Category Archives: numeracy

Relocation, relocation, relocation.

Relocation being the phase Butterbean is now in.? She is endlessy finding things, picking them up, investigating them dropping them all over the place, emptying things….. You know it is.? I’d forgotten tiresome it is to have them endlessy scattering stuff about. and I suspect with Stringbeans stuff all around there is much more for her to scatter. But she is just so cute at the moment as well, so she gets away with it :-) She is very much in the midst of the learning stuff everyday phase as well, so all the time you can almost see her learning about the world.

Anyway, apologies to those wondering where we have been – we have been away at Helen’s parents over Easter. We had? a lovely time. SB spent ages playing with her cousin M, they get on so well. BB had fun ‘Rarring’ around with everyone and trying to join in with the bigger ones. I got to read lots of the paper. We all had good time. Though as we ended up going on Friday morning we got stuck in lots of slow/non-moving traffic on the M25.

Back home BB was up woth me this morning by 6.30 so we had? a good start. She almost dragged me out into the garden after breakfast . She went and got her wellies, and shouted at me until i put thme on her, then wandered off to find her coat, got me to put that on, then pulled at me to come and pointed at my coat on the hanger -? knows what she wants that girl :-) She loves getting outside. whenever the door is open, whoosh – she is off. We spent ages outside in the garden while she pottered an explored. she particularly likes finding the odd bowls/buckets of water around to investigate. She helped me hamg out the washing too – picking up the clothes out of the basket and giving them to me – she is growing up and developing so fast. Rather nice pottering around in the early-ish morning sun
Eventually went back in – I think she was getting too cold once she got wet.

after that the day got? bit frustrating actually, one of those days where time seems to disappear and it seems hard to get into things. SB got up her and BB played together for? bit, more breakfast, Sb did some maths ( a bit more of of carrying on from last week) – she asked why she didn’t get a holiday like the school children :-) When I pointed out that at school she would have to sit still at a desk fro a lot of the time, she’d have to do what she was told? most of the time etc. etc. she seemd to think the amount of? ‘work’ she has? to do isn’t so bad :-)? She did? bit of hama beading, started with? star board, she was working on a pattwer, wwhen she discovered sh could make a hexagon pattern ‘inside’ it as well, which she thought was exciting. After lucnch she spent ages on the BBC Jam site, be better when they get some more content, but she was happy.

Had to go out to get a Freecycled stereo/CD player thing, and to the farm shop for veggies, where SB did her cute, helplful, chatty girl thing.? Forget what else, but Sb watched? a bit of the Clangers DVD. Which did spark a conversation about Earth, the Universe, about he concept of ‘sky’ as SB had the idea about earth being ‘ in the sky’, though she also has the idea tht the ‘sky ‘ is all around the earth. Bit of a tricky concept sky really. We all spent some more time out in the garden, i did a couple of jobs, B got wet again.? SB triesd climbing in roller skates. BB sulked cos she could climb on the climbing frame. Then we had dinner and then tidied the playroom beforw Helen arrived homwe (rather late)

Wil try and get up todate with flickr? soon, but Helen away from tomorrow to Friday

our blogs are getting confused!

chris’s wednesday blog was about tuesday! I’ll make this one about wed shall I!!!

lovely day, some nice weather. SB and I got stuck into some singapore maths – adding to go over the 10 – ie 8 plus 4. It took a while, but she got there [and consildated it today] some she just knew, but some she had to work out how to think about them.

She also did her explode the code easily [or, as she put it, exploding codswallop!], and we read I wonder why the stars twinkle, and assorted bits about dinosaurs. She’s quite knowledgeable about stars and pointed out that there are blue giants on webland. it must have been ages since she looked at stars on webland!

We all sowed some seedsnice big’uns so that BB could do it too. She was soooo rpoud of helping out. As I explained to an anxious SB, it didn’t matter she put loads in the wrong place, I coulsort that out later [and I did!] I obviously missed excess assistance from BB with the butternut squash, as some cells have 8 in!! – may well have an offer on butternut squash to grow to any visitors we might have in the next month!

IMG 1794

BB is totally gorgeous, her speech is well behind josies [no, I shoudln't compare] but she is very close to speech. rather funnily, she has started to wag her finger back at SB, when SB tells her no. She is very considerd about her actions, and knows where things should be etc. She totally adores SB.

We all went into the garden for a play, some weeding, and SB helped Chris chop up some branches. [very ineffectually!]

the a gradual winddown and games playing – mostly snakes and ladders and UNO – before bed. We also read all the stories in the barefoot book tales of wisdom and wonder!

The bit before the bit before.

OK, here is my bit of the day.

Not a good night with BB waking a wailing for bit because I wasn’t mum. At least we had plenty of space on the double bottom of SB’s bunks as she was in our bed…. Eventually got to 6.30 so I could take BB though to Helen for breakfast. I went back to sneak in 15 minutes more in bed before getting – 10 minutes later Sb appeared ‘cos she had wet the bed – our bed- on my side – grrrrrr!

So we were up and going early. She started of with a bit more Hama on the Princess, then decided that she wanted to watch a bit of Cbeebies, so she did that for a bit while I pottered around the kitchen etc. Helen off to work, SB came back for more Princess hama-ing. while I sorted out washing. BB woke up after quite a while. so we all had breakfast, once SB had finished the Princess, she went onto doing some of the Singapore maths. IIRC it was the practice book – it was quite easy stuff really, just some addition – but I reckon you need to keep going back and practising it sos that was fine., so she did that pretty quickly.

took too long to get organised and then we went out to enjoy the spring sunshine. Realised that we not been getting out and about just exploring etc. as we used to, so went for a lovely walk in the woods (had to drive a little bit to get there, not really any decent woods near us.) Had a lovely time wandering about with no aim in particular, though SB a little disappointed – ‘ Why aren’t there any trees’ to climb’ ? Did find some bits to clamber about on though. BB, got unhappy because she kept falling over on the uneven paths/ground. Chatted away about this and that as we went, why were all the leaves there, what sort they were, why some bits were fenced off to keep deer out, coppicing, fungi, what happens to the trees when they die and rot down, noticed how the roots on an blown over tree looked like branches. Should have taken a picnic lunch as by the end we had had all the snacks and were hungry. so home to mum and Baked Beans on toast.

I’m not going to Flickr, must tidy up kitchen before bed.

Had 2 glasses of wine

so at least one glass over my tolerance!

Chris took the girls out for a walk today – so will let him do the blogging. I am fractious – hence wine! i had managed to lose 8lb on my diet, but all this stressing and chocolate and wine therapy has put half of that back on – sigh.

Oh well, read more from the usbourne encyclopaedia with SB, today she chose: art, diferent people and homes. She also did 4 pages explode the code 2 – she wondered how sam was so far ahead of her, and meanly, I said because he does it every day! i believe with Chris she did some singapore maths. She also finished her hama princess – somewhat amazingly, as she has redesigned it mumerous times. it is, well, faceless!
She was desperate to sow some more seeds, so we sowed the extra early purple sprouting brocolli ‘rudolph’ BB sowed some butternut squash seeds. Merry, when you do your allotment, if they all germinate, we may have some to offload!

Just gone and got more wine

More hama, and i permafed BB since she came home really. oh, and we read a new Mog book.They are having bath, and I plan an early night – though I do have a talk to write at some point this week.

SB back, and wants me to read more encyclopaedia – the travel bit!

So i am 37

yes, I know I said it in the last blog, but it is taking a while to sink in!

Dreadful night, Shaula gave me some chocs, chris some books, SB some home made monsters – must take photo to add. Practical presents from the rest of my family!

IMG 1661
More reading, playing games etc has been the order of the day. After shaula left, SB did some singapore maths – rather easily, adding between 10 and 20. We read about ‘medicine’ in usbornes childrens encyclopaedia, and hippopotamuses in the DK one, and a book on why ships float. So after all a very good HE day!
IMG 1669

IMG 1668

BB was particularly taken by the wacky wigglers again today when they were got out, and had a rather good go at trying to sort it out. Actually she has been totally gorgeous, chuntering and pretalking, and being quite a pickle!

IMG 1678 IMG 1676

IMG 1667

What a lucky – if totally knackered – mummy i am. SB now making imaginative games with her paper dollies, oh and watched a programme about south america, that really grabbed her imagination too.

Manic day

well, I guess not really, but it felt that way as I spent the whole day wondering when my mediation request at work would be received. Only to find that it had accidentally been given early on Wed!!! Oh well. I do have a highly efficient secretary – winking at Su should she be reading this!

So what did we do, well BB was a pest last night, so neither chris nor I exactly full of the joys of Spring. Sb started her hama princess this morning – so far looking really good.

IMG 1581

but obviously a way to go! We then read Hercules and Jason and the argonauts from USbournes Greek legends. SB and BB had a lovely time playing with the ideal blocks, sometimes cooperative and sometimes not, and also with the dolls house.

IMG 1586

Today we did Singapore maths 1A – the practice book 1 was finished, as SB on a roll, and wouldn’t stop till it was. With such sterling effort I decided not to mention explode the code! SHe did it all easily and correctly, so we will move on to the next bit. TBH for some of it, she was already moving on – counting 8 by 2,4,6,8 etc. I think my general levels of stress at work for the last 2 weeks, added to some kind of ‘you are official’ compulsion have definitely skewed my parenting/educating style. SO I am relaxing! Will still encourage normals though, but not get so uptight!

After lunch, SB saw me potting up the plugplants we had got [lavender] and said she wanted to finsih them, so she did a nice job of the remaining 30 or so. Chris remembered to put a cd on – Louis Armstrong, loverly! Having played a fair amount of chase, and read numerous times that’s not my dinosaur, BB settled for a nap. I did a fair amount of seed sowing, and SB moved on to jump ahead on the ‘puter.

As Merry pointed out, BB has a weird spotty tongue at the moment, not seen anything like it before. wondered if it was hand foot and mouth, but can’t see any other blisters. She does have 2 of her canines coming through, and is very snotty. Anyway, she has played alot on the ride along, stacking bricks and dolls house today, as well as chase and cuddles with me.

IMG 1582

SB now a lot better, but still very quick to melt and cry – which drives me up the wall. being as unsympathetic as my mother! Both girls are singing in the bath. it may amazre you to know, but I hardly took any photos today!

And now for today!

Sorry, there have been a lot of blogs today!

Awoke with migraine – actually I’m surprised I haven’t had more recently. So tablets and long lie in. Good for my soul! Eventually BB had had enough, slipped away from Chris a and rarred at me! Not sure? what else they did all morning though? SB was cbeebie-ing when I got down.

Hmm, I’m not sure either. There was some breakfasting, SB watched a video ‘Animal Tales’ from M&S, she spent ages writing lots in her birthday card to Nanny. We all played together for while with various of BB’s toys. SB complained as she tried to build a house over herself with cushions, whilst BB clambered on top. I read somethign but I’ve forgotten what it was.

My brain was still whirring from the previous evenings 3 hour meeting at work – aargh indeed! so did laid back playing with stacking blocks with BB and shape sorters. SB was supposed to be doing singapore maths in that 1 sum and 20 mins scribble kind of way, so i remembered yesterday and did things beside. lunch was a good distraction!

She did do it without bother after lunch, and we all ran outside to enjoy the sun some more. I weeded and then planted the rest of the onion sets. BB helped by peeling off their skins, and pulling them back out! SB helped rake, and enacted princess stories.

Back in and I read Greek myths and legends whilst BB fed. SB then chose a bit about genetics. She liked the double helix of the DNA. I obviously paraphrased and simplified wildly, but she got the gist – such that we did a bit of fractions on how much we shared with family – though clearly got to a woosh moment! So calmed down by reading some apple tree farm books together, and playing buckaroo.

After tea and bath, SB and BB? did interpretive dance show to classical music. ROFL.

An apprentice hit – what was with the hiding away and drinking champers? – and vidded Grand Designs.

Calm before the storm…

well, for me anyway.

Lovely day today. Sun shining and all is well with the world. Sb happily did her Singapore maths 1A – we are still in term one allegedly, though doing this for some time. Not in a hurry. SHe’s confident enough to do the subtraction on her own, and was getting grumpy ‘cos it was all under 10 answers. So time to jump ahead! She then did a bit of a jolly phonics workbook – but said it was too easy. So after that mostly played with the dolls house and snappit donkey until lunchtime. sometimes with BB, and sometimes most definitely not.

After lunch she wanted to use the egg shells to grow cress in – no cress, so they now have basil. I didn’t supervise/help at all, and she quite happily got it all done, watered and ready for the propagator. i potted up a couple of the toms. She said she wanted to take a ‘window picture’ so here is one by her.
IMG 1281 IMG 1287

She then fancied going to the park, so we all got dressed, and she cycled there with the stabilisers on, got to the field, they came off and have stayed off. BB stayed for ages in the swing – SB hated swings at this age, but BB loves them. SHe was also particularly thrilled with the slide. She clinbed up with chris’s supervision, and I made sure she didn’t fly off too fast – well, i took a puiicture once and she did…

IMG 1316

they both seesawed, and then Sb had a great treasure hunt game, and we lefted righted and walked 6 ‘places’ etc to find the fruit snacks. BB had a whale of a time running about and trying to climb up.
IMG 1328 IMG 1305

SB was grumbly at home, and BB asleep, so some book reading went on, and another snack. We then decided to cook for tea, and she chose aztec tortillas. Like a good HE Mum, i went to find various books with Aztec bits in them, so she read the romans pages! [ok extrapolated from pictures!], while I got the stew going – beans, corn squash and pepper. When she started doing the tortillas, I the read various Aztec facts to her, and she remembered a few to tell Chris. DInner was a resounding success anyway!

IMG 1343

IMG 1339

IMG 1356

We have finished the day watching the planet earth on video, and it was a great one, all about caves. I was lucky enough to study in borneo for 3 months of my training, and have seen the bats exit and swifts ingress into the caves. We did race all the way back to the hut in the dark absolutely terrified though [4 girls without guide!]Now i know that bloody huge wierd thing was a giant centipede! luckilly didn’t have to climb the guano mountain, though did have to throw away a daypack, as never got the guano stains out of it… Confirmed my belief that even if I was thin, I could never be a caver.

Now going to watched a videod Apprentice [I fell asleep with SB...]

Oh and this having more than one blog business is a nightmare!

oh dear

I think i may have a touch of Nic’s recent problem…

the beans went tp Chris’s parents today, and seem to have had ajolly time – SB made some biscuits and watched cbeebies [all she can remember!] And BB was a bit grumbly – well, she should have had some sleep! SB did a nice hama car with the big beads.
When we all met upm SB confessed to doing no match and sort, so she did 4 pages explode the code 2, and 4 of singapore primary maths 1a. we are certainly not rampaging through the maths at the mo! However, there is no rush, and i think she is happier that the match and sort is a bit easy, and she gets tested with the sweetie games we play – and seed sowing multiplication! Anyway, she is mostly consolidating 10′s and units, so needs to play her jojo in numberland some more. We did various imagination games, musical statues – BB lost!

I ‘felt unwell’ so bailed out of high interactiveness, but Sb wanted me to read her some of her waiting usborne young readers – and being mean I refused. I reminded her that they are going to be our fun books together when she reads. So she read a red nose reader cover to cover. I offered to get her the yellow ones, but she said she will read all the red ones first. TBH, i am not sure at what point you announce they read, but she certainly does. just needs practice!

I really have 2 most gorgeous girls.

Sunny saturday – well mostly!

life is a bit manic for me at them moment, with lots of really late evenings at work – mostly because I got co-opted into being the union rep. Hmmm. Bad move, except that there is huge need for someone of my mouthiness. I just hope that I don’t end up with a dreadful troublemaker label for my efforts.

Anyway, so to today. SB started by making another mothersday card for Nanna French. The sun was shining so we were out into the garden to plant and sow. Obviously planting and sowing with just me trying to keep an eye on 2 girls, jollying one along, and preventing the other from random unplamting and eating was not always straightforward. particularly as SB took it rather badly when her planted broad beans were unplanted and trodden on. We did manage to get into a rhythm, with me and BB ‘sowing’ broad beans [imperial green longpod] at one end of a row, and SB planting them [jubilee hysore]at another. Sb wanted me to help her though, and was put out that if I did, BB would surely rampage. The sooner we have the wendy house for independent pottering about in the better! [it is going in the veg patch.

IMG 1131

like a ray of sunshine, Chris came out with coffee, but more importantly cake. We all sat and picnicked, and even BB must have agreed that cake was more tasty than compost. SB then ran about like a proverbial loon and bounced on her bouncer, climbing on the frame, and bouncing BB on the trampoline.

IMG 1135

When BB went in for nappy change and snooze, SB and I sowed a row of mixed carrots [nantes frubund] and radish [scarlet globe]. This being so much fun, we sowed another. We usually have bog all luck with carrots – but that was in Leeds, so lets see how we do here! [I miss Leeds!]

IMG 1138 IMG 1139

i then hoed approx 1/4 of the veg area, and popped in half of the onion sets [names!] other half to go. I started cleating the asparagus bed of weeds too, but was happy to pass that over the Chris, as SB getting ravenous.

We made more tickabilla creepy crawlies for lunch, and she then spent ages on the Nick Jnr website for games. Getting bored, I went off and did some seed sowing indoors for the propagator. Lots of things, as getting to peak sowing! Mussleburgh leeds, spring onions, Pea [misty and rondo], artichoke green globe, second sowing of mangetout [oregon], and a tray of salad leaves [mixed]. SB seeing what I was doing sowed some sunflower [russian giant]

IMG 1157

IMG 1162

BB woke up and was fed, so SB did some sticker maths, and had a go at the easiest Kakuro – thanks Alison for the link. She got the hang of it quickly, but lots of scaffolding!

We all played rampaging games together, fuzzy felt, and making lots of noise with the noisy toys [my poor ears!] and whatever came out of the box really for the rest of the afternoon. Chris has done a bit more tidying up of the veg area.

IMG 1173
Since we are planning to watch the ice age on tV tonight, the girls had an early tea – through which SB nick jnr’ed again, and are now bathed, so I better go. SB is now doing a guardian sudoko – rather well.

will add photos after bedtime, and perhaps get that gardening blog going!