Category Archives: Stringbean’s HE

salve [an epic!]

Posted on October 2, 2006 by | 3 comments

as already mentioned by Nic, we have been down to Sussex and back. SB has been reading about the Romans a fair bit, and so, remebering Fishbourne Palace from a school trip, we decided to go camping in chichester. And yes, we did get there!

Thursday

An early start meant we got to Fishbourne Roman Palace in time for an early lunch before the school trippers, and then could get to the museum part whilst they were lunching. Sb really enjoyed it. She looks with massive concentration at everything, so we can’t do things quickly any more, we looked at every artefact, read every label and discussed everything. Of course BB went wild over this! Chris took her for a run about.

We then went into the Northwing of the palace and looked at the mosaics. Having recently buillt a paper town house, SB good remember a few of the names, and also compare the palace with a standard small villa. Also, the city through time has been read a fair amount, and a few books about romans we have around [though not there with SOTW yet]. There is a centre bit for children to do rubbings of roman coins and tiles, and also make mosiacs etc. The gentleman in there called us over, as he had been watching us and said how well behaved and good and interested SB had seemed to be compared to the school children [proud mummy moment - of course,had she been in a group of 5 home-ed friends with only one parent, she would probably have been as noisy and running about as the 6-8 year olds]. Anyway, we got the bit to ourselves for a bit, and SB rubbed some coins ant tiles, and put some roman pots into the right categories [real roman too, so she was impressed - but it feels like todays pots!] She was confidently identifying samian ware anyway [though by today has no doubt forgotten]. She spent ages doing a mosiac with those plastic cuboids you stick in holes [there was one at melrose one year? proabably Sarah's] and when another boy asked if he could have a go too, confidently directed him and his friend as to how to do the pattern.Another bit of boasting, but more cos it was fun, is that there was a match up todays and ancient roman itmes pairs game. We were about to start this, and a mother of a school group came with a daughter and just took over [so I was grumped] but got the first 2 wrong, and SB corrected her. SB had remebered the oil and scraper [even calling it a strigil] to clean with [courtesy of the city through time series] and that sponges on sticks wiped bottoms [though neither of us know what they were called!]

we discussed pulleys and levers again at the roman lifting device., and then as we went out into the walk around the garden, announced she would be the roman lady in the peristyle [the previous mum was close by and nearly died] I have to say though that today SB couldn’t name a peristyle, but instead the triclinium so its swings and roundabouts, and I don’t imagine she will remember any of these words for long, its just a flavouring to learning about and hearing about romans.

where were we, oh a run about the garden, joining up with BB and ghris and then a mosey around the shop. I bought some books for half price, SB bought some colour in roman sheets and a multi colour pencil thingy – the one where you have to push the plastic bits out and pop them back in the top to get the next colour. She lost one in the car 30 mins later!

tent up, SB scootering and playing around wHile it tipped it down. She did some colouring in of her pictures too. nice flat site and minimal wind so OK. Dinner cooked and girls to bed, shortly followed by parents! I got about 6 million mosquito bites in 30 secs [only slight exaggeration] and SB got one on her forehead that blew up and gives her an ‘unusual’ look for all our photos subesquently!

?Friday

The next day we got up bright and early, after a very poor might with BB [she can smell the milk at that close a proximity] but still were much later to Nic’s than we intended. The children had great fun, dressed up and ran about. we gossiped and were ably catered for. Had the added bonus of Lucy being there as well, and reassure her that Melrose not that scary, but she needed to bake!!!!!! [well, ok, not necessary, but very nice] We stayed much later than planned as well, and only just got back in time to the campsite before gate closure. girls asleep, but another dreadful night.

?Saturday

SB played with a cheap optics kit I got from the one stop shop across the road, and made a perisocpe, played with the mirror bits, and looked at the various supplied pictures with paddles of different colours, and then ones that diffracted the light wierdly. She enjoyed it, we did a bit of tlak about light, but mostly made each other look wierd through the difractor thingy!

We had been going to go to arundel castle, but Ady and Nic persuaded us that the tariff was extortionate, and Ady sang the praises of chichester walls and cathedral and market. So we went there instead. We did enjoy going round the walls, SB pointed out there were no arrow slits and we discussed lack of them and crenellations etc. There was a good playpark, so we ran down to that and had a good play, and then a picnic a bit later on. SB now can proudly do that monkey swinging thing. I have never been able to do it, so my 5 year old has now surpassed me [before sniggering, I was thin until I met chris!]

As we walked past the cathedral, she decided to visit that, since we had planned to anyway… Its very nice and welcoming, whoever he is in the red cloak gave us a leaflet, and a child’s one for SB, and we were off. In true form, we had to read and look at absolutely everything, so BB and Chris had a running break outside! She was particularly taken by the chapel for the royal sussex regiment, full of poppies, so we discussed the wars and the meaning of the poppies. We looked at the various bishop’s tombs, at his ‘crown’ crook and dog or lion at his feet. [hmm, I am a bit low on the religious symbols here. home ed for me before another cathedral visit!] She liked the kings portraits, but we were bored [yep me too] by a kindly old lady going on about how they had rebuilt part of it. A small talk would have been welcomed, and we looked polite, but probably too much so, and I find it difficult to edge away. SO I allowed SB a bit more leeway in investigating the choir stalls, and lying on the floor to look at windows and ceiling arches than I might otherwise have done. And having done it, it didn’t seem at all irreverant, just a child wanting to see, so i’ll let her do it again.

the cathedral has a lovely cafe BTW, we treated ourselves to a coffee and cake as had had a picnic lunch. it has a nice garden for running about children, where other children were also running about.

Went through the market and only bought olives – so not too bad! We went to the beach at East wittering, must have been high tide, and pebbly. Huge waves and surfers out there. SB wants to surf one day. BB flaked out in car, so CHris and I took turns to watch her [have some peace]

For a change, I tried a sort of camping mexican, and it worked really well. the tortillas are easier than rice to do, so another one pot meal to my repertoire! And very quick. SB, BB and Chris went for a walk to explore while I did this, so 20 mins of pleace – bliss! We read one of the roman books as bedtime story [her choice]
Sunday?

on our last day [after another awful night!] we went to the weald and downland open air museum. absolutely fantastic. we were there about 5 hours, and didn’t get round it all. There were various enactors and workers. SB as always fascinated by the smithy, and the lovely chap there talked to her sensibly about horse shoes and smithying. It was the herb weekend, so quite a bit on strewing herbs, washing herbs and recipes, herbal remedies and cooking herbs about the place. SB loved exploring, and talks more to the enactors now, and BB loved the clmbering up and down steps and looking out of windows. SB bought henry the 8th’s ring in the shop, so is very happy! its too big though.

Dreadfull drive home…

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Posted in art and crafts, Cooking, General, history, Out and About, SB-PE, science, socialisation

this was the day that wasn’t

Posted on September 27, 2006 by | Leave a comment

somehow it took us until 3 to pack, and so we haven’t gone on holiday. the whole day seems a bit wasted!!

SB and BB played beautifully together. SB nearly managed to pack all the items required herself.

SO, once we weren’t going, SB did some maths, we read a book together and looked at the roman website linked below. We also did some brainbox electronics and playdoughing.

BB showed a deep desire to potty train, so we have assorted puddles of wee around. Unfortunately she started screaming for a nappy and we didn’t quite get there. luckilly well formed and easily cleaned from kitchen floor!

We are planning to leave really early tomorrow!

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Posted in art and crafts, General, history, numeracy, science

A whole blog gone!

Posted on September 26, 2006 by | 1 comment

can’t be bothered to write it all again!

went to little nanny’s. she has a brave face and her neighbour very helpful. the cancer seems to be growing [secondary on breast bone] reasonably noticeably now. She says it doesn’t hurt and she is in her 80′s. I hate intimations of mortality. However, am from a strong line of very stubborn women, so we will see how stubborn she manages to be – hopefully very.

SB and BB gorgeous there, on best behaviour both of them, and a credit. Suitably rewarded with sweeties and icecream by adoring great nanny! They all played games. SB impressed by making 4 letter words on the upwords board. BB reolsutely accumulated all the remaining tiles and then carpeted the board with them. Slightly less succesful game of 3D snakes and ladders [still a favourite tammy] as BB insists no hipping all the balls to put down the long slide.

We raced back to go to swimming, ostensibly for me to watch at SB’s insistance, but it was a closed lesson! SO twiddled thumbs. We were rather slow in getting dressed afterwards, and the mums of the next class must have thought me crazy to take 30 mins! no, just blessed with time for a change.

Chris had cooked a lovely kidney bean and sausage hotpot for us to enjoy, and then we enjoyed the first bit of the trials of life – lots and lots of eggs and sperm!! SB asked lots of questions, clarified lots of words, but did not extrapolate any of this [well, at least verbally] to humans. I am a wuss, and was relieved!

oh, and the cake, we didn’t start it, so Nanny gets to eat it all. It smelled gorgeous though. i will? make one for Melrose!

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Posted in literacy, Out and About, SB-PE, Stringbean's HE, writing

Writing in retrospect

Posted on September 25, 2006 by | 1 comment

We didn’t go to to Gressenhall in the end, partly cos I’m going near there tomorrow, and the drive 2ce put me off. Instead we went to a National trust watermill. We had a lovely time there. Its really good, with lots of children friendly demonstrations of how bits work, and it is still milling flour. So we all enjoyed wandering around it – even BB [who got soaked by the watery activities!]. Should be some good flickr pics eventually.

We also did some explode the code, and SB read another magic key book – this time about the red planet. She is asking to read to me now [well, 3 days in a row anyway!] so I have bought some more books from the book people. Well, I haven’t ordered for over a year. i took more than half of the order out of the basket before I paid as well [:rolls eyes:]

Otherwise we did lots of running about in the garden playing and discussing various imponderables – all of which I have now forgotten, but at least 2 I thought I should blog. Oh well. She finished a hama princess. Must buy some clay from Bead Merrily! We watched the next bit of the dvd about living in the ice. She was predictably very interested in the antartica bit
Today I nipped into work for some how to work in a non-NHS enviromnent discussions – difficult! but on returning, SB has been building the whitehouse, and having a chat about america with chris, and looking up virtual tours on the internet. obviously, she forgot instantly about the president! Se as exploded the code. Book 4 she has to think about a bit more. We have missed maths for 2 days unless I persuade her to do some now? We are going to do a piano lesson when I have finished typing this though. Ha Ha! suggested the maths, and she’s doing it!!! OK, not autonomous, but no complaining as I actually only said it cos she was asking me what she could do next.

So what else, oh, we have another cake experiment in the oven. This time a chocolate mayonaise cake. SOunds a bit wierd, but lets see. Always good with both BB and SB doing it. Actually, SB does it, and I try and stop BB from doing anything too dreaddul by letting her mix up a small bowl of chocolate gunk. The cups work really well though. For example, she need 2 cups of flour, but only the 1/3 and 1/4 ones fit in the bag easily, so she worked out she needed 6 of the 1/3. Unfortunately she forgot what number she had counted to somewhere on the way to the 6, so lets see! [i'm also baking it in the wrong sized tin, so timing uncertain.]

BB is being gorgeous still, kicking a ball about and giggling. She loves the fish – they are prob being fed too much as a result. She likes being read to and jiggled about still. Operation attention is going well, but no noticeable loss in bf antics!

Anyway, guess I’m done now, will help her on this second page, and then to the piano. Tonight I’m out for a work meal. Hopefully we will flickr monster’s party soon, and then with yesterday we are up to date – wahayy!

edited to add – the cake is out of the oven and looks and smells delicious – oh the temptation!

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, General, geography, history, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, science, Stringbean's HE, writing

In fear of hibernation!

Posted on September 23, 2006 by | 5 comments

So we have done multiple postings today. TBH, home ed has meandered on, but I feel we aren’t quite getting it right. This might be more that I am not getting it right, as I have let my life get unbalanced recently. However, I don’t do unbalanced for very long :grin: , so time to rebalance and get my ‘carpe diem’ motto back in action. SO I have.

On the home ed front, we have been getting into a habit of a bit of explode the code, and a bit of singapore maths near every day, just 2-4 sides depending on mood. This is working well. Explode the code has been good for us, as SB was adamant she couldn’t read, and actually still thinks she can’t, and wasn’t going to try. Explode the code has never been reading to her, so has never hit the can’t read so won’t button. However, now she can read the singpore maths instructions, words all over the place to make sure I am telling the truth – sigh! but very excitingly for her, she read one of the usbourne young readers on pirates and an oxford magic key on robin hood with barely any stumbling or help. So thanks Merry for the introduction to ExTC!!!

We’ve done a fair bit of bobbing back and forth on history. She likes books about Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I. We have also carried on reading about ancient greeks, minoans and the legends and myths from these cultures. Some nipping to Roman times, 1066 and the mediaeval times [well, Robin Hood myths mostly] to fit with various history re-enactment outings we have done, and also with the street through… and city through time books. I really like the Story of the World text and activity, as it breaks things up into SB chunks. We get pictures from DK eyewitness books and the Usbourne ancient civilisations book. i don’t imagine SB will remember great chunks, but she does enjoy it, and weird facts pop out all the time. Today we were doing Medea and Persia in SoTW, and she i quite good at paraphrasing, but also seeing stories are similar – particularly the abandon your baby one, as she thought it was going to be about Perseus.

I haven’t got to grips with regular music lessons [piano or violin] – which is very bad of me, since it is a passion! We listen to classic fm alot, and SB tries to describe the type of music. today one of the planets came on, so I said it was the planet. Initially she said she could hear the words jupiter, but then decided it had to be about Uranus or Pluto as it sounded so cold and far away. I was impressed [and it was Uranus]. We do do alot of singing, and she makes up music for her dances, so I will just put it in my list of thinks to get into the habit of!

Another thing in my blogroll of shame is languages. I really mus just get bottom in motion and sort this out! Still very tempted by Rosetta stone. Merry suggested I should relook at education city – as something computer oriented may overide my inertia!!

Geography is covered well at the moment – possibly driven by the mediteranean history we are doing, but also by gettting a free globe ball from the kids national geographic subscription [we are awaiting our first magazine] . We also watch are fair number of the David attenborough DVD’s, and this covers natural history and geography regularly. Must look up what this evenings one was, but essentially it was about volcanos. SOmething SB quite keen on.

Science is mostly from books – the why does… and the usbourne ones get a regular reading. We have looked at caterpillar lifecycles on the brassicas this summer. Unfortunately BB likes feeding the ‘snakes’ to the goldfish, so they don’t really get to complete the cycle. Also the free fish are rather good. It would be better if we actually knew what they were. Linked to a photo on the rare offchance anyone might hazard a guess! but we have done crystal experiments, talked A LOT about dinosaurs [and the 2 have played games with the cheap ones from tesco], and thought more about surface tension and sound and light rays in a number of ways.

SB has dance and swimming lessons, puts on countless dance shows for me and is still keen that we find her football lessons. i can’t believe that she won’t just wail… We still aren’t at the top of the rainbows waiting list, so at this rate we will be starting with brownies! She’s going to more CHEF and PBEO group meets, which is good.

Crafts are never underrepresented! Today we have drawn and coloured with SoTW, a birthdaycard for my niece as well as various other pictures. We also try to regularly bake or be involved in food prep. today we tried that choc spread cake again, but using oil to see if it could be adapted – no! but its still edible.

We are also spending alot of time outside, to get the most of the last of the good weather. We are still harvesting bits and bobs from the garden, and SB and BB love the swings and climbing frame and slide. Actually the most amazing harvest has to be the carrots, as i thought we had smothered them in weeds months ago, but they aare doing well! The butternut squash also a surprise last minute success. We have just started harvesting the grapes too – yummy!

if all this sounds rather busy, it has to be said that SB plays for the majority of the time, hearing me read to her is never turned down, she chooses the books on the whole. We play set, uno, made up princesses/queens/roman slaves etc etc regularly [I wonder what the people in the pub think!!]

BB is adorable. Mostly speaks in full sentences, with one comprehendable word embedded in it. She dances, sings, draws [on absolutely everything - the menace] and likes to copy SB in everything she does. BB and SB usually play reasonably well together, with dollies, lego, happy street and outside. BB not good at recognising when SB not in a sharing mood – and both give no quarter! Weaning is not progressing, though BB usually play feeds now, which is a nuisance, and I presume territory marking! So I am trying to develop other 1:1 times with reading, doing jigsaws etc, and sharing SB’s activities [not altogether impressing SB] so that it becomes less necessary to play bf acrobatics.

So, I guess in summary I am enjoying my children more again. I can’t altogether switch off work and the worries, but I am doing better at not letting it get between me and my family. Hopefully this will in turn reassure them, so SB less waily, and BB less feedy in time.

oh, and I rather liked those Gressenhall piccies K. hmm, I wonder about going tomorrow???

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Cooking, Dance/drama, General, geography, history, literacy, music, numeracy, Out and About, science, writing

What we been up to then?

Posted on September 23, 2006 by | 2 comments

Oh dear, our electronic life seems to have gone AWOL lately, not much blooging or Flickr-ing – what’s the world coming to?

So, what’s been happening?

Yesterday we went to Mountfichet Castle with a few other HE families from a local group.

It is the site of a Norman Castle, though little was left above ground other than humps and bumps. A replica of an early Norman wooden motte and bailey castle has been built on the site. It was interesting – certainly looked like I would imagine it to be. but the weather put a dampener on things as it rained rather too heavily for rather too long for what is basically and outside atraction. So didn’t entirley get our moneys worth really (it was fairly expensive) as would have spent a fair bit longer there I imagine, but once we had got out of the rain we didn’t feel like going back into it.

But we did find it enjoyable and interesting, Seeing as we visit a fair few ruins it was good for Stringbean to see the variety of things that would have gone on in the castle.

When we got home just dried out, flopped and had chips for tea :-)

What else?

Thursday we were supposed to go to the next African Drama sessions, unfortunately it was cancleed at the last minute so we didn’t hear about it. So we went to the park instead with M , SB’s favourite pal from the group. Is this the ;atest in playground rides?

.

Monday was pottering about in the morning, We went Blackberrying in the afternooon and made rather lovley apple and blackberry crumble for dinner

Sunday me and the girsl went to a ‘Life in Roman Britian Day’ at a local country park. SB always enjoys this sort of thing and listens quiet intently to the talks.

We popped into see Helen at work, I thought we were bringing her lunch, but she didn’t and had had lunch, so didn’t communicate well there…..

They got a nice big slide on a heap of earth there now, and a arial ropeway thing so SB had fun on those. It was a beautifully warm day, still felt like summer.

In between times, there has been a fair bit of Explode the Coding going on – started book 4 now. and maths, moslty MPH 1B. We’d got a bit lost with what we were doing, so have been trying to work through this in a sensible order. Some reading, lost of drawing and colouring, and some writing.

The other day SB sat down with a sheaf of pages I’d printed off from Enchante dLearning a while back – a booklet about some dinosaurs. She coloured them all in – she is taken witht he idea that we had no idea what colour thet really were, so they are all a bit like Elmer the Dinosaur. Very jolly. She sat and carefully copied down the little bits of writing about each one – spent ages doing it.

She laos did a picture the other day with shadows on it. she gave each person a shadow, trees etc. Carefully all facing the same way, etc. I think this in the first tiem she has done this.

Oh that will do, moslty it’s just l;ife I guess :-)

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, history, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, photos, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE, writing

today – chris says this isn’t a very inspired title.

Posted on August 30, 2006 by | 1 comment

at least I’ve blogged!

I was grouchy. SB was waily, and BB was more ignored than she should have been.however, not all gloomy. I had a crap on call last night [in my defence!] and am panicking about job related angst.

Sb wanted to play a gaime where she was home educated – whatever! So we read more of the city through time, and also the apollo 13 mission – which she enjoys. It fell apart a bit on what should have been revision maths on subtracting over a 10 [ie 23-6]. we got out cuisinaire rods etc to give a picture, but much wailing ensued. I have been concerned over the summer that she hasn’t been doing as much maths as she could, and this got to me, as we had sorted this back in June. So we did a bit, with me showing her just how easy it was if she picture the right thing – ffs she could do this in her head before! [you can glimpse just how patiently gritted teeth I did this] Luckilly, I realised that having done a few, I should call it a day, as she wasn’t in a receptive mood, and lets face it, a gloweringly gritted teeth mother is not the best teacher in these situations. [BB asleep]

So we had lunch, and then listened to little toe. the crstals are growing well, so we had a look at those too. Sb is looking forward to working out their shape – as the leaflet comes with crstal shapes to identify.

SB is very forgiving, and we were on best terms again rapidly. we went outside and she did me shows, clambering all over the swings and climbing frame, but has recently decided she is afraid of heights. grrr to that thought being implanted into her head. she went to a fair with Nanny F and her cousin O, and didn’t want to carry on going up the helterskelter, after all , it was tall, and Nanny wasn’t going up it with her, and O would have skipped ahead, so I don’t blame her for coming down. I would have told her it was better for when she was bigger, and not said anything height related, but unforunately the deed was innocently done. Now it is a BIG THING. I am trying to ignore it, or say, well roof height is a bit tall, and hope she recovers – it has taken me years to combat a fear of heights such that I’m now not bad [though not brilliant]

where was I? oh yes, she harvested an apple for her and one for BB from our new trees – jolly good, and then romped through her explode the code with no murmer. We listened to that free horrible history romans while playdoughing. She liked the legions song! BB enjoyed playdoughing, but the 2 were making a fuss about who had which bit – so 2 screechy wailers – aarrgh.

Back outside and i caught some of the fish from one of the waterbuts [6 of them] and we have put them in a fishtank to bring inside and look at for a bit. no idea what kind of fish they are. must have come from eggs on the oxygenating plants – any clues anyone? at least 10 still left in the waterbut. [we had loads of oxygenators, so put some in the waterbut as Bob flowerdew said a good idea. he also has goldfish in his too, so maybe fish not a bad idea either] BB was enthralled by them, and is very good at shrieking fish. SB also interested.

Chris came back with new bit of downpipe, so we all took turns tlaking into it, and listening. SB mostly as a dinosaur. BB giggling. We then ran around wildly for a bit and played simon says to release steam.

that was most of the day really. not brilliant mothering, but OK I guess.

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Posted in Butterbean, Dance/drama, General, history, literacy, numeracy, Stringbean's HE, writing

Bank Hols

Posted on August 27, 2006 by | 3 comments

TBH, I’m finding it hard to blog atm. Sure it will come back, but its the most expendable activity of my day, so I’m not doing it – or reading blogs much for that matter. i have had my nose stuck in as many alternate realities as possible – a good thin I have a wide number to chose from on the bookshelves! No, I don’t know yet. Though now very belated, I might find out Thursday – so rumour has it. luckilly, there has been a change in redundancy payouts so that they are not age discrimintory, and it looks like I would get 13 months now not 13 weeks as my notice period would be beyond 31st Oct – so there’s something to be greatful for. A soon as I can be bothered to fill out forms etc, I am going to plunge into the hitherto completely unwanted world of private practice. No idea how much of a living I can make from it, but feel I need to start at least, so that if the day comes, I might have some income. One of my colleagues made ?2000 after tax last year – hardly encouraging! Also, where would be the time? finding it hard to keep up with everything at the mo. The bank balance however is not encouraging me to be slack!
Had a lovely party with parents last week, but too many people commiserated, so felt quite moody and fed up by the end. Day went really well for them, which was the most important thing. All my work days finish really late now, so don’t always get back in time for bedtime. Good wednesdays and weekends though. and when at home I try to be REALLY noticeable – cue much roaring and chasing.

Yesterday was crafts and books, and then a much overdue visit in the afternoon to flag fen. We all enjoyed it – BB shouting and running around, and SB spying the things to find and pretending to be ancient. I don’t know how much handling of the stuff in the roundhouses you are supposed to do, but we did a lot, but it was all put back. BB was most disappointed in the fake apple… SB and I had re-read the usbourne first people, and the DK story of a street recently, so she was fairly clued up anyway, but its nice getting a real visual.
we did buy a dinosaur egg thing [her money] and DK story of a city [mine] while out, so read some of the book when we got home, and otherwise played.

today was an in day, an easy HE day as well, as things seemed to flow – we started on her dinosaur egg – the tools with it are hopeless! form that moved on to some enchanted learning colour by numbers dinosaurs – but the numbers are sums to work out. We a read a bit more of story of a city – whch is quite different from the street as not UK, and then got out a crystal kit that we have had for a while – SB had a mad crystal phase and then cooled off a bit. we’ve read a number of other history through the ages type books as well – the ‘really intersting bits’. london and some more ancients people. SOme explode the code – SB is finally grasping that perhaps she can read as we near the end of book 3.

Sounds a lot, but threaded through the day were costume changes, being ballerinas/ fairies/ princesses and servants. Apparently she enjoyed being my servant best of all! SB was in her belle dress for a bit. BB refused point blank to be dressed as a pirate [which she normally seems to like, being able to say pirate] but was keen to be a fairy – thus it starts! We played outside and in, reading storybooks and making up stories. Quite a bit of chase…

We baked chocolate brownies – nice and quick! SB was rather proud to harvest some carrots from the veg bed. they are, well, diminutive! But certainly carrot, and more than bitesize – well, 2 out of the 3 plucked were! more yummy were figs.

bB has done a fair bit of peg boards. jigsaw and joint book reading today as well. She is always up for chase, dancing and singing with SB, and when SB doing a def not for BB activity, a good bit of playdough keeps her endlessly amused.

Tomorrow maybe to Denny Abbey.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, General, history, literacy, music, numeracy, Out and About, science, Stringbean's HE, writing

Roar! – Meat !

Posted on August 25, 2006 by | Leave a comment

No we haven’t all suddenly turned into rabid carnivores. Been doing some Dinosaury stuff this afternoon and it finished off before bedtime with a lot of chasing around upstairs with everyone being Dinosaurs.? SB and BB were baby T-Rex, we had to go and get meat for them to eat :-). BB loves being chased so that was very noisy.

Morning was domestic stuff – washing and stuff. then once we were eventually organised off to do some shopping. Sb had been inspired by something on Smart – or whatever the older version of Smarteenies (SB was quite excited to see Kirsten O’Brien from the Little Toe Show on there) is called which reminded us we needed to buy some more tissue paper, so we went to the stationery/art shop. Got said tissue paper – though they had? miriad colours so getting SB to choose which ones, rather than just one of each was time consuming, until the lady showed us the mixed pack.? Bought a couple of packs of Berol felt tips. We have the nremains of various cheap and free felt tip packs around the house in various places, but of course half don’t work, have lost lids, can’t find the colour you want etc. , weedy colour when it does work, and generally just a waste of time.And BB is? total pain with felt tips at the moment. So have been meaning to get some decent ones for a while. I know from school use that Berol last ages, even with lids left off, and have decent colour etc. So found some at a reduced price, so got some. SB is charged with keeping them in their packs and away from BB.

Must now try to colect all the pens/pencils/crayons etc. together and to try and rationalise them a bit and remove anything not BB proof from the general pool.

Continued via the fair trade shop in a local church – where BB entertained the woman behind the counter by singing various songs to herself – such as Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush and Row, Row Row Your Boat – words not exactly intelliligible, but the tune is clear. BB seems amazingly good and picking up such tunes, I don’t remember SB being like that, -? their cafe for a snack stop – where I explained what Fair Trade was all about? and then went to see upstairs where there was an Art Exhibition by a local Art Group. Didn’t get to look at much as SB went to touch one of them, and the man who asked here not to (quite mildly) scared her apparently, so we left. She likes the stained glass windows though.

Next via the market stalls for some fruit and veg, where BB (again…) entertained the woman behind the stall by spotting the Strawberries and shouting ‘Strawb, Strawb, Strawb!’ (or somesuch) at the top of her voice :-), finished off with picking up some things in the supermarket.

Once home it was a lateish lunch with Little Toe Radio Show on listen again. Some Maths – Singapore Maths Weekly Revision book some bits about completeing number sequences. Then we looked a bit at some books/web pages about Dinosaurs as SB has been into them recently from watching the Walking With Dinosaurs series on DVD. Printed off a? few things from Enchanted Learning, while SB went off to draw a picture of a wobbly house made of Jelly with her new felt tips…… Then it was time for a bit of Explode the Code followed by colouring in a Dinosaur maths puzzle – T-Rex, her favourite, of course, which Helen joined in with as she got home about now.

BB’s milestone of the day was to ask for something on the TV. Doing her shouting, push/pull you thing she got me into the living room, pointed at the TV, pointed at the ‘on’ button, pointed at the DVD box :-). So I settled her down with the Clangers DVD. I went toff to get one with dinner, but she evidently wanted me in there becuase she kept coming after me shouting ‘Back, Back’. so in the end, I put it on the laptop in the kitchen. Which was ok until she started hitting keys and buttons…….

Which is where we came in really.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, IT, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, science, Stringbean, writing

Domesticity

Posted on August 16, 2006 by | 1 comment

well, my Mum and Dad are having a party here at the weekend. this means they are trying to make my house look presentable! So far, Mum has spent all day on just 2 rooms! i should have invited Ros and Joyce next week!!!! Dad is in the garden.

BB has spent today eating, running and shouting wildly, doing lots of pegboards and dance mat. I’ve read her lots of books, we have had roust about games and she has done some fun blox playing. She is adding new words all the time, but I am glad of apple and banana, as it doesn’t make it appear that we only feed her sugar!

SB has done halving and doubling maths today in a picked up workbook, some explode the code and 3 chapters of Story of the world – cretans and early greeks, followed by MoRE myths and legends. We also did some of the activity sheets. SB spontaneously put a ‘line with levels’ up the side to help me direct her on the map to the key cities! Not grid referencing yet! the maze was a hit, and she enjoyed the colouring in. Also quite a few board games and fun blox. lots of running about too. We made a Dundee cake together – well, actually SB did most of it, so fingers crossed. It doesn’t seem to have risen much though, and I’m sure the last one did. Oh well. Its for the party. Will make and decorate a sponge cake to go with it.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, General, geography, history, literacy, numeracy, Stringbean's HE, writing