Category Archives: General

Blogging issues

we have both been alive all week! I have been working hard though, and even worked my usual wed off. it was also a colleagues leaving do, so rolled home near midnight. I have only just made it to girls bedtimes on other nights. Consequently me grumpy and bad parent [and wife - though chris did kill loads of my seedlings, including the very precious aubergines! - well, some still survive] And chris is worn out and snappy too. So not blogging.

What I think they may have included this week:

monday – CHEF singing and making bowls out of LP’s – cool, but it was la traviata! and a play in the park

tuesday – some general home ed bits and pieces, and I think a local home ed family came round. swimming
Wed – hmmm. I thknk this was cycling day. unfortunately SB also was subjected to chris’s sudden slow down or stop for no apparent reason and came off her bike – storming grazes everyhwere. she was gloved and helmeted, but knees and elbows took a battering.

Thurs – well, babygym was cancelled. some shopping. ballet.

Fri – err general home ed stuff?

Sat – to chris’s parents

Maybe chris might elucidate!

In the evenings, SB has been reading lots of books, we have played with the polyhedron shape makers a bit, we got some small plastic weights from the home ed selling site – thanks – which the girls have played with. SB and I have also played a game or 2 every night – rummy, uno, happy families, mastermind and operation have been the most played.

the great cardboard experiment

when chris finds wherever it is ‘the frantic gardener’ has disappeared to, I will do some garden blogging on there!

Anyway, this year, having reflected on the prime cause of failures last year I decided that

1. I wasn’t going to sow more than I could pot up/plant and keep on top of

2. Since we are incapable of weeding the amount our garden needed, we needed a gardener or mulch. Both of those being expensive, we needed a friend with excess cardboard boxes.

3. Must Feed and Water more regularly

SO this is the feedback for number 2. So far the broad beans seem to be growing very happily through the cardboard. They haven’t been particularly munched by anything and they look nice and healthy.

The potatoes have also been planted through cardboard. Considering we haven’t quite finished planting them all – a great oops, but it is earlies – I have no feedback yet. Today I planted out the first brassicas – early purple sprouting – into holes in the cardboard.

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I’m not entirely sure if this is sensible/ will work. But last year so many plants choked in weeds, or got planted out way too late or never because I couldn’t face reclearing the ground that this HAS to be at least no worse!

The obvious positives are a bit less weeding – just thorugh the planting holes until what is in there is the biggest and strongest. Also, the cardboard should act as a good mulch in the summer, minimising the watering.

The obvious negatives are the increased places for slugs to hide and other non beneficial creepy crawlies. That it may somehow inhibit growth – possibly airflow?? Not sure.

Anyway, when have chatted up very helpful friend with too many boxes, the squashes and poss sweetcorn will also be planted through. Sweet corn often makes accessory rootlets from stem though,, so my have big planting holes!!

Anyway, we will see!

Sunny Sunday

I fact, I got sunburnt slightly, though had creamed up the girls. As already blogged [the shame of being the last blogger!] we spent a lovely day with English Heritage with Michelle and family at Wrest Park‘s St George weekend. At the very end, we bumped into The Deep End as well.

We started with the end of a redcoat display, and then watch some Roman cavalry officers [transported through time!] rather cleverly shoot bows and arrows. The girls enjoyed patting the horses. Moved on to a falconry display. We were going to the Nelson bit, but the girls disappeared into the middle of a puppet show audience so we had lunch and were in the right place to the watch the roman soldiers drill. SB noticed they were speaking a different language, didn’t cross her mind it might be Latin!!

A nice restorative cup of tea, and we wandered to the living history bits, watched some fire jugglers, and then a mediaeval knight dressing and play – well, everyone else watched that. BB was a bit ’2′ having not had enough sleep the night before, so we looked around all sorts of other bits – particularly liking the musicians – before she fell asleep. Finally we wandered back to the St George ending. BB was convinced it was a ‘dinodoor’ [having just woken up].

We had a slow walk back, stopping for ice cream, race running and tree climbing. A bit more of a look around the living history roman bit as well. The girls wrote their names in Latin and talked to the enactors – SB has really got the hang of just talking and asking questions to adults.

It was a lovely day, good company. We didn’t watch particularly with the girls, as they got very good at squiggling to the very front, looking cutely and smilingly at those near them and then sitting still – it would have been a mean person to send them back, and no-one did! SB particularly enjoyed the St George bit and Chloe being there. Looking at the deep end, it is a shame we missed the nelson bit, but the girls were deeply embedded in the puppet show!

Photo’s to follow as have been manically back flickring to catch up [its been a hectic week!]

green thing from Joanna

Your Life is 76% Green
You live a very green life, and you’re aware of how your actions help the earth. Of course, it’s hard to be totally green. But when you make a tradeoff, you know why you’re making it.

Last day of the hols

well, feels like that here with 6 long days ahead. SO we made the most of playing today.
SB has really been enjoying the Jane and the dragon series on TV, so will prob buy some books for her. She read some felicity wishes today, and assorted early readers.

Chris and SB went for a bike ride on the quieter village roads, learning how to indicate and turn right – she thought it was fab. Chris said she was riding really nicely – all that scootering has given her extra balance. not that her balance on 2 legs is that brill always!

BB and I sowed some runner beans in modules, counted them – in her own fashion, and played outside while they were out. When they came back we had crumpet pizza – yummy.

The whole day was spent outside. the girls wanted to do something messy, so we did papier mache around some plant pots to paint and decorate when dry. They then wanted to get wet, so we got out the old paddling pool [now deflated and puncture! But it was enough to hold a bit of water, and when BB’s cube slide ended it it there was much fun and mayhem for the rest of the afternoon!

As I went in to make dinner [moroccan ish stew!] I cage SB and BB the face paints, so they painted themselves. SB was particularly gorgeous [though the picture will be cropped for general consumption! While it cooked we played spraying with the hosepipe – always a favourite!

Chris planted some of the potatoes – pink fir apple, again wy late, but hopefully will do something. They’re through cardboard boxes, hopefully to keep the weeds down.

A bath – and they really needed it! BB fell asleep nearly instantly, and SB and I played games before bed, SHe is such a sweetheart as she made me a flower display as a present, and hidden in it was some chocolate for me.

Anyway, I have had a lovely break, but don’t imagine I will blog much in the next week!

sorting the crops

today has been a good gardening day. I put in some more peas, finally put in the onion sets [way late!] cleaned out some of the greenhouse and started potting up the tomatoes. I was helped [sort of] in these tasks by both girls at various different stages. so some of the onion sets are upside down, and some roots detatched to some extent from peas. however it is all a good learning experience. SB also dug up one of our leeks from the garden – i am proud of the leeks, first time they have been successful. I also sowed the first french beans in modules. Chris put some more of merry’s boxes over unused veg bed. The pear tree – and most of the fruit trees still alive – are covered in flowers. I’m hoping that this year will be a good fruit and veg year. i think the last year we truly did well was when SB was 2!
it has been an outdoor playday – the girls playing hide and seek, races, climbing etc etc and helping me. i have been narrating stories, races etc for them to do whilst gardening and then joining in with hide and seek. SB has read to me several times, and also to BB. I read both girls the cat just so story [prob my favourite one].

We did some painting outside. SB painted a house – putting her ‘sign’ in the picture as well. BB mostly painted herself – so an outside bath in order too!!

reading the money guardian

never too young to start!! [photo to follow]

Babies

Had a lie in this morning, and overheard SB and BB playing with their babies. SB calls the gorgeous corolle doll from Bead merrily ‘Annie’. I could hear her giving instructiosn to annie on climbing stairs, with BB mirroring the instructions – same inflection and everything.? they loved the babies, gave each others a hug – all in that gorgeous little girl way. V cute

fossicking

today we went fossil hunting with the not-so-local group! it was really good fun, at a brickworks. the ex quarry is a nature reserve, and a fossil section. We mostly found ammonites, belemnites and gryphaea. How cool is that!

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We all enjoyed it. SB met up with old friends – including the quietly noisy crew. All were amazed at how many fossils there were. BB liked finding ‘something’ though she was the first to find the gryphaea – a snail she said. Lots of geology and dinosaur conversations in the air!
After quite a while, we moved on to do a bit of pond dipping. BB caught a fish!! SB caught a fair number of bugs.

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SO I texted Merry, and we popped round to cheer her up. Though SB in particular was not very cheery – mostly at a loss due to lack of the older girls I think. BB and Josie more happy though BB was a bit violent at times – aargh. We should have taken cake, or grapes – better for the throat. Lovely to sit and chat. Also had a look in the bead merrily stock room [ and a box before it even got in there – mostly to fish out some little cutters for SB] and came away with this as well.

Home for a chippery tea and a UNO marathon. While having the chippery tea, we looked again at the oil and water, and this time counted how long it took to seperate enough for us to see a faint line, and then to see a strong demarcation – though still a bit mixed. 14 for the first and 20 for the second.? BB fell asleep in the car and declined to wake up. No doubt will do any minute now! Got to Robert the Bruce in Britannia. As an aside, SB has devised her own heraldic banner – will photo and flickr. She is very proud of it.

gifted and talented

rage – just lost a whole post on gifted and talented. be very glad – probably karma as i have ranted so much today.

points of rant -

1.nomenclature – gifted and talented vs average or struggling

2. there being a national register of gifted and talented children

2.not being frank that what labour wants to do is reintroduce setting/streaming

3. pretending that individualised option is a reality in most schools

but mainly the words!!!

but doesn’t this

General Characteristics of Gifted, Talented and More Able Pupils – he or she may:

  • be a good reader
  • be very articulate or verbally fluent for their age
  • give quick verbal responses (which can appear cheeky)
  • have a wide general knowledge
  • learn quickly
  • be interested in topics which one might associate with an older child
  • communicate well with adults – often better than with their peer group
  • have a range of interests, some of which are almost obsessions
  • show unusual and original responses to problem-solving activities
  • prefer verbal to written activities
  • be logical
  • be self taught in their own interest areas
  • have an ability to work things out in their head very quickly
  • have a good memory that they can access easily
  • be artistic
  • be musical
  • excel at sport
  • have strong views and opinions
  • have a lively and original imagination / sense of humour
  • be very sensitive and aware
  • focus on their own interests rather than on what is being taught
  • be socially adept
  • appear arrogant or socially inept
  • be easily bored by what they perceive as routine tasks
  • show a strong sense of leadership
  • not necessarily be well-behaved or well liked by others

sound like characteristics that lots of HE kids you know have? And isn’t it sooooo meaningless in the HE world of individualised education!