Every Friday the National Trust release new tickets for the following week. They have to limit numbers to make sure that visitors and staff will be safe, every week more venues are opening.

Go and get pampered at the hairdresser’s – New rules and what your hairdressing appointment will look like.

Shopping – Most shopping centres are now open. Bluewater has a set of rules for all shops, limited number of customers, orderly direction mapped out to take you around the shop, items cannot be tried on but can be returned. Expect your shopping trip to be at a slower pace than you are used to.

The Victoria and Albert Museum is located in Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL. Admission is free, although you may need to pay a little extra for some of the special exhibitions. Their current exhibitions include: The Glastonbury Festival Archive, Theatre and Performance, Illustration and Art Deco. Keep an eye on their website to see what their opening hours are.

The Natural History Museum is a little further along Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD. Here you can take in the British Wildlife Exhibition, Dinosaurs Discovery Exhibition or take a look at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. You can search for species and collections from over 8 million specimens. So much to do and see, well worth a visit.

Along Exhibition Road in Kensington you will find the Science Museum, showing the WonderLab which is an interactive gallery, the Wellcome Galleries which takes you on the journey of medicine and a new gaming event called Power Up.

Mulan, Wonder Woman 1984, A Quiet Place, Black Widow and Soul are all due to be released over the coming months. It is safe to say that many venues will ask visitors to either wear a mask or keep to the one metre social distance, meaning less tickets will be sold for each performance.

Back to Normal

Mental health after lockdown and tips on how to cope:

Tolerance

Easing yourself in gently and building up a tolerance to normal life again will help. You could try doing something small every day that helps you to get back into the swing of things.

Fear and Anxiety

Many things that are out of our control cause fear and anxiety, so why not plan and manage the things you can control. Write an action plan for the things you find difficult, this might help.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Varying your activities from day to day and varying the time that you carry out an activity will help you to get back into the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Pace Yourself

Going at your own pace and easing yourself back into life after lockdown is really key, do not let yourself be bullied or pressured into doing anything that you feel uncomfortable doing.

Chat to Work

Take time to have a conversation with your employer. If you have a part time job whilst you are studying it will really help to ease your anxiety if you call and speak to your manager. Discuss the ways that you can take care of yourself in the workplace, talk about the initiatives your employer has put in place for all staff to help them stay safe at work. Knowing the environment that you will be returning to will definitely help you to plan and ease your own anxiety.

Uncertainty

The coming months and the year ahead will change as we go, knowing how to deal with uncertainty will help you get through what will be an unusual time ahead. Focusing on the present is a good way to feel stable, whilst keeping an eye on the things that are certain will help you to remain calm and hopeful, talk to people you trust and chat about the things you are worried about. Keeping things in perspective will keep your mind on track.

‘Staying Safe This Summer’

This is a good time to make sure that you have a mask. If you still need to get a mask look online or perhaps you can try making one yourself. Of course you could make your own facemask with a fabric that suits your outfit. We made our own mask using material from some old clothes that we were going to throw away. Here’s how we did it…..

The safest way to travel up to London at the moment is by car. If you can ask an adult to take you, this means that you do not have to travel on public transport. There is a car park tucked behind Harrods called the London Pavilion or there is another called the London Cadogan. These car parks can also be used to access The Natural History Museum. Once parked it is a short ten minute walk up the Brompton Road towards Cromwell Road. Perhaps you can walk to your local cinema?

Wherever you intend to visit, make sure that you and your family are all happy to make the journey and that you feel happy with the social distancing in place with the venue.

Many of our friends and family have been discussing the topic of how to protect ourselves while the pandemic continues and how we all feel about getting back to normal. We took a look at Michael Mosley’s report on ‘How To Protect Yourself and Others’ we found it really useful and quite reassuring to know that there are things that you can do to help yourself and each other.

Have fun and stay safe.

Katie Jayne’s Interesting Facts

Many of our pupils use the summer months to concentrate on preparing themselves for the new academic year. Many of you will be starting new subjects with new GCSE choices, or perhaps you will be entering into an IB or A Level course at Sixth Form or College. Take a little time out this summer to give yourself a head start. Do a little background reading into your chosen subjects, chat to friends who have already started the course. Being prepared can help with self esteem and getting you off to a great start in September. If you have any educational questions that you would like to ask our team of qualified teachers, email us at info@katiejayne.co.uk.

Thought for the Week

Young adults up to the age of 15 can travel on Southern Railway for £2.00, making your day out a little less expensive. Take advantage of this offer and more at Southern Railways. Or take a look at the Days Out section to see what you could get up to over the summer. Don’t forget everyone that travels on any form of public transport must wear a mask.

Media Chart

The top releases are…..

Films and Series

‘Finding the way Back’ (15)

Ben Affleck coaches a high school basketball team and in doing so helps to get his life back.

‘Love Sarah’ (12A)

A romantic drama about how friends come together to open a bakery in Notting Hill, starring Celia Imrie

Music

Savage Love tops the UK charts featuring Jason Derulo.

App

StockX

Sell authentic sneakers, shoes, streetwear. Every product from brands like Nike, Adidas, Jordan, Supreme New York, Palace, Yeezy, and Off White is authenticated for free by their team of specialists, so the quality and legitimacy is 100% guaranteed.

‘Feel The Burn’

With gyms still shut, why not try out this Killer Leg Workout and see for yourself why trampolining is the next big thing.

Educational Activities

Our Planet

Find out about the place that we live – planet earth.

Climate Change at your School

Help bring about change by introducing new ideas that will help your school to be part of the climate change movement.

Chemistry KS3

What is diffusion? Watch this short film.

Maths KS3

How to solve an equation and what is a simultaneous equation.

Biology GCSE

Cell Structure

Combined Science Chemistry GCSE

State of matter and mixtures.

Senior Blog: 9th July 2020

Regular items...