Petits Haricots » 2007 » November

hmm, skimming catchup

HHaricot — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:32:59 +0000

with a hope that chris might blog!

Tuesday – a Chris day! Nope, cannot remember anything they said they did! library day.

Wednesday – unfortunately I had to go into work for the morning. Mum came by for the day on the way to little nanny’s so that was lovely. Sb played the violin for her – jingle bells – rather nicely. much playing of games altogether.Bit of maths and some practicing latin – sort of. At least I remember some now!

Thursday – Latinetc at the intown alternative venue. lots of playing as well I gather [another chris day - I really missed out this week!] and then they went shopping and had a lot of fuss with static electricity in John Lewis. oh, and those blue lighted phones were bought! I got home late, but joined in with the talking about static that was still going on! So we found a good book and looked at atoms, electrons, protons and neutrons. It shew how static happened with a nifty diagram showing electrons shooting off, and how to make it. Sb had asked the night before how the elephant got its trunk – so we read some rudyard kipling – rofl! we decided it was just a nice story rather than truth though.

friday – And so to today. Has been the not so local group with an egyptian theme obvously daddy’s day. some SOTW activities etc. seems like a good time.

i got back and a bit earlier! so played, watched tv and did some experimenting with the cabbage water indicator from tea! so we guessed whether things were acids or alkali and then tested our hypothesis. oh, and we had great fun, particularly with mixing bicarb and cream of tartar. Sb particularly liked this eves chapter of 21 balloons – all about Mr M’s house, and she would like the elevator bed. I just quite like the idea of a gourmet government! oh well, krakatoa soon to explode!

hmmm. it is particularly crap blogging a week where i barely play a walk on part

New Guidelines for elective home education

HHaricot — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:51:34 +0000

Thanks Gill for pointing out they are published, and it seems that the HE position has been heard, so I am glad I spent the time filling out the consultation document.

guidelines

summary of consultation

or this one – but where did they get the sports channels from??

HHaricot — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:06:09 +0000

Your home is a

Futuristic Magnate’s Headquarters

Your kitchen is someplace you never go, because you “have people for that.” There’s a Chocolatessen, which is rapidly becoming your favorite room of the house. Having one is also becoming a trend among your wealthy neighbors. Your master bedroom is the size of a small barn, with carpet thick enough to reach your ankles. Your study has hardback editions of every classic ever written, plus a special edition of Rich Dad, Poor Dad with the parts you ghost-authored highlighted. One of your garages holds your collection of ferraris, and is measured in acreage.

Your home also includes a guest wing and private quarters for your servants. Your guests enjoy your home theater with 37 different sports channels. Outside is your hedge maze and gardens, meticulously tended by a team of world-class botanists.

Below is a snippet of the blueprints:

Find YOUR Dream Home!

Magnates Manor

HHaricot — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:01:26 +0000

Your home is a

Magnate’s Manor

And, you have a pet — a doberman pincer named “Warren”.

Below is a snippet of the blueprints:

Find YOUR Dream House!

Open Ballet lesson

HHaricot — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:37:11 +0000

just got back from work in time to take S to her open ballet lesson. I really enjoyed watching it. SB puts her heart and soul into it and really loves it. A bit of left and right awareness would prob be helpful!Their teacher appears to really enjoy teaching too.

Daddy and BB made some yummy scones whilst we were there, and when we got back we all ate one before SB rushed off to swimming.

potentially of interest to all those following the timetable saga, today Sb chose to do ‘happy street’ as SB’s choice – rofl!! She also finished her singapore maths 2A book – woohoo, and did some handwriting practice and piano practice. Since daddy’s doing bedtime, that means no MTH or mummy’s book, so I guess that is 6 boxes today. [ i will get bored of this too!! ]
BB and I got to have a lovely cuddle and snuggle and I put her to bed today. she is currently going through a bit of a winnie the witch phase.

first timetabled day. A maths day

HHaricot — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:03:32 +0000

After having a discussion on the starting day of the week, and how it is sunday, though tbh monday seems a more likely point, Sb decided to start her ‘timetable’ today rather than Monday – i think she was desperate to start! However, we actually – I think – didn’t consider ‘the timetable’ as such when choosing what to do.

The girls got up before me and watched nemo. When I got up we did some violin practice – SB getting more and more confident and is holding and playing nicely. practicing jingle bells for Xmas! SB then wanted to do something at her desk, so looked at a roman activity pack, which she probably could have done at a push, but we both agreed might be better left for later, so intead drew me and BB mazes to play with.

An interesting discussion over brunch leapt out from how to make yoghurt to measuring temperature, absolute zero and why it was absolute, what it meant on the particle front which meant you couldn’t get colder. how our standard celsius temp is all tied in to water melting and boiling at a standard pressure. etc etc. we weren’t too sure if we had a box for thinking…

BB has done a fair bit of stickering and colouring this morning but mostly played with her lacing game and the bob duplo – which we knew would be a massive hit! S joined her for a bit, and they collected wood to roast chestnuts for all the trucks – rofl!

Sb bought me a ‘box book’ which are interesting books that we choose for the week to go with MTH, my story, SOTW or what she fancies. this one was sir cumference and the round table[ as initially recommended by kirsty]. I read it – SB guessed early on that round was going to be best, and we considered the various maths elements within the story. This led naturally on to drawing lots of circles and marking out diameter, radius and circumference and measuring them. we had a brief chat about pi, but might leave that for a different book! she decided that ‘sircles‘ didn’t fit anywhere in the timetable, so that got added to a blank box.

SB then took ages getting dressed, and the girls played upstairs for a bit whilst i did a bit more work admin – must never get behind again [who am i kidding!] SB then did some singapore maths [which counts as maths!] and daddy gave her a bit of help, and BB and I played… Bob the builder! SB moved onto zoombinis [computer box] whilst BB and I read lots of books and played lots of games. BB also did some plasticine at one point. Chris found a best of slade cd!! so SB enjoyed dancing around to that.

getting late and tired, so both up to bath, down to watch numberjacks and mama mirabelle before tea. BB fell asleep pretty much by end of tea, and was whisked upstairs. SB and I have done some felting, and I read to her the first chapter of the new SOTW book while she did this, and then whilst she coloured in a princess. We read the next chapter magic tree house, and 21 balloons at bedtime.

SO we counted that as 9 things! [yesterday without the timetable was 7]

that’s my girl!! nothing like colour coded and subject led!

HHaricot — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 12:44:38 +0000

SB didn’t like the previous title

hey its the weekend!

HHaricot — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 01:09:15 +0000

so i had a it of a lie in and chris brought be brekkie in bed – gotta love that man! whilst i did this, SB did some piano practice -good girl, and then playing. BB crept up and we played the hatching game. when SB was little – at about this age – she liked to pretend she was a chick in an egg, and i had to hatch her out. now BB plays it!

I did get up, and play with the bob duplo with BB and read to her – copious amounts of apple tree farm! SB and I did violin practice, and she did her maths. We then read a load of books together and did the usborne balloon puzzle one as well.

BB did drawing and stickering with birthday presents, and lots of playng with the bob duplo. we then went into the kitchen, SB to make a fimo tooth pot, and BB to make a plasticine monster – well that what she says it is! SB also made a totally fab fimo father christmas dec for the tree. i helped in telling her ovals and cylinders tough think she could have done without, but we like being a team! SHe and BB watched Spanish Muzzy.

oh, chris and I put up a freecycle desk as SB keen. She also wanted a timetable. we compromised on a chart showing what she might do in a week. i was in the interesting position of haggling down her expectations! I still think we have an enormous amount on her home-ed chart, but sad we can change things later [i think she thinks we will add to it!]

Chip supper with ‘mary on the prairie‘ as BB calls it. SHe played with her lacing game before bed, and once she was gone, SB varnished her fimo and then did some felting. What an active day! In bed she has been reading a balloon race story, and a fact book about grasslands – as she is reading loads of books about ‘big cats’ – including DK tiger tales earlier today.

I am a bit [lot] behind on various admin tasks work related, so had a headbanging evening. sigh!

A Winters Walk

Daddybean — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 10:50:41 +0000

On Friday me and the girls went out for a walk in the afternoon. Not far, but with BB we don’t go fast It was lovely sunny and cold early winter/late autumn day.

We splashed through puddles, looked for berries (the Blackberries weren’t nice confirmed SB ), squelched around in a ditch, played pooh sticks, swung on branches, stroked horses, watched diggers and got home to a nice cup of tea/hot choc.

Had lots of discussions as well about things, Why railways often run on embankments, why it’s cold, even though the sun is out all day, why more clothes keep us warmer, why the digger was digging holes, how things like water and electricity get to houses, other stuff I’ve forgotten. Lovely bit of fresh air, and modicum of exercise, really need to make the effort to get out more.

Other than that, this morning there was more maths (almost the end of Singapore Maths 2A – she can do it easily, but likes to finish things) Has said she prefers the My Pals Are Here ones, with the Aliens, so we’ll have to see, we’ve only got up to 2B in stock. Keep meaning to mix it up with the ‘Exeter Maths’ MEP stuff, but tend to forget. Did find the other day that they are starting to put some of it up online – the Year 3 practice books (as in you can do it online) which saves printing stuff out, and having yet more paper around the place. Some handwriting, reading of library books and some tidying of the girls room.

Much playing as well with BB’s Bob the Builder Duplo/Lego which she loves, even though she isn’t so much into BTB on tV.

Once Helen was home, we’d had dinner, we retired to the sitting room, to roast Chestnuts on the fire and watch Earth: Power of the Planets

Thursday was mostly a recover from BB’s party day – the parents were knackered anyway., with much tidying up to be done, a few bits of maths etc. SB’s Rainbows friend R came round after school and except for one standoff over where to play what they had fun. Playing something upstairs, some Fimo-ing, watched an awful My Little Ponies video, I cooked something she didn’t want to eat much of again H was staying over at this training thing so I got the girls into bed as promptly as I could after they’d gone home so i could collpse in a heap and watch TV moslty – even went to bed at sensible time.

My thoughtful SB

HHaricot — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 09:47:02 +0000