Category Archives: Stringbean’s HE

Action and Reaction

Posted on October 27, 2006 by | 1 comment

Monday and Tuesday felt like nothing days really regarding home ed, though there was some maths, a bit of explode the code, some bits of reading of various sorts, and probably other things, there is usually some colouring/drawing goign on most days at the moment. House has bit a right disaster zone lately (sounds familiar) – one of those situations when it gets such a mess it feels like so much effort to do something about it that you don’t. And it’s really getting in the way of doing home ed things. Which of course just makes you more fed up with it. Not helped by being out too much last week. This week we have been staying in a lot more, and no classes etc. so feeling a bit more relaxed about that as well.

So made an attack on that this week, my mum and dad came over on Tuesday to help things along (why are Mums so much more effiecent at this than us youngsters…?), and when Helen and the girls went to Little Nanny’s on Wed I satyed here, and as it rained, I worked on tidying upstairs. Our bedroom is nice and tidy again,which is always so much more relaxing.

Still more to do, esp. the utility room – sort out some more storage for HE craft/science stuff etc.. General crap and ‘stuff’ that just seems to collect around the place and paperwork etc.

Anyway, yesterday focussed on a bit more on education – Stringbean spent ages first thing drawing and colouring and picture card for Mummy. Spent a bit of time upstairs tidying Butterbean’s room, whilst the girls ‘helped’ – though moslty they played a game of climbing in the airing cupboard and shutting themselves in :roll:

After lunch, once BB was asleep for her nap, me and SB got out the Physics science kit, and had a go at that- we ended up building a little balloon powered car. Lacking a camera, we played with video camera instead, so we can inflict his on you ;-) I particularly like SB’s ‘TV presenter’ mode and her ‘blowing up a balloon’ song:

[vimeo]112777[/vimeo]

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, literacy, numeracy, science, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE, video, writing

Life without a Lens

Posted on October 25, 2006 by | Leave a comment

Is certainly very difficult! We have had people to stay and BB has been being unbearably gorgeous, and apart from video – which we rarely use – no mechanism of catpure. Unfortunately we have a 150 pounds excess on insurance, so not sure what to do.

This week was a bit of a stay in week, with Chris on Mon, and his parents came round on Tues, so the ‘match and sort’ has been going well, and SB doing more and more voluntary reading of books. We have also read a lot to her, particulary from the ‘I wonder why…’ series. We’ve thought a lot about seasons and changes. i’ve managed some piano lessons – yippee!
today we went to little Nanny’s. As I drove there we did our usual singing and qwuestions [always helps me concentrate on driving!] pointing out my favourite buildings [and SB's] on the way. She made me giggle by pointing out the roman road, and telling me it went in straight lines so the British couldn’t hide round the corners – she says this MUST be fact as heard on a CD [yep HH] – as I tried in vain to explain it was a joke. We do a lot of car ed.

little Nanny is well, she is having a knee replacement next week [much needed] and hopes to be more mobile aftr that. In her mid 80′s this is not something she takes lighlty, but having been housebound for a year, quality is more important than quantity. I can see though, however much she denies it, she is worried about surviving, so I have suggested she requests a spinal. I think she can take the noise of the orthopod, and spinal’s are better for cognitive function in the elderly – and she is worried about that too, as she hasn’t been as good since last years run of bad luck. SB made her a lovely picture card to take into hopsital with her, and also a beautiful hama star [which we can't photo!] threaded trhough with pink ribbon to make a talisman necklace. Bless her, but Nanny wore it all day. SB and BB were delightful.

When home we had a look at a human body book, and then to bed. I am filling in some dratted form for work to try and get pay progression. it is due in tomorrow, but I am doing it last minute cos it is a right pain. I don’t think I’ll be successful though – they are only going to give the points to 8 consultants in the trust. i should have given the form to Nic! [yep, I am distraction activitying still!]
Speaking of Nic, I have had a number of garbled texts this evening, so I guess they are having fun.

Hmm, I am charged with making a costume like angelina ballerina’s firefly one for halloween. I have bought some ribbons, and am planning to embellish a dress with it. I hope its OK – I am just not as good as seamstress as SB believes!

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Posted in art and crafts, General, history, literacy, music, numeracy, Out and About, science, writing

Another lovely sociable weekend

Posted on October 22, 2006 by | 3 comments

We had Katy and B [or do you want me to use other names?]. The girls had a great time. As Jax blogged, she, tim , Big and Small crashed Friday – and were very welcome. This time leaving with nearly all their belongings! The triso of SB, K and Big disappeared instantly to play, and Small and BB had fun with the wacky wigglers again. it seemed very odd to be cameraless though. The girls had a very late night…

The next day there was a great deal of playing, with a judicious use of a DVD as a break, and some colouring time – making things that fly [a rather nice little 'experiment' set for both flight and visual permanence]. Actualy it was all of ours first time with iceage 2, and SB picked up on the Noah’s ark reference very quickly, and thought it very funny. Lots of playing with BB and a great deal of chatting! Home made pizza and a slightly earlier bedtime.

today more fun, particularly with fun blox and hama, so I felt a bit guilty sending Katy on her way home via Merry’s incase the stock cupboard proved too alluring! SB and BB were flaked so more hama and read books before the girls collapsed. Unfortunately BB reawoke and has only just sucumbed to morpheus again, so I am afraid Jax I haven’t looked at my rainbow resources catalogue.

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Posted in General, socialisation

Turning cinema into planes.

Posted on October 18, 2006 by | 4 comments

 

Well, today we failed to have a free cinema trip and instead went and spent a fair bit of money instead. Enjoyed it though in the end.

We were supposed to be going to a NSFW showing of March of the Penguins. We even left home at the time we meant to, which should have been long enough for the journey. Unfortunately all roads into town seem to be snarled up. We left the motorway, to find traffic backed up to the roundabout, so headed back onto M-way to try the next road in – I go down it pretty often at this time and is not usually very busy by then. But today it was backed up right down onto the M-way and along the hardshoulder and not moving at all really. I suspect a crash, as police car came through at one point. We made another attempt, but we were losing hope by now and this was also snarled up, we were now late and were obviously going to miss a chunk of the film, so decide to cut our loses and do something else.

We had been going to meet up with Bob and Katy and co. but at least with mobiles we were able to keep them filled in and they were able to get the tickets and see it anyway.

Seeing as we had just gone past the IWM Duxford we decided to go there. Though it’s a bit on the expensive side (though not I think bad value) so if we had realized we might not have done, esp. as we didn’t have any lunch with us so had to buy that as well. Anyway, it turned into a good day out.

Dusford was very good. There is a new Airspace exhibition focusing on the history of British aviation.  It’s not finished yet, but it is partly open. A hangar full of various British planes, including one of the prototype Concordes which was open for viewing, which was mostly full of various bits of test equipment. As  latest plane it had an escape hatch in the floor – basically, AFAICS you dropped out of the bottom of the plane –  Helen wasn’t convinced by this. There is a pretty good ‘ hands on’ bit upstairs as well, with various things to do with the construction of planes and flight which SB spent a fair while in. We looked at exhibits inside a couple of other hangars as well as some old commercial planes outside – SB was inordinately pleased to be able to go inside another one of them :-). There was much more that we could have looked at but just didn’t really have the time nor energy. They did have nice cakes in the cafe though for when you reach that point in the afternoon.

There is restoration work going on on various planes, which is being carried out in public view, so there were a number of planes is various states of dismantlement. I’m not esp. into planes, but I do like machines and things in general. Seeing complicated things like planes with all their guts exposed was interesting. It wasn’t greatly ‘ war-ry’ but there are of course lots of military planes on show. There was little bit of discussion about bombers dropping bombs. SB hoped that they were just dropping them on other soldiers, so we had to explain that no, sometimes they get dropped on ordinary people and children etc. as well.

By the time we had finished and got home we were knackered. It was time for a little relax before dinner. Though Helen read some books to SB, and a bit of SOTW.

After dinner I had to go out and pick up the latest Freecycle acquisition from someone in the village. We got one if those large (ish) freestanding pools, so pleased with that – SB has always been jealous of the Portico’s. so that should ensure lots of bad weather next summer…..

In one of those strange quirks of fate, the people listing it are the mysterious  ‘ other HE family’ that I heard about – she happened to mention it in an email. So now we know who they are, will hopefully get together at some point.

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Posted in Butterbean, history, Out and About, science, Stringbean's HE

One day in History – Chris

Posted on October 18, 2006 by | Leave a comment

Hi, I’m aged 43, married to Helen, with 2 daughters – SB 5 3/4 and BB almost 2.

We are home educating, and I am the parent who is at home mostly with our daughters.

Helen’s car wouldn’t start this morning – battery was very flat, so I had to get up to push it out of the drive so she could take the other car. So I was up (about 7.30 – normally I am up first and before then anyhow), so enjoyed my cup of tea (or 2) in peace and quiet. Catching up on friends blogs, reading news on the BBC and Guardian websites. But it wasn’t long before youngest was up. Breakfast of cereal for her (Rice Crispies), milk, toast, and fruit. Eldest had a lie in – catching up on sleep missed with friends staying for the weekend. So me and BB had a nice time to play together, drawing and colouring, reading, playing silly giggling games, she ‘helped’ wash up. Then we all went to the library

On the way back, did notice exactly how old the old school building is (now an electronic subcontractors). It has a plaque over the door saying it was founded in 1749. Though the building was built in I think it said 1784. The were also 3 bricks high up in the wall with the date and the initials of (presumably) some of the builders. All around the doorway are scratched intials in the brick – presumably of children attending the school. I wonder just how old they are? Must be one of the oldest building in the village. Most around this bit seem to be Victorian, and are built of different brick. Also wandered back through the parish church yard, where SB likes me to read the graves stones, while I try to put the dates into some sort of context. So plenty of reflection on history, change and permanence there. Much has changed in the intervening decades and centuries, but also much is depressingly the same.

Home to coffee, reading of library books, lunch (listening to the Little Toe Radio Show via the computer). It was going to be baked beans, but no beans, so had a treat of fried eggs on toast followed by yoghurt and fruit – youngest is on real Clementine hit at the moment. We do like to eat seasonal and local produce – and we do have great local apples, plums and pears – Cambridgeshire was real plum country and there are still quite a few orchards around. Ok clementines are local, but I do try to at least wait for the European ones to come in. The first Satsumas and Clementines being an early herald of Christmas. We’ll gloss over the Bananas though.

Afternoon passed with BB having a nap, while me and SB did some maths, some of her reading to me, watched a bit of a DVD of the old David Attenborough Living Planet programme, did a few domestic tasks like sorting out some washing. Our house is failry old 150 -200 years – in parts. So often reminded of history as I move around it. Youngest wanted some grapes (we have a 100+ year old grapevine in the conservatory). We went and cut a bunch and I am reminded of the woman (who was in her 90s then) who the previous owners met in the 1980′s. Who remembered the vine being here when she lived here as child. Did she enjoy the grapes like our two?

We finished off with a drive (6 miles) to the swimming pool, for SB’s swimming lesson. Home to pasta and tomato sauce for dinner. Once children were in bed we relaxed by writing our 1 Day in History blogs. One of our friends has had a baby today. I wonder what sort of history they will be looking back on in 40 years time?

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Posted in art and crafts, Blogging, Books, Butterbean, history, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, Ponderings, SB-PE, Stringbean

Jax and co and catchup – edited!

Posted on October 16, 2006 by | 2 comments

came to visit for the weekend. we will flickr, but I was a bit lax with my photography. the children disapperaed, BB is desperate to be one of the gang. Sb and Small took a few adjustments as she had him pegged as a BB game wrecker. Big and SB raced around having fun and very late nights! Jax taught us to make the heat little wool dolls. And we nattered. lovely weekend!

will stuff in a flickr photo when I get it though

before her arrival, some friends from leeds popped by on their way past, which was lovely. We all used to be in choir together. Their son is similar in age to BB. Much fun was had with bubbles.

forgot to blog that I had played some lovely games of set and scrabble with SB, baked with BB and done a fair bit of ‘normals’ with SB.

from the garden we have even harvested a pumpkin! Loads of brocolli is ready now as well, as a bonus

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, gardening, General, history, literacy, numeracy, socialisation, Stringbean, writing

Wet in Wicken

Posted on October 12, 2006 by | 4 comments

 

Ok, we didn’t actually get wet in the end, but I couldn’t  resist the alliteration.

Yesterday we went on a trip with other local HE families to Wicken Fen. A National Nature Reserve owned by the National Trust that preserves a bit of the old Fenland landscape that has mostly gone now .

 But getting wet was a close run thing, before we left it was chucking it down, as it was much of the way there, but it was easing off as we got nearer ‘ look, the sky is getting lighter’ was the refrain from the back of the car. Still little rainy when we got there (just a bit early as well for us..), by the time we had all assembled (luckily inside) it had stopped. The older ones were starting off with screen printing, whilst the younger went off for some pond dipping.

 Sisters togetherGetting a better look

 They are well set up for this so have  nice big rectangular pond with wooden edges etc. for easy dipping. I think everyone managed to find various little beasties – Dragonfly Nymphs, mayfly nymphs, Water boatmen, Great Diving Beetles, tiny little Pea Mussels, water snails, and various other unidentified small wriggly/swimmy things.

Good fun and no one fell in, everytime I moved off to take a photo I thought BB would go for it.

After dipping we went off to do  bit of clay modeling. The idea was to make clay models of beasties or whatever, some did, lots just made random clay things. I think screen printing sounded more fun.

Clay Modelling

After this we headed back to main building, I was going to suggest  snack and tea stop but there was a sort of treasure hunt thing organized around the boardwalk on the reserve – where the kids had to find hidden wooden animals, by the time me and BB caught SB up, who had gone on ahead she was ready and raring to go, so we did that instead. I’m a little dubious of these sorts of ‘ let’s find all these x things’ as I feel it can just mean the kids go around looking for them and you miss out on the point of whatever place you are going to. But that’s probably me just being  grumpy old man.

Anyway, SB enjoyed it running along with the bunch of the older-younger ones (IYSWIM) looking for them. Mostly she was way ahead of me and BB, as we pootled along, chatted with other pootlers etc. She did have daft SB wail at one point when looking for something and  boy point it out – ‘ Wail, wail – I wanted to find it myself and now I can’t…..’

Come on then.

But that was easily out done by her later escapade. Heard SB wail in the distance, and some one said she had fallen off the boardwalk. Amongst the wails I was regaled of tale of really quite excellent dimness. She was ‘ running my fastest’ and so ‘ I had to have my eyes closed’ (WTF? ) – and so yes she fell off the edge of the board walk…..

I did well I thought to keep  straight face, while trying to be sympathetic.

I’m sure Katy was sniggering up ahead.

By the time we had hunted  all the animals down, I certainly was ready for lunch, so it was time for a nice  cup of tea Though it was rather damp to sit outside and BB was bit on the restless side and wanted to be outside, so a fairly short and not esp.. relaxing lunch. And the rain started up again just as we left.

Once home we just really flopped, watched an episode of Life of Mammals, played with BB etc. After dinner SB insisted she wanted to go outside ,so she was scootering around the garden in the almost darkness. Whilst BB pottered around slightly bemusedly I think.

It was a good day, the place was interesting, they had some great large cutaway models of things like the inside of  a fly etc. Certainly worth another visit. SB is now quite good friends with some of the other kids and they make  good little gang. Shame Helen wasn’t able to come (it is normally her day off of course), she was being an examiner type person.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, geography, Out and About, photos, science, socialisation, Stringbean

The last quiet weekend for quite a while

Posted on October 8, 2006 by | 3 comments

Friday

got home to find the kitchen table covered in Fimo – had to explain to SB it was expensive, and stamped out houses and butterflies in the future would be done in playdough… lovely pig and mouse though modelled.

They had also been to another home educator in the morning for a playdate and to bake jam tarts.

Saturday

Basic explode the code and maths done. we are holding a while on adding and subtracting crossing a 10 until SB competently bored by it. She was so proud of her writing in explode the code that she asked me to take a picture of the page!

She spent ages on the latest webland - and that had a wild mushroom bit, so I got out our dried ones and looked at all their diff shapes, and also a nature book. This of course led me to make the mushroom risotto… We are prob going to go up to the webland 5-7 for a bit, and are still debating the education city. Oh for a bit more ready cash!

She coloured in a volcano page and we then looked a volcano book and then got distracted by the ‘universe‘ book we got from the book people. She’s getting good at UNO now. A fair bit of colouring in as well.
The rest of the day was spent playing outside and harvesting things, being ‘messed about’ – ie thrown up and around and using me and Chris as climbing frames.

BB and I played with the lego, did some pegboards and jigsaws, fuzzy felt and she really enjoys a good sing and dance, and also a tickle.

The evening ended with watching 2 epsiodes of ‘the trials of life‘ with david attenborough from the tesco’s rental [3 months for the price of 1 - not bad!]
Sunday

started of with very early cbbc dose, where i was requested to stay – aargh! BB brought me some toast though. both girsl did some playdough play after the glorious pancakes [second breakfast - turning into a hobbit!]

Out into the garden to enjoy the rays of sun when we get them. I did some pruning/hacking back whilst BB and SB ran about. SB did then help me with some de-ivying. Horrid job, spiders, dirt, dust and woodlice. SB enjoyed the woodlice though.

Lunch and BB having a nap and SB doing maths. Dding 10′s onto things – so easier than crossing the 10. Having basic conversations in French at the moment to spark an interest in learning. Still feeling we should be doing more with languages and music. [and perhaps even something!]. BB still napping so have struggled over origami and now we are jointly making up a story and enacting it with the origami animals.

BB awoke and the mayhem began! SB decided not to bake and went out to play, so i baked cookies with BB. When SB realised [despite being told] there was a mega wailing session, which didn’t really end, so she was quietened down with explode the code – I know, mean of me. BB and I jigsawed, built towers and steps with bricks, and then they both wailed! So I read some stories, and then popped them in the bath whilst Chris cooked tea.

om our return, Sb insisted on doing a bit more maths. then tea, and now she is screeching now into my ear for going up to bed, so so be it!

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, gardening, General, language, literacy, numeracy, writing

fun day with the combined forces of puddles and monsterteenies

Posted on October 4, 2006 by | 1 comment

SB sis maths before we went and got excited by crustal kit purchase from ecay.

once there much racing around of children and a small bit of fimo. Much fimo by adults with negligible racing around. Must upload some pics.

BB had sudden fall apart predipitating our departure. She has a cold and earache.is now calpoled and nurofened and wailing/ feeding and sleeping in short bursts.

have left handbag at merry’s which has all my work stuff in it, so chris will have to go and collect it and then drop it off – aaarrgh

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, numeracy, socialisation

A shorter post

Posted on October 2, 2006 by | 3 comments

maily to catch up on blogging as we are well behind on flickr!

SB had CHEF sports and a romp in the park with friends today [chris can elaborate?]

I got home from work early while chris went to dentists. SB did explode the code 4 whilst BB used me as climbing frmae and trampoline – nice! She also had fun with a generic builder kit toy, particularly the hammering – ouch! Chris came back, and I retired for a short nap before dinner having take some migraine tablets, SB I think did some maths.

After dinner/bathes, we explored my naughty book people order. SB was very taken by this atlas, and looked through it whilst I plaed with BB, and the we read this roman flap book together, which had been the real reason for the order. As predicted SB loved it. romans and flaps, what more can a girl ask for [she has the castle one already!]. She also impressed me by trying to read some of the flaps [after I had, so very scaffolded, but a definate interest in reading now]

So we were late to bed. For the last week when at home I have been reading poetry to her [at her request] as bedtime stories. We have now finished the book, so wonder what she’s going to go for next! Oh, and we ended the day with an ebay purchase of an abridged story tape of the railway children, which she very much liked. I have the book somewhere!

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Posted in General, history, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, SB-PE, socialisation, writing