Eleven Plus Opportunities

Where and how does the influence of the Eleven Plus examinations enter the lives of our children?

We teach our children mathematics – and expect them to learn to be accurate and check their work.

We teach our children language skills – and hope that they will say what they mean.

We teach our children to be honest (and not look at the answers) – and hope that fair play and truthfulness will be part of their lives for ever.

We teach good manners – and hope that our children will show good manners to their peers.

We teach our children that sometimes being practical can lead to understanding.

We teach our children that sometimes we can learn at the same time as them.

Some children seem to have difficulty with aspects of the metric system. Some parents also express a degree of concern when faced with a problem containing metric units.

You need some apparatus for the lesson (Another word for a pre Christmas party.)

Sweets, canned and bottled drinks, cakes, whistles, sausage rolls and sandwiches will all contribute to the lesson.

Look at the `g’ label on the sweets and packets. Compare weights. See how it is possible to gather all the ingredients to build a Kilogram of sweets.

Encourage your children to estimate how much chocolate there is in the chocolate fountain.

Think carefully about the decibels emanating from the disco speakers – and ask you child to monitor the decibels.

Discuss carefully and wisely the amount of alcohol in a spirit measure.

Order a fleet of limos to carry any fellow inebriated Eleven Plus guests home.

With all this to think about parents will be able to see just how easy it is to throw a big pre Christmas party. Organising, holding and clearing up after the party will give a multitude of opportunities for parents to help their children with Eleven Plus problems.

At the very least the party will encompass mathematics, language skills, honesty, manners and the ability to share experiences. Instead of driving your child off to the study to work through an eleven plus paper on Christmas Eve, simply throw a wonderful party.