Category Archives: SB-PE

bliggety blog

Posted on March 10, 2008 by | Leave a comment

i just can’t think of titles!

So, we have had a fun day today. i have decided i really like sitting and crafting or sciencing with the girls, with a easy divisible or multilevel task! SO thats what we have mostly done today. I would love to play the board games, but BB not so helpful – though i am encouraging playing as a team, she gets bored and then destructive! best saved for post her bedtime.

so SB whipped through maths and handwriting, and there was painting of the airdrying clay [after i had glued bits back together again!]. i sorted out seeds, and SB and BB chose what they would like to plant as well. do you know, I have a bit of a blank! SB read her stories from scotland book that she got as a present from Melrose, BB sort of played operation. they both fiddled about with continuo.

After lunch we got out a science book on growing, and the girls, very enthusiastically, wanted to do every single one! We haven’t, but i have found most of the ingredients, and we have started lots of them off. we have beans in jars – of course! some of which we are going to turn upside down when sprouted, we have sunflower seeds that are dry, just right and drowned, we have mustard seeds in  the sun, the dark and the fridge. we have strawberries ready to plant, and carrot tops. and we plan to do the dye thing with a white flower. we did a rather exciting yeast experiment. too bad we haven’t got a working microscope.

SB went off to ballet, and BB and I went into the garden and dug some soil, looked at flowers, and generally nattered and chattered between rainfalls. we then made some more cheese scones for SB to have between ballet and swimming. I took SB to swimming, and she really is coming along in her strokes – they are recognizable now, and she tries really hard. She is by no means the strongest swimmer there – all the others at the present are lads who are possibly a bit older. It doesn’t put her off, and I am v impressed with the coach. SHe does need new goggles though.

Home, tea and BB to bed. SB digicoloured i think with chris. What we didn’t do today – music practice!! and BB was more waily and tantrummy as well.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean's HE, Cooking, Dance/drama, daubing and making, gardening, General, literacy, numeracy, SB-PE, science, Stringbean's HE, writing

nots and tots

Posted on March 6, 2008 by | 5 comments

i just liked that name of the group that SB went to today, already blobged elsewhere! BB went to her playgroup, which she does v much lie. SB went to n&t to do some french, not finish making a roman sandal and discuss hadrians wall. she enjoyed it, and didn’t moan to me there had been no latin (edit – ah, but she did mention the lack of it at N&Ts). might have been my fault as i told her to be careful to remember it all as we hadn’t been for so long! I was left at home, and we will draw a veil over why i was too sick for work…

on their return, they were all ravenous, and sb ate 3 oranges – so multivits and body shop cocoa butter lip slave must have done the trick for the angular stomatitis then! BB immediately got back into her skates – which she totally adores, and skated about. SB and I did a violin practice [with me sitll lying on couch!] and then she skated off too. they all went out for a good skate about in the sun with chris.

BB did some singapore earlybird, and SB singapore2A. Then SB dived into the pile of books we had picked up from nots and tots, and really bookwormed her way through the rest of the day. BB and I read some books together as well. BB and SB both had a short recorder session – I am trying to instill that recorders can make music as well as shrill shrieks. And yes em, i do remember you saying they should explore the noises, but shrill shrieks are killing me!!
The girls did a final bit of skating on a walk with Chris before tea, BB was cream crackered so I then took her off to bed, and Chris and SB started a huge k’nex edifice – a space needle, to find some bits missing right at the end. this is from the k’nex given on monday, so we haven’t had chance to lose them yet, so chris is going to write and complain!

I am feeling very fatigued, but not particularly v, so hopefully things on the up. have watched 2 episodes of damages – which i really enjoy, we are heading to the denouement at juggernaut crash speed. excellent.

i have put piccie possible ideas in a set on flickr, i need to work out what i actually want i guess!

Edit- added by Chris

BB had a bit of a strop when we got to playgroup. She stayed today for lunch for the first time (gives us a bit more time before we have to pick here up if we are out), excited to be taking her lunch in her Thomas the Tank Engine lunchbox. But they are supposed to be put in the kitchen and anything requiring refrigeration put in the fridge. she was not pleased to have to give up her box :-) Of course being BB, she wasn’t that interested in eating her lunch it seems. she said she got grumpy because they wanted her to eat her sandwich – and when BB doesn’t want to do something she can be grumpy ;-) I had meant to say to them to not worry about what she eats of her lunch. So. after getting grumpy, she then fell  asleep so I arrived to find her zonked out on the table :-)

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Posted in Butterbean's HE, early maths skills, General, history, language, literacy, music, noises and sounds, numeracy, pre reading, SB-PE, socialisation, Stringbean's HE

A day at peace

Posted on March 5, 2008 by | Leave a comment

well, no, but certainly more peaceful than the last 2!

quick catchup for chris

Mon – Sports group [SB considering trying the older group now], Nana and grandad dropped off SB’s present – a HUGE tub of k’nex [SB v happy!] ballet and swimming. SB has conquered her fear of the deep, so the inline skates are hers!

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Tues – piano practice, maths 2A [multiplying] library visit am [crafts and book reading], BB in playgroup pm [chris and SB tend to stay for first 30 mins and then she's happy] SB did a fairy craft kit whilst she was there. SB also did some education city – apparently it is now all to easy for her. i am humming about paying to upgrade as she hasn’t done it for ages, but she might do at the right level. guess a side order trial on the cards!

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Today – well, part of the peace came from dividing and conquering! SB went with chris to a drama group – its a 4 session taster for the younger HE’ers in the area. [from the communication, I think the older group is at times 'a little uncontrolled' so not something that SB would enjoy!] The younger group is full of friends. She really enjoyed it.

BB’s morning was spent with me. we started making shapes with geomags, and the twizzlers – which she really liked. She then got out the pattern blocks and pages, so we spent a while there. She is really good at seeing which shapes will fit. painting next – lots of hand art too – as always! we then started to make olive and cheese scones for lunch, and SB and chris got back.

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both girls did some webland – SB is going through a making music phase. BB also did some poisson rouge, and was very excited that a new bit – an art gallery. We had scones and fruit for lunch – sb had 6!!!! [they were very yummy - and i use past tense advisedly!]. SB did a piano practice, and i haven’t done one with her for ages, but she has regularly played older pieces in the book. it seems to have done her confidence good, and now she is much more confident at reading the notes, and so moving the hads around on the keyboard. She then decided BB could have her skates. ‘if we wait until BB has been good, then she will have grown out of them’ fair enough! Though BB did say thankyou beautifully for us ‘boughting’ them. I do love language acquisition, and the variable past tense we get. SO a lot of wild skating ensued, no broken arms.

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SB did a violin practice – very good, and then BB did one too. SB went off to find a craft kit to do, and came back with the cambridge electronics kit. so we made circuits, played tunes and then did the flying disk – always a favourite. some more mad skating – getting wilder and wilder, and finally a calming down infront of pingu before tea and bed for bB, SB and i had a games session, including landlock, where she managed to put 4 gnomes together! i read her a chapter of ballet shoes – coming to the end – and she read me some of the fairy books.

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Chris went out to a meet and greet with LEA. said it was interesting, friendly and useful. doing those channels of communication thing, set up by 1 of our 2 not local groups!

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, Cooking, Dance/drama, daubing and making, early maths skills, General, literacy, music, noises and sounds, numeracy, SB-PE, science, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

bonfire

Posted on February 17, 2008 by | 4 comments

well, i had a lovely lie in [thanks love] and when i got up both girls were about to start some k’nex models. so BB and i made a dinodor/bird [4 legs plus wings, so a bit unorthodox!] with kids k’nex, and then we all helped make a ferris wheel with SB’s k’nex. I was really proud of how SB managed BB and found her a role and help. we all enjoyed doing it, and it worked! SB the project manager! SB then put various things on the ferris wheel in different places, saw how they slowed the motor or made the wheel wobbly – good hypothesis testing going on! BB played alot with an alphabet bus with me, looking for letters and numbers.

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Actually, i do love SB’s totally adoring attitude towards BB. She loves her totally unconditionally, always tries to excuse BB’s outrageous behaviour, and protect her from the consequences [mostly toys in cellar!] loves her, hugs her and incorporates her in loads of her activities. We had a tidy up and then a cafe game before lunch.

After lunch was swimming, would have gone better if chris hadn’t lost the back door keys. by the time he had found them, me and the girls had already gone swimming, the pool was full and wouldn’t let him in.

do you know i am fed up writing this, i have already written it once, for it not to get uploaded, followed chris instructions and lost the lot. so now grumpy. can’t be bothered to particulralry blog all the long swimming blog again. blah blah.

home, and the girls helped chris for a bit drag things to a bonfire and because it was cold both came in and did some painting, followed my watching raven [called raisin by BB] and magic school bus. BB did some numbers and colours match and sort with SB. Out to set fire to the bonfire and generally be pyromaniacs for a bit before coldness took over. we popped some jacket pots to cook as the fire was cooling down. they were yummy for tea!

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After tea we packed SB’s bags, as she is going to stay with my mum and dad for 4 days [sob!] SB read her inventions book – which she likes, and then we read ballet shoes at bedtime, and i left her reading the mummies at morning magic tree house book.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, daubing and making, early maths skills, gardening, General, history, literacy, pre reading, SB-PE, science, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

a tired day

Posted on February 13, 2008 by | Leave a comment

due to the lateness of the girls actually sleeping last night, there was a fiar bit of tired behaviour going on. SB was totally shattered all day, as she was found reading her books when we went to bed at 1am! oh, and i forgot to say i gave BB her first all round haricut on sunday rather than just a quick fringe cutting. She wanted me to cut enough off to make a birds nest, needless to say i didn’t!

So today I nipped quickly to the dentist – no probs – phew!! ANd returned to find SB doing her singapore maths, and BB watching magic school house. SB took ages on one of the questions, she knew the right answer, but couldn’t see how to work it out to that [i realised after she cried over me] its taking away across tens and hundreds. SHe also did some handwriting. We were going to do the propeller science kit, but instead she chose a dig out a dinosaur to do. BB made some more things out of the air drying clay. BB continued doing that for a bit whilst SB went off to her trampolining.

BB and i moved onto a bit of reading, including a fun number book to do a fair bit of counting and spotting the numbers with. SHe then did an alphabet jigsaw and some thomas the tank jigsaws. we did lots of hug and tickling games – BB is of the age of hug and tickle games! oh, and she asked to do a violin practice, so we had a play of open strings.
SB returned in a fragile mood, wanting to go swimming, bt no swimming slots suitable for us this pm. SO we did some violin, but abandoned it half way as everytime it wasn’t perfect she was crying. So we had had a lovely hug whilst chris made lunch and read a sir cumference book. After lunch we read the first story in our king arthur book, and also a french goodnight book. Still not feeling up to much, SB sat down in front of some roar back to back, whilst BB and I made carrot cake. hmm, the house has smelled rather lovely ever since. Chris has been still trying to sort out the veg patch during this. we might tame it yet!

SB came to enough to want to do the propeller kit after all. SHe and BB took one thing each, with me helping BB and SB pretty much unaided. it as simple and quick to do, and worked. [always important] . SO we obviously went and had a bath so we could try out SB’s boat – worked, and BB’s dragster worked far better in the water too. Both girls were far too splashy in the bath [i am worried re dining room ceiling!]. That seemed to seal both their energy levels, so some more vegging infront of the square box and an early night for both. think chris and i should try that early night thing too!

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Posted in Books, Butterbean's HE, Cooking, daubing and making, early maths skills, gardening, General, literacy, music, noises and sounds, numeracy, pre reading, SB-PE, science, Stringbean's HE, writing

bouncing, grooving and swimming

Posted on February 11, 2008 by | 7 comments

chris knows the initial bit of the day, as i got home mid afternoon. it involved shopping, and it involved going to the halfterm trampolining sessions at the local sports centre. SB and Chris also looked at a country file magazine set about UK animals and birds, and she also read gregs microscope again. BB is rather upset that she no longer goes to gym, so we might try again the gymtots type session.

When I got home, SB and i did some violin practice [ she is finding playing while i count v difficult - not sure how succesful the melrose music will be, but as long as it is fun...] and then opened my amazon box for the movin and groovin dvd! this is part of my try and get fit regime. I realised that i would only actually do it, if i did it with kids, and that my fitness level is at 0, so Jax’s choice of dirty dancing grt fit was never going to be in my league! once i had sent chris out for sniggering, it was much better. honestly, you would think i would get a bit of support – i do know how silly i must look! ANyway, we did half an hour, and SB was then tired, so not bad, and we hope to do this 3 times a week.

BB had been asleep and woke up for a bit of painting of her airdried clay dinodor balls, whilst SB did some maths. i took SB swimming, as we are gradually acclimatising her to the idea of changing on her own in the ladies. i was in there, but not helpful! i loved watching her swim, she puts a lot of effort in, but even the instructor looked dumbfounded at her doggy paddle /crawl arms paired with half breast stroke half butterfly legs!! she did survive a width with this though! There were only 2 of them today so they worked well, and the crawl visibly improved. I am v pleased with this instructor. SB also appears not bothered by the deep end thing anymore.

Home and we watched some TV, BB and i did a jigsaw and then some paper shredding! some fun and games with me singing a hornpipe faster and faster, and the girls dancing more and more wildly! SB has gone to bed with a worst witch book and a magic school house chapter book, to see if she enjoys them. [she gets through a book a night - thank goodness for the library!]

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Posted in Books, Butterbean, Dance/drama, daubing and making, General, literacy, music, numeracy, pre reading, SB-PE, science, Stringbean's HE

busy busy

Posted on February 4, 2008 by | Leave a comment

we had an out and about day today. HE sports session, which SB loves. we adults and bb chatted and socialised in the corridor. we then popped into the shopping centre to spend some xmas vouchers. we did well! SB and BB had fun in the ELC and Waterstones. SB and BB were impressed with buying a book in the bookstore rather than internet! We had lunch out at a place recommended by Bob before – good recommendation thanks! whilst at lunch bb refused to put on her shoes as they hurt. so we went to clarks and spent a huge amount reshodding the girls. ho humm.

so back, and SB ballet and swimming, and bB tiptapping on her hammer in pins toy. i am not totally convinced that giving bb a hammer and tacks is wise, but she has loved the toy. we also did some baking together. All watched the start of walking with beasts.

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Posted in Dance/drama, General, Out and About, SB-PE, socialisation

centreparcs

Posted on January 25, 2008 by | 6 comments

we had a lovely time at centreparcs, sharing an 8 person villa with making it up residents! both families were not at peak due to outside stresses and strains, but we had a fabulous time anyway. I have never been to centreparcs before, and would now thoroughly recommend it as a winter break – particularly with friends. We not only shared a villa with some, but were happily surprised to find another family there which we know, who’s daughter and ours has great fun playing together, and i enjoyed having other adults to tallk to as well.

We obviously spent a LOT of time in the pool complex, for 3 days we did a late morning across lunch and late afternoon swim [going for the least busy times] and on the middle and last days went for the long swim and lunch there option. i guess we pooled for about 4-5 hours a day. BB was absolutely ecstatic about her ‘swimming holiday’ it [I think] was absolutely what she had hoped for. She loved the swimming, progressed from wanting to hold on a bit, to wildly throwing herself into deep water [the salt pool shelf] and swimming back with her ring on. She has got faster and faster with her swimming, using a ring and doggy paddle. Just so confident in the water. she was very happy to dunk under the water, get absolutely soaked, pop under to pick up diving rings [within standing depth]. it was lovely to see. Sb also had a ball. She is a water baby anyway, far more comfortable swimming under the water than on top [though her stroke there improving] and fearless. she enjoyed the rapids, shoots and slides, waves and diving for rings, and just generally loved being in the water. She loved having friends there to play with as well. i liked the tubes and the hot salt pool best, though the ‘river nile’ [named by SB] was good beacuse we all pootled round that together. the rapids at night were good – in fact swimming outdoors at night was generally good, as something i haven’t had much opportunity to do. chris thought they should have some wilder shoots and rapids!

Other things – well, SB went to the roller disco, except there wasn’t any disco to it at all. however, she did get to try out inline skates and fall over a lot. She def wants some. Good, as i have bought her these for when she finishes her swimming term [i find it hard to believe my wildly confident girl of the last week needs a bribe for swimming bravery mind you!] Must get some padding for her! All children had fun at the playpark. SB was daring, and BB and I had fun. BB did lots of scootering everywhere, which she enjoyed, and SB cycled. we were actually one of the closest chalets to the complex [by luck] so I think SB was disappointed not a longer bike ride. However, it was much easier for the little ones coming back at nearly 8 after evening swim!

A fair bit of crafting was done in the tiny gaps of schedule! both Jax and I brought some craft kits to do, BB was mostly keen, making pompom things, and a pencil craft. Small painted his aeroplane, and SB and Big scoobied, drew and beaded. Big did some fantastic facepainting. [even if a nightmare to clean off!]. An assortment of games had been brought and were played. Sb and BB had broght lucie chat and the other french reading book, which we read a number of times, and big and small also seemed to like. SB had brought her music theory book – and even did some of it!! we adults fed, watered, read stories and provided intervention breaks as appropriate in the day, drank a modicum of wine at night whilst setting the world to rights, and also played scrabble [tim won twice, but it was a close thing. jax moaned about the lack of refreshing screens - rofl!]
So, last day, last swim and meal and home – to loads of yellow moon boxes – rofl. bought ‘a few things’ in the sale. oh and my new swimming costume!! [too late but never mind]. great break. real world submerged me now, but nice to breathe if only for a while.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, daubing and making, General, language, music, Out and About, SB-PE, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

Miserable monday

Posted on January 15, 2008 by | 5 comments

was somewhat hit by emotional and crap viral unwellness, feeling v sick and dizzy, stuffed up, and bleurgy. SO I didn’t go into work, and for once didn’t feel guilty [i am good at guilt] because i feel i have nothing left to give in botheredness, its already attributed. I read another lucie chat book to both girls, SB read to me about dinosaurs. they all then cycled off on a playdate and i collapsed in heap on sofa with duvet and tablets.

Much playing went on, and when they returned we had a violin practice. BB played katanimo and then then the ikea building things with screwdrivers etc- think it was bjgga or somesuch nonsense. SB made some shapes with polyhedrons – she was seeing how many she could do and we talked about their names. She found the theory made easy book one very easy, and enjoyed racing through until I said enough!
SB then has her ballet and swimming run. Very proud of her for doing all the swimming today, as she has been very worried. BB and i watched bob the builder, did bob the builder jigsaws and played mother and baby games. on SB’s return we read radius and the king of angleland all together, with BB doing actions with papo people- cute! SB then had a thought about angles.

lots of bedtime stories, but she is still frightened of aliens.

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Posted in Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, cute, Dance/drama, daubing and making, early maths skills, General, language, literacy, music, numeracy, pre reading, SB-PE, socialisation, Stringbean's HE

we’ve done the christmas cards

Posted on December 3, 2007 by | Leave a comment

totally amazing isn’t it! well, when I say done, we obviously haven’t written in them, addressed and stamped envelopes and sent them off, that will take another 2 weeks! No, we have finished the artwork. when i came home I did stamping with B then with SB and after she came back from swimming, and a final glitter fest! Sb has mostly been at the home ed sports session, and then went to the park afterwards. SO a very fit day for her today!

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When we were at home, I was going to do a piano session, but the fgirls were playing so fantastically with the bob duplo together, that I just enjoyed it with them.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean's HE, daubing and making, General, literacy, SB-PE, Stringbean's HE