we have a very good library, so these are books from there, ones we have had for ages, and some new ones :smile:. Anyway, this is why they are a bit of an odd mix. the usborne and DK readers ones v accessible, as is the jigsaw book and the story of explorers. the marco polo a reading book. the others a bit more of a read with me dipping thing at the mo, mostly due to the small type I think !
DK antarctic adventure
inside the beagle with charles darwin
Marco polo – a sonlight reader
I am reading 21 balloons to SB at the moment, leading chris to warble 21 red balloons to a vague representation of the nena song. so he decided to utube it for SB, and first came up with this rather amazingly bad video, before ending up with the german version. It rather took me back to my youth! SB enjoyed headbanging to it anyway
though will no doubt get back into the flow. SB did some maths and handwriting first thing, watched magic school bus and raven, bB wailed about her lost dinodoors [she has only had them 2 seconds!], did a bit of earlybird maths and watched the same things. was going to do some music practice, but my parents arrived after my mothers hosp appt. chatted, sb played games, bb wailed about lost dinodoors, and wanting to paint her volcano.
so we started to paint her volcano, and SB started to do some brainbox electronics. 5 mins later, bb wailing as wants to do the electronics – do you see a pattern? anyway, i negotiated a settlement and we did lots of the whirring one until the batteries ran out, then a wild run about outside. read about the rainforest to BB. most of the rest of the day was spent outside, but we did do some messing about with a science kit on magnets and compasses. have left it out to have a bit more of a look at tomorrow. SB has changed all her box books to ones about explorers, and a couple of the new books.
we did actually have a lot of fun running about in the garden, and rescued the day really. BB and SB ‘helped’ chris by making manure cupcastles 
but ots of swinging, dipping feet into v green pond water etc. We refilled the bird feeders, and played games.
I took SB to swimming – her new speedo goggles far better [thanks all], and also i can see a v definite improvement in her stroke, she doesn’t appear to be drowning half so often.
well i had too, this was our marriage music! I love the whole symphony. it was also the piece i played a couple of years back with the High Wycombe Symphonia – with my mum and sister also in the orchestra. prob the last time we will all play together properly like that. It will always give me good memories. this is not the best recording obviously, as it is youtube!
Posted in General, music to love
added more to the set, including a fair number of SB. aargh, just so not sure!
Posted in General
but its not been to bad as i have been home by mid-aft. today was so sunny, we had a lot of fun outside. the girls were making friends again with our playhouse.
i pruned and trained the fruit trees, played a few games with them in the house, and we all sowed some peas in trays that were so cheap they are already falling apart without being used once – humph!
thats about it i think? bb fractious today, then sick at tea, hopefully not coming down with anything. she was quite surprised by it.
Posted in General
well, SB reading loads- we got given some animal arks, and she has loved them, and read loads of them. also she has read the sonlight third grade detectives, all the magic tree houses, and all the magic school bus chapter books i had so far, and also horrid henry. these are all nice easy reading books for her. she has stretched herself with reading ballet shoes again, but 21 balloons was a bit difficult [well, its language is quite ornate!]. so i have bought some more 3rd grade detectives and magic school bus from amazon, as well as a couple of other things…
SB has done an enchanted learning booklet about african animals, [nearly a lapbook!!] and continued to read the ‘box books‘ about them [she chooses something to be interested in and we together find books around that and stick in the box for her to find and read as and when she fancies] she also wanted some explorer stuff, so a couple of explorer books threw themselves into the amazon basket too [all that disappointment from non-tent buying as we can't find a khyam ridgipod porch, and geting the rest without doesn't make sense for us]. She has regularly done her maths, still a fair bit of webkinz. oh, and although short we have done a lot of violin practice together, and she has done piano independently, and some with today. i think she prefers the piano at the mo, well, there is no setting up to do.
BB has continued her dinodor fest, and with chris has started to make a papier mache landscape for them to live in, she got 2 more from Merry as part of my bonus spending. SB bought herself castle keep, so we have played that every evening, and she is getting very good at it. in fact, if you click on the links, you can see my order at the mo! SB and BB have obviously got a bit more of a surprise coming! BB also been entirely fixated by watching magic school bus, though have persuaded her to let me read her lots of dinosaur themed books [katie and dinosaurs, picturepedia dinosaurs, various dinosaur fact books]
they went on an egg hunt today – as chris twittered, it wasn’t entirely successful…
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, General, geography, literacy, music, numeracy, pre reading, Stringbean's HE, writing
after a really lovely, but emotionally challenging easter, i have found relaxing and sleeping difficult, so having overslept this am, i declared duvet day.
[oh, just in case chris doesn't blog, he and sb did loads of map related things yesterday, as well as library and a power cut]
so, when i got up, they were breakfasting [and SB was reading at the same time] BB and i did jigsaws, read books [with a bit of alphabet and number recognition] and tickled. SB did some maths and made and wrote in a birthday card for my dad using paintshop. crafts was a clear request from BB, so i got out an easter craft we hadn’t got round to at my parents, and painted easter window decs. still having glass paint, we then painted some of our takeaway boxes – bb plans to put dinodoors in hers!
BB and i read about birds [another fascination of her is eggs], and SB read a ‘box book’ about why tigers have stripes. SB and i played about with violin practice, and then a viola that mum has given me so that i can play a lower line than before. i realised that although i have messed about with a cello, i have never played the viola before. BB baked scones with chris, and we enjoyed them as a snack afterwards.
we all looked at our science growing experiments. the ones in the dark had grown very tall to try and find light, and had pale leaves [but still tasted ok], the ones in the fridge had only just started to sprout, the dry ones hadn’t done anything, and we have topsy turvied the bean, and discussed the effect of gravity. we also started our grow your own mushroom kit. they decided the spore and straw smelled yukky. chris and i rather liked it! lets see if it works [our previous mushroom forays in leeds failed totally]
since it was duvet day, we then watched numerous episodes of magic school bus back to back [thanks to some friends oop north]. i really recommend them. yep, they are in the all pervasive american, but there is a lot of science in there, they use the proper words, and it is still enjoyable rather than worthy. i had BB trying to tell me all about the crabbity zooey ones [zooplankton] following one about food chains in the sea. and i learned something in the how hens eggs are made one!
SB did a bit of education city, and then a lot of webkinz, which she has really got into and enjoys. we also did a good tidy up. so, all in all a very productive duvet day i think! [oh, and we did lots of my favourtie things - like snuggling, cuddling, tickling and laughing]. oh, and chris set fire to the rubber seal on our pressure cooker, as he lit the wrong gas rig – sigh!!! [also cue much choking and spluttering]
you chose CY – your Enneagram type is SIX (aka “The Loyalist”).
Questioners are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.
How to Get Along with Me
What’s Hard About Being a SIX
SIXes as Children Often
SIXes as Parents
| Link: The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test |
Posted in Daft Stuff, General
was lovely and difficult at the same time.
loveliness: children playing together, easter eggs, family, weirdness of snow, dad taking children out to loose energy!
the first day we went to the park and got hailed on! then realised bb had gone out in slippers!!! lots of games playing, rummy, dominoes, ludo, word yahtzee [with some help!] landlocked, and hiss. also built a lot of things with k’nex and my nephew fell in love with both it and the maze ball!!
the children enjoyed the chocolatey goodnes that is easter, and i had bought yellow moon crafts [remember!] that we did a lot of whenever the moment required it. i think it went well, and kept everything ticking along, and hopefully all the kids will remember it as fun. the dinosaur eggs were particularly cherished.
difficulties: my sister’s diagnosis, and the effect is it has had on her and her family already. She was just tired btw, nothing dreadful in the end on her emergency admission, and thanks for all the well wishes. she had plenty of rest this easter anyway. magic wands would be nice.
