Supporting grandchildren as they take their GCSEs

Bach Rescue Remedy

What is that?

What is that?

A skipping rope. No, I am not joking, something utterly ridiculous and unexpected that will make them giggle and tempt them to get outside to get some fresh air and exercise, quickly and easily, then share it with their friends online, complete with photo.

I bought my DD a bottle of Bach Rescue Remedy when she was taking her GCSEs, and gave her instructions on how many drops to use etc.

At the end of the day she came home from school, threw the empty bottle on the sofa an said 'Well, that didn't work...!'

It's a homeopathic remedy, sorry I can't do a link but if you googled - Bach Flower Rescue Remedy you will find much info. It is the most widely sold Homeopathic remedy sold in this country, I gave it to my children and grandchildren and my dogs? And I take it too. When my elder daughter had her babies the was a bottle on her hospital bedside cabinet , supplied by the hospital

One of those finger spinners! Not tissues!

Love the idea of a skipping rope. What are finger spinners?

PS tissues because one gets hay fever! Not for crying!!

www.thetoyshop.com/collectibles/fidget-toys/Finger-Spinz-Lights-Alive-Toy-with-Accessories---Purple/p/531890_PURP

The latest irritation thing!

Finger spinners are banned in most primary schools and a 16 y o would think them babyish. Why this need to supply teenagers with sweets , biscuits etc which theyve probably got enough of? I would think a supply of extra pens, sharpened pencils, calculator with batteries etc more useful as so many of them turn up to exams without these essentials.

I've offered my spare room to my grandson if he wants to hole up and do revision. He says he has no privacy or a quiet place as he doesn't have his own room. When my daughter was doing her finals she came back for a week for quiet revision and I fed her etc so I've offered my grandson the same and he seems keen.

When teenagers are doing revision they tend to enjoy reverting to babyish things or my step grandson seems to. He picked up his younger brother's spinner and held on to it!

Yes spinners are for everyone, adults use them.

Stress ball

Jaffa cakes (to eat whilst revising) & Mars Bars to eat before going into their exams especially afternoon exams to give them a sugar fix....Have given these to friends youngsters and they love it..

Brillent bach rescue remedy, get in boots it's just herbal drops. For day or night, our gd lives with us and she often has the nightime one,
She is finding it very hard at the moment they have changed the system so it's quite tough at the moment. Having to sit more exams now.
Her science teacher gave her some good advice about revising so uses that for all her courses.

How times change! I do not remember, in the 1950s, anyone expressing "stress" over taking 8 GCEs - one just went on ones bike to school on a particular day for a particular exam.. The only encouragement was bing reassured that if you had revised sufficiently there would be nothing to worry about! Like many things in those days it was expected that you did your best without fuss; just part of life.
I have to say that we did not have all the technological gadgets and consumerism distractions and certainly no reliance on sweet treats as post-war sweets were still on coupons . We must have been a tough lot!

How I agree Dharmacat No pressure at all we just got on with it. But kids today are pressurised to do well and to feel a failure if they don't. We didn't all expect to go to university either, you went if there was a particular career path you wanted to follow that required it. We were also able to leave school and fall into a variety of jobs and be able to pick and choose which job offer we wanted to accept. I feel so sorry for what we are putting kids through today.

Er...why do they need anything? Surely just a few kind enquiries and perhaps a postcard (not an email) would be sufficient. All the fuss generated in the media is only making pupils stressed and anxious, and that includes SATS.

At my school we were given a card with exam times.Life and lessons went on exactly as normal; when the time came a teacher would tell those who were taking whatever exam to go to the hall or gym. We took the exam, then went back to join the rest of the form wherever they were by then. No hysterics, no bribes - I think my mother might say, if she remembered, 'Oh - good luck today with History' and that was it. I don't recall a single girl getting worked up about it; the only incident came when one person left the hall in tears because she was reported for talking.There is far, far too much pressure now - did anyone else read Caitlin Moran's article in the Saturday Times supplement last weekend? She just about said it all.

My son is sitting his GCSE's at the moment. He gets no special treatment and isn't stressed. I say good luck in the morning and ask him how they went when he gets home, but that's it.
He does have a fidget spinner that he plays around with. Not sure who said a 16 yr old wouldn't like them. Most year 11's [ 16 yr olds ] in my sons school have them.

my eldest granddaughter is also doing exams at the moment and as we live a good distance away iam sending a little parcel each week as the exams seem endless! as she is a girl i think it must be easier as i can send relaxing bath oil,roll on stess oil from Neils Yard also some make up and of course chocolate - i sent her 5 chocolate hearts from Thorntons and they iced them with the days of the week so she enjoyed one each day! things were so much easier in our day!

What lovely, imaginative ideas. My GD is only in her 1st year at secondary school but is already overdoing it. She is very bright and wants to maintain her excellent grades so is revising like made for her end of year tests. Her teachers are superb - they had a chat with her as they were aware that she was becoming very stressed and sent her home to sleep and relax for a couple of days. They've also palled her up with an older young person who has gone through a similar experience. What she'll be like when it comes to GCSEs etc I dread to think. Hopefully she will have calmed down. However I was similar though I wasn't particularly bright - I came out in a rash!!!