Category Archives: science

Totally devoted to you

hmm, well glad to come home from work yesterday as certainly earnt my keep. Nice that SB still awake when i got home. Nicer still that BB didn’t wake up all night.

So to today, SB started the day with an early CBeebies fix. BB and me had a roistering marmalisation session in the bed. She bounding all over me to make sure I was fully awake, having a good tickle and giggle – a good way to wake up!

So, we started off with breakfast and reading baba yaga and the new zealand story form usbornes stories from around the world. brekkie over and some messing about with lego for both the girls.

SB keen to do the final tesco science tube thing I bought a while back, so we settled down to that. She likes ‘speriments. First we did was the best. We put 15 coppers in a bowl and tipped salt on top [it said sprinkle, SB somewhat enthusiastic] and the cover completely with vinegar. it has to be the absolutely quickest way to get coins clean. I hope someone is doing the chemical equations int heir head, cos they’re not given in the bumpf -which would be a negative. Afer 20 mins add shiny iron nail and watch it copper plate. [except we left it a bit longer, and other reactions seemed to happen]. we did the volcano one a number of times, a number of different surface tension experiments. This had great easy experiments, but no real explanations.

SB then did some explode the code whilst i settled BB off to sleep. We had a bit of a treat in sarnies from the bakery accross from us – yummy! After that SB started on her sewing a foam bag kit she got for birthday. She got the hang instantly – considering we have never done swing before, and it was soon ready for the key ingredient – sticking!

BB woke up while she did this, so we had a good play, lots with the cooker, lego and she’s really attached to the ‘thats not my monster’ book from the library, so we read it alot. She is very good at shouting mummy and Daddy, a reasonable bye bye and ook. When SB’s sticking got far too interesting, we went and watched Chris pruning the grape [rather late]. BB thought the leaves dropping were rather lovely, and had a great poddle about. SB finished her sticking – it is certainly a decorative bag, so also came into the conservatory to help with the pruning.

After a bit of a fuss, she did some of the msising writing bits in the explode the code, and whizzed through some singapore maths 1a simple addition and subtraction. I think she has grasped this so well that we shall just nip on to the next section on ordinal numbers, not doing any of the practice unless we hit a bit that takes some thinking about. in our mental maths mess about, we are doing multiplying in 2, 3 and 5 [though not to great numbers, 2 and 3 to 12, and 5 to 20] and also sharing numbers 12 and less in 2,3,4. So I think we should try and get the two areas nearer together! SB has decided she wants to be on the same books as Maddy, so they can do it togeether [does this sound like homeschooling to anyone?]
She remembered we hadn’t done 2 of the experiments, so we did those, and then after she went on and on about a website we used to do, I realised it was education city, so got a trial and she got stuck in. I read BB more books, and she moved my finger over all the textured bits – cute! She also had a great play with the hammer it shape sorter. My fingers have recovered!

by dinner time, we were all tired. TBH, I could have done with a restful day, but really enjoyed being full on and there, as with recent jaunts have felt more part time than normal. Since we missed pancake day yesterday, we did it today. Sb had sundae day, as she doesn’t like pancakes – possibly more sprinkles than icecream though! We vaguely did the religion. BB ate anything offered.

After her bath, I had promised SB a game, and she chose 3D snakes and ladders [fantastic!] Unfortunately I won fairly instantly having gone up the long ladder, so we had a rematch and I lost. Angelina ballerina stories and a Winnie the pooh CD and all was quiet! Chris settles BB with a bottle when I read SB stories, so alternate nights BB sleeps without a night feed – a bit wierd for me I must say, but she is happy, so I guess weaning has begun.

oh, and aaarrrghhh to the apprentice. I think even I could have done a better job

When can it be bedtime?

Well, we did the experiment at lunchtime, and have just reviewed the results after tea. rather unsurprisingly, vinegar, diet coke and brown sauce made the shiniest coins. red wine made one of the [a canadian one] shiny, and the other [english] not. milk and bicarb made no difference. So we went back to teeth and looking after them.

which will make the coins the shiniest?IMG 3299

In the afternoon, SB did another heart sticker thing for valentines day and rather a lot of jump ahead maths. We had a peer at the crystal experiment. The stones are still floating, and very little on them, but obviously a nice crystal growing on a preciptate on the bottom! So will be a success ater all.
reviewing crystal experiment IMG 3245

I took my eye off the banana loaf, so it is a bit overdone – not too dreadful though! She and chris picked up her library books from the library, and so we had a readathon! The afternoon was finished with her ballet class, and she and chris cycled there and back on the tandem.

of course massive wailing to actually get her out of the house on time. How is it that my teeth can grit so hard, and yet i manage to get words out? i am trying not to shout with frustration, but am aware that both of us need to perhaps work a bit on our tone not sounding so violent as well! It would help if she could, for once, just do something without lots of i’m justs, walking off, and sundry other delaying tactics. She does actually want to go though. i think the fact that we had yet another broken nights sleep doesn’t help any of us really.

BB has done lots of dolly loving – i’m sure she is nearly saying baby. Also playing with this metal car she has taken a fancy too – and doing a brr kind of sound with it. She has also dived head first off the sofa. Didn’t cry though – is that more worrying?? oh, and lots of dance mat moves! i like the twirl around [in slo mo] move she now has too.

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Both girls ate the stirfry nicely – well done particularly for SB as she’s not keen on peppers, cashews or courgettes, and they were all included, though I made sure she mostly had brocolli and tofu. And before that, she had tidied her bedroom as well. So she really is a helpful girl, just at her own pace not ours!

There is wailing upstairs at the bath. So i’ve had ooh, 9 mins on my own!! Other plus of the day, was my argument with Catipol1 about bank chrages, whih they took off – after a concerted discussion with someone more senior.

These are just some other photos I liked
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And then we had lunch….

so far today lots of baking, made a sponge for SB and Maddy’s birthday cake – dairy free as well – so that children and adults at party can have choice of carrot cake or sponge. will decorate later. We have also made a banana cake- again dairy free, and without the nuts – for Melrose. SB very excited by the cakes today as she got to use the kenwood mixer.

We had a discussion why she can’t have diet coke, and why shouldn’t – so have set up a coin in the coke experiment! might stick some in vinegar and some in bicarb of soda, some in fizzy water an some in milk as well, so we can look and see what happens. [in fact SB keen to do that, so will press publish and do!]

We have then done 4 pages of explode the code. Very easily as well. As BB so taken by dolls, i have bought a really cheap little one from Tescos [I love tescos!] and she has been trolling around with that today. Also she has danced for us on the dance mat, and had fun making me link the maths cubes and pulling them apart again.

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anyway, must be off to set up experiment and then make lunch!

Where is that seller of peace and quiet when you need him?

I am in desperate need of some, as is Chris.

both girls gave us an appalling evening, and the night was made perfect by Sb doing a very uncharacteristic wee in our bed – mostly over Chris! So we have started the day in sleep-debt mode. the girls, being also short of sleep have been particularly loud.

Another bad start to the day was that the library is shut, so no picking up library books – cue an inordinate amount of wailing!

So we begin, with a mad dash into town and then sight tests for 3 – just under 2 hours worth!! Actually both girls were very good. SB doesn’t need glasses, but was obviously under the inpression that the optometrist was deaf, as she bellowed out the letters. i shew particularly good coordination by bf BB through part of my test! Outcome is that my eyes minimally worsened, so can keep present specs, though they are showing quite a bit of scratching [that will be keeping them then!]. Chris is getting old – as starting to be borderline for reading glasses – eek! While i had my test, SB drew a lovely picture of a house with our 2 cats, and wrote miaow 2ce. once forwards, and once in true mirror writing. Again she can’t tell the difference??

Nipped round town to get some more paints, and a god-awful photo to go in passport application [only lost the thing in sept, and had no driving licence since may!] And shed loads of apricots and sultanas for the morrocan wotsit I have agreed to cook at Melrose. I’ll have to whizzle them up at home and stuff in the fridge.

Home for lunch. SB still doing the addition pages of Singapore maths 1a. We read a couple of red nose readers, and then planted an avocado stone and some lemon pips. The conservatory was gloriously hot, so that will help the aubergines. about 2/3 germinated at best. The broad beans have romped whilst i wasn’t looking and outgrown propagator, and some blackening of tips, so fingers crossed for survival!

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oh well! Chris and SB went to the bottle bank with all our glass – nicely following on from today’s webland extravaganza, where she was most interested in the recycle bit. She seems to think if we had zips we could turn our plastic into jumpers though – hmm!

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BB has a bit of a love affair with baby dolls at the moment, as is being quite gorgeous with the loving.

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She is also getting more and more interested in ‘making marks with purpose!’

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When they returned from the recycling bank, SB wanted a grape feast, so we harvested the last of the grapes, sat in the rather lovely conservatory and I read her 2 more just so stories. We both really love these, and the language just rolls off the tongue [mellifluous!].

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BB and Chris filled up the bird feeders, and had a bit of a troll around the garden. We haven’t got the pond netting up, so had a bit of a panic about that! MUST DO! I met someone just last week who lost her firstborn to a pond accident. So no excuses hey.

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It was jolly cold out, so we have all warmed up with prolonged dance mat excercises! They are great fun. Even BB thinks they are great – in fact it was her who insisted it was got out. BB and SB have played together a fair bit today as well – lots of chase and noisy games, lovely to see. I was a bit worried about there being a large age gap, but they both seem to love each other greatly anyway.

As the evening has gone on, the decibel level has ramped up, and the silliness quotient, so Chris and I both frazzled now. they are both down from their bath, and it sounds like we have a schoolfull. I need to make a sponge, and I might try a banana and walnut loaf for melrose [sorry Katy!

giving up on baking due to unruly – or at least unsleepy little ones.

Have however looked at romans and vision!

Vegan cakes and alum crystals

luckilly not in the same mixing bowls. oh, and by the way, I have popped the Tate Modern photos on the blog and on flickr

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SB and BB did the library crafts thing with Chris in the morning, and made hearts, the theme was valentines’s day. Unfortunately, they left the bookbag and new books there – cue much wailing, and only realised after library shut. So must go fetch tomorrow. luckilly the mudpud book bag is somewhat distinctive! Anyway, before lunch she whipped through 4 pages of explode the code without any difficulties [though I had to explain what a mutt was], and we went on a read a red nose reader, and the first of the letts active readers ‘ratman and the big cat’.

Whilst there, she ‘buyed’ a my little ponies video, we had a chat as she noticed I ‘bought’ so we might not hear buyed much longer. We then watched it. It was a little bit frightening TBH, and a very odd storyline [even if I was only half watching, with the guardian in the other hand!] about stolen shadows.

We were both relieved when it finished – though possibly different reasons! And decided to make carrot cake. No carrots – so chris sent out, and instead we started a crystal from tescos testtube crystals kit. Nice simple kit, and for just under ?3. Aluminium, so we had a good discussion about safety, washing hands etc etc before starting, and mixed it all well. the ‘stones’ appear to be plastic, and you have to sandpaper them to key them. The main problem though, si that they don’t sink!!! Not sure how this experiment is going to work with floating stones! Especially since we have one on string – which is also floating on the surface. If I bought the kit again, I think I would use garden stones instead. Interestingly, they suggest you put in food colouring to make the crytals cool colours. Obviously haven’t done that this time, but will def go for it another time. Anyway, thats 2 different tescos testtubes that are fun. Have 1 more to try.

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Carrot man returned [oh, BB is asleep during this btw!] and we made an adapted recipe vegan carrot cake - hopefully it will be fine. one for Melrose, and one for saturday. [ps, they are being frozen, so won't be stale] Do any of the children other than mine like carrot cake? Otherwise can make a sponge too for sat. Then cakes for children and adults.

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We also did lots of mental subtraction and addition. though the sums SB gives me are sometimes quite unusual – in the dame slap style! Started the origami kit she got at the tate modern, neede Chris’s assistance with the instructions though!

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SB then did some starfall while I played with BB. Mostly peekaboo and pop-up animals. BB most put out though when got left behind and SB and Chris went to her swimming lesson. i made a curry [incredible mild] for tea. BB and I did more messing about together. It is nice to be able to give her undiluted attention. SB is getting better at letting me do this without taking over, but I suffer from parent-not-at-home-enough-guilt when we do it. Silly really, as SB gets all that time when BB asleep to herself.

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This evening we have read a couple of just so stories, and about henry the 8th, Mary and edward in the tudors -history of britain. SB dissappointed that didn’t get to elizabeth, so will read that when she has finished her bath.

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01/02/06

HE: muffins, fingerprints, explode the code, sticker time book, fuzzy felt, dance mat, action songs, assorted library books, seeds grown and snowdrops, hama starfall first 3 books, cbeebies, bbc jam St David in britannia book and Thors hammer and the ivory Wand from Usborne Stories from around the world.

guess it was very educational, but was fun too. Hama flower and hama patterns started the day with breakfast [in the middle I went out to get antibiotics for raging sinusitis - and feel much better for them]

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IMG 2969?IMG 2976 edited-3??Did some sticker story books and time books – not much though, as I was playing with BB, and SB not feeling entirely autonomous! Read 3 library books and then played skittles and catch, and then when BB fell asleep made some muffins – choc chip of course. While lunch finishing, SB whipped through 4 pages explode the code – I think she rather enjoys this now.

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After lunch we did one of those tescos science test-tube kits on fingerprinting. Cheap and chearful, and yes, could be replicated for near as dammit free, but we enjoyed getting it out of its testtube!! So we made and lifted fingerprints and talked about them non-stop for quite a time, BB woke up and ate muffins.

IMG 2991?We made muffins

in the afternoon, we decided to try and play all together mostly – so with the dancemat, doing action songs and with the baby dolls – BB really getting into hugging and loving the baby now. We checked on our germinated aubergines and broad beans, and looked at the snowdrops and cyclamen in the garden.

yeah, they should have been in roottrainers!?

As the late afternoon arose, and the wail quotient increased, SB sat down and did the first 3 starfall books back to back without a hitch. The plugged away at cbeebies – with Chris in attendence. Noticing a link to BBC jam in UKHE early years [or whatever its proper title is] we had a scout around, but not played with it much yet.

After bath a bit of a book marathon! BB asleep, and Chris putting SB to bed. I plan to turn in early too.

Ed over the weekend

i know, but it is a home ed blog, and I like to see what we have done!

B4 the randrops we did some explode the code, and also looked at the DK a street through time [fabulous book!]. SB read a red nose reader.

Whilst the raindrops were here, we read a book about the human body, and had a quiz on it, and used the steth to listen to heart and lungs. Did a bit on healthy eating as well.

Whirl of a weekend

katy and B arrived for the weekend friday lunchtime, which was great. we were disorganised as usual and grabbed the little beans from nursery. Cue the girls disappearing smartish! SB gave a guided tour which involved redressng both of them as princesses and off they went. Much, much later on the resurfaced to listen to the twelfth night story from while the bear sleeps and some apple tree farm books.

A few other standoffs were eased with colouring,games: hungry hippos and don’t wake dad, but actually they got on extremely well, and the standoffs were low key affairs. What amazed me totally was that after an exceptionally rowdy baths they had fallen asleep by 9.30 – what a result! It gave me and Katy plenty of time to natter, discuss wish lists etc etc.

Next day – to our shame, Katy was up first to accept a parcel before either of us had surfaced. In our defence it was cos BB had been absolutely appalling at sleeping! however, it was our seed order = hooray! SB and I pored over the packets, and she decided which were her favourites – in particular the popcorn sweetcorn!

big girls ran around, and BB pootled at our side being adorable. She is definately saying an approximation of look -ook, and pointing at the same time. SHe is a very inquisitve girl, and loves pressing buttons, and also the wacky wiggler cogs. her dancing also improving, with bobs down as well as wiggles, swaying and head shakes! quite the mover and groover. She was also doing lots of drawing – at one point joining in with the big girls – and this was great! Funnily, B kept calling BB ‘Small’ [from making it up] for the first evening.

After lunch the big girls made carrot cake with me, with all the labour absolutely divided equally – I do love using cups! Amazingly it rose as well!!! i must finally be getting this cake making busines [Merry, I need a prairie muffin badge before I ruin it!]. They did some Hama whilst it was cooking and then iced the cake [rofl - would you like some cake with that icing?] and ‘decorated’ it with sprinklies. At some point the playdough came out too.

What else? well, more demonstration of their imaginations, a start at a wacky wigglers robot, hide and seek, excellent 10 number bonds with hungry hippos [ha ha] and some attempt at the 5 times table using all the hands available [maths then!], a show performed by the light of some of the wackly wigglers for us too. Lots of singing of christmas carols in particular.

they went to bed eaily enough but not straight to sleep, they weren’t particularly noisy, but certainly shattered the next day. BB not quite so awful at night – thankfully. Poor katy, spending her weekend with zombies in a shambolic chateau!

Next day SB voluntarily got out explode the code – amazing!! Though she did tell B it was boring. We finished the wacky wiggler, and then did Yoga for children – as Katy had brought the DVD. Thanks Katy, just what i was after! Lunch, some violin playing and the home time. SB was gutted when they left to go home, and wished they lived next door. A few melting moments due to extreme shatteredness! I had a great time nattering as well, so a succesful visit, and looking forward to seeing katy and family in feb.

After they had gone we unwound, did some explode the code, lots and lots of painting, read loads of books together – SB remembered she hadn’t had her 12th night present, so we did today as 12th night read the story again, and got the little token present to go with the story. [another dressing up dress 2nd hand from ebay]

she has had lots of bumps and accidents, so ether drop down exhausted or expecting a growth spurt. BB ecstatic that SB playing with her again, especially when she read BB 2 of her books. Both have been lovely and cuddly this evening. BB coughing at rattling a lot though, so have given her some ventolin that gp gave us a while back but wasn’t sure whether to or not. hmm, wait and see.

howdy helen

honestly, this is the new wordpress and so far dont like all the blue, and the howdy helen nonsense – grumble grumble!

well after the great tax news the beans came back from nursery.

SB got stuck straight in with the wacky wigglers to make something for BB. My friend Liz from work popped by on her way home and stayed for tea – very nice – so SB enticed her into playing don’t wake dad. She also wrote Liz a thankyou letter and gave her a picture. Also made us giggle by her sp-ell -in-g t-al-k, a bit like a dalek on an off day! BB doing her very noisy giggle and just being adorable.

Went to bed with no fuss. We are looking at getting her a few more story cd’s as she is prob a bit bored with hers. There are some young classics greek myths, and also perhaps the barefoot story tree one. I also wondered about the E Nesbit ‘however many children and it’. In my dim recollection it seems to be spanning the faraway tree to the secret 7 gap? Are you the expert here Merry?

Also, Mistakenly, looked at the book people and caved in to buy angelina ballerina set for her birthday. she wanted it every time she saw the catalogue, and books are good value here. And a readers series. oops.

Think we will opt for john lewis pans as they are essentially free as we have vouchers, and after seeds and book people order…

Looking forward to blogbumping tomorrow- i am afraid Katy that decs likely to stay up past twelfth night at this rate.

Oh, and rather annoyingly, I have my first kakuro failure! I finished grid, and last number entered is wrong – ie a 7 for the across or a 6 for the down. So i chased it back, but haven’t found out where to change to get it right. So annoyingly will have to wait for the guardian answer for number 080 to see where I went wrong

what we should grow'exeter maths'SB's card for usBB's card for us

relapse…

…mostly as i have a migraine, and it becomes quite clear that my children are far more charming when I am being charming!

Anyway, still had a reasonable day, but I had to work quite hard at it. Chris had made a wacky wiggler with SB – this was and ace pressie! And also jointly they read some apple tree farm books.

Me and SB did morefiddling with the wacky wiggler to make something for BB, as she is very interested in cogs/wheels etc.

SB then got out the sonlight word bingo game instead of a match and sort book [AKA explode the code], so we did the blends and the words. she was actually better at the words. I think she really isn’t a phonics girl – reading out the word with wild guesswork seems more her thing! She got a bit stroppy as I got 3 bingo’s before her, but what can you do?

At lunch I did a kakuro game, i usually do sudoko with SB, as she likes doing it with me – i spot what to do, and then say things like the number 1 in that big box, and she will work out which of the 9 it goes in. She is gettin rather good. I thought I could do the kakuro in peace and quiet, but not really. They’re not that diffiuclt, but require more addition and number pattern skills than SB has, so I wrote out the strings and pointed out why 3 in 2 boxes has to be 1,2 ; 17 in 2 boxes has to be 9,8; 6 in three boxes has to be 1,2,3 and 24 in 3 boxes has to be 9,8,7. She got these patterns but i had to do a bit of explaining over the other fixed strings [3,1: 4,2,1 etc] so got in some number bond practice and why maths is still interesting to adults, as well as then the logic in putting them in the boxes and her writing in the numbers. She stuck it for the easy bonds and the first 4 or 5 where deduction used – so not bad on concentration really.

After lunch whilst BB slept we did giant shape snap, read some usborne stories from around the world. BB didn’t sleep long, so we got the lego out for the rest of the afternoon. they mostly played together. BB and I read some of her board books, and i trimmed her fringe slightly. [first trim!]. So a bit low key really!

We did, however, manage to do some piano – which Sb and I had agreed on, and she asked for. We did patterns of keys and their names, and then mouse-walked up and down thumb to 4th finger trying to keep our hands flat [didn't have a rubber] from middle C. we searched for all the A and D’s as well. Finished with this is c middle c from gbdf and ace. After this she played on a mini keyboard making and recording tunes. BB did quite a good dance and jig, clapping her hands, so SB felt very proud.

I have just put in the tea – unispired at chips quiche and sprouts! [I have a migraine!], and suggested to chris i needed P and Q. He is reading some of the usborne greek myths – prometheus and pandora so far. Drives me wild, as he is tired, so is being an exaggerated tony blair – seems like hours gap every few words! BB is playing with the click clack caterpillar – excellent present from aunty shaula.

Merry, did you want us to jot down the weird tangents we spin down with these stories for your puddleside curriculum? or are you not planning to have some FIAR type suggestions? i know the idea is to follow where child leads [and that is what we do] but wondered whether a one liner would be good?

btw, I think i may have to take over as Chris mixing heracles with hercules to get heracules and driving me up the wall! does he do this on purpose? Sb correcting his pronounciation of tiryns [go girl!] and cross referencing to our other book where there are pictures. She *really* loves these books [maybe cos i do too?]. She is now correcting the book, as the hydra grew 2 more heads, and it only says 1 [rofl rofl]

Feeling better as tablets kicking in. Sb requesting i take over. Will see you later with my ponderings on socialisation and group joining in!