Category Archives: Butterbean

Drumming

This morning saw us head off to a local HE group meeting (arriving late due to 20 minute wait in traffic jam getting onto A1….) for an African Drumming Workshop which was great fun, and rather noisy Stringbean enjoyed the drumming, BB enjoyed the poddling about, saw Merry and Tammy and relevant children, though didn’t have that much time to chat. I was amused by Sam’s dislike of the drumming – standing there with his hands over his ears – and the desire to go off to the palyground :-)

Enjoy !? IMG 4677

The groups singing at the end was good as well. SB also made shaker and helped out cutting up fruit for the fruit salad, though she didn’t like eating it for some reason.

Shaker making Communal Fruit Salad Making
Afterwards we went down to the playground for a bit. There are a couple of older girls, 11yo twins who seem to have taken a shine to SB and vice versa and they have taken her under their wing abit, so she spent some time playing with them. They went into the woods at the back of the playground for bit, building a bridge across a stream and generally getting muddy and wet feet. BB just went paddling in puddles to get wet feet…. I at and chatted with couple of other parents, until we got fed up getting damp as it had started to rain.

Once home later on, not much happened. Both ahd dozed off in the car and were a bit sleepy, so we sat and watched a bit of TV – SB watched a bit of videoed CBeebies followded by variosu schools programs on geography, something about Egypt.Soem sort of potted histroy programme was showing ‘highlights of the 1980′s – had? bit about Live Aid, the Ethiopian famine etc.? so that prompted various questions about that, don’t think she could grasp the idea that the people couldn’t just go somehere there was food, or just buy some more, or possibly even the whole concept of not having food to eat at all may? have ben beyond her, seing as it is totally outside her experince.SB did a bit of Jump Ahead Maths later before and after dinner.

Poor Helen has been very tired (we did both go to bed post 2 am last night for no good reason) and has been asleep since she gave BB her bedtime feed.

Ooops, forgot the title….

Nice day, though as so often time seemed to disappear in the middle with things left undone.

Girls were up with Helen before she went to work, and by 8 am they ahd both had their breakfast, which is a bit unusal. SB often faffs about doing ‘stuff’ before getting round to eating Then she collected some thing together on the stairs and so I had to go shopping there and buy some things from them. A bit more random playing and then SB settled down to a bit of Education city, which we have yet another trial extension for. Seems to work well – she does it for a little bit, then forgets about it, then EC send us a trial extension sometime later and she has another go. She does seem to enjoy it. Seemed to be moslty doing Science stuff and getting it moslty right AFAICS.

Education city

BB pottered about, doing a bit of ‘drawing’, playing with the cooker and other toys.

? Reading Drawing

so I sneaked off and had my breakfast in peace, which is also pretty unusal. And looked up a few Space things on the web for SB
Then we sat and read few books, and then i showed SB how to get some bread going in the breadmaker.

Bread Ready to go

Though she did rather make a mess with the flour :roll: BB played with bowls and measuring spooions on the floor. A bit later on she sneaked up onto the table and was caught measuring out water using the spoons and cups :-)

Measuring

Some washing got hung out (BB helped by taking them out of the basket and dropping them…) i puled up soem of the 5 billion weeds that are gorwing madly in the blink of an eye in the garden, the girls finally got into soem clothes from their PJ’s some of the endless pile of clothes waiting to be put away was put away. SB played with Happy Street which seems to be living on her floor recently and wailed when BB (aka Godzilla) came along to join in – which basically means wrecking it most of the time. I do see SB’s point.

Some how it made itself to lunchtime, so we finfished off the sausage bake from the other day – BB managed to cover her face in it and then fell asleep in her high chair. Whilst BB slept me and SB looked and some photos and video clips from the Apollo program, and much conversation about going to the moon, the moon, why the rocket ‘comes apart’, all that sort of stuff. I do remember being absolutley fascinated by all this as a kid, as of course it was all happening then.

Made a rather delicious Asparagus (from the garden) flan for dinner,

Homegrown Asparagus Flan

SB did some Explode the Code (almost finished book 2 now) and helped roll out pastry
and then she (moslty herself) made some little jam turnovers with the scrap pastry. something I can rember doing with my mum as well.

IMG 4644 SB's Jam turnovers

and before you know it it’s time for ballet class (BB enjoyed chasing around the room with the ballet girls who were wating for their class to start), tidying up a bit, getting dinner ready, bed time stuff etc. SB finished off the day with a bit of Muzzy with Mum.

but I didn’t get to plant out any of the plants I wanted to plant out, nor to clear a bit of the veg bed area for more things to go out, everything is sooooo behind now :-(

mine teddy!

a sentence!

shrieked repeatedly. [it is SB's though!]

Out and about

today we went out with one of our local home ed groups to Denny Abbey. there was stained glass making and tile making put on, and for the older children a bit more history, but SB was having so much fun playing, that the youngest group played making arches and then sundry imaginative run around games! A huge turnout.

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BB was much taken by looking through the coloured plastic to see how the world changed colour, and did this will all the colours she could grab. SB had a lollipop design for her stained glass- rofl. She was quick to answer questions, and enjoyed the tile making too – she concentrates really well on crafts.

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A reproductive lesson too by a rather frisky bull in a field full of cows and calves. Ended on a sour note, as SB ran off with her friend M and hid just as I was putting BB in car. Took me 5 mins to find them. She knows she shouldn’t run off from carparks. grr! So she looked sad all the way home as she had been naughty – by which point I felt sad too!! And I hadn’t done too much of a major telling off either.

Anyway, got home. Chris went to the meeting with the council about the pubs request for musi 4 days a week. he got chatting to the owner, who prob isn’t going to use music so much, and it seems part of the deal is some kind of noise limiter device thingy. So we’ll see.

SB did some maths – difficult bit again, so we cut it short – its adding over a 10. She’s fine at adding and subtracting within the 10, and her understanding of tens and units seems fine, its just that making tens thing. Some playing with cuisinaire rods and pattern making with that and the ideal blocks. We also made a mask – it was SB’s present to me as a sorry for being naughty, she made me a make-a-mask kit and wrapped it up – ahh, all friends again, and a long cuddle! She really can be thoughtful[yep, there is one of me in the mask!]
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We then spent most of the afternoon outside, running around, making up games, and SB and BB playing together beautifully. We lost track of time, so have had chips for tea listening to little toe radio – we are all enjoying the little house on the prairie adaption. We finished the day watching some more of the blue planet DVD series – shores this time. SB has become very taken by natural history DVD’s
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Yesterday, I sneaked away…

… as definately in need of r and r!

came home to find in-laws visiting, and much merriment. i had stopped off at tescos, and they were having a womens clothing sale, so last of the big spenders, I bought shorts for 2.50, top for 1.75, another 2 for 5 each, and then a 20% discount on the lot – v pleased!

And since miserable and no money whatsoever, i then bought a dinosaur testtube kit for Sb and some v cheap walkie talkies.

so we played with the walkie talkies. SB was fairly hopeless at keeping her finger pressed down! no doubt practice will improve things. BB was very jealous – so SB let her play too.

we buillt the glow in the dark dinosaur together. a t-rex, and then she and it squiggled into a cupboard to make sure it did glow in the dark. BB read books to me. She now says ‘mine’ well!
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She and BB then spent a considerable amount of time putting on a show for us – to the fimble radio! lots of dancing and twirling, with Sb dressed in her ballet togs.

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SB did some singapore maths 1B – 10s and units, which she is galloping through, and then Chris’s parents treated us to a curry. thankyou!! it was delicious, I was ravenous, and BB seems to be a real curry girl too. in fact i’m about to have some reheated.

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what else? Oh, SB insisted BB did some match and sort – counting to 10 flap book – rofl! And they both played with the ideal blocks.

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Earlier, SB had done some hama, some explode the code and lots andlots of playdough with BB while Chris did a good tidy up of the main downstairs – for which I was very appreciative [actually i thought his mum had done it - oops]

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Unfortunately the garden and gardening gone to pot. I am trying not to care.

Bookworm


?

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Originally uploaded by Scrumbledelicious.

she loves books, it is her 4th clear word!

Simple Sunday again

Had a lovely day. My lovely sister got up early and cleaned the kitchen – yay! the children all played nicely together, a bit of dashing outside, but rainy. They watched some more blue planet, and went finally mid afternoon.

SB then did the yoga video 2ce [thanks again Katy], and since SB was still asleep, we played games of set until she had woken up. We don’t play competitively yet, just take turns, but she doesn’t ail to spot one now, and is starting to be fussy about ‘what kind’ of set she wants! She had wanted to do some more electric circuits, but i couldn’t find those, and education city, but we have run out of free trial!

instead she made some more dream avatars, while I got BB up. they played bounce over mujmy and the bed and general rough and tumble for a bit [chris dug up some weeds in the rain, and had a shower to warm up!] . SB read me some say the sounds ladybirds books – she was very impressed, as was I, even though the imp and troll story must be one of the most phenomenally tedious I have ever read!.

BB practiced saying book to me, and brought me a fair few to read whilst SB played with the lego – so we did turn and turn about of lap and book or lego. i read SB some dr seuss. So BB gradually getting the hang of speech. [shoes, mummy, daddy and book are the clearest]

Rather hysterical was the pre and post bath olympics that SB and BB had, running the upstairs circuit again and again [naked as a nod to ancient greece!] while I counted, and SB tried to beat her own time. BB just chuckled madly. At bedtime Sb insisted on an encyclopaedia as bedtime story – so we did various pages of ‘C’ . We are so behind with piccies that I shall do some flickring.

Sorry we couldn’t go to Fran’s party – so happy birthday Fran.

Dropping hints

Butterbean has just gone and got here shoes for me to put on her. Then she went and got mine for me, now she has gone and got Stringbean’s and taken them to her.

I think she’s dropping a hint… :-;

a few SB-isms

we were watching the planets DVD and the asteroid crater in Arizona -

“is that where all the dinosaurs were standing when they became extinct? Had they all gone there to eat something nice, or asleep?” Hmm, perhaps not quite got that image right then!

or about her tooth that fell out today

how will the seed bunny know it is out? [i am wondering what to say at this point] i imagine he got an email [!!!!]”

Poor lass though, BB gave her a shocking bite. BB also deliberately bit me for her evening feed – right Chris, here she is for a bottle!

I also had to soothe hurt feelings, as at the end of home-ed group, one of her friends Mum’s invited the other little girl and her mum to their house for a play. SB asked if she could come to, and was told no. Fair enough obviously as this was an adult invite with children as it were, but SB thought she wasn’t wanted, especially as she has been before.

We had a lovely weekend though, and did lots of playing in the garden and with her dolls house and her paper dress me dolls. SB and BB playing nicely together – some squabbling over the fun blox!, we all having fun. Read lots of books – the DK encyclopaedia, and childrens history book about middle ages, some singapore maths [oops, we left the book in the rain, but it has recovered!] And more playing with the electric circuit. Also she has progressed onto the cbbc website – though some of the games there are, well!!! We looked at flowers outside, played botanist explorers [amongst others] [she was very bossy, and me 'n BB poddled along behind!] picking a few, and then she has made a picture with them that we are pressing. We have also started off a second hand triops kit. It had run out of nutrients, and we are using pond water – lets see if that works. Some cbeebies watched, and also DVD of life of mammals – SB really into these DVD’s at the moment. She was also particularly proud to swing like Violet [some hero worship going on there]- hanging by her knees from the trapeze bar thing. Thankyou Violet! Some hama beading, and I think we have had a very full Home-ed autonomous weekend!

I love home-ed. Still wish I did more of it though. Have at least finished my talk.

quick catchup

Main computer has had a major wobbley, so have spent much fruitles time trying to sort that, as well as only (!) having one computer around for essential tasks like reading blogs. Also Helen has been in London for two days this week and not getting back until late-ish. so lack of blogs, lack of new photos on Flickr (we have them, but have to get the external drive and connect it to the laptop) – what’s the world coming too…..

That and? certain lack of blogging enthusiasm from me this week….

Main theme of the week has been enjoying the sun outside quite a lot, there has been Explode the Code happening most days, bits of Singapore maths, lots of reading. SB is reading soemthing to me most days now, she is gradually spotting more and more words straight off.

Anway, Tuesday was Library day, so went along to that, SB had found the book that I claimed last week that I had claimed not to have ever seen – so had to take that back and admit to incompetence. But ti’s a nice friendly volunteer run library and they are used to us…… Meant for under 5′s so Sb is much the biggest there now – older under 5′s must presumably be at playgroup or something. But she likes going, so we still go. I do the occasioanl session to keep in the good books :-)

I picked up a book that SB has really enjoyed. Incredible Everything?? about have various things? (bridges, doughnuts, CD’s Beoing 777 for example) are made and work, lots of detailed drawings etc. SB loves things like this and every day me or Helen have sat down with here and looked at it. she likes you to tell here what is going on in each bit.

Much of ther afternoon was probably spent outside, a lot of librbary book reading went on. We finshed sorting out the bed for the strawberry pants.

SB finally learnt how to get herself swinging on the swing, went outside and realised she was whizzing back and forth. she was Soooo pleased with herselfshe spent most of the next hour swinging, Swimming lesson later on, home to dinner, and Mummy getting home just as we sat down to watch Wallace and Grommet – Curse of the Were Rabbit.

Wednesday we went to my parents for most of the day. SB played some games, read, did some tracing (very well) in a trace the picture book mum had bought. BB poddled about, and scared Nanna by climbing up piles of old paving stones, up on top of the wall. etc. (they are redoing the garden). They have Sat TV, so SB gets a treat of watching CBeebies in the middle of the day :-) Lots of reading with Mum, looking at various books – she has been looking at some of the Picturepedia books as well – ‘Waht’s this, what’s that..’
Thursday ???? We planted out the stawberry plants, as in SB did two and then went of to play. BB randomly came up picked up plants and dropped then around the bed…, they seem happy enough though. Ballet lesson in afternoon, some time in the playground afterwards where SB found hitched up with another little girl, Sb kept trying to climb up everything, managed to whizz up the slide, then fell down it…. :-(. I tried to do a ‘A day in the life of BB’ series of piccies which will hopefully get posted.
Friday A day when we didn’t have to go anywhere at all which was nice. Should have gone to the shops probably though. SB and BB played for ages in the morning in SB’s bedroom with Happy Street, Cindy whatever, which gave me the chance to do interesting things like changing beds ‘unaided’.Can’t remeber much, but SB did some good reading from one of the Letts Active Readers (Ratman and the Big Cat or somesuch), we looked a lots of the Incredible Things book – wandered into a conversation about how people used to make things themselves or on a small scale and now things moslty get made in factories now.? did some basic stuff about Graphs from Singapore maths.? Did some stuff from the book, then did some of own – how many different coloured flowers etc. use the little plastic blocks (name? – forgot) to ake the graps which worked well. SB got the hang of it, and interpreting it/extracting info easily.