Petits Haricots

Whilst you read this blog, you really should be listening to this. SB and I have been humming along to this all day [and others I have found] much to Chris’s horror! I think its a bit Pingu like, but it reminds Chris of the smurfs.

Its not cold in the house, as we put on the heating for the first time in Honour of Nic and Ady [and it was really cold on fri!], but SB wanted to make the Igloo from the 120 history projects book. not only craft, but lots of measuring and multiplying in 4’s skills.

We listened to lots of inuit throat singing - and joined in to Chris’s bemusement - whilst building it. A brief run around who the inuit are and a brief run about what lives in the arctic, using her first animal picture atlas. But mostly throat singing - LOL. We have been trying ourselves, and doing interpretative dance [LOLLOLLOLLOL!!!]

SB built a lovely track for her and BB to play with the trains. She also read BB a book - woohoo! - and has done a lot of weighing today in the maths ‘match and sort’. Both children are now sat infront of another wildlife DVD eating popcorn. Unfortunately I can’t get our home grown popcorn to pop, so this is bought corn.

BB has mostly payed with trains, skipped, had books read to hr and done a few jigsaws - oh, also played with playdough and done her ‘’maths’ [she draws over a preK book of maths that SB started with.] listened to both her version and Terry deary’s bring me back - a lot! and also various u-tube throat singing videos [more LOL]. TBH i never knew much about throat singing, and now feel quite an expert.

its just a good b movie title! we had a lovely drop by on their way back from hallowween camp. SB had insited on making chocolate spread cake, and it didn’t work at all this time. Nic and Ady manfully ate it though and i don’t think the children cared as it was ‘cake’.

lots of running about by the children, playing will all sorts of bits - the wacky wigglers still a favourite - and a brief slow down with a film. they wet to bed far to late as were being very happy an not disturbing our natter!. A chippery supper and final collapse.

A VERY late start in the morning for the adults, though children up with the larks. A bad start for me since was woken by BB infrming me there was poo in her nappy, and proving it by showing me a handful - lovely! After a sluice down we went downstairs. What I hadn’t realised, was that there were a few other places in the house where she had investigated the contents of her nappy. This came to light when Teeny asked what was on her foot…. SO a trawl around cleaning the house and we were ready for the day [if slightly mortified]. Pancakes and play. A very tired monster! After lunch we said goodbye and settled down for a relaxing afternoon, as SB also needing a chill out in front of a david attenbrorough film [mammals]

BB was a total pest going to sleep. I had had a lovely [very long!] phone call, and BB woke up 3 secs after we got cut off [for exceeding the allowable length of phone calls - 2 hours] and then wouldn’t go to sleep.

my system adminstrator has for once done something useful, and attached the old computer stack to the television [somehow - too technical for me] so we could watch battlestar galactica downloads directly rather than putting tehm on DVD. fantastic. Since BB would nOT sleep, we did this till 2 - oops. She was a pain even when we had gone to bed, so me and Chris tired today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit

http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/inuit.html

modern throat singing

cool throat singing clips audio

loads of throat singing!

video of throat singing

http://www.civilization.ca/educat/oracle/modules/dmorrison/page01_e.html

http://www.avataq.qc.ca/home_en.cfm

http://www.nativevillage.org/Libraries/Music%20and%20Dance_library.htm

http://www.beloit.edu/~museum/logan/catalog/namerica/arctic/alaska/index.htm

http://www.polarnet.ca/~netsilik/sandra/CTS/My_Site/Local_artifacts.html

long utube video shaman life [keeps crashing though!]

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Did I miss anyone off?

BB is speaking more and more sentences - and not always commands! But i find it weird that she doesn’t mispronounce the same way SB did. i used to like the ‘helants’, ‘gery’ and ‘amiyals’ of SB. BB says ‘enelant’ not ‘helant’ for elephant.

Monday and Tuesday felt like nothing days really regarding home ed, though there was some maths, a bit of explode the code, some bits of reading of various sorts, and probably other things, there is usually some colouring/drawing goign on most days at the moment. House has bit a right disaster zone lately (sounds familiar) - one of those situations when it gets such a mess it feels like so much effort to do something about it that you don’t. And it’s really getting in the way of doing home ed things. Which of course just makes you more fed up with it. Not helped by being out too much last week. This week we have been staying in a lot more, and no classes etc. so feeling a bit more relaxed about that as well.

So made an attack on that this week, my mum and dad came over on Tuesday to help things along (why are Mums so much more effiecent at this than us youngsters…?), and when Helen and the girls went to Little Nanny’s on Wed I satyed here, and as it rained, I worked on tidying upstairs. Our bedroom is nice and tidy again,which is always so much more relaxing.

Still more to do, esp. the utility room - sort out some more storage for HE craft/science stuff etc.. General crap and ’stuff’ that just seems to collect around the place and paperwork etc.

Anyway, yesterday focussed on a bit more on education - Stringbean spent ages first thing drawing and colouring and picture card for Mummy. Spent a bit of time upstairs tidying Butterbean’s room, whilst the girls ‘helped’ - though moslty they played a game of climbing in the airing cupboard and shutting themselves in

After lunch, once BB was asleep for her nap, me and SB got out the Physics science kit, and had a go at that- we ended up building a little balloon powered car. Lacking a camera, we played with video camera instead, so we can inflict his on you I particularly like SB’s ‘TV presenter’ mode and her ‘blowing up a balloon’ song:

I would show you one of the angellina ballerina firefly costume so far. must think about tiara and wings

Is certainly very difficult! We have had people to stay and BB has been being unbearably gorgeous, and apart from video - which we rarely use - no mechanism of catpure. Unfortunately we have a 150 pounds excess on insurance, so not sure what to do.

This week was a bit of a stay in week, with Chris on Mon, and his parents came round on Tues, so the ‘match and sort’ has been going well, and SB doing more and more voluntary reading of books. We have also read a lot to her, particulary from the ‘I wonder why…’ series. We’ve thought a lot about seasons and changes. i’ve managed some piano lessons - yippee!
today we went to little Nanny’s. As I drove there we did our usual singing and qwuestions [always helps me concentrate on driving!] pointing out my favourite buildings [and SB’s] on the way. She made me giggle by pointing out the roman road, and telling me it went in straight lines so the British couldn’t hide round the corners - she says this MUST be fact as heard on a CD [yep HH] - as I tried in vain to explain it was a joke. We do a lot of car ed.

little Nanny is well, she is having a knee replacement next week [much needed] and hopes to be more mobile aftr that. In her mid 80’s this is not something she takes lighlty, but having been housebound for a year, quality is more important than quantity. I can see though, however much she denies it, she is worried about surviving, so I have suggested she requests a spinal. I think she can take the noise of the orthopod, and spinal’s are better for cognitive function in the elderly - and she is worried about that too, as she hasn’t been as good since last years run of bad luck. SB made her a lovely picture card to take into hopsital with her, and also a beautiful hama star [which we can’t photo!] threaded trhough with pink ribbon to make a talisman necklace. Bless her, but Nanny wore it all day. SB and BB were delightful.

When home we had a look at a human body book, and then to bed. I am filling in some dratted form for work to try and get pay progression. it is due in tomorrow, but I am doing it last minute cos it is a right pain. I don’t think I’ll be successful though - they are only going to give the points to 8 consultants in the trust. i should have given the form to Nic! [yep, I am distraction activitying still!]
Speaking of Nic, I have had a number of garbled texts this evening, so I guess they are having fun.

Hmm, I am charged with making a costume like angelina ballerina’s firefly one for halloween. I have bought some ribbons, and am planning to embellish a dress with it. I hope its OK - I am just not as good as seamstress as SB believes!

We had Katy and B [or do you want me to use other names?]. The girls had a great time. As Jax blogged, she, tim , Big and Small crashed Friday - and were very welcome. This time leaving with nearly all their belongings! The triso of SB, K and Big disappeared instantly to play, and Small and BB had fun with the wacky wigglers again. it seemed very odd to be cameraless though. The girls had a very late night…

The next day there was a great deal of playing, with a judicious use of a DVD as a break, and some colouring time - making things that fly [a rather nice little ‘experiment’ set for both flight and visual permanence]. Actualy it was all of ours first time with iceage 2, and SB picked up on the Noah’s ark reference very quickly, and thought it very funny. Lots of playing with BB and a great deal of chatting! Home made pizza and a slightly earlier bedtime.

today more fun, particularly with fun blox and hama, so I felt a bit guilty sending Katy on her way home via Merry’s incase the stock cupboard proved too alluring! SB and BB were flaked so more hama and read books before the girls collapsed. Unfortunately BB reawoke and has only just sucumbed to morpheus again, so I am afraid Jax I haven’t looked at my rainbow resources catalogue.

BB showing off here singing skills, esp. for afficionados of the Kellogs Rotten Romans CD:

Pah! My rucksak got stolen from the kiddies playground while we were there this afternoon, sadly it contained the digital camera (and the usual kiddie related stuff) Turning it from a annoyance to an ******** ANNOYANCE

We’d been to the last of the ‘African Drama’ sessionsm which had been extremely noisy - lots of loud drumming, and SB had enjoyed herself muchly. Afterwards we headed back to the car. We have previously gone to the nearby park afterwards with others. Everyone else was going elsewhere afterwards, but SB wanted to go anyway, and whilst I probably wouldn’t have otherwise, seeing as the car was parked right by it I said we’d have short play.

BB had been grumpy all afternoon, and was continuing to make a fuss about the swings. So I went in put the bag down our of the way and put her in the swing. At some point some scrote must have come in - I suspect over the fence and nicked it. Ar**, I would normally take the camera out - both for security and for piccie taking, but we were in there less than 15 minutes, and I didn’t.

:-) annoyed with myself and the theiving whatsit. Grrrrrr.

And we can’t take photos….!!!!!!

Other than that - a reasonable morning, Helen’s car playing silly buggers again re starting, at least this time it wasn’t blocking in the Mondeo - I’m hoping it’s just a knackered battery.

SB Hama-ed first off, BB being cute (to me)/annoying (to SB) insisted she wanted to do some, wandering around going ‘Hama,Hama, Hama’! Of course she wants to do midi beads like her sister - she even manged to put a few in place, but then SB was hiding some of the beads fron her and they ended up all over the floor …:-( Anyway, she finsihed yet another multicolour princess (photo - oh, sorry …).

Rest of the mornign involved breakfast - some upstairs playing of some sort, some more maths (MPH1B)and Explode the Code. The maths is a bit easy maybe for her - Addition and subtraction up to 40 - getting into Tens and Units, but before when we jumped about more we got a bit lost really. She seems to like doing it anyway, so we are just carrying on with it for now. anyway, she is bit dense at time re number bonds, so it’s practise for that. She mostly remembered about vowels and consonants when doing ETC. It also mentioned syllables. I don’t remember covering this with her, and she didn’t know what it was, so we spent a bit of time talking about that and spotting syllables in words.

Then it was hurry hurry for lunch so as to get out in time. (Lunch was crumpet pizzas - basically crumpets with a bit of tom sauce, cheese, + whatever on top and grilled - went down well)

After the debacle of the bag etc. we went and got a new battery for the car, went to Tesco as the bag contained all the drinks/snacks and SB was hungry/thirsty. Probably should have got her something cheaper than a pre packed fruit salad. But after she chose this in preference to some sort of cake thing that was also on display I felt a bit churlish. and both her and BB munched away happily on the way home. Back just in time for Ballet class. We cheered oursleves up with chippy chips for dinner.

SB called it the ‘Chippery’ the other day, which we thought rather good

Well, today we failed to have a free cinema trip and instead went and spent a fair bit of money instead. Enjoyed it though in the end.

We were supposed to be going to a NSFW showing of March of the Penguins. We even left home at the time we meant to, which should have been long enough for the journey. Unfortunately all roads into town seem to be snarled up. We left the motorway, to find traffic backed up to the roundabout, so headed back onto M-way to try the next road in - I go down it pretty often at this time and is not usually very busy by then. But today it was backed up right down onto the M-way and along the hardshoulder and not moving at all really. I suspect a crash, as police car came through at one point. We made another attempt, but we were losing hope by now and this was also snarled up, we were now late and were obviously going to miss a chunk of the film, so decide to cut our loses and do something else.

We had been going to meet up with Bob and Katy and co. but at least with mobiles we were able to keep them filled in and they were able to get the tickets and see it anyway.

Seeing as we had just gone past the IWM Duxford we decided to go there. Though it’s a bit on the expensive side (though not I think bad value) so if we had realized we might not have done, esp. as we didn’t have any lunch with us so had to buy that as well. Anyway, it turned into a good day out.

Dusford was very good. There is a new Airspace exhibition focusing on the history of British aviation.  It’s not finished yet, but it is partly open. A hangar full of various British planes, including one of the prototype Concordes which was open for viewing, which was mostly full of various bits of test equipment. As  latest plane it had an escape hatch in the floor - basically, AFAICS you dropped out of the bottom of the plane -  Helen wasn’t convinced by this. There is a pretty good ‘ hands on’ bit upstairs as well, with various things to do with the construction of planes and flight which SB spent a fair while in. We looked at exhibits inside a couple of other hangars as well as some old commercial planes outside - SB was inordinately pleased to be able to go inside another one of them . There was much more that we could have looked at but just didn’t really have the time nor energy. They did have nice cakes in the cafe though for when you reach that point in the afternoon.

There is restoration work going on on various planes, which is being carried out in public view, so there were a number of planes is various states of dismantlement. I’m not esp. into planes, but I do like machines and things in general. Seeing complicated things like planes with all their guts exposed was interesting. It wasn’t greatly ‘ war-ry’ but there are of course lots of military planes on show. There was little bit of discussion about bombers dropping bombs. SB hoped that they were just dropping them on other soldiers, so we had to explain that no, sometimes they get dropped on ordinary people and children etc. as well.

By the time we had finished and got home we were knackered. It was time for a little relax before dinner. Though Helen read some books to SB, and a bit of SOTW.

After dinner I had to go out and pick up the latest Freecycle acquisition from someone in the village. We got one if those large (ish) freestanding pools, so pleased with that - SB has always been jealous of the Portico’s. so that should ensure lots of bad weather next summer…..

In one of those strange quirks of fate, the people listing it are the mysterious  ‘ other HE family’ that I heard about - she happened to mention it in an email. So now we know who they are, will hopefully get together at some point.

Hi, I’m aged 43, married to Helen, with 2 daughters - SB 5 3/4 and BB almost 2.

We are home educating, and I am the parent who is at home mostly with our daughters.

Helen’s car wouldn’t start this morning - battery was very flat, so I had to get up to push it out of the drive so she could take the other car. So I was up (about 7.30 - normally I am up first and before then anyhow), so enjoyed my cup of tea (or 2) in peace and quiet. Catching up on friends blogs, reading news on the BBC and Guardian websites. But it wasn’t long before youngest was up. Breakfast of cereal for her (Rice Crispies), milk, toast, and fruit. Eldest had a lie in - catching up on sleep missed with friends staying for the weekend. So me and BB had a nice time to play together, drawing and colouring, reading, playing silly giggling games, she ‘helped’ wash up. Then we all went to the library

On the way back, did notice exactly how old the old school building is (now an electronic subcontractors). It has a plaque over the door saying it was founded in 1749. Though the building was built in I think it said 1784. The were also 3 bricks high up in the wall with the date and the initials of (presumably) some of the builders. All around the doorway are scratched intials in the brick - presumably of children attending the school. I wonder just how old they are? Must be one of the oldest building in the village. Most around this bit seem to be Victorian, and are built of different brick. Also wandered back through the parish church yard, where SB likes me to read the graves stones, while I try to put the dates into some sort of context. So plenty of reflection on history, change and permanence there. Much has changed in the intervening decades and centuries, but also much is depressingly the same.

Home to coffee, reading of library books, lunch (listening to the Little Toe Radio Show via the computer). It was going to be baked beans, but no beans, so had a treat of fried eggs on toast followed by yoghurt and fruit - youngest is on real Clementine hit at the moment. We do like to eat seasonal and local produce - and we do have great local apples, plums and pears - Cambridgeshire was real plum country and there are still quite a few orchards around. Ok clementines are local, but I do try to at least wait for the European ones to come in. The first Satsumas and Clementines being an early herald of Christmas. We’ll gloss over the Bananas though.

Afternoon passed with BB having a nap, while me and SB did some maths, some of her reading to me, watched a bit of a DVD of the old David Attenborough Living Planet programme, did a few domestic tasks like sorting out some washing. Our house is failry old 150 -200 years - in parts. So often reminded of history as I move around it. Youngest wanted some grapes (we have a 100+ year old grapevine in the conservatory). We went and cut a bunch and I am reminded of the woman (who was in her 90s then) who the previous owners met in the 1980’s. Who remembered the vine being here when she lived here as child. Did she enjoy the grapes like our two?

We finished off with a drive (6 miles) to the swimming pool, for SB’s swimming lesson. Home to pasta and tomato sauce for dinner. Once children were in bed we relaxed by writing our 1 Day in History blogs. One of our friends has had a baby today. I wonder what sort of history they will be looking back on in 40 years time?

came to visit for the weekend. we will flickr, but I was a bit lax with my photography. the children disapperaed, BB is desperate to be one of the gang. Sb and Small took a few adjustments as she had him pegged as a BB game wrecker. Big and SB raced around having fun and very late nights! Jax taught us to make the heat little wool dolls. And we nattered. lovely weekend!

will stuff in a flickr photo when I get it though

before her arrival, some friends from leeds popped by on their way past, which was lovely. We all used to be in choir together. Their son is similar in age to BB. Much fun was had with bubbles.

forgot to blog that I had played some lovely games of set and scrabble with SB, baked with BB and done a fair bit of ‘normals’ with SB.

from the garden we have even harvested a pumpkin! Loads of brocolli is ready now as well, as a bonus

istory Matters is asking people to blog on tuesday onto their blog, to get a record of what life was like at this time.

So, must remeber to do it here

from monster and teeny [and no, its not monster!] a 14 yr home ed offered a job by wallace and grommits makers. A reminder of how home ed works.

and the public are marching - will it do any good? over 1000 marched last week for our local hosp

And while I am doing this, both BB and SB have been singing along to the legions song!

Ok, we didn’t actually get wet in the end, but I couldn’t  resist the alliteration.

Yesterday we went on a trip with other local HE families to Wicken Fen. A National Nature Reserve owned by the National Trust that preserves a bit of the old Fenland landscape that has mostly gone now .

 But getting wet was a close run thing, before we left it was chucking it down, as it was much of the way there, but it was easing off as we got nearer ‘ look, the sky is getting lighter’ was the refrain from the back of the car. Still little rainy when we got there (just a bit early as well for us..), by the time we had all assembled (luckily inside) it had stopped. The older ones were starting off with screen printing, whilst the younger went off for some pond dipping.

 They are well set up for this so have  nice big rectangular pond with wooden edges etc. for easy dipping. I think everyone managed to find various little beasties - Dragonfly Nymphs, mayfly nymphs, Water boatmen, Great Diving Beetles, tiny little Pea Mussels, water snails, and various other unidentified small wriggly/swimmy things.

Good fun and no one fell in, everytime I moved off to take a photo I thought BB would go for it.

After dipping we went off to do  bit of clay modeling. The idea was to make clay models of beasties or whatever, some did, lots just made random clay things. I think screen printing sounded more fun.

After this we headed back to main building, I was going to suggest  snack and tea stop but there was a sort of treasure hunt thing organized around the boardwalk on the reserve - where the kids had to find hidden wooden animals, by the time me and BB caught SB up, who had gone on ahead she was ready and raring to go, so we did that instead. I’m a little dubious of these sorts of ‘ let’s find all these x things’ as I feel it can just mean the kids go around looking for them and you miss out on the point of whatever place you are going to. But that’s probably me just being  grumpy old man.

Anyway, SB enjoyed it running along with the bunch of the older-younger ones (IYSWIM) looking for them. Mostly she was way ahead of me and BB, as we pootled along, chatted with other pootlers etc. She did have daft SB wail at one point when looking for something and  boy point it out - ‘ Wail, wail - I wanted to find it myself and now I can’t…..’

But that was easily out done by her later escapade. Heard SB wail in the distance, and some one said she had fallen off the boardwalk. Amongst the wails I was regaled of tale of really quite excellent dimness. She was ‘ running my fastest’ and so ‘ I had to have my eyes closed’ (WTF? ) - and so yes she fell off the edge of the board walk…..

I did well I thought to keep  straight face, while trying to be sympathetic.

I’m sure Katy was sniggering up ahead.

By the time we had hunted  all the animals down, I certainly was ready for lunch, so it was time for a nice  cup of tea Though it was rather damp to sit outside and BB was bit on the restless side and wanted to be outside, so a fairly short and not esp.. relaxing lunch. And the rain started up again just as we left.

Once home we just really flopped, watched an episode of Life of Mammals, played with BB etc. After dinner SB insisted she wanted to go outside ,so she was scootering around the garden in the almost darkness. Whilst BB pottered around slightly bemusedly I think.

It was a good day, the place was interesting, they had some great large cutaway models of things like the inside of  a fly etc. Certainly worth another visit. SB is now quite good friends with some of the other kids and they make  good little gang. Shame Helen wasn’t able to come (it is normally her day off of course), she was being an examiner type person.

So do they only sell Henderson’s Relish in Yorkshire then? I’ve never seen it down here anyway.

you know, there are some good points to my job.