Homeschooling during the pandemic has many of us struggling. While our teachers continue to go above and beyond providing resources and assignments, the message for us as parents is to just do what you can.

While some of us thrive on colour-coded schedules, others of us are finding the struggle all too real, in between work demands, our kids attitudes to homeschooling, and, oh yeah, our lack of a teaching degree. Dont worry. This is not forever and your kids will catch up academically, if kitchen-table classes have been a fail.

Weve compiled a list of real-life lessons your kids will actually enjoy:

1. Bake a cake

What happens to a solid fat (butter or coconut oil) when its heated? How do raising agents work? What happens to the batter after it spends time in the oven? As you make a cake with your kids, talk about the science behind the magic . You should also get them to do all the measuring and weighing of ingredients, so theyre working with fractions, weights and conversions. You could even have them prepare a grocery list for the ingredients, sticking to a budget.

Have them read the recipe and follow the step-by-step instructions. Then talk about the nutritional value of the ingredients you use: How apple sauce, bananas or carrots are better for you as sweeteners than just sugar; or how you can bump up the protein by with nuts or nut flours. Last part: Pure joy, as you savour the freshly baked end results.

Life skills: Being able to make food from scratch and budgeting

Academic skills: Home economics, chemistry, math, literacy, nutrition