Category Archives: Books

Muffins recipe

Posted on December 21, 2006 by | 2 comments

makes 10 ish standard size

Chocolate banana porridge muffins

8oz [225g] plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 teaspoon bicarb of soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 large bananas, 4 oz [110g] sugar, 1 beaten egg, 90 ml milk [or water] 90 ml veg oil [or melted butter] 3 tbsp cocoa powder, 2oz [60g] porridge oats.

in ‘wet bowl’ put oats, egg, milk, oil, sugar, mashed bananas.

in ‘dry bowl’ but everything else.

pour wet into try and stir so just mixed but still lumpy, spoon into tins [i use those silicone muffin trays] and 20-25 mins top of oven at gasmark 5-6 [190-200c]

Recipe an adapted and combined one from Muffins by Susan Reimer. Really recommend this book as I did no baking until I got this book and started with muffins when SB about 18 months.

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Posted in Books, Cooking, General

A breather

Posted on December 6, 2006 by | 2 comments

for me anyway. I have been working hard. I have my yearly appraisal tomorrow, so have been busy finding excellence in everything I do – always a hideous prospect – and filling in huge pointless forms – even worse. I guess the forms are pointful to SOMEone to say I have been duly processed for another year. I still have about 4 hours of finishing some online learning module, and somemore form to do.

Our local hospital is still up for grabs. Due to politics, they aren’t likely to shut it, but are doing the death by a thousand cuts option – i guess oping we all leave without being paid redundancy money. Think again! I have earmarked that money.

Anyway, in case chris doesn’t blog, they went to CHEF sports and played on Monday. We have done loads more Cnristmas cards monday eve and lots of education city, read the usboune starting point science under the earth.

Not entirely sure what they did on Tues as I got home at nearly 11.

SO today I had a lie in. When I got up, SB was helping Chris with the washing, and BB and I did painting – she is very keen on painting. I will pop here before I forget that one of her newer tunes is the Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah. very funny. She loves painting and her talking is getting more and more obvious – except when she has a strop. SHe has rather enjoyed the whole idea of advent calendars – she has a chocolate one and a sticker one. She’s not so keen on the waiting for it idea though.

SB also joined us painting, then we did an usbourne puzzle book – school before she moved onto general playing and building things with BB. BB and I read all the red nose readers as she is very fond of them. Ahe has obviously remembered her birthday as sang the first line of happy birthday fairly interminably when she saw the birthday cake.
SB did some more education city – definitely something that she is much more keen on this year, whilst BB and I looked at pictures and messed around. Some lunch was had, and I was rung 3 times by work – sigh.

After lunch we did one of those science test-tubes you can uy in tescos. we did the gravity one which was fun. SB had a good memory for gravity and its effects, and we talked about defying gravity and ways to do it. thrust/lift/ energy etc. the popper was fun, though BB lost it. Our staircase was perfect for throwing the parachutist down the gap and seeing it work. Also good for the experiment was seeing what might happen if BB packed your parachute. The extra boingy ball kept all 4 of us amused. A quick revision of the key ideas and how flight worked and then we went to the next activity prepared fby chris

Which was mincemeat making. Lots of raisins scattered across the kitchen. BB mostly played games scooping the nutmeg around in a bowl. Smelled gorgeous. has to settle overnight [a delia recipe] and then jarred ready for when we make mince pies.

A calm down reading roman gods in story of the world leading into a discussion of the planets again, and ranking them to likely gravity. The a day late we started the barefoot books while the bear sleeps. Chris also picked up something called christmas soup for the soul, with a small story for each day of advent, and we started to catch up.

The girls had a wild bath with the jacuzzi bit on and then have done a dancing show, eaten curry for tea [tea was running late] and now BB has done some more sticking Xmas cards. SB is still eating – she is very slow at eating! Bed any second now. Am contemplating reading The Hobbit as a bedtime story now she has finished Charlie and the chocolate factory. [BB shrieking that she 'Hadding a bath' - as in she has already had it] . yep bedtime. just finished in time!

raterh cutely BB has been singing a Josie song – as in for josie i think! SB said we were supposed to be sharing pomegranates, so that is what all 3 of us are doing before bed. really juicy pomegranate too

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, Cooking, Dance/drama, General, history, numeracy, science

will try and think of title!

Posted on November 22, 2006 by | 8 comments

BB still a pest with sleeping, so Chris was up very early, and even the rest of us were quite prompt. I have migraine – almost continually, so must be stress.

Morning was mostly playing with BB’s birthday presents – traintrack, etch-a-sketch, building blocks and some play food, as well as her ‘den’. Some reading aloud of various library books as well.

The a race to the painting session Merry had organised. We thought we were going to be late, but were the first – total shock horror! Poor SB was travel sick when we got there – nicely decorated the carpark. SB was really happy decorating her mug and had a clear idea of what she wanted to do, and how i should help her. BB was a challenge to keep happy – and Chris mostly did that, as with migraine in hot room I was better holding head still. I’m sorry Merry, but I am going to have a little rantlet here – I feel a bit bad doing it, as SB really enjoyed the activity, and the place was nice, and you organised it, BUT…

1. Why did she go on SO much about not being able to pronounce some people’s names, and saying she was going to give them numbers? She didn’t even try SB.

2. She made a huge deal at the beginning of being [to my view] slightly snide about HE – could they tell her anything about winter, did they know anything, did their mummies do all the work.

3. The huge deal at all having to draw a thin neat line before they were allowed to paint on pot. SB started to get nervous about this, so I got her to just start [which earnt me a frown!] And SB then asked me if we were going to get told off!!! We did actually, for using ‘the wrong colour’ SB had wanted to do snowflakes and stars at night. We were told she couldn’t use black – fair enough – so she chose a dark blue. OK, so maybe it isn’t going to look like the others, and perhaps the colour is overpowering – we will have to see – but after all it is actually what SB wanted to do, its never going to be in ‘work of art’ category, but I and she will be proud of it anyway, so whats the big deal? She didn’t come round to us after that, but was cross that I shew SB how to add rays to her star, and then did a bit of line that SB was worried she couldn’t do thin enough – I was told it was no longer SB’s mug as I had helped/done it. It was her design, her choice of colours, and I scaffolded at times so we had fun doing it together. What is so wrong with that?

Hmm, actually reading that, I am more pissed off than I thought. One girl nearly refused to do the thing altogether she was so worried about not being able to do a thin enough line! At one point I found myself getting worried about the state of SB’s lines – FFS! At least she was trying. The older lady when she came round was much mellower and encouraging.

I have to say, in case Merry doesn’t boast about it, Amelie did a really stunning snowman. But SB loved doing it and wants to go back and do more.

on the way back we picked up a freecycle microscope, which SB is going to have great fun with. We had a preliminary play after Chris cleaned it up and got it working again.

For bedtime story, I am reading SB charlie and the chocolate factory. However, I feel an overwhelming desire to call them the bouquet family, so TV sets about its insidious corruption!!

edited to add. Actually, migraine prob making me partic grumpy. I think the place was v nice, and prob it was this ‘I shall educate them’ thing that was narking me – my autonomous mothering coming though! Those that did do it the ‘envisaged’ way though were helped very well. They had loads of things to choose from, loads of paints, we were never hurried a long, and were made to feel very welcome, in spite of nearly as many non painting children as those painting! We got lots of 1:1 care as a group.I am still narked about items 1-3, but at the end of the day, SB said she’d had a lovely time, and her and Maddy were going round wondering what they could do next time, so = success from her point of view!

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, General, Out and About, science, socialisation

Roasties!

Posted on November 12, 2006 by | 5 comments

which we had for tea, pancakkes for brekkie – yummy!

Anyway, I had a disturbed night as had promised SB I would sleep with her. However, had that virtuous glow!

Her and BB did barbie and happy street games whilst I watched from her bed in the momrning – very good! Though BB did climb out of her cot, but she does mostly sleep in a bed now.

Some more magic painting, and then lots of legoing and brio train tracks, all piling in together. SB did a bit of singapore maths 1B, and read half another ORT book [laughing princess]. We did an usborne young puzzle book together about a princess palace. So very princessy!

Whilst BB slept, SB made a lovely fimo cat. She? did a really good job. I think it might be a leopard though, since it is yellow and spotted! Must visit Merry and buy some skin tones as she wants to do people!

BB was very sleepy when she came downstairs, and SB getting a bit waily, so put on an ebay acquisition French video. Bonjour mes amis 1. Having initially complained that they kept saying the same thing, getting in the way of the story [what story!] she did get into it. BB and I did more legoing, with a stop to put on a mammals DVD for SB. BB was expelled though for being too noisy, so we did more lego. SB then thought she wanted story of the world, but after finding the americas on the globe and deciding the quickest routes there, she wasn’t that interested n the history bit and looked at webland instead. yummy dinner, and a space book for bed.

Have decided to ask family to think along lego lines [small bits rather than the bigger ones] for SB for Xmas, and a my first leapad for BB, as she keeps running off with SB’s leappad. She can have a Dora book. For a girl who only sees Dora infrequently at Merry’s, she is very good at saying Oh Man!

Usual tomorrow’s monday feeling, but we have season 2 of battlestar galactica to watch.

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, General, geography, language, literacy, numeracy

Counting Blessings

Posted on November 11, 2006 by | 8 comments

I have had a lovely phone call with nanny, and she is cheerier, the physio was pleased with her yesterday, and my mum is going tomorrow to stay for a week, my aunt went last night, so fingers crossed really.

I met with the chief exec of where I work yesterday and managed to say fairly calmly whatwas making me unhappy. obviously she didn’t promise to help, but acknowledged it was a difficult time, and seemed very capable and direct. [I didn't expect help btw, and so am very pleased that I feel that have at least been able to voice some of my concerns]

Had a lovely home-ed day today with SB, and BB is still very gorgeous to be with [except after 9pm, when I'd prefer her to be in bed]

I have only fed BB once in last 3 days! We are substituting with ‘tuddles’ and ‘daireelee’ . I am ready to wean, and for her it is a turf marking rather than anything else. I want to demonstrate how we can easily bond with cuddles. And SB seems to be more put out by feeding now, as BB often chooses a time when SB has more attention.

So, to today, had a very lovely long phone call with a friend I hadn;t heard from in ages. Cmae downstairs to play with SB and BB, we started off with each of them doing ‘magic painting’ and then I facepainted SB [angelina ballerina as a flower fairy!] and they painted a hand of mine each. SB had a go at scoobies, and BB did some more painting.
We then did some romping around general play, and they both fancied eggs, so had first lunch of boiled egg and toast. SB then did some singapore 1B maths which is all about getting comfortable with grouping things in preparation to divide and multiply. However, later on in the day, she demonstrated counting to 40 in 5′s [perfectly] 80 in 10′s [again perfectly] and 20 in 2′s – she chose to do it and the end point. I asked how far she thought she could get in 3′s, and she said 18! [and she did]. So I think she might be quite comfortable with the idea. She also said she was getting older now, as she was halfway to 10. BB used the haricot bean counters to create mayhem and destruction with her little pots! She will be an ace seed sower come the Spring.
Second lunch of a sausage sarnie for each of the girls, and the BB had a nap. SB read an ORT book to me – very well, though obviously not perfectly. She is quite confident about it, and when I offered to read the next page if she was getting tired [usually something she jumps at] – she declined.

I offered to pay a game, but she wanted me to read degas and the little dancer about his statue of Marie. She thought it sad Marie didn’t get to be a ballet dancer, but was very keen on the book, and discussing Degas pictures and then trying out basic conversation in french. [ ooh, edited to add the other odd tangent we went down was what maries life might have been – marriage children, perhaps 8. SB thought? 20 was too many, and that she would give some away. We discussed how that wasn’t done very much, and she wanted to know how the birth mothers chose the new parents, so we had an odd and long conversation about adopting and fostering.i guess in the future I have thought we might foster, so… then we discussed Little nanny being in a family of 8. SB doesn’t want to be in a family of 8, she thinks 4 is enough [rofl at who she might be getting ideas from]

Still wanting to be read to, i did the Alexander the great bit from story of the world - i like Alexander the great story, and so did SB. She eventually coloured in the bucephalus head once Chris could print it out [shout at printer] and did the paraphrasing/narrative activities well.

Finally she decided to play battleships, and we were doing well when BB walked through the door having got herself up. BB and battleships are presently not compatible… SO I played with BB with threading bobbins, and SB coloured in some pictures. Both girls did a bit of hama beading – SB nearly finished the giraffe now, and amazingly in normal colours rather than pink! I played some piano to them, BB joined in [always interesting!] and that persuaded SB to join in and then do some piano practice.

We did a lot of general play and me singing to the girls dancing type thing, and then teatime, bathtime and bed. I am running out of ideas for maggie and the ferocious beast stories, and Robin Hood ones – aargh!
I have ordered various craft bits for xmas card making from yellow moon and a few books from the book people schools catalogue, as I have an early inheritance from a great Aunt. its 500, and apart from todays ordering! I am trying to decide whether to be sensible and use it towards insulating the loft [which we need to do] or a huge frip on something like a big trampoline for SB, or a selfish having my laptop fixed for me? [or boring, and towards the credit card debt] We are still in definite frugal mode, but this is unexpected extra bonus money as it were. decisions decisions? Talking about inheritance, Aunty Peggy had always said she was leaving something to ‘you girls’ [ie little Nanny's grandchildren] when it came to it, we didn’t get anything, and I was not bothered. I had not expected it, her death was sudden and unwanted, and well, its her money. However, she left it to cousin anne who predeceased her instead, and it ended going all to cousin anne’s beneficiary, my second cousin who I don’t think met Aunty Peggy? Didn’t visit, wasn’t at funeral etc [though his parents were]. I can’t imagine that was where she thought it would be going. Must make sure I do a good watertight will!!! Hmm, that sounds like I am bothered, so maybe I am a bit.

Anyway, our youngest is still awake, and Chris is trying to bore her with telly. Oh, and SB says the hair wirler is the only thing she really wants for Xmas, and I can choose the rest. SO hair twirler it is! otherwise, we have Xmas and birthday pretty much sorted thanks to ebay.

oh, and need to get more face paints – particularly white!

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, General, geography, history, literacy, numeracy

Sister Ed and Little Firefly

Posted on November 1, 2006 by | 7 comments

A couple of days ago, Stringbean was sitting at the table, with Butterbean. SB was teaching BB about numbers. She wrote down the numbers on a piece of paper, and showed them to BB and went through them telling her they were numbers. Oddly BB seemed to take it in, when I pointed to words and numbers in a book, she said yes and no when asked if they were numbers at the appropriate points. Or was it just a fluke?

Other than that, what else, some more maths – she has done some MPH stuff on weighing and mass, and multiplication. We have eased off on Explode the Code, as it seems to be going ahead of her a bit now, so we are concentrating more on a bit more reading, seeing as she seems to have moved on to actually reading things. She picks up (very) simple books and can read them, and is reading all sorts of other things, so we think she might appriciate a bit more focus on it – we do have some books we have stashed away for her to read herself, so time probably to break out some of those.

Spent rather to much time yesterday morning watching kiddy TV, I got bogged down it fiddling with the wireless network. The wireless AP fell onto the floor and something inside got dislodged. Tracked that down and sorted that, but then got bogged down with getting it all up and running again. I hate wireless networking – it can work fine for ages, and then it decides to not work. And the AP struggles at times with all our solid walls etc. to give coverage over our house, at the moment it has been relocated until I can rejig the network wiring feeding the old box currently in the sitting room feeding downloaded stuff to the TV. so now if you wear the wrong shirt or something the wireless just gives up. Pah! And (while I’m at it) our ISP is giving us a pants ADSL service at the moment…..

She watched some of the Walking with Beasts DVD as well yesterday.

Today was library/storytime day. BB insistent that she take her Muddlepuddle bookbag with her – dragging it along behind her :-) Afterwards, coffe, some reading of library books, lunch, BB and SB played for bit mostly making patterns with cuisenaire rods. My mum and dad came round, SB showed off her firefly costume, did some maths and then we headed off to the Puddle, where a very excited BB is going out Trick or Treating with Merry and the girls, followed by a sleepover – first time at someone else’s other than my parents. We are going over to pick her up tomorrow. All the girls were so excited, we were engulfed by a gaggle of noisy excited children (including an unsurprisingly naked Josie :roll:) as soon as we got there, and they seemed to spend the next hour crashing noisly about the place :-)

I got in touble for saying I was coming home and then spending and hour (oops…) drinking tea and chatting with Max though….

And here is our little Firefly. Would probably been better if we’d cleared the wooden train track out of the way first…..

[vimeo]113927[/vimeo]

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Posted in Books, Butterbean, cute, Dance/drama, literacy, numeracy, socialisation, Stringbean, video

An Arctic day

Posted on October 29, 2006 by | 2 comments

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.

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Cooking, Dance/drama, General, geography, literacy, numeracy

One day in History – Chris

Posted on October 18, 2006 by | Leave a comment

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?

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Posted in art and crafts, Blogging, Books, Butterbean, history, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, Ponderings, SB-PE, Stringbean

The last quiet weekend for quite a while

Posted on October 8, 2006 by | 3 comments

Friday

got home to find the kitchen table covered in Fimo – had to explain to SB it was expensive, and stamped out houses and butterflies in the future would be done in playdough… lovely pig and mouse though modelled.

They had also been to another home educator in the morning for a playdate and to bake jam tarts.

Saturday

Basic explode the code and maths done. we are holding a while on adding and subtracting crossing a 10 until SB competently bored by it. She was so proud of her writing in explode the code that she asked me to take a picture of the page!

She spent ages on the latest webland - and that had a wild mushroom bit, so I got out our dried ones and looked at all their diff shapes, and also a nature book. This of course led me to make the mushroom risotto… We are prob going to go up to the webland 5-7 for a bit, and are still debating the education city. Oh for a bit more ready cash!

She coloured in a volcano page and we then looked a volcano book and then got distracted by the ‘universe‘ book we got from the book people. She’s getting good at UNO now. A fair bit of colouring in as well.
The rest of the day was spent playing outside and harvesting things, being ‘messed about’ – ie thrown up and around and using me and Chris as climbing frames.

BB and I played with the lego, did some pegboards and jigsaws, fuzzy felt and she really enjoys a good sing and dance, and also a tickle.

The evening ended with watching 2 epsiodes of ‘the trials of life‘ with david attenborough from the tesco’s rental [3 months for the price of 1 - not bad!]
Sunday

started of with very early cbbc dose, where i was requested to stay – aargh! BB brought me some toast though. both girsl did some playdough play after the glorious pancakes [second breakfast - turning into a hobbit!]

Out into the garden to enjoy the rays of sun when we get them. I did some pruning/hacking back whilst BB and SB ran about. SB did then help me with some de-ivying. Horrid job, spiders, dirt, dust and woodlice. SB enjoyed the woodlice though.

Lunch and BB having a nap and SB doing maths. Dding 10′s onto things – so easier than crossing the 10. Having basic conversations in French at the moment to spark an interest in learning. Still feeling we should be doing more with languages and music. [and perhaps even something!]. BB still napping so have struggled over origami and now we are jointly making up a story and enacting it with the origami animals.

BB awoke and the mayhem began! SB decided not to bake and went out to play, so i baked cookies with BB. When SB realised [despite being told] there was a mega wailing session, which didn’t really end, so she was quietened down with explode the code – I know, mean of me. BB and I jigsawed, built towers and steps with bricks, and then they both wailed! So I read some stories, and then popped them in the bath whilst Chris cooked tea.

om our return, Sb insisted on doing a bit more maths. then tea, and now she is screeching now into my ear for going up to bed, so so be it!

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, gardening, General, language, literacy, numeracy, writing

In fear of hibernation!

Posted on September 23, 2006 by | 5 comments

So we have done multiple postings today. TBH, home ed has meandered on, but I feel we aren’t quite getting it right. This might be more that I am not getting it right, as I have let my life get unbalanced recently. However, I don’t do unbalanced for very long :grin: , so time to rebalance and get my ‘carpe diem’ motto back in action. SO I have.

On the home ed front, we have been getting into a habit of a bit of explode the code, and a bit of singapore maths near every day, just 2-4 sides depending on mood. This is working well. Explode the code has been good for us, as SB was adamant she couldn’t read, and actually still thinks she can’t, and wasn’t going to try. Explode the code has never been reading to her, so has never hit the can’t read so won’t button. However, now she can read the singpore maths instructions, words all over the place to make sure I am telling the truth – sigh! but very excitingly for her, she read one of the usbourne young readers on pirates and an oxford magic key on robin hood with barely any stumbling or help. So thanks Merry for the introduction to ExTC!!!

We’ve done a fair bit of bobbing back and forth on history. She likes books about Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I. We have also carried on reading about ancient greeks, minoans and the legends and myths from these cultures. Some nipping to Roman times, 1066 and the mediaeval times [well, Robin Hood myths mostly] to fit with various history re-enactment outings we have done, and also with the street through… and city through time books. I really like the Story of the World text and activity, as it breaks things up into SB chunks. We get pictures from DK eyewitness books and the Usbourne ancient civilisations book. i don’t imagine SB will remember great chunks, but she does enjoy it, and weird facts pop out all the time. Today we were doing Medea and Persia in SoTW, and she i quite good at paraphrasing, but also seeing stories are similar – particularly the abandon your baby one, as she thought it was going to be about Perseus.

I haven’t got to grips with regular music lessons [piano or violin] – which is very bad of me, since it is a passion! We listen to classic fm alot, and SB tries to describe the type of music. today one of the planets came on, so I said it was the planet. Initially she said she could hear the words jupiter, but then decided it had to be about Uranus or Pluto as it sounded so cold and far away. I was impressed [and it was Uranus]. We do do alot of singing, and she makes up music for her dances, so I will just put it in my list of thinks to get into the habit of!

Another thing in my blogroll of shame is languages. I really mus just get bottom in motion and sort this out! Still very tempted by Rosetta stone. Merry suggested I should relook at education city – as something computer oriented may overide my inertia!!

Geography is covered well at the moment – possibly driven by the mediteranean history we are doing, but also by gettting a free globe ball from the kids national geographic subscription [we are awaiting our first magazine] . We also watch are fair number of the David attenborough DVD’s, and this covers natural history and geography regularly. Must look up what this evenings one was, but essentially it was about volcanos. SOmething SB quite keen on.

Science is mostly from books – the why does… and the usbourne ones get a regular reading. We have looked at caterpillar lifecycles on the brassicas this summer. Unfortunately BB likes feeding the ‘snakes’ to the goldfish, so they don’t really get to complete the cycle. Also the free fish are rather good. It would be better if we actually knew what they were. Linked to a photo on the rare offchance anyone might hazard a guess! but we have done crystal experiments, talked A LOT about dinosaurs [and the 2 have played games with the cheap ones from tesco], and thought more about surface tension and sound and light rays in a number of ways.

SB has dance and swimming lessons, puts on countless dance shows for me and is still keen that we find her football lessons. i can’t believe that she won’t just wail… We still aren’t at the top of the rainbows waiting list, so at this rate we will be starting with brownies! She’s going to more CHEF and PBEO group meets, which is good.

Crafts are never underrepresented! Today we have drawn and coloured with SoTW, a birthdaycard for my niece as well as various other pictures. We also try to regularly bake or be involved in food prep. today we tried that choc spread cake again, but using oil to see if it could be adapted – no! but its still edible.

We are also spending alot of time outside, to get the most of the last of the good weather. We are still harvesting bits and bobs from the garden, and SB and BB love the swings and climbing frame and slide. Actually the most amazing harvest has to be the carrots, as i thought we had smothered them in weeds months ago, but they aare doing well! The butternut squash also a surprise last minute success. We have just started harvesting the grapes too – yummy!

if all this sounds rather busy, it has to be said that SB plays for the majority of the time, hearing me read to her is never turned down, she chooses the books on the whole. We play set, uno, made up princesses/queens/roman slaves etc etc regularly [I wonder what the people in the pub think!!]

BB is adorable. Mostly speaks in full sentences, with one comprehendable word embedded in it. She dances, sings, draws [on absolutely everything - the menace] and likes to copy SB in everything she does. BB and SB usually play reasonably well together, with dollies, lego, happy street and outside. BB not good at recognising when SB not in a sharing mood – and both give no quarter! Weaning is not progressing, though BB usually play feeds now, which is a nuisance, and I presume territory marking! So I am trying to develop other 1:1 times with reading, doing jigsaws etc, and sharing SB’s activities [not altogether impressing SB] so that it becomes less necessary to play bf acrobatics.

So, I guess in summary I am enjoying my children more again. I can’t altogether switch off work and the worries, but I am doing better at not letting it get between me and my family. Hopefully this will in turn reassure them, so SB less waily, and BB less feedy in time.

oh, and I rather liked those Gressenhall piccies K. hmm, I wonder about going tomorrow???

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Cooking, Dance/drama, General, geography, history, literacy, music, numeracy, Out and About, science, writing