4 ways to do the modules inside The Extraordinaries Club

You're thinking about signing up to The Extraordinaries Club but you're worried about how you're going to fit doing the modules into your busy family life. Or, you've already signed up full, of good intentions. You plan to do the modules every week, but before you know it, life has got in the way, and you're behind. You're feeling bad because you know the materials are going to help. So, what should you do?

In this blog post I'm going to give you four ways in which you can make use of the videos inside the club.

But, first, a word about what the videos are actually like.

I've got a pretty good concentration span, but when it comes to watching videos online my focus shrinks to the size of a pinhead. I know that lots of people in modern life struggle with focus and concentration, what with all the distractions of notifications and multiple screens.

That's why I made the videos that make up the 10 core modules inside the club, on the whole, super short. Most of them are under three minutes long. Each video introduces a key idea, then asks you to take it further using the worksheet exercises inside the club, or invites you to carry on and watch the next video. I designed the videos this way because a) I wanted to make it super-accessible for everyone and b) that's the way I'd want it to be if I was the student.

Some of the module videos are longer – but these are generally the type of videos with detailed instructions on how to do something, and they invite you to pause the video as you go along.

The masterclasses are generally longer videos of about an hour. But, if you haven't got the concentration or the time for a whole one, I encourage you to watch them a bit at a time.

4 ways to watch the modules

1. Make a meal of them

The families that have worked through the materials inside the 10 modules most successfully are the ones who have set aside a regular time each week when everyone sits down together to do them. A really popular time to do this is after breakfast on a Sunday. The modules are designed to take approximately an hour each (including doing the worksheets), and many families find doing them together to be a deeply bonding experience.

Rosie said:

We found a time which suited the four of us when we could sit around the dining table and listen to the modules. We did it on a Sunday morning, armed with pens and notepads and found that it helped to give us structure and focus, plus it generated some interesting and useful discussions which we probably would not otherwise have had!

And, Annette said:

We scheduled an hour first thing in a Saturday morning and sat around the PC with our breakfast. We did it as a whole family so we could all speak the same language. By doing this we have been able to speak as one to support the students through shared learning. If I’m honest I negotiated really hard on everyone doing the student modules together at a fixed time each week and we used relatively few of the parent ones. I let the girls and my husband then decide on the weekly coaching sessions for themselves. As it happened my husband worked late on the night of the coaching calls so it was just me. E has dialled in for most of the fortnightly student sessions and K tends to join the subject specific sessions. On reflection we have achieved a balance of meeting all their needs and can use the term ‘Lucy Parsons says’ in a really positive way without people becoming defensive!!

2. Graze on them

Some families have found it better to watch one or two short videos per day e.g. whilst have a snack when the student gets home from school. This is an ideal solution if you can't find an hour in your week to do the whole thing, or you're finding that's too much to ask of your teen.

This is what Caroline, a member said, about the ‘grazing' approach:

I watched them [the parent videos] first usually and then sat with my daughter and we went through hers together, we perhaps did 2 or 3 at a time. I found this worked better for us as it opened up dialogue between us and by doing it in small chunks she was more receptive to it rather than feeling she had to sit for an hour, say.

3. Mum's the word

Several mums have said that they couldn't get their children to watch the videos, but they've watched them all and have handed on the best bits to their children on a need-to-know basis. This has really worked well for these families but has required mums (it is usually mums) to let go of the idea that their children need to watch every video themselves.

Lynne said:

I have watched some of the videos and then drip fed the information to James.

4. Go solo

I haven't seen this happen very often, but students can just watch the videos on their own without parental involvement. Whilst I would highly praise the commitment of a student who did this, I have found that they families who get the best results from the club have a parent actively involved in the watching of the videos.

This is what Paula said about this approach:

I watched the parent ones in my lunch break at work as we’re so busy the rest of the time! So it was ‘as and when' for me, just a case of trying to fit them in where I could. My daughter then watched the student ones on her own but I’d printed the materials off for her. Probably not ideal but it’s the only way I could fit it in between working full time, 3 children and their activities and running! It worked fine though, other than me having to keep chasing her to make sure she did them. If we didn’t have commitments Sat and Sun mornings that would have been the best way to do them I would have thought, a regular scheduled event then you would know they’re done. X

Just let me get all teacher-y for a minute…

Now, lots of people join the club and then complain to me that they can't find the time to watch the videos. I've done all I can to create the materials in a format that you can easily fit into your busy family life. If you decide to join The Extraordinaries Club, it is ultimately down to you to take the responsibility to find the time to watch the videos and make the membership work for you. If you don't, it's a bit like joining Weight Watchers and continuing to drop in at the bakery every day on your way home from work.

Over to you

If you've read this post, you must be curious about signing up to The Extraordinaries Club. Which of the four methods above for watching the videos do you think would work best for your family? Let me know in the comments, or if you're ready, click here to sign up for the club.