Category Archives: Stringbean’s HE

yesterday catchup – Eureka!

yesterday was a manically busy out and about day. We first had SB’s gym class, which she really loves. getting more confident at walking across the beam – forwards and backwards, and is remembering all the different position names. A hasty shop round asda for car-picnic food [samosas, cheese dippers and fruit] and we were off to Eureka.

I was there with my friend Kat . She works part time, has a 2.5 year old and twins of 6 months. SB and Emilia get on v well, and rushed about together holding hands and being generally cute. They had a long shopping session and got more out of the bank than I expected. We then went to the under 5′s area, where BB and the twins could lie in the sensory area, and SB and E could run about looking for things. A short hop into the human body bit, and the girls were pooped. 2.5 hours though before they started to flag, so can’t be bad! A perk up at the cafe and home before rush hour hit too badly.

SB fell asleep in car and was most unhappy to be woken up, so were into some serious blankly looking at CBeebies when the people showed up late to look round house. Ubnfortunately they were there when I wanted to cook SB tea, so not ideal showing, and also the CBeebies background. they did seem v interested though, and were here about 40 mins! hopefully a good sign. Did look in all little cubbyholes though, so a bit concerned at what they saw!

shopping games

i have realised we have a problem. i usually pay supermarket by switch. I also usually get cashback. SB in her games was swiping the credit card and giving me money. She thinks you get money from supermarkets along with other groceries, and the working/earning thing is seperate. hmm!!! Anyway, easy maths and aditions. deciding who would eat what etc.
bit of reading, time telling and mostly play. enjoyed making a helicopter from chunky wooden mechano-ish pack from ikea.

BB has a dreadful cough – poor love.

garden tidy

ok, SB still confused with ‘g’ and ‘y’. we had a good play with her JP flash cards, some singapore maths and a fair bit on the weather. made a birthday card and general craftiness!
we then popped outside to weed the veg beds, stick in some broad beans. the shallots are romping away. may stuff in garlic, as will also be verdant during house selling period with negligible care!. tidiedup the espaliered pears. this is their 5th year, so have 4 tiers. v sad that we won’t actually get to taste them. 2 more beds to tidy, then prune the raspberries and goosegogs. greenhouses looking sad as needwinter clean and lost a pane of glass in the wind. will blame newborn at viewing! chris did one of his fav garden thigs – burning! a nice bonfire was made.
BB must have been messing with latch on left as v painful today. I can remeber with SB that left always more of a prob.
just realised i am logged in as chris. never mind.
ps, my squeegee window cleaner from lakeland is lovely. even if chris laughs at me!! maay even make windows one of my jobs! should have bought the handle to go with it though

reading day

in partic letterland. SB getting better at ‘b’ and ‘d’, and ‘g’ and ‘y’, which she has been muddling for a while. Also now reliable at the sh and t sounds. though when there was a picture of a beaker, and she identified the b start, she was still happy to say b for cup!
Also a gym day, and really loves that. Did some singapore maths, lots of general book reading and lego playing took up most of the rest of the day with a brief spell at tots group. we were going to cook tea together, but she watched a letterland vid instead. At tea, she told me jesus’s love wasn’t really very wonderful [in repsonse presumably to the song] so we discussed why love was always wonderful.
BB gave us an absolutely appalling night last night, so Chris and i have been a bit of live zombies today. She has fed almost all day as well – makes me even more tired. Beingly gorgeously smily in front of me right now.
Have def decided not to overstretch iourselves over house buying, as I was going into blind panic. I think its all that ‘well if I can’t be physically present for them, I should buy them the best that I can’ thing.
Rather peeved with Chris, as he turned off volume on laptop, and the back on button is one that isn’t working, so now no sound. not too bad except………….SB can’t now use for jump ahead cd’s, webland [which is installed on hear] etc etc, so laptop now a disaster for its prime daytime use. Hmm

Educating Elinor

Very good day today.v Makes up from too many pajama days!!

We did some maths worksheets [SB loves these, although Singapore maths is our usual]. She impressed me with adding and subtracting [staying within 10, using counters for larger numbers, but most addition in her head], and number bonds for 3 and 4, so get used to concept. Some shape work using our orchard toys snap game. Mostly flats, but some 3D.

We then read an usborne book about dinosaurs, and made a nifty dinosaur model with playdough and spent matches. Also then made a few other shapes, and particularly good birthday cake [for BB apparently]

We went through our jolly phonics cards. I have taken the easier/more logical ones out and SB went through them deciding whether they were easy or hard, and then the ones she didn’t get to. These 3 piles where then divided into 4 envelopes to chose at random over the days until more seem easy, and I will slip the next few in. I’m doing it this way as SB has v v low boredom threshold, but also, if she thinks it is ‘difficult’ she will stop doing it. So we tend to do a coming back technique rather than consilidate at the time.

Had classic FM lunch, with SB doing her dance moves, then watched first german Muzzy video, and went through the first cartoon book to end of first episode.

Then free play with dolls, singing songs to them and making up stories, while I spent a bit more time with BB, who has been fairly angelic today! I got some cheap ‘baby einstein’ vids from ebay – though prob a con, and we didn’t use for SB, as didn’t want her to be a TV watcher – I think they may allow me to give undivided attention to SB for parts of the day better.

Finally after tea, SB fancied doing some ‘jump ahead starting maths’. Some of the games too easy, but she resists making it more ‘difficult’ when given the option. I am trying to say exciting to persuade her!!

chris now settling her in bed. BB asleep too, so having ’5 minutes peace and quiet’. Another easy set game. getting the hang of Quiddler, but def not a top scorer!!

stamping

Final estate agent quote today, so looks like 215. Really pleased that all the hard renovation and decorating work paid off. Particular thanks to my Dad for giving up loads of time to help Chris. They all seem to think house should sell easily, so fingers crossed. Operation keep house tidy in full swing – sigh!! Next week plan to look at properties in Huntingdonshire.
Today SB did a lot of webland, with less interaction from me – is this good or bad?? Anyway, made a change from jump ahead. She then spent a merry afternoon painting. Chris brought back some paint stamps – mostly sea things – and she really used her imagination. Not sure why one picture then had shapes stuck over it though?? One was a more seabed type, and we sprinkled spare sand from our sand pictures over it.
Inspired by this, I did a Lakeland limited order, as the christmas craft bits are less than half price, including some glass paints. Also bought a squeegee and stuff to clean windows with – to great hilarity from Chris, as I am a semi-feral creature. However, other resolution this year is to go one step further up wifely ladder, and become semi-domesticated!! On this front, made a foray into the box room with intent to sort, but was beaten back. Perhaps I need to build up to this??
We finished SB’s day nicely with a treat of home-made icecream sundaes.

ps, set game is rather addictive! not so good at quiddler, as usually takes 2-3 goes to get suggested score

and so…..

today we have used the jump ahead maths cd, SB very good at manipulating computer, and did for ages. i found the games v repetitive, though i guess they are aimed at practising various maths skills. Does anyone use jump ahead or similar??
Also had fun with the spirograph she got for Xmas, and used the sand picture kit and the pompom picture kit really nicely.
BB mainly smiled, fed and slept. Has a terrible cold so more windy/colicky. definitely in 3-6 month clothes at 6 weeks – must get weighed!
Also on HE theme, what are the baby einstein series like, as some going cheap on ebay??

New Year Home-Ed Resolutions

FIRSTLY: start getting a gentle routine going with our current resources:
1. working through the singapore maths series
2. this is the year to make the breakthrough into reading!
3. regularly use the Muzzy German, and speaking it.
4. weekly outing to interesting places
5. using our DK books to start topics of art etc
6. make good musical uses of our piano and violins
7. use CD learning games and Webland more regularly

SECONDLY: consider our ed phil, I do like the idea of the well trained mind/trivium so will have to read up more about it. Will certainly use the history series. Don’t think I can be quite so time strict as the writer herself though. I think due to Elinor’s v strong will, she will be semi-autonomous at some point, so would like to think of patterns of learning well in advance, partly to hope what I like, she likes, and partly to give a good enquiring mind start, so she can develop skills for lifelong learning.

THIRDLY: expand horizons [rather than stomach!] re exercise!
1. I would like to learn yoga alongside Elinor to be part of daily routine.
2. Elinor to formally learn to swim
3, give her a ballet choice when we move
4. build up a family cycle outing as a regular event.

FOURTHLY: to remember that free play should be major part of the day, and not get carried away by resolutions 1-3!!!!

Bye Bye Klingon

Grandad Johnson has been helping us do up bits of the house before we sell it, today apinting porch and front bay – why does the tin run out just at the time that it means by the time you gone and bought another one, it’s too late to finish the job? Will be nice when this house is sold.

Butterbean is gradually getting her ‘proper’ face and she goes a bit
less red now when she cries than she used to. Still all over the lace at
night though, esp. in the early morning. I was up at 6 am this morning
with her, since she was just endlessly fussing. She is feeding enough as
it is, without hassling Mum about it when she isn’t…. She seems fine
in the daytime, it’s just at night after a feed she doesn’t seem to
always settle down again.

Stringbean is well, Stringbean. Nursery day today, there can be so much
fussing at the moment about which clothes to wear, I’ve started us
getting them out the night before to speed up the morning getting
dressed routine. Got a little ‘profile ‘ back from them today – didn’t
really say anything we didn’t know – but did comment on her good Maths
ability which is something we have noticed. Haven’t done much on that
recently – maybe get some bit’s out soon and do it – balancing (as in an
old pair of scales) is something she seems interested in quite often at
the moment

She did do a very green picture, with her name written very well on it –
she seems to have quite suddenly developed her writing skills.

Green picture and writing