Petits Haricots

my cousin is getting married in the summer, we have had a really difficult few years, so blowing some savings… we are having 3 weeks in alberta, in edmonton, and a round trip through the rockies down through calgary to get to drumheller and back to edmonton. 2 weeks in motorhome and 1 week with family just daren’t look at credit card!! but oooooh exciting

I had my appraisal today, and tho not sparkling, as had such a difficult year last year, was at least a ‘pass’ tho with loads of plans i must adhere to to make sure that next year is sparkling. hopefully i might achieve some of them! I ddn’t sleep much last night worrying, and stressing. dh, bless him, went to tescos at ungodly o clock to let me print out the rest of the stuff this morning as the printer ran out last night, and now it has run out of colour!! Anyway, v short temporary breathe! I fiddled with some urgent work, and then took the aft at home to make up for losing last weds to work. [hoping that ok] . Have to say, the bing bang theory what is keeping me sane at the mo.

I picked up half the deepender children and joined DH for his first joint run K’nex session, which was fab . He is hopefully really pleased with how that went. He and a fellow home educator had hired a load of k’nex from STEM and he had printed off lots of info from various k’nex kits. It can be said that the children fell on it like ravening hordes and it was extremely successful. there was a bit of a 2 technique thing, most boys built cars/planes, most adults [and bb] followed some instructions, and A and SB made there own imaginative designs, and then A joined SB in making a bridge, as did Jfish and then P and in the end it nearly spanned the room How Cool! BB made most of a motorsed windmill from own design and then played outside. Great bring and share lunch and i took some of the bigger kids for a quick geocache – to the bemusement of 30 odd ppl waiting for the bus I said it was a kids clue hunt and some of them joined in looking! we found it after the bus had left however.

Dropped SB at ballet, BB did some dinosaur mosaic craft from baker ross and on her return SB did maths and galore park english as i had been a tad unimpressed since she had only managed recorder all morning. Hearing she was reading

as her bedtime story, and had been impressed she knew the early history reassured me that something is going in!! She has really enjoyed it. oh and the camera bit? DH forgot to bring it!

ok, ok, so i took some truly dreadful photos with iphone – it just doesn’t do good enough pics – tho that could be the way i use it

This week was a bit ticking over home ed i think. SO have to do a bit better next however, was a pretty busy one, and the end of the week was taken in making and crafting for second xmas with the inlaws. Daddybean made some fab preserves, SB some fudge and peppermint creams, and BB some choc for cousin A. I had a v busy end of work week really, and felt that i hadn’t touched base with kids/family since weds science is v ‘worky’ for me, with not much non teaching time, and then i rushed off to meetings, and thurs and fri were also late finishes Just struggling with an hours in the day deficit i think!

Anyway, yest off to celebrate xmas with daddybeans family. BB bit slow to ‘warm up’ really, and i think effected by lack of mummytime, so we did lots of cuddling. SB warmed up cousin A, so soon they were having a fab time. SB is so great with little children, prob cos of her caring and easygoing nature. SB pleased with her presents, and BB partic happy with a glow in the dark dinosaur jigsaw which she nearly completed before home time. A was v happy with the passing down of the leappad as well as a rubens barn doll. SO a lovely afternoon spent, and home with v tired girls who both fell asleep in the car

Sunday we had arranged to go geocaching with lecielrouge and their new dog skipper! [v brave of me as i am somewhat nervous of dogs ] Z smiled the marina man into letting us park and we set off. nice easy geocaches to find, with treasure to swap BB was Not In The Mood for walking – apparently she wanted to do a craft kit with me. if she had let me know we could have taken something with us to do at Z’s . Skipper was a bit of a nightmare for trying to race away, so sure z and w have pulled shoulders now .we had a moment of panic over getting onto busway, but all ok, and once on BB improved hugely. We found all the caches, one v v cleverly hidden, and we also dropped off our historyetc TB. We debated going to an off route cache, and today one of SB’s TB’s was placed in it! nice cup of tea revival at cafe at end before back to lecielrouge for v yummy curry kids then played various games including wii, whilst we played tcket to ride, american version. great day! BB wailed all the way home tho – pretty tired! so we snuggled before bedtime. My prep for appraisal has gone for a burton as run out of paper – eek!! sent everything to work, and hoping to print there, otherwise stuffed

This might be a short post as i have been v busy today and exhausted! So far this week the girls have done some home ed at home, ballet, swimming lessons, initially failed to get to the dentist due to a flat battery, but sb went today and he is v pleased with how her teeth are. She then rushed back to get to latinetc as doing some exciting reactions

Currently for latinetc we are using the following resources

Anyway, it was latinetc today, and for science we consolidated the types of reactions by doing 3 reactions we have done before. we made solution of copper sulphate in 2 test tubes, in one we put either aluminium foil or zinc nail, and in the other potassium hydroxide. the first being a displacement reaction and the second a double displacement [or exchange] reaction. we worked through what might have happened in the reaction, [ie copper not rust!] and what kind reaction it was, and also the relative reactivity of aluminium and zinc for ‘kicking out’ the copper. the final reaction was catalysing Hydrogen peroxide with manganese dioxide [with addition of washing up liquid to make it fun ] ie the decomposition reaction. I think we all had fun

It was all a bit back to back for me as I had to rush off, but z did some great art [SB is the ehart one, but not sure on BB] BB loved her recorder lesson and is v proud minimus and plays sounded good too. I know i don’t wrte much about the other bits, but that is because i am pretty much head down with science! I know the girls enjoy them tho, and have been particularly loving the art.

editied to add the montage of the great klee inspired art [thankyou z!]

I then had work until 8pm [in 2 diametrically opposed directons as well, so lots of driving] harrumph for days off!! but i did good galoka brought the girls home, BB to do loads of lego can’t remember what sb did. but both were up waiting for me when i wended weary way home, and we did story of the world with SB, ate dinner, rampaged kids nto bed, and now blogged.

bedtime! photos may follow

we have 2 very different children, and somedays throw that into sharp relief. Like yesterday really. We all got up late, and both girls started with dr who back episodes – so far so same, but then SB went on to do music theory , and BB got out her dk history explorer cdrom. BB then spent the majority of the day completing the whole thing. At least 4 hours i imagine. The cdrom itself was perfectly pitched for her. bitesize info, all read out, and stickers to collect, pictures to take etc. She worked her way round it very happily and was delighted to get the certificate at the end. Hving finished that she got her pocket microscope and peered at various bits and pieces through it, and shew me. Again all v happily nd pottery, with negligible parental input. i think maybe we should search out the cdroms we had for sb – jump ahead etc – and see if they take bb’s fancy, and see if can pick up others. I was just very impressed at the concentration power and her high happiness at doing these

SB did her music theory and recorder – though we have lost her recorder books so were playing fro the books her grade 1 pieces were in instead. we played blokus together, did some trampolining together and then she made some choc rice crispie cakes. All very happily and more convivial, with chatting and discussing and thinking

just 2 different girls doing home ed in 2 diff ways . we finished with victorian farm and a late bedtime. Another excitement of the day had been the la redoute sale things arriving, and so both girls had new pj’s for bedtime

today was again begun wth dr who, bb started the history again, but then decided to do ‘other things’ involving making a catapult with a stretchy skeleton to catapult fox and badger around the place SB did some of her geog explorer, with BB watching avidly, and then music theory and recorder and some rabbit care. i read to both of them some greek myths and legends – as one of my ‘things’ for new year is to get back nto habit of readng them ‘good’ stories not at bedtime [they still get their bedtime stories] and so nearly finished the usborne book of greek myths. SB v fond of greek myths and read many versions, and BB is also delighted with them. We then read the assyrians return bit of story of the world together and the making of the library at ninevah. SB and I played pictureka, with BB cheering us on, until a full glass of water over all the cards stopped play. am hoping they all dry out ok as completely drenched!

Daddybean has been out in the garden doing a bit of tidying up, and also we took down the majority of the xmas decs [yes, i know, v late!!] to go into hayloft. i got a birthday pressie from BB. SHe had bought it at centerparcs but just couldn’t wait so now the conservatory has another windchime, and v beautiful it is the girls didn’t really enjoy the geology prog with tea, tho i did, and bedtime has occcurred. Must get ready for work tomorrow. a v busy week ahead.

we went to centerparcs, which has become a fixture in our calendar, with friends. we were sharing with jax and family at making it up, for the last year, as there will be too many of us for a chalet next time, but we have had fun and will meet still in the pool.

We got there in good time, considering i have been so ill, and on the day had about enough energy to get to car! and then just bob about in the pool – lol the girls were ecstatic to be there, and raced around to see all their favourite bits. we met merry and family leaving the pool. on returning to chalet, waited for a bit for jax and family to arrive and then another swim. We managed 2 swims each day, a morning and evening one, and met at least either fishes or puddles at each swim [or both] so the children all had a fantastic time, and we adults also had chance to chat. SB mostly loved racing around the rapids flumes and slide with friends, but also some diving for seals and general fun. BB is now a swimmer, but rather like buzz who falls with style, her swimming was more like drowning with style, causing me to have rather a few more grey hairs and constant vigilence! an oft asked question was ‘are you allright’ whilst hoiking her up, and yes and no were 50:50 – eek! but she could swim the width of the saltpool, and is better when underwater as stroke is good, just v v poor at breathing and swimming – lol!! she also did well with snorkel. we have therefore got more photos of bb as had to keep an eye on her at all times!! towards the end of the week she got a bit tired, so did use one of their swimvests. i love centreparcs tho, and it was fb

we took bikes, but due to slowly recovering chest, i didn’t ride min which was sad, as a nice afternoon cycle would have been good. chris went out 2 of the days and bb with him once. in the afternoon we did music theory with Big and SB, which went well, and both concentrated well. Also played games of rapidough, giro galoppo and smallworld, all of which were enjoyed. colouring and general mooching also. one lunch was a mini party for Big, and she appeared to be v happy wth the frame SB had made – which is good, and a similar frame was requested by another girl expecting a birthday soon – lol!!

lots of chance for chat and catchup, and as always the week went far too quickly. . but i think it is a perfect way to recover from the post christmas blues, which have been deeper than normal for me this year. i did have a few moments at centerparcs, as could see where my sister was sitting encouraging us all in play when she was there with us last May, and i so wished i could still see her and hear her. Discussing with Jax, who has also lost a sister, i don’t think it will ever leave me, this sense of bereftness. hopefully tho, the surprise moments will be less, and that i can weave her story into my everyday in a more comforting way. But let’s not finish this blog on a sad note, because it ha been a lovely family holiday, and i am, as always, blessed by the love of a great family and also great friends so here is a cheeky pic!

for those that are interested, we use a normal digital camera housed in nereus case. we have done this for 2 centerparcs holidays now without leakage!

in truth, should do a long one. girls have had a really good home ed week, and done lots of things, both mundane and booky, exciting and booking, mundane and non booky, exciting and non booky [ a bit like known knowns and unknown unknowns isn't it!] anyway… i hafvve had nasty chest infetion and mostly horizNTAL with painkilletrs and antibiotics. but have dissected a mouse with them [cat kill] and looked at it under microscope – proud of non pukage – helped to facilitate them both decorating a photoframe and finding the right photo for it – tho only one will make it to being gifted, as bb likes hers too much and also facilitated sb making her nail varnish. otherwise, as death warmed up, i have mostly been cheerleading from the supine position. oh, i did make an exception to going outside to look at jupiter and moons, as telescope now working

New year and back to work well, the second day back to work, as the girls had done partic well with daddybean on the tuesday, getting loads done, and then with me when i got home SoTW and the science prep for today, glocks prac with BB [btw em, any book recommendations? we started by copying londons burning, and uncertain f you can bang both d's at the beginning with same stick or should change?] no good getting a teacher, bb resistant to that kind of thing. found this on musicroom which might be ok? just don’t want her to get bad habits whilst gets confidence until can consider lessons in whatever instrument she settles on. she is such a musical soul. SB has tried her recorder again, and not bothering her teeth at all, so hoping ok when she sees dentist in a fortnight.

anyway, today latinetc and we piled out to deependers and weren’t quite last. V bad timing of us that level 2 real science 4 kids chem level 2 offline . ALso that i had the camera on a setting that appears to have given me white photos for the first half of the littlies science . ir was an easier and more controllable session, as exactly followed that of the lab books, but with lots of talking, thinking and reinforcing the key ideas of the chapter – the 4 diff types of reaction, and how to spot one has happened. think they all had it by the end.

Also a great arts session, with popart type representations of themselves in gel pens. Have to say, SB’s looked more like her before she coloured her face green and gave herself an alien mouth… but all did a brill job [will add pics] so thankyou Z for that fab idea.

I heard much raucousness from the minimus this time and SB enjoyed recorders, as did BB. I think we need to work on her grade 2 music theory and push it ahead a bit. and they sat and did some skoldo as well. silly me had brought the wrong book tho will get perhaps a bit of work done on that as well. it seemed like a v full and busy latinetc, with the kids all getting loads from it

we came home and did SB piano prac [gina please remind me where to get piano tuner!!] and some music theory, and i read some greek myths and legends to girls [am going to try and reg read outside the bedtime story session] and also played on the wii with SB whilst BB played with her farm. I didn’t attach myself to computer screen and we didn’t watch tv. i also didn’t exercise as shattered, but you can’t win on everything