April 2007

never too young to start!! [photo to follow]

Had a lie in this morning, and overheard SB and BB playing with their babies. SB calls the gorgeous corolle doll from Bead merrily ‘Annie’. I could hear her giving instructiosn to annie on climbing stairs, with BB mirroring the instructions - same inflection and everything.? they loved the babies, gave each others a hug - all in that gorgeous little girl way. V cute

today we went fossil hunting with the not-so-local group! it was really good fun, at a brickworks. the ex quarry is a nature reserve, and a fossil section. We mostly found ammonites, belemnites and gryphaea. How cool is that!

We all enjoyed it. SB met up with old friends - including the quietly noisy crew. All were amazed at how many fossils there were. BB liked finding ’something’ though she was the first to find the gryphaea - a snail she said. Lots of geology and dinosaur conversations in the air!
After quite a while, we moved on to do a bit of pond dipping. BB caught a fish!! SB caught a fair number of bugs.

SO I texted Merry, and we popped round to cheer her up. Though SB in particular was not very cheery - mostly at a loss due to lack of the older girls I think. BB and Josie more happy though BB was a bit violent at times - aargh. We should have taken cake, or grapes - better for the throat. Lovely to sit and chat. Also had a look in the bead merrily stock room [ and a box before it even got in there - mostly to fish out some little cutters for SB] and came away with this as well.

Home for a chippery tea and a UNO marathon. While having the chippery tea, we looked again at the oil and water, and this time counted how long it took to seperate enough for us to see a faint line, and then to see a strong demarcation - though still a bit mixed. 14 for the first and 20 for the second.? BB fell asleep in the car and declined to wake up. No doubt will do any minute now! Got to Robert the Bruce in Britannia. As an aside, SB has devised her own heraldic banner - will photo and flickr. She is very proud of it.

rage - just lost a whole post on gifted and talented. be very glad - probably karma as i have ranted so much today.

points of rant -

1.nomenclature - gifted and talented vs average or struggling

2. there being a national register of gifted and talented children

2.not being frank that what labour wants to do is reintroduce setting/streaming

3. pretending that individualised option is a reality in most schools

but mainly the words!!!

but doesn’t this

General Characteristics of Gifted, Talented and More Able Pupils - he or she may:

• be a good reader
• be very articulate or verbally fluent for their age
• give quick verbal responses (which can appear cheeky)
• have a wide general knowledge
• learn quickly
• be interested in topics which one might associate with an older child
• communicate well with adults - often better than with their peer group
• have a range of interests, some of which are almost obsessions
• show unusual and original responses to problem-solving activities
• prefer verbal to written activities
• be logical
• be self taught in their own interest areas
• have an ability to work things out in their head very quickly
• have a good memory that they can access easily
• be artistic
• be musical
• excel at sport
• have strong views and opinions
• have a lively and original imagination / sense of humour
• be very sensitive and aware
• focus on their own interests rather than on what is being taught
• be socially adept
• appear arrogant or socially inept
• be easily bored by what they perceive as routine tasks
• show a strong sense of leadership
• not necessarily be well-behaved or well liked by others

sound like characteristics that lots of HE kids you know have? And isn’t it sooooo meaningless in the HE world of individualised education!

I don’t think so! I might agree that these pages may help us write a report if we are minded to do so, I don’t intend to point to the blog either. LINK

anyway, grump grump privacy, grump grump commenting anonymously, grump grump at tone and because I can!

in the singapore maths, for 43 - 27 you would say there were 4 boxes, 30, 13, 20, 7 and get to 10 and 6 = 16.

Sb suddenly said to me, but mummy, I don’t do it that way now, I say the difference to 10 is 3, and another 3 is 6 when i take the ten [you get the drift?] so I think she must now have cracked it.

obviously I haven’t, as looking at my 2 girls today, I just loved them. But I guess that is a phrase that pops up now and again! I think at the moment they are one of the key things keeping me moving of a day. Being rung by work was a downer moment!

Anyway, another lovely day spent mostly outside. SB has done loads of starfall today [obviously inside!] and was very taken by the greek myths section - Mummy we’ve read these ALL before. [at least 60 billion times darling, luckilly I love them too] she could pronounce the names correctly too. She helped BB with cbeebie-ing as well. BB got bored with this though, so she and I sort of played ‘don’t wake dad’ with good counting to 5. She won’t press the button though, as she doesn’t like it when dad jumps up at her - fine at one of us though!

We moved on to reading once the imigran had taken effect for me - some more of the polar bear Magic Tree house [SB in love with the series] and then looked up traditional inuit lifestyles in some native american books we have. I read some more stories from assorted barefoot books to both girls.

We then piled outside and the girls ran around and I pushed BB on the swing. We had lunch and then a tin of pineapple [considered a HUGE treat]. Then - drumroll please - SB FINISHED MPH 1A!!! on the revision section, she still needs some work on subtraction across the tens [ie 43-27] but is pretty much there most of the time. BB and i were spotting bugs, bees and talking to the goldfish.

So some more running about and playing hide and seek - ably helped by BB [ mummy's over here]. then we planted up SB’s flower garden. SB and BB bailed out of digging fairly quickly- the soil was too hard! Its funny that the archaeological dig hole gets bigger and bigger. [both found dinosaur bones and flints today - cavemen. hmmmmm]. Anyway, i dug loads of holes [while they dug for treasure], and SB then planted up beautifully, and watered in. She also sowed up some more of her veg patch - a row of carrots and some onion sets.

Chris came back from the supermarket and made us berry smoothies and muffins for a snack - yummy, and dug a patch of the veg bed over. They all then played wild things, and i planted out the peas. I’ve been impressed with the germination rate in the propagator its near 100% of everything so far. I think that’s ‘cos we had the temp up a bit to start with all the harder to germinate seeds, and have now reduced it. The temp control I think has made all the difference. Even the florence fennel has all germinated.

Unfortunately ‘real’ gardening was cut short as BB hurt her wrist in a wild round and round. I did wonder whether it was broken. She did want a bath though, so as a deferring option we had a bath, at which point she played using the arm, and weight beared on it, so I was reassured.

She fell asleep very quickly after the bath - which was a bit weird as before tea. SB enjoyed some ‘only child’ time with 2 parents attention, playing outside, some more starfall and the lots of UNO. She did wake up though as Sb went to bed - sigh!

SO another lovely day. we are slipping a bit with the home ed - well, the music, language and story of the world! SB is so racing ahead and loving reading though that i don’t want to artificially cut that short, and i do want her to have plenty of play time. She was still on about heaviness of liquids at teatime - balsamic vinegar vs wine!!! we may have to do an experiment [there is a bottle of water and oil sitting on the windowsill, but she wants more layers]. hmmmm still, should be able to add 10 mins music practice [though it takes 15 to get ready etc etc].

Anyway, more britannia at bedtime - which led to quite a chat about prince of wales, the welsh language [which i demonstrated badly!] and the tie in with castle rising that we visited not long ago.

oh, and I forgot the great potty disaster - BB likes having a potty outside so she remembers to use it (mostly). I was helping SB with a sum, looked around and BB was on the potty, most clearly doing a poo, but not having made sure her dress was hitched up at the back. At least we were outside.

Now watching grand designs vid - lovely. Fossil hunting tomorrow is the plan.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. was just so nice to have some relaxing days off in a row.

got up at 9 as chris off to collect a bed from little Nanny. SB was already doing lots of webland [which she has always liked - been on the upper age this year]. BB was playing skittles.

After a while, BB and I played with lego instead, SB read another chapter of he polar bear magic tree house, and having got stuck on the word caribou, we then looked in a polar animals book. it is sooooo fab to have a reader, who reads most of it out to you, much easier with 2 now!

Both girls decided they were ravenous, so we had lunch before 11! Then we got dressed, did nail varnish [take note of how I learn Nic!] and piled outside in the sun. we slipped slapped and slopped [or whatever that australian advert was] and rampaged about a bit, swinging and climbing a lot [whilst singing at top of voice - poor neighbours - well, not the pub]. I read an inuit folk tale [in the spirit of the today's theme!] and SB read some more of the polar book. She also did a fair bit of the 1B revision pages of maths. Both girls also did a lot of splashing in water boxes [we haven't sorted the pool yet] and BB wore herself quite out, so fell asleep in my arms.

Chris returned with bed, and SB carried on splashing on the whole. We had a discussion wrt tea, and she agreed to try something very mildly thai spiced, so thats what i did, with wild and red rice. She loved it. Next time will increase the intensity of the spices, as when she had seconds, she had the more spiced version. SB cbeebied and read to BB, and BB and I read some books.

Finally bedtime, with the britannia and usborne young readers routine. So we had a lovely day. SB is reading like mad, we have lots of wide ranging conversations about all sorts - like what is the heaviest fluid - i made a guess for mercury - so we discussed that it isn’t just a planet/roman god, and she remembered that it was in shi huang di [sp!] burial in Xian. mind you, I am not entirely sure what the heaviest liquid [at room temp and sea level pressure!!] is. ANd so I think we do have a very interactive education - I just need to have google in my brain!

i have very happily watched the apprentice, and will gently relax on the sofa.

Not forgetting Gordon Ramsey of course!

sorry, but it just fits the mood. SB is shocked, I think, at me listening to something other than classical. I think its so old now it must be uncool enough for me to like it? [I was embarrassed at the time!]

This piccies just popped up in the sidebar. I love it, a gaggle of princesses/fairies from our first Muddlepuddle Camp - Melrose 2005.

Passed on From Making it Up among other places. Type your birth day and date only into wikipedia
From February 24th

3 Events?

1582 - Pope Gregory XIII announces the Gregorian calendar.

1831 - The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West.

1938 - A nylon-bristle toothbrush becomes the first commercial product (DuPont) to be made with nylon yarn.

2 Births

1304 - Ibn Battuta, explorer

1786 - Wilhelm Grimm, German philologist and folklorist (d. 1859)

1 Death

1810 - Henry Cavendish, English scientist (b. 1756)

Holiday or Observance?

Dragobete in Romania.

Problem with Birth and deaths is that the lists in more recent dates is dominated by Americans.

well, we had a lovely time with all the family. little Nanny was here as well, so felt like it should be. SHe’s getting much better, more mobile and more positive.

lots of chocolate was eaten, there was lots of fun outside. Generally a nice family time. SB and M had fun, and BB and E mostly did [when not doing the 'mine' thing]

i had a few major wobbles - hadn’t realised quite how low i was really. have some time off to recharge a bit now though. Took some nice photo’s - hidden amongst the masses on flickr!

?

3 events

193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans)

1413 - Henry V is crowned King of England.

1865 - American Civil War: Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (26,765 troops) to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, effectively ending the war.

2 births

• 1336 - Tamerlane (Timur), Central Asian, Turkic conqueror (d. 1405)
• 1806 - Isambard Kingdom Brunel, British engineer (d. 1859)

1 death

1492 - Lorenzo de’ Medici, Italian statesmen (b. 1449)

[though edward 4th a contender!]

holiday and observances
Feast for Three Days - Second Day (Thelema)

but will blog the weekend tomorrow

easter saturday has mostly been spent outside. we have the same houseful as for xmas, and with little nanny.

SB did her easter egg hunt that she bought the bits for very successfuly - and was very happy!

I planted up all the broad beans, SB and cousin M planted some in her veg patch, and BB and cousin E helped me plant some peas there too. Lots o the sweetcorn have now germinated, and some of the squashes.
They have also cbeebied , NASA-ed and done some reading amongst all the playing.

We adults have watched indulgently, run around a bit and drunk mostly coffee and tea and wine.

OK, so once the journey was done, the conference in birmingham was inspirational and depressing. Many of my colleagues are now starting to find some of the pressure that we in my unit have felt for the last 2 years. The government seem on a path to remove specialists and replace with cheap and quality free - fine for poundshop, but for health? So lots of debate.

An excellent speaker was incited for one of the keynote sessions. Prof Carl Chin - may I just thank the organisers for such a great talk. It was on why Birmingham is there.

So, I got home late on wed, played with SB for a bit - we had a bash at Spanish edu city and did some games and read books together. thurs was a long day at work but - FINDUS! [success on a plate!] my job plan has finally been agreed [well I await final confirmation so shouldn't get too excited] which will mean some ‘annualisation’ of my hours - I work v hard while there, but have more free time - some of which I will need to spend on courses and prof devel, but its up to me - woo hoo!

I am on call, but its good friday [when Jesus was crossed apparently] my parents arrived yesterday, my sister and family and little nanny today. Raucous and happy - just as I like it. SB happy reading a felicity wishes book, and lots of playing in the garden. BB seems a month older than on monday somehow. How does that happen?
garden stuff - my broad beans in modules need to go in the ground - as do the onion sets [late I know!] and potatoes [ditto]. SOme of the peas are ready to harden off. one of the modules is teaming with spider babies - tiny and yellow and black - prob deadly!! They run up and down the web presumably left by parent and then hide in 2 lumps under some leaves. The courgette have germinated, but not the other cucurbits yet. one sweetcorn germinated!! kirsty’s peas germinated. Must pot up toms.

mmm. gordon ramsey! I am back home - with great relief, as not the best time away, and potentially financially disastrous due to a coffee accident…

Anyway, went to a restaurant called Bank in Birmingham [never been to birmingham properly before, and I loved it!] and you could see the kitchen and them working in it. As I commented at the time, i could have done with GR effing about.

At least I can watch him on TV!

is what I was thinking as I closed the doors and windows open downstairs. There was a little bit of smoke drifting across the back garden, with a bit of? ‘burning rubber’ smell to it. About 10 or so minutes later, I remembered that the some upstairs windows were open, went up to close them and noticed the smoke was coming from ttowards the front of the house, along with a couple of popping/cracking noises.

It turned out to be this across the road from us:

Realized that our car was parked on the road almost opposite, so although I thought it’d be ok, I got it back on the drive pronto.

Soon put out by the firebrigade off course:

??

From what I gather so far - I’ll probably get the full story in the bakers tomorrow, the occupants (an elderly couple by the looks of it) were just driving along and it caught fire.

A bit dramatic for round here.

Because the meeting I am supposed to be having I’m not [this afternoon in birmingham] though i do need to be there for the evening!

SO having a realxed morning at home, catching a later train.

Joanna and girls here. Merry expected. All the girls [bar BB!!] had a VERY late night. they have poisson rouged a lot, and I think BB has shown Jade zoombinis.

Joanna brought with her the usbourne science book [will find a link] and its fab, and SB loves it - it was bedtime book last night.

Behind. Had a nearly 4 hour phone call yesterday eve, which although lovely to speak to my friend, made me 2 hours late for bed, and also a fair number of tasks unfinished - including blogging!!

Yesterday was a fairly relaxed day. We spent lots of it in the garden, looking at the seeds sprouting, the flowers, and organising SB’s flower and veg beds by the playhouse. Hide and seek and lots of swinging! We need more of Merry’s cardboard boxes for the veg patch! I did some weeding though.
We also sowed some more seeds - our cucurbits [butternut squash, another squash, pumpkin and courgette], finished the packet of mangetout and also the fennel [which might not germinate as such an old packet! All the last lot of peas sown have germinated, and the spring onions. The broad beans are outside in open greenhouse to acclimatise before being painted.

SB's new 1/4 violin arrived - in purple with flowers. It was fairly cheap [and sounds it compared to her stentor 1/10] but the size is much better for her, and she loves the girliness. We couldn’t actually play it, as the bow needs way more rosin to make a sound! It also came not set up, so I had to fiddle with bridge etc - a while since I did that. It was fine for me, and I was happy with purchase, but someone else may not have been so happy with setting it up. We had a grand violin session anyway - BB on the 1/10th, SB on 1/4 [plucking] and me on mine [which has a fabulous sound, but an additional 00 on price tag!!]

SB also has done lots of reading, playing with the pattern blocks, geography jigsaws, and I have read lots of barefoot stories. BB has been an adorable pickle! She has also done lots of playing with pattern blocks, singing and dancing and playing with kids k’nex. We all watched some usbourne first fun with french as well.

Today, we have sowed the sweetcorn? - including some bicolour from kirsty and some self supporting peas. i need to pot up the toms - anyone needing toms passing this way…

Most of today was spent enjoyably at Chris’s parents, who have nearly finished the doing up of their house - new carpets and all [so BB in a nappy!!] A cut throat game of ludo took all afternoon - though Grandad kept threatening to go home! A bit of Nick Jr fix [hideous adverts!]

The girls are playing at the mo with both pattern blocks and k’nex, and we re expecting Joanna and family soon-ish for an overnight stay.