in the singapore maths, for 43 – 27 you would say there were 4 boxes, 30, 13, 20, 7 and get to 10 and 6 = 16.
Sb suddenly said to me, but mummy, I don’t do it that way now, I say the difference to 10 is 3, and another 3 is 6 when i take the ten [you get the drift?] so I think she must now have cracked it.
obviously I haven’t, as looking at my 2 girls today, I just loved them. But I guess that is a phrase that pops up now and again! I think at the moment they are one of the key things keeping me moving of a day. Being rung by work was a downer moment!
Anyway, another lovely day spent mostly outside. SB has done loads of starfall today [obviously inside!] and was very taken by the greek myths section – Mummy we’ve read these ALL before. [at least 60 billion times darling, luckilly I love them too] she could pronounce the names correctly too. She helped BB with cbeebie-ing as well. BB got bored with this though, so she and I sort of played ‘don’t wake dad’ with good counting to 5. She won’t press the button though, as she doesn’t like it when dad jumps up at her – fine at one of us though!
We moved on to reading once the imigran had taken effect for me – some more of the polar bear Magic Tree house [SB in love with the series] and then looked up traditional inuit lifestyles in some native american books we have. I read some more stories from assorted barefoot books to both girls.
We then piled outside and the girls ran around and I pushed BB on the swing. We had lunch and then a tin of pineapple [considered a HUGE treat]. Then – drumroll please – SB FINISHED MPH 1A!!! on the revision section, she still needs some work on subtraction across the tens [ie 43-27] but is pretty much there most of the time. BB and i were spotting bugs, bees and talking to the goldfish.
So some more running about and playing hide and seek – ably helped by BB [ mummy's over here]. then we planted up SB’s flower garden. SB and BB bailed out of digging fairly quickly- the soil was too hard! Its funny that the archaeological dig hole gets bigger and bigger. [both found dinosaur bones and flints today - cavemen. hmmmmm]. Anyway, i dug loads of holes [while they dug for treasure], and SB then planted up beautifully, and watered in. She also sowed up some more of her veg patch – a row of carrots and some onion sets.
Chris came back from the supermarket and made us berry smoothies and muffins for a snack – yummy, and dug a patch of the veg bed over. They all then played wild things, and i planted out the peas. I’ve been impressed with the germination rate in the propagator its near 100% of everything so far. I think that’s ‘cos we had the temp up a bit to start with all the harder to germinate seeds, and have now reduced it. The temp control I think has made all the difference. Even the florence fennel has all germinated.
Unfortunately ‘real’ gardening was cut short as BB hurt her wrist in a wild round and round. I did wonder whether it was broken. She did want a bath though, so as a deferring option we had a bath, at which point she played using the arm, and weight beared on it, so I was reassured.
She fell asleep very quickly after the bath – which was a bit weird as before tea. SB enjoyed some ‘only child’ time with 2 parents attention, playing outside, some more starfall and the lots of UNO. She did wake up though as Sb went to bed – sigh!
SO another lovely day. we are slipping a bit with the home ed – well, the music, language and story of the world! SB is so racing ahead and loving reading though that i don’t want to artificially cut that short, and i do want her to have plenty of play time. She was still on about heaviness of liquids at teatime – balsamic vinegar vs wine!!! we may have to do an experiment [there is a bottle of water and oil sitting on the windowsill, but she wants more layers]. hmmmm still, should be able to add 10 mins music practice [though it takes 15 to get ready etc etc].
Anyway, more britannia at bedtime – which led to quite a chat about prince of wales, the welsh language [which i demonstrated badly!] and the tie in with castle rising that we visited not long ago.
oh, and I forgot the great potty disaster – BB likes having a potty outside so she remembers to use it (mostly). I was helping SB with a sum, looked around and BB was on the potty, most clearly doing a poo, but not having made sure her dress was hitched up at the back. At least we were outside.
Now watching grand designs vid – lovely. Fossil hunting tomorrow is the plan.
Posted in Butterbean, gardening, General, geography, history, literacy, numeracy, science, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. was just so nice to have some relaxing days off in a row.
got up at 9 as chris off to collect a bed from little Nanny. SB was already doing lots of webland [which she has always liked - been on the upper age this year]. BB was playing skittles.
After a while, BB and I played with lego instead, SB read another chapter of he polar bear magic tree house, and having got stuck on the word caribou, we then looked in a polar animals book. it is sooooo fab to have a reader, who reads most of it out to you, much easier with 2 now!
Both girls decided they were ravenous, so we had lunch before 11! Then we got dressed, did nail varnish [take note of how I learn Nic!] and piled outside in the sun. we slipped slapped and slopped [or whatever that australian advert was] and rampaged about a bit, swinging and climbing a lot [whilst singing at top of voice - poor neighbours - well, not the pub]. I read an inuit folk tale [in the spirit of the today's theme!] and SB read some more of the polar book. She also did a fair bit of the 1B revision pages of maths. Both girls also did a lot of splashing in water boxes [we haven't sorted the pool yet] and BB wore herself quite out, so fell asleep in my arms.
Chris returned with bed, and SB carried on splashing on the whole. We had a discussion wrt tea, and she agreed to try something very mildly thai spiced, so thats what i did, with wild and red rice. She loved it. Next time will increase the intensity of the spices, as when she had seconds, she had the more spiced version. SB cbeebied and read to BB, and BB and I read some books.
Finally bedtime, with the britannia and usborne young readers routine. So we had a lovely day. SB is reading like mad, we have lots of wide ranging conversations about all sorts – like what is the heaviest fluid – i made a guess for mercury – so we discussed that it isn’t just a planet/roman god, and she remembered that it was in shi huang di [sp!] burial in Xian. mind you, I am not entirely sure what the heaviest liquid [at room temp and sea level pressure!!] is. ANd so I think we do have a very interactive education – I just need to have google in my brain!
i have very happily watched the apprentice, and will gently relax on the sofa.
Not forgetting Gordon Ramsey of course!
OK, so once the journey was done, the conference in birmingham was inspirational and depressing. Many of my colleagues are now starting to find some of the pressure that we in my unit have felt for the last 2 years. The government seem on a path to remove specialists and replace with cheap and quality free – fine for poundshop, but for health? So lots of debate.
An excellent speaker was incited for one of the keynote sessions. Prof Carl Chin – may I just thank the organisers for such a great talk. It was on why Birmingham is there.
So, I got home late on wed, played with SB for a bit – we had a bash at Spanish edu city and did some games and read books together. thurs was a long day at work but – FINDUS! [success on a plate!] my job plan has finally been agreed [well I await final confirmation so shouldn't get too excited] which will mean some ‘annualisation’ of my hours – I work v hard while there, but have more free time – some of which I will need to spend on courses and prof devel, but its up to me – woo hoo!
I am on call, but its good friday [when Jesus was crossed apparently] my parents arrived yesterday, my sister and family and little nanny today. Raucous and happy – just as I like it. SB happy reading a felicity wishes book, and lots of playing in the garden. BB seems a month older than on monday somehow. How does that happen?
garden stuff - my broad beans in modules need to go in the ground – as do the onion sets [late I know!] and potatoes [ditto]. SOme of the peas are ready to harden off. one of the modules is teaming with spider babies – tiny and yellow and black – prob deadly!! They run up and down the web presumably left by parent and then hide in 2 lumps under some leaves. The courgette have germinated, but not the other cucurbits yet. one sweetcorn germinated!! kirsty’s peas germinated. Must pot up toms.
Posted in gardening, General, language, literacy, Out and About
Because the meeting I am supposed to be having I’m not [this afternoon in birmingham] though i do need to be there for the evening!
SO having a realxed morning at home, catching a later train.
Joanna and girls here. Merry expected. All the girls [bar BB!!] had a VERY late night. they have poisson rouged a lot, and I think BB has shown Jade zoombinis.
Joanna brought with her the usbourne science book [will find a link] and its fab, and SB loves it – it was bedtime book last night.
Behind. Had a nearly 4 hour phone call yesterday eve, which although lovely to speak to my friend, made me 2 hours late for bed, and also a fair number of tasks unfinished – including blogging!!
Yesterday was a fairly relaxed day. We spent lots of it in the garden, looking at the seeds sprouting, the flowers, and organising SB’s flower and veg beds by the playhouse. Hide and seek and lots of swinging! We need more of Merry’s cardboard boxes for the veg patch! I did some weeding though.
We also sowed some more seeds – our cucurbits [butternut squash, another squash, pumpkin and courgette], finished the packet of mangetout and also the fennel [which might not germinate as such an old packet! All the last lot of peas sown have germinated, and the spring onions. The broad beans are outside in open greenhouse to acclimatise before being painted.
SB’s new 1/4 violin arrived – in purple with flowers. It was fairly cheap [and sounds it compared to her stentor 1/10] but the size is much better for her, and she loves the girliness. We couldn’t actually play it, as the bow needs way more rosin to make a sound! It also came not set up, so I had to fiddle with bridge etc – a while since I did that. It was fine for me, and I was happy with purchase, but someone else may not have been so happy with setting it up. We had a grand violin session anyway – BB on the 1/10th, SB on 1/4 [plucking] and me on mine [which has a fabulous sound, but an additional 00 on price tag!!]
SB also has done lots of reading, playing with the pattern blocks, geography jigsaws, and I have read lots of barefoot stories. BB has been an adorable pickle! She has also done lots of playing with pattern blocks, singing and dancing and playing with kids k’nex. We all watched some usbourne first fun with french as well.
Today, we have sowed the sweetcorn? – including some bicolour from kirsty and some self supporting peas. i need to pot up the toms – anyone needing toms passing this way…
Most of today was spent enjoyably at Chris’s parents, who have nearly finished the doing up of their house – new carpets and all [so BB in a nappy!!] A cut throat game of ludo took all afternoon – though Grandad kept threatening to go home! A bit of Nick Jr fix [hideous adverts!]
The girls are playing at the mo with both pattern blocks and k’nex, and we re expecting Joanna and family soon-ish for an overnight stay.
Posted in Dance/drama, gardening, General, geography, language, literacy, music, Out and About, science
grr to the F12 button which I mistakenly pressed instead of the backspace. it switched the laptop off, and therefore my blogpost evaporated, so I sulked!
Anyway, tues for me finished, as always, WAY LATE, so everyone asleep when I got in. Had appalling migraine wed, but took as many drugs as possible to keep it at least vaguely under control and got up near lunch time.
Actually, we did have a lovely day – though I had to keep head as still as possible! We played, SB read a fairytale book beautifully, did some more maths MPH1A [neeeeeaaaaarly finished!], a violin and piano practice [G and F added!] SOme colouring.
We spent a while making the dizzy funland Gears thing. SB followed the instructions very well, and i tried to distract BB from wrecking it! She was going to ‘maggle it’ [mangle it!]
We all went and ran about in the garden – unfortunately I left the camera out there too [blame the headache! - it rained last night] Anyway, a bit of sorting out, lots of swinging, rollerskating and running.
We watched a robin hood – lots of discussion about the crusades. should have had merry and girls! BB was exhausted and went to bed, SB and I ended up reading a french usborne first words, as SB and BB had got the usborne first words and usborne first french words between them – I of course did ham up slightly the french accent!! [Heaven help her]
then britannia and pirates book finished.
THE APPRENTICE
The world is on hold as it were! totally lost without it. sigh.
I have a man-cold [feel miserable!] Work was work. The beans went off to Nana’s to help sort out the patio, and BB has returned with big egg on back of head having fallen backwards out of patio doors. SB did colouring there and reading, and some MPH 1B maths on return, and some SOTW. [Confucius]. Mostly running about ike a loon though with Kleine Hippo on in the background
my yellow-moon order arrived though, just a few bits and pieves – and a few of them presents as well – so very restrained. I did get some bug poppers for BB [a ladybird and a beed [her word!] She doesn’t like them popping – typical! But has enjoyed making them talk to each other.
We had frog-in-a-bog for tea [otherwise toad in the hole, but with veggie sausages] which was a yummy change from our usual teas. The girls are in the bath, and soon more britannia and the last bit of the pirates book.
Maybe Chris will blog this week though!
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, General, history, literacy, numeracy, Stringbean's HE, writing
Back to work tomorrow, so a bit of gloom – hence sherry! [ex christmas stock!]
i had a lie in today and breakfast in bed – lovely. The came down to the playzone! SB was roller skating, and BB using the xylophone as a skateboard [v quiet!] SB very excitedly said she could do a handstand, so we put cushions on the floor [well, she's bound to hurt herself otherwise] and SB and BB take turns to do tumbles, headover heels and something vaguely looking like a handstand. i remember crying in a gym lesson being made to do a handstand, so not the best person to demonstrate to SB. Should have asked at camp last week! I took out her ‘hair’ but was amazed by how wavy it is – we have been thinking she was someone else all day!
We then made cards for my dad – usual glueing pompoms, stickers, sparkles, feathers etc. I bet he’ll be pleased though! The girls then did an even messier gluing stuff picture with some bits and pieces merry left here before. SB finished varnishing the fimo, and BB and I have been wearing the thumb rings she made us.
BB helped me make Spanish omelette [I hep youuuuuuuu], and it seemed a lunch she could do – keeping all the ohter ingredients stirring while the potatoes cooked. It was yummy scrummy too. SB thinks she can make that for us in the future – I have promised to teach her to cook this Summer. [she had 3 helpings btw!]. We ate in the conservatory as the table was covered in gluey things.
We all went outside after lunch to enjoy the good weather. the girls raced about playing games, SB made a potion with flowers, and BB watered things. our fruit trees are coming into flower – the merryweather damson is covered in flowers. Our broad beans outside are getting going, as is the radish. no sign yet of carrots though.
SB did a violin lesson - of the pulling teeth variety! However, though she was slouchy, she did better bowing, and it didn’t sound quite so much like we were torturing the cats!
Seed sowing – cauliflower, autumn giant leek, mangetout and peas. [must reinstate gardening blog!] the aubergines, peppers and toms all have at least a few seedlings – unsure at present which are which as only seed leaves! The peas from before are coming up [1 week since sown]. Both girls ‘helped’ me – which is why there is a variable number of seeds in each module, and by the end I have no idea what is where! luckily, they become obvious as they grow.
The worm world has compacted down a bit, so need to add some more compost [task for this eve!] . We studied a dead bumble bee, which then buzzed briefly in BB’s hand – not so dead after all then. She didn’t like that, and called it a naughty bee, but we gave it some sugar water [and I think it has now expired in it!]. Oh well, we got to look at all its various anatomical features before it briefly recovered!
SB has done some more zoombinis – run through a whole level, but only ‘saved’ 7 this time. Thanks Kirsty. BB watched Bob the Builder. BB fell asleep over dinner, and is now being unsettled, SB had a shower and Brittania and the pirate book for bed, and is now listening to 5 children and it – a firm favourite!
Thanks for the reading suggestions from below. Will save my pennies at the moment then!
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, gardening, General, IT, literacy, music, numeracy, SB-PE, science, Stringbean's HE
Bead Merrily… [as in that pearl and dean thing or whatever!]
But anyway, a lovely relaxing day! SB, as mentioned before, tore into some new books and is romping through the last one [sigh!] in the set I have got. The morning was mostly playing and an eternity getting dressed [I think the 2 girls were mostly playing then too!]
After lunch we did some fimo, We were going to do Easter eggs, but SB saw the girly flower jewellery kit she had got for her birthday so we did that instead, but with different colours. She found cutting out the flowers slightly tricky – as she wanted them to look perfect – so we had a small flower cutter in the playdough box. BB mimicked all the cutting and rolling with her playdough. We both loved the rollup rainbow for the flower middle. [yes will flickr!]
After tidying that up and setting the oven going, she was then keen to do hama eggs – you’ve guessed it, another bead merrily kit [therefore the title! But obviously an old pattern as couldn't find it on the website]. She did a beautiful egg with butterfly, but decided we should put it on our hama window, so we filled in between the butterfly and egg a little bit with clear [worked out by SB]. BB was asleep at this point, having done lots of skipping about, making me food to eat, and playing with the castle.
I tried and failed to get the zoombini’s maths journey started, so while Chris did that, SB and I read up about the universe. [a DK one through the book people, so failure to find a link!]. SB does like the space topic, and we return a fair amount. We looked at our broad beans in jars – roots and the start of a shoot. Chris did get the zoombini’s to work, so she has been round it on its easiest setting, and realised it wasn’t impossible [she had read the age suggestion, so had to be persuaded it was possible!] Next time we will start putting it up! I enjoyed the bubble bit. Both girls did a violin lesson as well.
BB woke up very clingy, but moved onto Poisson Rouge and then watching The Snowman DVD [she has a rotten cold poor thing].
Curry for tea, with yummy lentils. SB finished the zoombinis, and we went to bed. More Britannia [we are at king Malcolm and Qeen margaret] She read me a chapter of an Usborne Young reader [pirates], and we discussed finances, salaries, saving for rainy days, and why I go out to work, even though I would like to stay at home, and why we don’t both work part time any more. Hopefully that won’t make her brain whizz too much to fall asleep!
Em’s hairstyle will have to come out tomorrow, as only just in place – I’m not sure I can replicate!
Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, General, history, IT, literacy, music, numeracy, science, Stringbean's HE