Category Archives: photos

finally friday!

Posted on October 19, 2008 by HHaricot | Leave a comment

hey, I have remembered more of the week than i thought i would!! and i still haven’t done tax return – thanks for advice joyce. i have used a tax person before, and so am claiming already for enough! but it was doing this minimal bit of extra. and i have left it a bit last minute too. bugger!! I am also not convinced i am going to go back to work on monday relaxed and refreshed, but hey ho!

so, dad was doing some final touch up bits, and i was chivvying him to instead play with the girls. we did usual home ed things in the morning. a book order for BB’s birthday had arrived [and squirreled away] but in it was an usborne dictionary/thesaurus for SB, and she very much enjoyed looking for words in it, and asking us for words to find – kept her busy for ages. i think this and the spelling books are being so enthusiastically greeted at the moment, that she is obviously ready to begin this next phase! her reading is way ahead, and she was reading beautifully a barefoot mother and daughter story book to mum. she tries to put in the phrasing and voicing as well. maths by both, and we read some box books on castles, and she read also a book on forces. [i will at some point go back and link all books!] as well as countless library books. a final piano with mum. BB was playing wild games with her animals, and is v set on sylvanian family things for birthday – more little bits!! but she loves little bits.

we all went outside, and a prolonged play of football and then golf practice with grandad. sb enjoyed the golf instruction, and grandad was impressed with bb’s ball skills. i was glad they all did some playing together! it all fell apart a bit with the wails then and we went in and snuggled reading books [always a good fallback] and room tidying before playing games of ludo etc altogether. mum was amazed SB didn’t have a club to go to, and we finished off with a good home made chinese – thanks DH!

i had a migraine all day – presumably through gloss paint grrr. [and still have today]. i really really hate having migraines.

hmm!! nearly forgot, that SB and BB took their entries to the local painting comp to the church in the evening, and were v impressed with the grown up entries. SB decided that she wouldn’t be likely to win a prize, but both girls persuaded that having their work displayed in the church with all these others was rather fantastic anyway

thoroughly lost thursday

Posted on October 19, 2008 by HHaricot | 3 comments

which is what i was trying to find the venue for the snakes session on thursday! a slight disagreement with DH, and we made it! by the time we made it, i was feeling harassed plus plus!! but we were just in time for the littlies session, and i went down with BB whilst mum vaguely supervised craft with SB. we really liked the snakeman. and BB loved the opportunity to hold the snake and lizard, and said it was the best thing ever!! [we do know she has a thing about reptiles though!! both current and the extinct - well, i know dinosauria aren't strictly reptiles, but...] Any way, we really enjoyed our session. i think SB’s with mum was harder work as more people in the session, but she still really enjoyed the opportunity to touch and hold the snake and lizard, and would like to have had ore time. they both did get the chance to go back and meet some more of the reptiles, and also do some lovely lizard based crafts. Thanks to the organisers and enablers.

i left early as still in somewhat of a dither from contretemps with DH, and parked in a short time only spot etc etc. when we came home, we did science – always soothes me!! SB and BB did some of the horrible science explosives kit, and i loved the lava lamp take on the volcano favourite!! Mum did more curtaining, and dad was still painting away [bless]

we also did LOADS more HE, as the girls have been in a v productive mood! SB has loved her wizard whimstaff workbook – the first spellings one, and raced through. she is also enjoying the maths section on shapes and areas, and found chris’s tangram book, and had a lot of fun making the shapes with that. bB joined in with her maths and also pattern blocking. in fact, BB has been so keen on maths, she has taken the book to bed several times to do ‘bedmaths’ and is now on earlybird 1B. She has a much better pencil grip and easier writing effort than SB at a simialr age. most of SB’s maths was oral, but BB likes doing a certain amount of the number writing [within limits of course!] BB has also had something of a letter sound moment, and is more and more reliable in identifying the sounds at the start of words, and realising words are made up of sound sequences. she can’t recognise many letters yet, so we are still doing a bit of that, but she loves to hold books and look at pictures and say she is reading, and I have read countless books to her.

ANother thing we have done a lot of this week is french. we have done french conversations and read a lot of stories in french. i am not sure this is the best way in the world, but it suits us. it seems to mimic how we might pick up our native language, gets us comfortable with a foreign language all together, and doesn’t frighten me – who finshed with o-level only! SB and BB do it together. SInce SB only just getting comfortable with writing in english, i am obviously not going for writing and reading in another language yet! SB did piano with mum and then read loads of books, including stories to BB.

SB had gymnastics – which i haven’t got to watch before, so happy to do that! [and also chill]. i was impressed by the amount they work out, and clear to see what sb’s strengths and weaknesses are. we will work perhaps on headstands and poised balance!! [BB missed her session - oops]

3 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean's HE, daubing and making, DIY/ house renovation, General, history, language, literacy, music, numeracy, Out and About, photos, pre reading, SB-PE, science, socialisation, Stringbean's HE, writing

Appley Monday

Posted on October 18, 2008 by HHaricot | Leave a comment

my parents arrived on monday, much anticipated and looked forward too! due to their likely early arrival we were up, and the girls v eager to see them! lots of cuddles and getting settled in. SB and BB showed the maths they had done, and SB did a piano practice with mum. Actually, all week they have been keen to do a lot of the HE ‘normals’ which i hope reassures my parents a bit!

in the afternoon we went to a local tour of an apple orchard with the owner. it was delightful. we were near the front of the tractor, so SB, mum and i plied him with questions between stops, and he told us the history of farm and family, planting and varietal changes, beekeeping etc etc and was charming. SB took a lot in, and both girls and adults enjoyed sampling the fruit!! he has planted lots of apricots, and is hoping potentially for a small crop next year…

back by skin of teeth to ballet and then brownies – what a busy day!!

In the paper.

Posted on October 11, 2008 by Daddybean | 4 comments

Well, I’ve been meaning to blog on and off, but some how haven’t.

Last Saturday I took the girls round to the library to get medals and certificates for the Team Read summer reading thing. Quite a few there, as well as a couple of bods from the Library and the Parish council there was Fran Williamson, who won Bronze and silver medals for swimming in the Paralympics this year. So kids got to handle proper Olympic medals as well. It was combined with a gather to celebrate 5 years of the library (it used to be a county library, now it is run by volunteers). So there was cake and stuff as well.

Presentation was fine, except that once they started to call out the children to collect their certificates a lot of adults there started chattering. So much so that you couldn’t really hear the names being called out clearly at all. It also seemed to show lack of respect to the children, I though it was very rude. If the tables had been turned and the children where seeing adults being presented……

As always with our library, they manage to mess up the simplest of things They had some bits and bobs (hats, bags, T shirts) to give out to some children, so they drew some names out. They had 2 T shirts to give away to teenagers who had completed it. There were 3 teenagers who had done so, they had 3 cards with names on, one teenager was actually there. They managed of course to select the two cards for the two who weren’t there…

SB and BB managed to get picked to be 2 of 5 kids photographed (above) with Fran Williamsonand the cake and where in one of the local papers this week, which SB was excited about seeing. BB managed not to pull maniac photo face which was good.

The youngest boy in the photo has a 4 yo sister (children of the Homedad who had the occasional mention on the blog a few years ago) who has just started school (August born, so only just 4 at that) seems very little, I can’t for one moment imagine BB at school in a couple of months time. It just seems much too young. It seems that the girl isn’t actually liking it much and would much rather be at home with mummy, to which of course I responded that that seemed perfectly I understandable. Of course someone did say that ‘well, they’ve got to get used to it’ etc. So that of course had to have an ‘Oh no they don’t’ response. Mostly I only really mention HE if someone brings it up, but sometimes you just need to challenge assumptions and remind people there are other ways.

School just seems like such an odd thing really.

4 Comments

Posted in Butterbean, Out and About, photos

Chupa Chups Science

Posted on September 10, 2008 by Daddybean | 2 comments

Much faffing about (plus my watch being 10 minutes slow for some reason) saw us get to the library a bit late for story time, but they sat and did the crafty bit (which is always a bit simple for SB – it’s aimed at pre-schoolers, but she likes doing it so waht the heck). Spent quite a while there sitting on the floor reading books to Butterbean whilst Stringbean read an Usborne Puzzle book. The ‘library ladies’ got slighty flummoxed by the computer again whilst checking out the books, it beeped and said that one of the books was already checked out to us and couldn’t be renewed (which it wasn’t, we’ve never had it out I’m sure anyway). They peered and ummed and ahhed a bit, I suggested that maybe there had just been a slip on the scanner or something and it had got checked out twice. Anyway after a bit more peering and clicking it was checked out. I always do have the urge though to walk round and just sya look ‘click this, or that or whatever’. But it’s run by volunteers, so we just smile and get mildy entertained by it all

Headed home, with BB wailing most of the way, though I’ve forgotten what the issue was. BB had come up with an idea for an experiment, seeing if a lollipop dissolves. Not yet having lollipops, SB started off with her own idea for seeing if sugar dissolved in different things. So her and BB got different things – juices, coke, veg oil, washing up liquid etc. to dissolve it in. They moved onto salt, and then a Sodium Percarbonate (‘oxygen’) bleach powder. They enjoyed seeing what happened, coke fizzing, things going murky, thre bleach powder in washing up liquid interested SB most, it made a thick gel, which thrn turned foamy (presumably as Oxygen was released) hey spent a fun half hour or so fiddling about.

OK,what's next?

I do get the urge to take control and direct these sort of things – to do a ‘proper’ experiment. The science teacher in me I guess, but did manage to let them get on with it. SB does have a goode idea about how to control an experiment – a ‘fair test’ as they tend to call it in the school science books. Things like using the same amount of liquids, only changing one thing at a time etc. but at times like this she just gets distractedby the fun of it all

Had lunch of beans on toast, whch prompted another fuss from BB as it wasn’t Tomato soup Eventually ate the beans, but wouldn’t eat the bread becuase it wasn’t white bread. Told her she wouldn’t have afternoon snacks unless she ate it. She stuck to her guns and had nothing else until about 4 pm when she realised that she wouldn’t get flapjack at SB’s swimming lesson unless she ate it, so it soon went

After lunch we went and bought Chupa Chups lollies for the experiment – shop assitant was a bit bemused when we said they weren’t for eating but for a science experiment. SB realised that they weren’t all the same flavour, and that might affect things, but we carried on anyway as we had them now.

Set them up 2 lollies each, one in boiling water, one in cold water and left them to see what would happen. Not surprisingly the ones in hot water dissolved first, SB was correct to worry about the different flavours, the Coke flavour one dissolved noticeably faster than the Fruit/Cream flavour one. They were interested by the way a coloured layer formed near the bottom of the jar. And excessively pleased when I let them finsish off by eating the last bit of the lollies in cold water

Ready to go.

Going - Hot water on the left.

Comparing Progress

Gone - Hot water on right here

End result - Cold water

End Result - Hot Water

BB surprised me a bit by showing how well she can copy words. Sometimes we forget she is almost 4.

I’d said we could go up the road on the skates, where there is a gently sloping cul-de-sac that SB likes to skate down, we got ready, and then as soon as we were ready to go out it started raining (and then rained for the rest of the day really)In the rest of the afternoon SB did some handwriting, some Singapore maths, and read some of Penrose the Mathematical Cat. She read a couple of her library books as well.They attempted to tidy the playroom, though BB grumped some more about this ‘I’m too tired, I can’t do it, I need help’ wail, gnash, to which my reponse is to wave the mythical bin bag at her They got it a bit tidy and then watched a bit more Jane and the Dragon, which seems to eb the favourite at the moment, before SB’s swiming lesson. It’s a pain goign out then (the lesson is at 5.30 as it makes for a long day, but at least BB doesn’t fall asleep so eaily now on the way to or fromas she did last year. We watched SB a bit – she is getting better at her strokes, did some good back stroke. Then BB enterntained herself by jumping around on the floor tiles from one red tile to another (mostly creamy tiles with some reddish ones).

Fell asleep when putting BB to bed and only woke up when Helen had got home from workand came up with Sb for her to go to bed. Ooops !

2 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, literacy, numeracy, photos, science, Stringbean's HE, writing

20 Years

Posted on July 8, 2008 by Daddybean | 18 comments

20 years ago this week we met, and I fell in love, even better, we still are

Happy 20 years my love xxxx

(For the sake of accuracy, neither of the photos are of that time though. Couldn’t easily find any. Helen is in Canada a few weeks later in the summer. The one of me is apparently in 1989. But I’m not really any different)

18 Comments

Posted in General, photos

some nice recent photos – am v slowly catching up with flickr!

Posted on July 7, 2008 by HHaricot | 4 comments

4 Comments

Posted in General, photos

Feet and Romans

Posted on June 11, 2008 by Daddybean | 5 comments

Monday, other than hospital not much seemed to happen. spent ages on the phone getting a hosp appt. for that day as they had given us one for next week. Then phoned various people to tell them SB wouldn’t be attending her various classes because of her foot. hospital appt ended up not being until afternoon, which was good as it meant Helen could make it as well. I think SB finished off some hama beading she’d started off about 5 times.
My parents came round in the morning as they were going to look after BB when we went into hospital. Chatted, girls played games, read etc. with them.

I took SB into hospital, consultant happy with her progress, should be no need for skin graft on the heel, healing up nicely. Removed the back slab. Heel injury still painful but getting there. she is now able to place her front part of foot on the ground. Can’t think what else we did when we got back home.

Tuesday we went off for a HE group event on Romans at a local museum. Almost didn’t go, I felt like staying home, but SB keen to go so I made the effort. Interestingly, rather than taking longer as might be expected, we got out quicker than normal with SB partly out of action. In 35 minutes they were dressed, washed, hair brushed etc., we’d also gone over the road and bought stuff from the bakers for lunch and got them in the car ready to go. Obviously should not leave SB to get herself sorted. She said it’s because she and BB go and play….
First session was good, it was done by a chap who does talks etc. with kids about Romans.

He was dressed in a Centurions outfit, was mostly about life as a roman soldier, their clothing/armour, their weapons etc.

The local Roman legions’ standard.

How they used the different javelins.

Sb was a hopping Legionnaire

some others formed a Testudo and we all threw stones at them (well foam balls….)

Demonstrated the Scorpion.

Demonstrated the various bits of personal kit they would have carried. He was a bit coy about saying what the big T shaped nails were for (crucifixion) – i reckon it’s those gory bits that kids like best – SB wasn’t fazed by it hen I told her – BB would probably want to try it out on someone… (it’s already come up before, and it’s a pretty fundamental bit of Christianity)
Had a pleasant lunch outside in the sun. followed by a session making roman pots using coil or thumb/pinching as the romans might have done. Enjoyed by the kids but would have been better I think if we had a bit more time and could have looked at the sorts of pots the Romans made/used.

We then had a litle look at the musuem, particularly the Roman bits and the fossil bits. tried on a roman helmet and did some rubbings.

Afterwards I considered going to find WH Smiths so SB could spend her voucher, but decided I didn’t want to push her around in the big buggy whilst dragging a tired and grumpy BB with us. So went straight back to car and came home, Where we all flopped for a bit, do to warm car, being generally tired – it’s hard work for us all i think taking SB out in her current state. Did manage to play some chess and Uno with SB and look at some books with BB.

Finished up the day watching a bit more of Sound of Music with SB, finished just before the bit here the fighting starts, which is apparently her favorite bit

5 Comments

Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, daubing and making, history, Out and About, photos, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

Felting Fun

Posted on May 10, 2008 by Daddybean | Leave a comment

We had a sparkly start to the day, Butterbean found the glitter left from Thursday and decided she needed to make a glittery picture first thing. sauffice to say we have a nice pot of mixed glitter colours for xmas and the Dyson looks very sparkly inside…….. She had fun though.

Rousted around a bit after that to get out for a HE group felting session, managed to get there on time, which we often don’t manage. Since we did needle felting a couple of years ago at Kessingland this was a nice compliment to that. Helen who was organising the session had a nice simple technique for younger kids that worked well.

You use a Ziploc bag and a piece of bubble wrap in a rectangle about twice the size of the bag
1. Lay out 3 thin layers of wool in alternating directions for the background on top of the bubblewrap.

2. make your design on top.

3. Pour warm soapy water over the top to carefully to wet the wool.

4. Flatten down the wool to ensure it is all wet, re-arranging the design if necessary.

5. fold over the bubblewrap and slide into the ziploc bag. Squeeze out the air and seal.

6. Agitate – rub gently , roll up, throw from hand to hand – whatever. You basically need to move the wool fibres around to get them to felt together, but not so much so that you mess up the desing to much. The longer you do it the more felted it gets.
7. Remove, rinse out soap and allow to dry.

Both girls enjoyed it, though BB did get me to to the felting process and I helped her a bit lay out the design, though the ideas where all her’s. SB did hers all by herlself, tthough it could have done with a bit more felting.

After group we stopped at various shops for various things, got too hot (must get car air con fixed before we go away on hols) got home and all hid the playroom to cool off, Helen came home, had dinner etc. She did some French reading some of the Lucie Chat books I think.
Other than that, what else has been going on?

Thursday we went to Merry’s for Amilies 6th birthday. Made cards first, which took up most of the remaining time in the morning, SB put so much Pritt stick glue on heres that she tend had to stick lots of glitter and etc. to cover up the glue. ended up looking like a house in a snow storm !! Did a bit of maths, Made picnic. Off to Merrys, picnbic turned into lunch on the table, off to the park where grownups lounged under a tree whilst kids got hot in the playground.

Home later than intended, BB fell asleep in the car then couldn’t quite decide if she was asleep or awake for the next hour or so when I put her into bed.

H and me caught up with this weeks Apprentice – excellent stuff. do wonder if sacking 2 for one of the weeks is part of the program design – otherwise surely it’d be a week longer run? but hey, it’s entertainment not real Life.

There was also Tuesday, but nothing exciting happened – library, unloading car of all the camping gear, lots of washing, handwriting, music practice, my parents came round.

Now it’s the weekend and so many things want doing around the house and garden esp. and we are going out tomorrow for our monthly woodland/bird walk with the Old Manor family. Want to go camping again though really.

And then it went Bang!

Posted on May 9, 2008 by Daddybean | 2 comments

I put a 2l bottle of fizzy water in the freezer yesterday to cool down for taking out. Of course I forgot about it and it got left in there.

I found it and took it out this evening whilst getting dinner, left it on the pantry floor by the freezer.

About an hour later, while having dinner there was an very loud bang , and what sounded a bit like broken glass tinkling about. So loud I thought maybe there had been some explosion outisde, H thought someone had shot through one of the windows.

But no, it was the bottle which had rather dramatically exploded – presumably the freezing and expansion of the bottle had caused some damage/weakened the bottle, then as it defrosted the pressure rose as the CO2 gas was released – and bang it went, spraying ice everywhere. Fizzy ice is rather odd.

2 Comments

Posted in Daft Stuff, photos

Category Archives: photos

finally friday!

thoroughly lost thursday

Appley Monday

In the paper.

Chupa Chups Science

20 Years

some nice recent photos – am v slowly catching up with flickr!

Feet and Romans

Felting Fun

And then it went Bang!

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Meta

home ed blogs

useful links

Pages