Category Archives: General

seeds and science

we are on a roll with science here. As you know, we are child led really in our education, with strewing and suggestion. we encourage regular maths [but tbh, minimal encouragement actually required] SB would like to improve her handwriting [her choice for what to get better at this year!], so she is reminded about that, and she wants to learn violin and piano, so i will suggest a violin practice and reasonably encourage her to get on with it. piano is self motivated entirely. anything else we do is suggested in a lull as a series of options, but most things she suggests and does. BB is currently – obviously – entirely autonomous. She does usually want to do anything SB does!

so today, SB wanted to do the other growing experiments, and obviously BB wanted to too! SB thinks she might like to be a scientist now, so I suggested she writes some of the experiments in a ‘science book’ she thought this was sa rather good idea, so i printed off some piccies for her to stick in, and some ring the answer type questions, and a few open ended. she loved it, and happily did the whole lot. BB also wanted a science book – so more photos duly printed! i can see that this might be where lapbooking starts!

I busily got the ingredients for the other experiments – soil, pots, relevant seeds, and copious newspaper around, and we were off! so today we have made a shoot maze, sown in eggcups [we will look at root strength] done a strawb and runner, and also sown the toms, peppers and artichokes that so desperately needed doing. thus finishing feb sowings! we are now onto march.

SB did some maths, bB did colouring – which she called maths, but was actually a hedgehog and then a spiky dinosaur – quite good! SB did a violin practice and then a singing practice – she can sing a note to match mine – woohoo! for some this comes naturally [me, BB] but SB has learned to do this, aided by her violin, and I am SOOOO proud. i have never once told her she sings out etc, and always encouraged her singing and it has really worked. she has a lovely singing voice. goes completely haywire when tries to sing with anyone, but hey, she is only 7! BB has done a lot of experimenting with sounds and twanging following on from that music set – it was obviously entirely worth the money as has really got her imagination going!
umm, a bit of tv watching, until i felt guilty [i was cleaning up some of the mess we made in kitchen!] so rousted children into tidying up by having bags i was stuffing things in . SB got the drift quite quickly and was like a dervish, even BB got the idea when i did throw some of her things directly in the bin [broken tat for the most part even if well loved. if i have to make a point, there a good place to start.

[we have torchwood on as i type this, and spike is in it!! - the best reason for watching buffy!]

where was i, oh yes, it looked lovely tidy, i hoovered, bb tried to get the solar panel experiment to work again, putting the panel closer and closer to the light [she watches and learns in between tantrums]. so we got the castle stuff out, they played and argued, SB read a book about ballet [surprise!] i made curry for tea and a not hugely succesful bread and butter pudding to take out tomorrow. oh well. Chris and SB played some games.

i have found my cousin on facebook – we haven’t spoken since i was 19 or 20. weird!

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gardening

have got the garden blog up and running. hopefully will now do a fair bit of gardening too!!

chris took the girls to group. SB and i did some violin when i got home. in the last week she has read all the magic tree house books at bedtime!! AT tea, SB decorated the table with flowers spelling our names. Magical.

my shoe type – from Michelle

You Are Clogs
You are a solid and down to earth person.
You seek – and almost always achieve – a really sound balance in your life.

You are stylish yet comfortable. Mellow but driven. Excited yet calm.
You are the perfect mesh of contradictions.

No matter what happens, you have the ability to stay well grounded in your life.
People know that they can truly depend on you.

You should live: In Europe

You should work: At a company dedicated to helping the world

disappointments

SB has taken very well that she can’t go on the rainbows sleepover. there is room for only 15 people, and it was decided whilst she was away. they could have rung us and asked us if it was ok, but it was easier not to, as only room for 15 out of the 18. i was quite proud of SB taking it so well, though quite grumpy at the political expediency side of it. she said she would have quite liked a sleepover. grumble grumble

windy wednesday

SB at drama – she really has enjoyed the 2 taster sessions she has had so far, so fingers crossed there will be more opportunities for the younger group. ALso hoping they don’t continue to be on Wed – a bad day for us!

BB and i did some more musical instrument making, looked at vibrating rubber bands and saw how the sounds differed as stretched it out, and how ‘fat’ the vibration was. wish we had a copy of fantasia!

We went outside to sow broad beans – v windy. She had been desperate to go outside and do it, and it looked sunny, so no persuading her it was cold coat weather until she got buffetted by a particularly huge blast, and then she put a coat on! We are sowing the broad beans through cardboard again, as they did OK that way, and it significantly reduced the weed growth – weeding is not a forte of mine! Came back in and watched magic school bus arctic.

She then went back to the music experiment box, and we did the filling loads of glasses with water. she was v careful as they are ‘breakaful’ but onfortunately with one of her dongs did put a crack in a glass, so experiment over! Did demonstrate that immediately loses power to make a note. We then did some general messing about!

SB and Chris came home in time for lunch and then watched some dora the explora both singing and actioning along. The goggles have arrived, and SB is trying out some similar to ernests, and a back up plan to whip ‘bb’s’ if the above don’t work. We all played Hisss, though BB got grumpy towards the end when SB got ‘her’ snake. SB chose to do some maths and then was off to rainbows. Seemed like i hardly got to see her.

BB knows its baking when SB off at rainbows, so this time we have baked pink and chocolate cupcakes. yummy. SHe particularly enjoyed the lickings… We played peebo, read a book and then it disintegrated a bit… So we painted her large coil pot and got things temporarily back into balance.
SB returned and there was general raucousness, a bit of horseplay and tea. BB nearly got put in the cellar [ok she didn't but it feels tempting! goggles on a high shelf for whacking SB with, numerous toys in a similar position for being thrown etc] So after tea I took BB to bed for snuggle and story and she fell asleep v quickly.

Sb has been reading and teaching chris landlock in the meantime. time for her bed. We have had a lot of lovely music on during the day, which the girls have danced to etc. They enjoyed looking at some of the utube clips. [no music practice again!]
Back to work for me tomorrow. These last few days off have been a bonus for me. BB is v challenging to parent at the moment. She is utterly adorable but 20% destructiveness and temper, often taken out on SB. It is totally knocking my confidence as a parent and I am concerned about balancing the needs of each. It is clear that only 100% attention really improves BB, but this wouldn’t be achievable if she was an only, as it means 100% full on. However, stretching her with activities and having something at the ready does seem to make a difference, both to BB’s behaviour and the amount of positive attention both girls get. So having this time has helped me see I can still get a rhythm, and although its not perfect, it feels positive. It might be exhausting, but I only do it 3 times a week.

We seem to have been incredibly science-y, bit that is what was requested!! Must make more of an effort to suggest the lovely french reading books again, and a few language vids…

our new bird feeder!

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taking each precious moment as they come

so today i laid late in bed! not actually the plan, but probably did me some good. chris took the girls off to library for BB to listen to stories and do craft, and sb mooch along the shelves! the parents take turns doing the stories, and are always with the children, but apparently need to be CRB checked – uproar. TBH, I cannot see why you would crb check someone doing a free story reading session, not employed by the library, where the children are still supervised by their parents. i suggested SB should do one, and see if they want to CRB her??? She doesn’t want to do it though, as her arms aren’t long enough for the books – fair point. ANyway, she also did some jump ahead – year one so v easy and enjoyable.

they came in and BB woke me up with love and cuddles and kisses and games. she can be v adorable when she has a mind to be. So got dressed and made it down for the 11 o clock church bells! SB got her singapore maths done and her handwriting - finished book c! we are going to take a short break before D and have a go at some copywork – starting with thankyou letters. we had lunch and BB then went off to playgroup. SB and I did violin, and BB returned from playgroup. she wasn’t happy for chris to leave, so it seemed pointless for them to stay.

Nana and grandad arrived and were just sitting down chatting when my order of a new birdfeeder arrived . They have a sale on, so i bought the complete patio feeder, since the birdfeeders we have bought in the past go with them, a couple of seed trays as well. [you can have any hanging feeder for the candelabra bits, but you need theirs to go in the 3 uprights. we then had fun joining them all together and sorting out in the garden, refilling various feeders. then the girls had a bit of a play in a sunny patch, a robin and blackbird investigated. at the same time i bought some dried mealworms for a bird treat. [yuk!]

Back in and BB was showing just how challenging she could be, so i bought out the emergency tesco science kits as they are non messy, and easily done. BB did the music kit, and SB did the dynamics kit. mostly scream and squeak free, but not entirely, as BB had a bit to much of Ghengis Khan about her today. they were cheap and cheerful kits, and you could prob replicate them easily, but nice to have around as stop gap, and at least these had all the ingredients [as opposed to the chemistry one, where i then had to get hold of some iodine!] . the girls did some more skating, and a bit of game playing with the grandparents.

Wehn they had left, my tolerance to BB’s ravening hordes approach to anything SB looked at decreased, so we stuck on numberjacks, had tea and whisked her off to bed. SB then did the music kit, which she enjoyed, and we did the filling glasses with water as well. Nearly finished ballet shoes!!!

bliggety blog

i just can’t think of titles!

So, we have had a fun day today. i have decided i really like sitting and crafting or sciencing with the girls, with a easy divisible or multilevel task! SO thats what we have mostly done today. I would love to play the board games, but BB not so helpful – though i am encouraging playing as a team, she gets bored and then destructive! best saved for post her bedtime.

so SB whipped through maths and handwriting, and there was painting of the airdrying clay [after i had glued bits back together again!]. i sorted out seeds, and SB and BB chose what they would like to plant as well. do you know, I have a bit of a blank! SB read her stories from scotland book that she got as a present from Melrose, BB sort of played operation. they both fiddled about with continuo.

After lunch we got out a science book on growing, and the girls, very enthusiastically, wanted to do every single one! We haven’t, but i have found most of the ingredients, and we have started lots of them off. we have beans in jars – of course! some of which we are going to turn upside down when sprouted, we have sunflower seeds that are dry, just right and drowned, we have mustard seeds in  the sun, the dark and the fridge. we have strawberries ready to plant, and carrot tops. and we plan to do the dye thing with a white flower. we did a rather exciting yeast experiment. too bad we haven’t got a working microscope.

SB went off to ballet, and BB and I went into the garden and dug some soil, looked at flowers, and generally nattered and chattered between rainfalls. we then made some more cheese scones for SB to have between ballet and swimming. I took SB to swimming, and she really is coming along in her strokes – they are recognizable now, and she tries really hard. She is by no means the strongest swimmer there – all the others at the present are lads who are possibly a bit older. It doesn’t put her off, and I am v impressed with the coach. SHe does need new goggles though.

Home, tea and BB to bed. SB digicoloured i think with chris. What we didn’t do today – music practice!! and BB was more waily and tantrummy as well.

Musical Monday 5 – Aaron Copeland

I have really enjoyed playing his music – most noticeably the hoe down from rodeo [I coudn't find the string orchestra version on u-tube - far better! Anna should play it sometime...]. but todays main link is to the simple gifts from his appalachian spring. the ‘tune’ might be recognizable to many! There are a number of versions on utube. i chose this one as photos with it. would have prefered a video visual of the appalachians though…