Author Archives: HHaricot

until i get round to blogging this weeks wodensmeet, please gasp with amazement at this pretty elegant biology experiment

every year we have a second christmas in january with dh’s mothers family. it was quite late this year! in preparation we made presents. I made millionaires shortbread, DH made s clements curd, SB made biscotti and BB made choc cookies. we thought we had made lovely hampers

Of course, the night before SB wanted me to alter a dress to fit her so i did . was v happy to be being a good momma . she does look beautiful, and very ‘cusp’ x x SB <3

i think it worked out really well

we had a great time, sb played some games with cousin A all loved their presents. BB got a bit tired towards the end.

other than that, this weekend bb has done 2 piano and one cello practice and v pleased that she can see progress. she has also done LOADS of minecraft and roblox. SB has been happily working her way through the hitch hikers guide to the galaxy series and we have played survive a couple of times. we have also completed her application for en famille together. this is a BIG DEAL as it would mean leaving us to live with another family for 6 months. TBH, I am not sure i can bear to be parted from her for that long. but, she is really really keen. i have seen other families do it without huge trauma! and part of home educating is to allow our children decision making skills and then enact them. eek.

we started off by making bread rolls and bread to have a lunchtime. all the girls are very good kneaders, so the rolls and bread worked beautifully . Luckilly, unlike the poor pudding lane, my oven and house did not catch fire

in preparing for history this week I saw a really great picture of the fire of London, so we used it as inspiration for our pictures, using oil pastels, cut out silhouettes, fine detailing all on a poster paint bottom layer. 8 very different pictures all looking fabulous whilst they did this, I took them through the fire of london, timelines, how it happened, the problems etc etc. we also talked about the civil war. I was really pleased with this, as it seemed to suit all our diverse age ranges

afish had a play with our puffy paints . a number of the children made roundhead or cavalier tokens, and talked about how the civil war began. they also got into small groups to make fire of london games, a matching game a sort of snakes and ladders, a minecraft version [yes bb!] and a running about game.

katy got them to dress up as louis XIV and talked about the riches of the time and the fashion.

I think everyone had a great day

DH takes the girls fortnightly to a pottery group run by a home-educating potter. Both girls are really enjoying it, and are trying different techniques with different clay types. Not that they can remember to tell me . However, it was pottery this tuesday, and they came back with some ‘look what we have made’ items for me to admire

also this week has been ballet and gym for SB and swimming for both girls. Both are doing well with their new laminated ticksheets – BB is so far enjoying choosing things, and has done 17!!! this includes a piano and cello practice with no tears. I am just going to have to keep my cool here! also conquer maths from both girls, which bb insists on caling cwonker maths, as it has a q!!

SB having been enthused by week 1 of new ticksheet [yep, i do know the rules of home ed, so looking forwards to next week ] decided to look for some fun experiments for BB to do. She found a website and chose the puff paints that have their own blog below for saturday. Today we maid sherbert. we have citric acid, bicarb, icing sugar in the pantry. we made it, we did the science of it fizzing, and it tasted disgusting i would recommend instead 1 tbs bicarb 1 tbs citric acid and 3 tbs icing sugar as a better ratio! or even do it in teaspoons so good for a taste but with not so much to get rid of! however we did add a tsp to lemons to make lemonade, and that worked ok . lovely big sister to be looking for experiments . although they argue and squabble, and i really wish they wouldn’t, they do make good sisters. And SB is particularly wonderful with a good and loving heart x

we have also made natron to mummify an apple with

music has happened, a practice each day with BB , and one with SB. Practicing with them has a clear improvement. SB and I having a go at some jazz grade 3 pieces, which have extemporising in them. I am trying to work out how to ‘teach’ extemporising – do you think teachers just make it up for the kids? we did have fun. I must do it more often. Practicing together is especially needed with BB. she has got it into her head she can’t play an instrument as she is useless. all her friends play one – she says. the reason she doesn’t is because i thought battling over practicing one battle too many, and she didn’t *need* to play an instrument. clearly i was wrong. i was also wrong to try a cello practice as she was too tired, got in a tizz about all the above again for nearly 2 hours. exactly why i stopped practicing with her before. not sure of the right path, or even the least wrong path. anyway. happy piano pics

lots of minecraft has happened – which has reduced BB’s ability to think about anything else. she is really grabbed by minecraft, would do it and only it all day. when she’s not doing it she is looking on youtube for ‘how to’ videos. another reason to limit her time on it really. however it does have advantages. she has to plan ahead, think what she wants to do, recover from mistakes etc.

SB has done a fair bit of gardening – cleared her veg bed, helped DH clear the fruit bed and both girls have decided what they wish to grow this year. I am hoping to do better as not quite so much kentwell sewing to do. SB mostly flowers, and BB mostly things she thinks alfie will eat

Alfie himself is v perky, and had a good wander about today, as he often does. tortoises are fast wanderers

BB and I read some books together as we were snuggling together following the cello fall out. both are beautiful books, great to read out loud and with lovely pictures. Peace and calm restored.

we finished the day watching jumanji and then bedtime stories.

TBH, i think SB plans to blog this on her art blog, but i enjoyed it so much that i am going to sneak it on here too . SB had looked up science experiments for BB to have fun with and chose 2, making icecream and making puff paints. decided to go with puff paints due to lack of ziplock bags – tho sure we could have worked around this. when she blogs, she might link to the website. Anyway, the recipe is 1/4 cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt [actually these are our adjusted works best recipe] water to make thickish paste plus poster paint colours. after painting, microwave from 20-40 seconds depending on how much on the paper – the thicker the better! simple designs work best

fab

this week has been a pretty good home ed week [i believe!] I am still wondering how to capture the weeks home edding when DH is clearly never going to blog again, or put any photos of what they do anywhere. i get the ‘ok’ when i ask about the day. or if i ask what they have done ‘stuff’ [they stopped saying nothing a while back as i just got things for them to do!] Clearly i can look at a ‘tick sheet’ and trust it has been fairly faithfully completed, or i can look in books. but still, ths is second hand blogging! Things that do stand out are DH specifically telling me how well BB read an apple tree farm book. SB enjoying her clarinet lesson with her new teacher [she will be going fortnightly for now]. And i have done 3 piano practices with BB, so she is happy again . Tomorrow I will take a pic of both ticksheets and add in here.

Other things – socialising and having fun with friends. It was a good week for that too. We had J from the puddles here, and they had SB. both were v happy with this. J didn’t take off her husky hat except to sleep. BB inculcated her into minecraft and they seemed to have a lovely time. SB and M chatted, crafted and planned their PGL holiday. Merry had planned to come to ours on the weds, but her car let her down, and we happily went to hers instead. Stayed a lot longer than perhaps originally planned as it was lovely just to sit and chat, and have Bene kisses .

groups – it was a quieter week groupwise this week. it seems things are all bunched on alternate weeks. still the ‘afterschool’ clubs tho. BB really enjoyed at night hike with cubs from neighboroughing village across the fields back to this one. it was very muddy! swimming, judo for both, ballet, guides and gym for SB. she would like to add in a saturday music centre, so we are looking into that.

much as i would like to leave DH testy test post on the top, some things are too good to hog the limelight forever . In fact, he was testing a flickr app thingy to put on SB’s art blog – currently she can’t get the flickr pics on, so woefully behind!

Anyway, we have enjoyed all the comic relief GBB this week, leaving us with the desire to bake also. SB chose to make biscotti and macaroons, and BB the yummy looking chocolate cookies that claudia winkleman made

so that was all rather yummy, tho the biscotti and macaroons are presents!

We also did the RSPB birdwatch. Unfortunately it was the lowest turnout of birds we have ever had. Perhaps because it was so windy. whilst we were counting, SB did some sewing, BB moaned [ ] and I hennaed SB’s arm.

SB did a few home eddy things so she could have book out of book box , helped redesign her ticksheet [as did BB] and did a piano prac with me. BB also then did one, and having not done it for months, she realised she couldn’t find the note, had a massive wobble, and well, lets gloss the next hour I have promised to practice with her regularly.

We tried on all our kentwell clothes. BB seems to have lost a shift! As does DH! luckilly mine and SB’s fit. I need to make her one, ideally 2 new posher shifts, and a partlet. I took the taking in stitches out of her jacket. Her kirtle is tighter now so she is happier as thought it slightly loose! the new way of doing that tudor coif works better [tho still abit short at back] . also need to fiddle with my sleeves [have decided girls will still be pointed tho] so mine can be pinned. will also add black guard to my kirtle.

tortoise had a run around, a bath and some fresh dandelions from the garden for the first time in ages. BB was v happy that DH added a new mod on minecraft [woosh over my head] . we watched africa and monster in paris and generally chilled this weekend.