11 Plus Exams Forum

" Visit the Imperial War Museum and read War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. If travelling to France, a trip to William the Conqueror’s castle at Falaise is well worthwhile "
- Hilda Clarke, Tiffin School Kingston-upon-Thames

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/ed ... -list.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Okay, that's back in 2014 but still a very good suggestion. The heads' holiday hot list is great.

Any other ideas? Keep them coming. I know its not strictly 11+ but hey, its end of term / year and would like to keep it local if you all don't mind!

I'm as Middle class aspirational as they come but I'm afraid that still presses my "blow a raspberry" button!
How unspeakably worthy most of that list is!!!!
I have two avid readers aged 11 but even them, if I shoved some of those suggested books under their noses are quite understandably going to say 'pah"!
I'm quite sure many will shout me down, and I totally agree with limiting screen time, but I truly never thought I'd be hoping for someone to mention 'horrid Henry' lol!

In fairness, head teachers interviewed for the telegraph could hardly say "drink fanta, argue with your brother and practice your Selfie pose for when you mum lets you have five minutes a day on Instagram!!"

A couple that made me fume:

"build a den in the garden with their fathers" - hmm so mothers can't build dens?

"Boys should set aside a week over the holidays when they don’t game, and girls should have a week with no social media" somewhat sexist comment.

This one can but is a great believer in independence. My parents certainly didn't help me build mine in my youth.

Just hoping for some good weather then they will be thrown outdoors and left to their own devices. My most successful ploy in the past would be to somehow orchestrate a computer ban over the summer hols and hei ho peace all round.

Don't think that will work for the older ones anymore

Guest55 wrote:A couple that made me fume:
"build a den in the garden with their fathers" - hmm so mothers can't build dens?

And children who don't have fathers?
Let alone children who don't have gardens to speak of, which must surely be the majority, what do they do?

I love the list in a kind of 'Enid Blyton would that life were like that' kind of way but you are right, riddled with prejudice and dare I say somewhat of a smugfest, much like Enid herself I guess?

The whole purpose of my den was to hide from mum and dad, and big sister.....getting either to help would have defeated the object. My friend and I spent months out there, undisturbed, with our various slightly soggy and mouldy cushions and cloths stolen from our homes eating snacks also purloined. I could tell you where it was/is but I would have to shoot you!

Mad? They build them in the bedroom, the sitting room! That said we are lucky and do have a garden so the current one is atop a tree and I'm not going up there, Dh is likely to break it if he tried.

That said we do seem to be a generation of trying to go backwards somewhat. Do you think it is a result of having come so far so quickly? We are perhaps running scared,
unsure of how to handle what we have produced. Enid Blyton makes us feel safe

SB3 my Df used to knit when we hung out in ours. She did not and still does not seem the knitting type.

" Go a whole day – or longer – without looking at a screen..."
John Baugh, Dragon School, Oxford

My DS managed that for 5 days... on his school trip ...

" ...listen to a piece of music by Thomas Newman... " John Brett, Old Buckenham Hall, Suffolk

Oh wow, his music is amazing ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MnsBeWIe6c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just go for fun, forget lists by other people. Enjoy even if that means just sitting in park and chatting or playing with friends.