Category Archives: SB-PE

sociable sunday

I had a lovely sunday with some colleagues at their house/ garden with assorted other colleagues. one set had 4 girls in the 5-9 bracket – good fun for SB. It was a really lovely relaxing time. All thanks to the host and hostess..

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of course we had to stay off topic for as much of the time as possibile always difficult!!

Discussion wrt the fate of the NHS was universally gloomy.

Sb has read loads at home, and made a lovely hama present to take. The other girls tried to teach her cartwheels and handstands. somehow I think we have missed that key time to learn.

A home day

wahay! poor old chris had the dentists first thing, but the girls watched tv and gave me a later start than I thought – 9.30. After brekkie of fried eggs and toast as a treat, i suggested to SB that she bring her maths or story of the world to the kitchen table, but she called me to the sofa with a book about the exploration of america. So we read that, looked at the map of various explorers and discussed native americans [and did some more inuit throat singing!].

We went outside and played for a bit, and the SB did some maths – rather easy greater and lesser than in primary maths 2A. She then demonstrated great trapeze artist skills – and was swinging holding on only by her knees, and somersaulting off – weyhey SB. She does always ask if Violet Portico can do these things -I tend to say yes. BB and I were being Bob the Builder, making things with the Bygga set from Ikea.
SB whizzed around the garden on her bike, and BB on her trike. We started to decorate our papier mache pots, and had some lunch, but due to spotting rain, came in and did both in the kitchen.

BB did some playdough whilst SB and I did some sudoko. When she started to join in more, we called it a day! BB and I played boxes, and also SB and I. good game from schooldays!

I did some weeding and gardening whilst the girls played. BB often helps me off and on. Gardening is going to get it’s own blog post i think. We played chase and confetti with the cherry blossom which was fun, and the just lots of being together. BB played in the sand whilst SB did some piano. We had lots of home-ed type free ranging conversations. e of which i swore I would remember to blog, but I have forgotten them!

edited to add – one of them was about debt – credit cards, mortgages and saving for rainy days. our credit card debt is now 1500 – woohoo , and being steadily paid off. so we discussed why i only want the mortgage as a debt, and how much rainy day savings were thought to be a good idea [3-6 months expenditure!] and that we owned 1/4 of the house. She asked sensible questions and got – hopefully – sensible answers.

A bath, chippery tea, britannia and SB reading to me. BB fell asleep at the table – poor love!

first day of short break!

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!

didn’t like the title…

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!

rewind to wed

we’re not really doing a good job of blogging in order are we?

I guess wed was really a game of 2 halves, but i didn’t balance them well. Sb def losing out to BB. Must do better really. we did get a fair bit of home ed done -sb mostly confident with the subtractions [54-28 type] now, and did a fair bit of maths on edu city – multiplying. Also her reading is nicely moving along. she is really enjoying reading, and a while back i bought a set of usborne young readers from the book people, and now she is racing through them, they are pretty much dead right for what she wants to read. must give back merry her ORT 8 as well as read well now.

She has done some more of the chinese books from enchanted learning, and liked the numbers. She is finding it particularly amusing that 2 looks like=. it is making the maths slightly tedious as we have ‘the joke’ about all the 2′s each time. But lets face it, its a good joke, and she is really happy saying it.

We read random pages out of an encyclopaedia – insects, industrial revolution, volcanos, and talked quite a lot about evolution.

BB and i did a lot of playing, cuddling and messing about. we built towers and boats out of blocks, and knocked them down again, read books, danced and messed about.

After lunch we piled outside to enjoy the sunshine, sowed some carrots and make a makeshift cloche/polytunnel affair to put over the row. I did a fair bit of weeding, and the girls did lots of playhouse and climbing frame play as well. They did help chris with pruning the grapevine, and i popped the babyswing seat on the tri-swing [just as BB growing too big!] She did love it, and SB pushed her as she giggled. Lovely.

When we came in, all girls [including me] turned into grumpalumps for some unknown reason. BB screeching like a banshee over who knows what, SB wailing and me stroppy. so we divvied up, and SB had piano and violin lesson and Daddy kept BB occupied. The peace restored, we read, played games [spot the animal!] and the day back on track.

Every evening this week, SB and I have had an extra 30 mins of games or reading – whatever she wants – before her bed following the departure of BB. SB is really appreciating this.

Today I got home earlier to have a bit more time, and we mostly played and did some tidying up. We made a chocolate brownies – didn’t get the timing right – they were in and out of the oven like yoyo’s! more games and reading and a nice bedtime.

SB’s birthday this sunday. have the castle, no wrapping paper, and family arriving tomorrow to house of chaos!

oh, and i forgot to say, that BB is quite insistant she is a boy ladybird!

snow-free saturday

It didn’t last long did it? luckilly that meant that chris has done a lot more organising of the base for SB’s wendy house – coming on wed.

Hmm, I got up late, SB and BB were arguing over cbeebies. mostly charlie and lola. A laid back beginning, and I read some books then to BB, AB got dressed [and played with dolls house] and then lunch – see v laid back!

So in the afternoon we were going to do some baking. However, BB went and had a nap, so SB and did a violin lesson and a piano lesson – as part of my i really must do this. SB no longer wants a purple and flowered violin, but a clear on that lights up – i wonder where she got that idea from? Anyway, we mostly did holding and bowing open strings. i bought this book from amazon to start us off with, as well as the theory book recommended by sarah [oops and a few more things]

we then heard BB wailing – so a short nap only, and rescued her. SO we went to bake, but the decorating plates were out as well, so she and BB decided to decorate their plates instead. BB finished first, so to keep her enthusiastic whilst SB finished, I got her bug pots kit out from Xmas present. We did the bee one, and SB was desperate to do one too. BB kindly gave her the ladybird one. Unfortunately the glue in the kits wasn’t really up to the job. BB lost half the eyes, and peeled all the sticker backs off the spider one [which we weren't doing!] I kept counting to 10, and we sorted it out so that we all did enjoy making our 2 pots!

IMG_2919IMG_2927IMG_2928_edited-1IMG_2930mmm cake!

Onwards and upwards we finally did our baking – banana loaf. SB helped BB do all the stages and it was quite lovely.the smell of the banana loaf baking has also been quite lovely. We did some jigsaws – BB has just crossed into the knowing how to do them bit, so is getting lots of fun from our starter jigsaws. SB did a little of the english education city. They are going to add german as well as spanish – so sounding better and better really. SB and BB then went for a runaround in the garden

I did a bit of tidying up and fiddling, but BB soon in and covered in mud – so an emergency bath! we then played games together until SB also came in having had an accident with the wheelbarrow. Hot choc and snuggles on sofa watching little house in the prairie were in order. SB was hungry, so she has had an early tea. The girls are cbeebing again at the moment. However, we are going to read a book about the native americans and prairie life when BB goes to bed. Actually, we started with that, and have now made some more of her lego hospital set.

Every night so far, SB has read me part of a level 8 ORT book, and carried on reading it when I go down. She is really happy with her reading at the moment.

going back in time – Monday

aargh to be back at work after not enough sleep!!

got there and steadily through the morning a mega migraine snuck up. when I had nearly ‘been unwell’ on a poor love, i thought I’d not hang on into the afternoon. Sat in the car and cried about driving it home. it is a shame that when I got home I parked on the drive though!

Swigged loads of tablets and gradually improved. Came home and SB was telling me about local group sports and doing some education city. We then read a body book together [BB was asleep] and I was rather proud that she still knows the femur, humerus and pelvis names, and a good stab at veins, arteries and circulation. BB awoke so we all made a marble run for a bit [design and technology] with SB and I making it for BB to put marbles down. We then looked at castles…

Chris’s parents came round on their way back from the shops and to hear about our hols. SB and Nana painted a paint a piggybank [well felt tip it] which I have also seen in other home-educators houses, so obviously a popular Xmas pressie! Must take a piccie.

tea, stories and bed. I went to bed at same time as SB, and she read the giant one of the ORT flawlessly [applause!]

Nic, in spite of your gentle mocking, I have decided to continue with bolding! SO star trek! Might even change categories to slot them into national curriculum too, just in case… [must discuss with chris]

quick post

chris has gone to bed very early the last 2 nights as he has a cough and not feeling brill. This means that on Thurs, very little happened while I was a t work. BB went to gym, and SB said hello to all the girls as they passed her, and did a bit of colouring, rather than anything else. I don’t think they did anything when they got home – she has played on the poisson rouge site alot. Then she had ballet. SB wants to restart gym classes.
SO today, before I went to work, I put some singapore maths on the table and getty and dubay and explode the code. SHe did do some maths, looked at a free horrible science cd rom with chris and she and BB did some glass bottle[ok plastic] painting from a kit, which they both enjoyed, and since there are a few of them, those with imminent birthdays may be blessed by a hand decorated gift! They did do something else, I am sure?

OUr singapore 2 books arrived from half moon – hooray, and excellent service. Also arrived was a cheap farm through time from ebay, so we looked at half of that when I got home. Sb also read to me another ORT book – she really is getting far more fluent, and sounding out far less words. she even made a creditable stab at ‘sympathetically’.

She also did a bit of the science leappad on how the body works, or where food goes or something! Then BB got a bit territorial, so they switched to mother goose. BB has lost the only book for her little leappad, so disaster! ‘it is actually mine’ all over the place. [i have a little sister, she is small and funny]
SB’s gone to bed listening to horrible romans – which she can pretty much quote. I have been busy on call, and may get another call shortly, so can’t bake cake, and put off doing anyhting sensible. T-bird may be ready for Melrose, but with Chris under the weather, we haven’t even started. Oh, and the new top i bought from ebay and got sent to Jax is going to be too small! [aargh]

Anyway, tomorrow SB has to make 2 birthday cards, we have to shop for monday food, pack and well maybe tidy a bit?

Edit by Chris:

It’s not so much the cough, that’s been hanging around for a few weeks now, and is probably gradually wearing off. mostly it is just annoying, esp. when I want to get to sleep. On Thursday, some other lurgy came along as I felt pretty dreadful no energy and awful back and muscle aches While I was at toddler gym thing,? i had to sit down on the mats becuase of my back – but then I felt just like lying down on the mats and going back to sleep 8-).

?

We managed to do? Tesco visit, via Tesco’s cafe for a top up breakfast for the girls. But i had to abandon it partway through, as i felt so bad, once we got home BB was asleep, so I collapsed on the sofa with BB, whilst SB amused herself – playing,? ‘putering, looking at a couple of books, not sure exactly.


They insisted that i give them lunch by about 3 ;-) – not really sure what else happened until ballet lesson, which I would probably have given up on but she missed last weeks due to the power cut, and will miss next weeks due to our Melrose camp.

Fed them (and us)? pretty dreadful looking dinner of pizza from the shop and baked pots. It was quite a relief to get BB into bed, as then I could just lie down and go to sleep – bliss – I was out by 9? pm

Friday was better, except I still had dreadful backache,and needed to endlessly rest it, and had to avoid picking up BB if i could.

Helen’s pretty much covered it i think – no i don’t think we did anything much else Helen, though there was fair bit of playing in between, and we did managed to clear the pre-Melrose washing backlog But her maths session did start at about 12.20. encompass lunch, and BB’s entire nap until 3 :roll: She just seems to get endlessly distracted :-)The CD ROM was one of the Free Kellogg’s ones, not bad, but it doesn’t have any sort of narration of the text, so SB needed my assistance to read and navigate it. I did have to chase them out of the kitchen after they managed to un-zero my scales twice helping measuring out for the flapjacks.

Again it was just bliss to collapse into bed with BB :-)

today, not so bad, backache still there but reducing, not feeling as washed out as I did yesterday?

Hama Deeds/ on the second day of christmas

well, we did quite a lot of hama deeds. SB had to do hers twice, as B ‘helped’ her. The first version was better, and so never mind to the receiver of the gift! I also did 2 hama stars as presents, so will remember to flickr them to Merry’s group. i have now run out of christmas green though.

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A bit of general mayhem, and book reading and the BB went to sleep. SB and I had been going to do something fiddley then, but she prefered to get stuck in on the baking, so we made Delias chees and olive scones [where she tipped out approx half the egg, so we made up with milk and it is fine]

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and then some choc choc chip cookies for CHEF tomorrow. I didn’t get them out of the oven earlier enough though. I just am no good at cookies – they are either biscuits or soggy. Anyway, they are edible. Bb helped with the end of the cookies, having woken up. She mostly ate the choc chips, but did wodge some of them in. We have been using the great big solid balance scales, which are rather lovely, in oz! SO SB adding, doubling etc like mad all by herself.

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We have posted out the early years HE cards at last – sorry everyone. I still have my own cards to do.

bit of relaxing with the yoga DVD, SB definitely getting much better at it, and then more general mayhem. lots of singing carols – i quite liked BB’s jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells my legions [to the bring me back tune - rofl] Bit of ad hoc talking around the chinese calendar from the restaurant, and the years of thing. Chris and I are apparently totally incompatible! I have promised to celebrate the chinese new year.

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Dinner and now bath. How does the day go so quickly? we were supposed to be making yoghurt pot bells for the Xmas tree? AH, wailing from upstairs – shall I see what Chris is doing?? [it sounds like SB is saying BB bit her nipple? def one for chris to handle]

One day in History – Chris

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?