Category Archives: literacy

Mmm I like summer

Posted on August 4, 2007 by | 3 comments

Girls woke up way to early and bounced and screeched round our bed for a bit, eventually chris got up and I had a lie in.

our room of doom tidy has already paid dividends, as when SB went downstairs, she easily found the bead/bracelet kits that she now remembered we had. SHe and BB spent a while making bracelets that they wore for the early part of the day, and are now deposited in various corners of house and garden. ritual offerings again. future archaeologists are going to be stunned by the wealth of tat they find in our garden – hama beads, fake jewels and now bracelets. posibly bits of plastic food too – almost certainly ritual offerings for the afterlife!

oh, and once they had done that, more autonomous entering the room of doom to the science shelf to get out all the magnets, and play with iron filings and what might be magnetic. Hooray!

when i got up, this spontaneous learning activity was over, SB was playing a diego game on nic junior and BB prob poisson rouge! i read some books to bB, SB took ages to get dressed, and decided she wanted to do more science, so found a science chemistry experiment kit, and we went outside to do that. BB helping. we mixed up sand and iron filings in water, and the worked out how to separate them out [second part best done after sand an iron dried out]. We also proved that the bubbles in fizzy drinks were gas, and we could separate them out too. We nearly but not quite made sticky ice, and discussed melting points.

This took up quite a bit of time, so BB also did jigsaws on the side, and Chris realised our freecycle pool has 2 holes – now repaired, so we couldn’t put it up till tomorrow – cue wailing and gnashing of teeth from children! I trimmed SB’s hair – looks much better, about 3 inches shorter. ANd then we had lunch.

After lunch, SB played a lot with the castle, and BB and I read and did jigsaws until SB fancied painting. She sorted BB out with magic painting, and did some herself too. fantastic this new organised room of doom!! I flickred. Chris abused the washing machine some more. SOme more maths went on, and a map of the world jigsaw.
Erm, mind hits a blank? I think we played a game outside, and the girls ‘putered a bit, then bath early as BB looking sleepy. After bath, BB flung herself off the top bunk slightly wrong, so fell onto the floor rather than gracefully landing. SO we watched tell, she chose bonjour mes amis, and then wanted ‘the one with the bottom’ [sigh] ie first fun with french.

We had dinner – rather yummy frittata. just needed chickens to supply own eggs. BB went to bed, abd and I played games and the she went out for a last swing and tapeze as cooler.

Another lovely day! last prison break tonight

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

thank bosch its friday!

Posted on August 3, 2007 by | 1 comment

great excitement as chris took delivery of our new washing machine. a bad month to need to buy one, but the last one we bought v cheaply 12 years ago thinking it wouldn’t last long. anyway, chris did a fair bit of work tidying the room of doom.

when i came home from work [early] chris’s parents wre there having come to take abot 20 fish out of the 30 chris picked up last night for their pond. SB had done some more maths and was doing loads of cbeebies. BB was poisson rouging and starfalling. We chatted, I read lots of books, SB did some handwriting practice. watched some kleine hippo.
went into the garden to pick veg for tea. lots of french and runner beans, a carrot!! [first of season] and some onions. the sweetcorn seem to be coming back to life – good-oh.

bB helped me cook tea, and then both played various games – next to each other but not together. rather cutely BB will often refrain what SB has said – she so adores her sister. then mayhem outsider.

BB fell asleep over tea, and SB and i? sorted out the crafts cupboard and science shelf – meant she found my hidden fimo stash!! but all much better organised, even if some of it unusual, as SB was quite clear where she wanted things.

OK, so this is a boring blog post, but actually i had a very nice normal kinda day, a bit of work and more home. i need more normal days!

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Posted in Butterbean, Cooking, gardening, General, history, language, literacy, numeracy, Stringbean's HE, writing

transistors and fimo

Posted on August 2, 2007 by | 4 comments

woke up with my brain obviously 2 sizes to big for skull, from the amount of pounding to escape that was going on. so decided that really only option was to swig pills and collapse in bed, which I did. A rather bad day to be off sick really but can’t be helped. i eventually surfaced at 2-ish, not feeling brill, but BB very insistent.

So read books, SB and BB did lots on the ‘puter. SB had done some maths earlier. SB and BB going through an awkward phase of shrieking, screaming and wailing at each other. not good for mummy’s with migraines.

got them set up with painting, and then went for some more quiet option. Then to GP’s for hosp referral. When I returned, to bring tranquility, I thought we could do the brainbox electronic kit. not quite so tranquil as SB chose to make the transistor radio, and there was a fair bit of shrieking argument over who was going to build each bit. But they did mostly do it cooperatively, and it worked. we then turned it into what SB called ‘half a telephone’ and took turns being the shouter or listener. rather cool kit.

BB seems to have a particular fascination with making things work and joining them together. I guess that we didn’t have the same toy around for SB at her age, and she had lots of fun with happy street, train tracks etc so i can’t compare. But she does seem to have? joy in making things work.

a quick tidy up and dinner, then when BB collapsed asleep, SB and i did fimo.? together. she wanted to make things to sell, and has done lots of twiddle things. so this time we made coasters and decorated a jar. Bedtime, reading and now prison break.

oh, and Chris has brought back some fish for our pond

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, literacy, numeracy, science

white teeth and baking

Posted on July 25, 2007 by | Leave a comment

the girls came back with chris’s parents this morning, they were really excited about what a lovely time they had had. they’d gone to a butterfly and animal place, and ran about lots. grandparents exhausted! at least the girls slept well for them.

After some general nattering, i went off to dentist. A filling i had as a teen was cracked, and needed replacing. the place was heaving – should have thought of school hols, as loads of families crammed in, and standing room only. There were 2 families, with? a fair number of kids, and the mums nattering. they decided they needed a cigarette and left the 5 kids alone in the waiting room – mostly under SB’s age, and one 8 year old. was impressed how well behaved the kids were when parents disappeared. finally after waiting neaarly the magic hour I went in. got a rather good injection, as within secnd half my face disappeared, including half my tongue! and was sent out for it to work [already is!] and 3 more people seen before i went in. SO after 2 hours and 85 lighter, I have a white filling instead of amalgam on one of my molars. When the injection wore off some 2 hours later it hurt like hell, and I wondered whether I should have been gritting my teeth so hard whilst interacting with the girls!! Seems to be settling down now though.

So why was i gritting teeth? well, we were baking, and both girls are being tetchy with each other, I was in pain, and they are tired – not a brill combo. But determined not to sound tetchy, and I only reduced SB to floods of tears once, when I suggested [through said gritted teeth] that shouting she was thirsty when I was covered in cake goo liberally applied by BB, and am trying to capture some of the remaining to actually bake in the tin was less than helpful, as she knew where tap and milk and cups were. We recovered as she almost single handedly made the brownies – lets see what they taste like! So for castle day, we have chocolate banana loaf and choc and raisin brownies – dairy free but contain eggs.

We have perhaps 30 children and 25 adults coming if all come, so doubt my baking will feed all anyway! But its a pot lunch affair, so I’m sure with a fair wind everyone will be filled with something!! will do a bit more baking anyway between now and then.

panicking a bit about this crafts bit too, and people seeing the house in its usual state of doom, and the weedy garden. But I think many people have caught it like this before!!

We had a major book reading session, both girls have now read, or i have read to BB, all their library books. SB has been reading the usborne children’s encyclopaedia alot. well, I read some to here whilst BB slept on my lap, and she then carried on when BB woke up and made a fuss!! Also lots of game playing. SB had a convoluted solitaire version of walk the plank going on at some point. Also a bit of singapore maths so that we didn’t appear autonomous!!

ABout to play games with girls who are down from bath. At present they are arguing about who can choose the game [its going to be SB's turn to have parental support]

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Posted in Butterbean, Cooking, General, geography, history, literacy, numeracy, science

Yay – sun!!

Posted on July 14, 2007 by | 1 comment

I got up late today – my treat for being able to I guess!! Chris brought me brekkie in bed – thanks love. I read a book, listening to SB trying to teach BB how to successfully play hide and seek ‘no, you have to hide somewhere’ ‘no, don’t call to me’ ‘you have to hide all of you’ etc. They were both laughing and giggling for a considerable amount of time about it. A good reason to stay in bed, so as not to disturb hey? I guess they might have had such a good relationship if SB had gone to school, as she is so very loving and tender to BB, but I like to believe that this is a very particular success of HE, since they spend so much time together.

Anyway, I did get up, read loads of books to BB whilst Sb was dancing around, drawing and also reading. BB is gradually getting an idea of colours, but is good at counting. SHe still adores the apple tree farm books, and anything with a metre to it.
we went outside – a request of experiments from SB, so we tied in birds and forces by doing lots of air experiments. So we have dropped things, thrown things, made parachutes, chased balloons, feathers and bubbles… When SB got carried away with flying thngs, BB insisted we did the next experiment on water resistance. Shockingly, she even toddled off and got the required bowl of water and a marble and pompom!! SB and I read about wind from my lovely book on the beaufort scale. We also looked at different cloud types - it has been a good day for wind and clouds. We were going to make an anemometer. But as i was trying to find the weather kit buried somewhere in the garden she got carried away with chasing feathers and balloons, so we left that!

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BB did do lots of the experiments too – just her kind of thing! But the books were tedious, so she also got herself the hama beads and the happy mais. mostly jumped all over me though! She was v proud of doing an experiment with me though.

Both girls did some chipping out of a smilodon from ice [a national geographic kit] and then just poured hot water over it till the ice melted. When SB bored with it or forgets it, I might ebay the kit. we always end up just pouring hot water over, and the tools with it aren’t brill. or maybe we need to have slushier ice? perhaps mix some alcohol with it!

Both girls came indoors, BB to poisson rouge – her mouse control is coming on in leaps and bounds and she really loves the site. SB was doing the latest webland . All outside again for chips – celebrating the reopening of the chippery. After bath BB went straight to bed, SB and I played loads of games – who’s who, landlocked and don’t wake dad. we like our games evenings. She has started another magic tree house book, and is prob still reading it upstairs!

i’m waiting for chris, and we’ll start on series 2 of prison break. So for all those who have gone, HP5 – good?

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Posted in Butterbean, General, geography, literacy, online resources, science, Stringbean's HE

i don’t like password protected on the top.

Posted on July 9, 2007 by | 2 comments

so I’ll blog. today stressful at work, somewhere where not usually stressful. hmm.

anyway, while I was at work, BB did some painting, SB did some maths – subtraction her favourite! Also some handwriting practice. Chris has been reading her chapters of the maharbharata – what a complicated story that is, i an remember watching it in student days when on late at night.

when i got home the girls where ecstatic to see me – always good for ailing morale. we played in the water outside, brought in the washing. SB did some first language lessons – looking for nouns, read some bird things to me and loads of education city – first time for ages. BB did lots of poisson rouge, played with the ideal blocks making shapes and we all played tummy ache. spoke a bit of french
yummy dinner from chris. thinking now and watching prison break

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Posted in art and crafts, General, language, literacy, numeracy, science, writing

Il fait du soleil!!

Posted on July 8, 2007 by | 5 comments

Am trying to do a bit of weather with SB. we have had lots of il pleut and il fait du vent recently, so its nice to be sunny!!

A late start for me sine I was up till 3am working last night to sort out rota stuff for work. My parents arrived soon after, so the mayhem commenced! lots of showing off skills, dancing, singing, reading etc from girls. BB did a lot of poisson rouge. eventually we all went out into the sun. the paddling pool was filled and girls got v wet. unfortunately SB started a water fight with BB, that B soon escalated out of hand!

We had dinner outside, mum trimmed my hair. Did want it nic’s length, but she was too worried to go that short. The girls and Mum and dad played treasure seekers in the garden, and found a huge wooden snail shell – good, and a smelly dead hedgehog – not good! SO lots of chasing around instead. Some painting and lots of games.
I don’t really know how the day went so quickly. Must have been having fun in the sun!

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Posted in art and crafts, General, language, literacy

Early to blog!

Posted on July 7, 2007 by | 3 comments

Am making frog-in-the-bog for tea with home grown veg on the side – that is the life! would have own eggs, but perhaps not yet!

BB is being dreadful again at going to bed, and is then so tired that she falls asleep like the dead in the day. So today we haven’t let her fall asleep – she’s been dunked in a freezing cold paddling pool in the afternoon to make sure! Whether she makes it to the tea I’m not sure, but they’re having a bath upstairs at the moment.

However, she IS being gorgeous about playing animals. Mostly lions and monkeys, which we have played a lot today. She also demanded ‘diolin’ practice – duly done for 10 seconds! Painting - 2 minutes, reading a book – hours! We have played shops and also with bricks, and a ‘find the’ game with the letter cube thing that Jax gave us – rather a hit!

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SB woke early and plugged herself in front of the TV. When I got up – at 9.30 – so not as late as I would have liked! We read stories together of brer rabbit. I suggested we did the next bit of first language lessons – the aesop fable narration, and she already new the story so happily summarised it. When I said that I could write down her summary or she could, we then spent the next hour happily writing it down, whilst doing other things – see below! [BB and I were being rather distracting though I guess, with falling down towers!]. I was very proud of her, and she was impressed too. Though she is keen to improve her handwriting, I don’t think she’s bothered by spelling as long as she can read it back.

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She then spent ages getting dressed as a princess and cleaning her teeth, and BB did lots of poisson rouge – getting rather good at mouse control, but easily frustrated when she right clicks by mistake. I have stuck a hand sticker on the left click, which usually reminds her.

SB did some brick building with BB for a bit, and then we sat together as she read me various bits from the DK picturepedia on birds. We have also been watching the life of birds in the evening, so she remembered some of that to add in, as well as the other bird books we have read. Wanting to do some flying experiments, we went to the kitchen to make different shapes, but ended up doing mostly a craft session on birds with feathers! She is disappointed they don’t fly well, so we might to the experiments tomorrow.

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All out into the garden to make the most of the sunshine, having pasta for lunch outside [v late!] and the then SB did some sudoko, BB tried to catch the fish in the pond, and then they both spent ages splashing about in the paddling pool or helping me pick broad beans and pod them for tea.

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They’ve argued over helping me make batter for the frog-in-the-bog, so lets hope it still rises! Chris doesn’t appear to have drowned them yet, so I shall quickly flickr. oh, and no chris, I won’t be doing different colours!!

edited to add photos and say, frog in bog a success, BB fell asleep the instant she had finished chewing the last mouthful. SB went on to custard and banana. We are about to play a game. We played Amazon arithmetic and happy families.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, gardening, General, literacy, music, numeracy, photos, science, Stringbean's HE, writing

The radit anb the tetel and the focs

Posted on July 7, 2007 by | 8 comments

‘turtle bus it tac you ol bay to get to the teydel? then tay agreb to hav a ras. Sow thy ascb focs to Be the juj. the radit jumpbt in frunt ov the teltel. Then the radit fol slep. the teltl got ahed and wun’

I am really proud of that. She has summarised the Aesops fable and written it all out without help [obviously]. OK the b and d the wrong way round, but she realised this when she tried to read it out and found it difficult. The spelling unusual as well. But she has been very slow to want to write, and I am so proud of her sitting here and doing this. Handwriting and spelling will come with time now she wants to start – hooray!!

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Posted in General, literacy, Stringbean's HE, writing

oh yes, blogging

Posted on July 4, 2007 by | 7 comments

nice to have a day off! girls woke up wayyyy too early! STill didn’t have breakfast until 11 though. before that the girls did lots of playing with gears gears gears! SB making up her own monsters, and bb fitting them together and messing with eyeballs! A spot of book reading.

SO pancakes for breakfast. then both girls did some piano practice – we had been concentrating on violin, so SB had some wobbles, but realised she still knew where to put her fingers! BB also had a go at playing middle c.

SB did some maths, BB is a bit of an addict for baby einstein dvd’s – havng quite rightly shunned them earlier [what was I thinking??] also reading books, doing Maisy’s colour book – and getting most wrong! We played animals – mostly monkey’s. if i roar as a lion she puts her hand over my mouth making a soothing shsh sound – very cute.

ermmm, general interaction type stuff. jigsaws, me flickring, girls shrieking etc. actaly will do a piccie kessie blog to tie in some of the key day things, maybe. oh, we did a bit more on firstlanguage lessons – proper and common nouns. some writing.

After lunch [obviously late as late breakfast] I agreed to take 2 desperate girls to the park. i really am not a going to the swings girl. Anyway, 2 girls loved it, stretching the boundaries on how dangerous looking they could be before i looked panicky! We were joined by school children later on, and SB and a girl started playing together. I could hear a ‘what, you stay at home?’ and SB confirmed it was the HE question! BB gor whingey, so said it was home time. SB wailed all the way home as it wasn’t fair we left because OF BB. BB fell over after about 3 steps, and I picked her up and she fell asleep in 3 more steps. sB wailed more when i suggested she carried the bag [2 drinks and 2 apple cores! - really heavy] So we frogmarched home with her wailing even more. gloss gloss.

SO she did something with chris whilst i became human again, and BB slept. she then read the usborne book about celts that i bought from joanna at Melrose – fab book, and followed the quick internet links.

[watching prison break, and am v glad we don't have a death penalty in the UK]

BB finally was persuaded to wake up, and both girls had a bath and downstairs for tea, watching bob the builder. SB and I read about the life of a roman soldier and then bedtime.

so there we are, a day! oh, and BB now asleep again – phew

oh, and i really miss bolding – i might have to restart doing it

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Posted in Books, Butterbean, General, history, literacy, music, numeracy, Stringbean's HE, writing