DSCF0536, originally uploaded by Scrumbledelicious.
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BB Busking, originally uploaded by Scrumbledelicious.
For a couple of years, the first Monday of the month has been a HE sports session, with sessions for younger and older kids, with the cut off age around 7-8. But the older session didn’t really get enough support anymore, so that has been dropped (just as SB has started doing them…..) . The re-jigged session now has Streetdance for older ones, followed by a younger ones sports session.
So it was off to that Monday morning. SB enjoyed the Streedance, BB enjoyed the sports, so that was good. SB has taken some stuf in her bag to potetially do after Streetdance, but mostly played outside the hall with some of the other kids, who she doesn’t really know so well as they ahve tending to do things aimed at the older kids. Not quite the normal attendees, so we didn’t have our usual playmates for a post sports park trip. I’d brought the bikes, so we went to the playground (busy as sunny and warm and the last day of school holidays by the looks of it for some kids) and then they cycled around the park paths. Where we discovered a little stream lake bit with some rather over fed ducks and geese who weren’t very interested some peanut butter sandwich leftovers.
Home, where SB did something of a booky nature (probably one of the VR or NVR books) before it was time to get ready and go out to Ballet. I managed to do passable pig tails in her hair.
Jax sent a fortuitous email that reminded me we were supposed to be going out on a trip the following day 
Tuesday
Was a HE trip to Ecotech, which was advertised across multiple East Anglian groups and so popular they there is a second one this week. It was a fair drive for us, but managed to get out pretty much on time (which was generous in terms of travel time). Combined with quicker journey than expected we even had enough time to pick up a few bits in the next door supermarket before joining the group.
After an intro, we split up, out group did an activity building model wind turbines first.
It was fun, though for an activity that they must run loads of times I felt it was not as well run as it could have been. Maybe he was a bit unsure of dealling with such an age range of children.
We tested and modified our various versions. The kids got to choose how they arranged the blades, Our first one didn’t work at all. I was an even pattern, though not with them eqully spread.
After a bit of reorganising and it worked:
THere was also a bit of fiddling about with the angle of attack of the blades with one of the other turbines. Bottom line was that the number of blades didn’t seem to make a lot of difference.
After this we had lunch (we had packed lunch, but the cafe seemed fine a reasonably priced)
After lunch we headed out side. Those seven and older could go up the inside of the turbine tower – 305 steps (the only one the public can go up it seems).
SB went up, BB wanted me too stay, even though there were plenty of people she knew staying down, so I didn’t.
So whilst SB was up the tower, we pottered around the bottom, looked around the organic veg garden, where the kids all got Rhurbarb leaves, BB’s lasted about 10 mins before she had mangled it too much. Waved at those up in the tower, a sat in the shade in the Willow den.
They finished up with a session on recycling, but we had to head off to get back.
We made it nicely in time. BB has started doing a Little Dribblers football skills course at the sports centre, which she was very excited about (after years of traipsing around after SB she is pleased to be doing her own things now.. Once the instructor realised that she didn’t really have much idea what she was doing, and wasn’t very good at listening to what she was supposed to do she was fine. It’s a 4-8 yo class, so a couple were they same age I’d guess as her, though a bit more skilled football wise 
She felt a little left out as they all their football kit, so that has been rectified via Ebay for next week. I do find it a bit of a shame that all these things get so gender differentiated so early. There was only one other girl there, probably 7-8 and obviously been playing football a bit. Can’t believe there aren’t more young girls who would like to have a go if offered.
Anyway, SB was pleased as she finally got to go and have something from the sports centre cafe, which BB has been doing whilst SB has her swiming lesson. SB watched a bit of BB, and then did some Getty and Dubay handwriting practice. Then me and BB waited whilst SB did her swimming.
Got home to find H already home (unusual for a Tuesday) and glad that dinner just needed warming up to be ready.
Thursday.
Was back to Tots and Nots which haven’t attended for a while due to the possibility of Chicken pox and needing to be careful becuase of family gatherings before and at Easter.SB did a long piano practice before we left, which made us a bit late. SB made a fold out thing showing how the Union Jack is made from the different flags for each country, BB made a shield and sword which she then used to run around chasing people with 
Both got to do some recorder lesson with Gina, SB did a little piano, then we had lunch there before heading off to another new thing.
A new ‘multisports’ session started up earlier in the year, the replace one that ran before for 8′s and up, seeing as the older sports has stopped on Monday, SB wanted to try this. Shame that it is right the other side of town, so we had to drive 20 mins to get there. SB enjoyed the session, played a bit of hockey, did some basketball skills, though we had to leave just as they were to start a game, to head off to another town for SB’s Gym class. (of course it’s back the way we had come…)
Friday
Was planning on not going anywhere, but realised we had something to take back to the Red Cross. Which sadly has temporarily moved from a 10 minute drive to a 30 minute drive. SB did some of her verbal reasoning book, and some music practice before we went out. We headed via a Citylink depot to pick up some Amazon parcels. Then over to the Red Cross. Since we were out and SB had been complaining of needing new trainers we went shoe shop hunting. Had feet measured in Clarks, of course in typical fashion they only had hardly any she liked in her size (one in fact, and that was one with the funny bit in the heel with a toy in which she doesn’t like). The sales assitant also seemed to have a problem accepting that she didn’t want anything too girly – most had too much pink or purple, or where excessivley ‘boy-ey’ red and black, shiney silver etc which she doesn’t like either. Can’t help thinking that a they need to arrange to have a better system – there have been a number of times we’ve not bought shoes there just becuase the available selection was so limited. Though I do see you can now order shoes on thre website to try on in store.
However, BB was pleased as she got some ‘Croc’ type foam Doodles there which she really loves.
Headed off home stopping in another town, where we found some reduced price trainers in Millets for SB, and some Sandals in the cheapy shoe shop, didn’t find any suitable Crocs though.
Home where they sat and read various books from the Amazon Order before dinner.
We’ve had a few car conversations on the way to various places. SB heard and advert for the National Lottery, so we had a discussion about how that worked, why you were unlikley to win the jaclpot and what she would spend £6 million on. An expensive trampoline and a dog apparently to start with. Also somehow got onto what happens to all the male chicks and chickens that aren’t needed.
Enomous was Butterbean word of the day. We had an ‘enormous poopy’ when I changed her nappy , and we had an ‘Enormous Orange’ at lunch time, and a couple of othe ‘enormous-es’, which i’ve forgotten exactly what they were. Quite amusing listening to her say it really.
Other than that, I seem to fell a lot at the moment that time slips through my fingers, without almost noticing, January seems to be rapisly approaching the end already, and the middle of the afternoon seems to appear where I imagine lunchtime at the very most should be resting comfortably.
So, today, me and BB were up first thing, but I let SB sleep in a bit as she had a busy weekend. But me and BB went and woke her up at someshere between 9 and 9.30 am.
Sleeping in itself doesn’t bother me exactly, but I think it’s probably one of the reasons she can’t always get to sleep (left to our own devices, both me and Helen are got to bed at 2 am,get up after 10 am sort of people anyway). also it tends to mean that the morning can be well on it’s way by the time she has faffed-breakfasted-faffed-dressed-brushed-faffed etc. We just seem to be missing out on a useful amount of time becuase of this. so there is plan to wake her up if she doesn’t get up anyway somewhere 8 – 8.30, with the aim to be ready for action an hour later.
So somehow the morning then evaporated, a bit of reading with SB, breakfast, a bit of magic painting for both of them, then getting dressed etc. – interspered with the normal domestic tasks, of washing up, sorting washing, a bit of tidying etc., before you new it it was getting near 12 and time to take BB to the docs. Of course docs appointment > chemist > home (probably a 5 minute walk at the most to do the circuit) at BB speed took a good 1/2 hour or more probably.
Lunch of left over soup, 1/2 hour of the little toe show and then settled SB down with a bit of maths (an exercise from a singapore Maths revision book) which moslty managed with no problem – though struggled with a subtracting 4 sequence in the 70-80′s range for some odd reason. But she spent probably getting on 1 1/2 – 2 hours doing it ! – Helen came back just as she was finishing it.
I took Bb back to docs for a jab, SB helped Helen finish of the Grape jelly she started at the weekend – with a bit of added redcurrant it has a lovley colour, and quick finger-dip tasted good. She also did some bits out of the SOTW activity book re the Romans, and Hannibal I think. Whilst tea was cooking, SB was sent off to tidy the playroom, she was somewhat hampered though, because BB was in their and kept demanding that SB do ‘Education city’ and ‘lola’ (cbeebies site) with her
We talked with SB about the idea of doing projects and would she like to do one. Not sure she really understands what a project might actually be though. anyway she said, animals, which we then narrowed down to Lions, so they piled up a few books with potential stuff about Lions in. Try to have a start on that tomorrow, see how it goes.
While I put BB to bed, Helen and SB did a bit more ello, as demonstrated here :
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We got given this by a friend of Little Nanny’s (Helen’s Nanny), as they didn’t want it anymore.
I love it, I could never go and buy such a wonderful piece of Christmas tackyness, but every time I see it it makes me smile.? Though I don’t get the butterflies.
It needs video, a photo would never do it justice
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A couple of days ago, Stringbean was sitting at the table, with Butterbean. SB was teaching BB about numbers. She wrote down the numbers on a piece of paper, and showed them to BB and went through them telling her they were numbers. Oddly BB seemed to take it in, when I pointed to words and numbers in a book, she said yes and no when asked if they were numbers at the appropriate points. Or was it just a fluke?
Other than that, what else, some more maths – she has done some MPH stuff on weighing and mass, and multiplication. We have eased off on Explode the Code, as it seems to be going ahead of her a bit now, so we are concentrating more on a bit more reading, seeing as she seems to have moved on to actually reading things. She picks up (very) simple books and can read them, and is reading all sorts of other things, so we think she might appriciate a bit more focus on it – we do have some books we have stashed away for her to read herself, so time probably to break out some of those.
Spent rather to much time yesterday morning watching kiddy TV, I got bogged down it fiddling with the wireless network. The wireless AP fell onto the floor and something inside got dislodged. Tracked that down and sorted that, but then got bogged down with getting it all up and running again. I hate wireless networking – it can work fine for ages, and then it decides to not work. And the AP struggles at times with all our solid walls etc. to give coverage over our house, at the moment it has been relocated until I can rejig the network wiring feeding the old box currently in the sitting room feeding downloaded stuff to the TV. so now if you wear the wrong shirt or something the wireless just gives up. Pah! And (while I’m at it) our ISP is giving us a pants ADSL service at the moment…..
She watched some of the Walking with Beasts DVD as well yesterday.
Today was library/storytime day. BB insistent that she take her Muddlepuddle bookbag with her – dragging it along behind her Afterwards, coffe, some reading of library books, lunch, BB and SB played for bit mostly making patterns with cuisenaire rods. My mum and dad came round, SB showed off her firefly costume, did some maths and then we headed off to the Puddle, where a very excited BB is going out Trick or Treating with Merry and the girls, followed by a sleepover – first time at someone else’s other than my parents. We are going over to pick her up tomorrow. All the girls were so excited, we were engulfed by a gaggle of noisy excited children (including an unsurprisingly naked Josie ) as soon as we got there, and they seemed to spend the next hour crashing noisly about the place
I got in touble for saying I was coming home and then spending and hour (oops…) drinking tea and chatting with Max though….
And here is our little Firefly. Would probably been better if we’d cleared the wooden train track out of the way first…..
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Monday and Tuesday felt like nothing days really regarding home ed, though there was some maths, a bit of explode the code, some bits of reading of various sorts, and probably other things, there is usually some colouring/drawing goign on most days at the moment. House has bit a right disaster zone lately (sounds familiar) – one of those situations when it gets such a mess it feels like so much effort to do something about it that you don’t. And it’s really getting in the way of doing home ed things. Which of course just makes you more fed up with it. Not helped by being out too much last week. This week we have been staying in a lot more, and no classes etc. so feeling a bit more relaxed about that as well.
So made an attack on that this week, my mum and dad came over on Tuesday to help things along (why are Mums so much more effiecent at this than us youngsters…?), and when Helen and the girls went to Little Nanny’s on Wed I satyed here, and as it rained, I worked on tidying upstairs. Our bedroom is nice and tidy again,which is always so much more relaxing.
Still more to do, esp. the utility room – sort out some more storage for HE craft/science stuff etc.. General crap and ‘stuff’ that just seems to collect around the place and paperwork etc.
Anyway, yesterday focussed on a bit more on education – Stringbean spent ages first thing drawing and colouring and picture card for Mummy. Spent a bit of time upstairs tidying Butterbean’s room, whilst the girls ‘helped’ – though moslty they played a game of climbing in the airing cupboard and shutting themselves in
After lunch, once BB was asleep for her nap, me and SB got out the Physics science kit, and had a go at that- we ended up building a little balloon powered car. Lacking a camera, we played with video camera instead, so we can inflict his on you I particularly like SB’s ‘TV presenter’ mode and her ‘blowing up a balloon’ song:
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