Come away with me

Friday 22nd February 2013

Today's adventures were at home adventures, and we have been adventuring! Dens and books and doll's house, marble run and marble games and more books.

Pumpkin wanted his bed turned into a den. He didn't play in it much but insisted we kept it up for him to sleep in, which he is doing.

Plum is into the dolls house which had some microscopically small pieces in it but she loves emptying it all over the floor and then putting it back again. She has also taken to daily emptying the kitchen cupboard and banging the pots and pans very loudly. Pumpkin loves this and frequently comes to join her and add to her collection by bringing in the spoons and utensils.

Pumpkin was keen to play marbles today and patiently waited until Plum was sleeping do we could concentrate on the game and not have to police the marbles around Plum. We played for almost an hour.

Bean got busy with marbles too and built various marble runs and videoed their descent. It took him a while to master the videoing of the runs but he persisted and achieved what he was aiming for in the end.

The boys started drawing a few pictures to post to grandma and pops to say thank you for letting us stay and the gas works continued outside with many diggers and tipper trucks and the laying of the pipe today. Very exciting for small boys.

And lastly, we began reading Peter Pan. It was a book I picked up in the library and has been loitering around for a few weeks. Today I started reading it to Plum (yes, I know, but see what happens) I thought I might get through one chapter but within a few sentences I had two eagerly listening boys and five chapters later we were still going. So excited to be reading books I love to my boys. (And just as an aside, did you know, Never land is not second star to the right and straight on until morning?)

Questions

Thursday 21st February 2013

We drove home today from grandma and pops house, a journey of about 2 hours. The whole way was filled with questions about yesterday's film, Up, and I struggled to remember some of the details that the boys were quizzing me on but I think we did okay.

The remainder of the day was spent at home. We jumped over bean bags to see who could jump the furthest and highest. We made pizza together, including the base and the boys new WildTimes arrived so we read stories and did quizzes and drew and coloured pictures and filled jars with water to make music. We also played a lot of guess who? Which makes me laugh as Pumpkin always chooses the same person/animal and gets cross if he has to close the door on the one that he has chosen. Bean is starting to understand which doors to keep open and closed after each question.

Up, up and away

Wednesday 20th February 2013

The plan for today was to take the boys out on their bikes in the New Forest for a ride. However Bean. Woke up at 6.30am and then stayed in bed until 8.30 am (unheard of) he ate some breakfast and then went back to bed. He didn't feel well. Pops and I decided that we'd still go out with Pumpkin and Bean moved onto the sofa because he was lonely. Grandma stayed at home with him and he played a few games with her and watched a bit of tv before crashing out again.

We weren't out for long. The wind was biting and Pumpkin became nervous of the ponies and was too cold so we pretty much returned as soon as we had arrived!

We spent the afternoon watching Up. Yes, we watched a new movie with Bean. He sat the whole time with his fingers in his ears, asking a million questions, but we did it, we got all the way to the end of the movie. His response was that he didn't like it and doesn't want to watch films. So I guess it'll be a while before we watch another one.

Grandma also made a sail for his boat and pops fixed up the broken mast for him just the way he wanted. He was so pleased with it and is desperate to go and sail it again on a river.

I'm a treasure hunter

Monday 18th February 2013

We are at my parents for a few days and today's adventures too k us treasure hunting. We went to Lepe beach (which was freezing) and played in the play area on top of the cliff whilst fa#1 took Meg for a walk. It was surprisingly warmer on the top of the cliff (but not warm!) Bean and cousinB spent a while mastering the new play equipment with grandma looking on. bean was incredibly adventurous and climbed on rope works and up through the beams to get to the top. Pumpkin went round and round and round and round and round the trim trail. Improving on every circuit and loving the wobbly wires and spinning beams.

We then went on a long walk to find some treasure and we found it. The boys both flaked out on the way back though and were carried by fa#1 and uncleB, thank goodness for family. (Plum was in the sling the whole time.)

We stayed in for the afternoon and built towers and watched tv whilst fa#1 and family went out again but I knew the boys couldn't take another long walk so we stayed snug and warm indoors.

Friends

We pretended spring was coming today and met with about 9 other home ed families, who we haven't seen collectively for the hibernation period, in the park. This was after our usual Little Verse and gymnastics routine. It was so nice to see friends again all together and for the children to resume to normal relations and form some new ones. I noticed Pumpkin playing along with O, which I'm not sure he did last year. It would be nice for him to form a friendship outside his brother's loop, having said that, I love the relationship that they have and I wouldn't want it to change. Pumpkin also noted that one of the other families there had left a child "in the car" ( was his suggestion, in reality he was safely at home with another responsible adult) and that the park didn't feel right without him and it made Pumpkin sad.

Plum really enjoyed her morning singing and was busy trying out all the actions. She had a sleep during gymnastics and was very quiet during the cold spell in the park. Things did not improve when we arrived home. She had a milk feed and feel asleep so I put her in the sling and she slept for another two hours. She woke up and had another milk feed and ate but was very clingy and grumpy, acting very tired but not sleeping until finally she fell asleep on daddy's knee. Hope she's not sickening for the boys cough/cold.

Bean has been much improved today both in health and temperament, which is good because I was not looking forward to managing similar situations to yesterday solo. He even managed to skip food all morning and through gymnastics and the park and remain calm. He ate as soon as we got home, though, which was not surprising considering.

school's out...forever

Tuesday 19th February 

Today we met with friends in the New Forest. finding natural tree sculptures, playing with twigs and branches, making shapes with our shadows and generally hanging out with some of the best people I know. The smalls only get to play with each other once a year (usually, this was a six month surprise catch up, yippee!) and got straight on with the business of playing. Mostly the grown ups walked and talked. The only thing missing was daddy, it felt a little incomplete without him. However the temperature reached double figures, which is the first time in months, and the sun was shining and it was dry. Completely beautiful day.

We walked along the cycle tracks and stopped to share lunch. The smalls all went snake hunting with daddyB and then we headed back. Pumpkin hitched a ride in the buggy and Plum was in the sling. Back at the car they played with the football and the frisbee whilst Plum had a breast feed and Pumpkin sat and 'drove' the car.

This was all followed by a trip to a nearby pub where we ate delicious dessert and drank tea whilst the smalls played in the play area. There was some assistance needed to cross the wobbly bridge and climb the ladder to get to the platform to go down the slide.

It wouldn't have mattered if it was freezing or wet or windy (in fact that would have been closer to our normal meeting environment) because being with friends is always the best bit. It just so happened that today the weather reflected the joy it was to be together, rather like the setting in a good novel.

Pumpkin playing shadows

playing on the dragon

Pumpkin found this crocodile swimming

Disappointment

Dealing with disappointment today. Half term seemed to be upon us early (inset day, I guess) and our attempt at going bowling was thwarted. 'have you booked?' asked the lady on the desk. Booked? Why would I need to book? They were full up with no room for two smalls. Disappointment followed.

We walked into town and Bean wanted to go under the road through the underpass but it was flooded and Dispite his best efforts to come up with an idea of how we could get through (some of them very plausible if it had not been Pumpkin in the buggy) disappointment followed.

We went to the library only to find we had hit baby rhyme time. It was crazy busy and we couldn't get through. Momentary disappointment followed, fortunately they finished whilst we were returning books and we were able to read and choose books and play on the computer.

The whole day wasn't disappointing! We read a lot of books, mostly we read books. Both boys were up later than usual, probably because they were both awake in the night for a spell. It just so happened that today Plum decided to wake up an hour earlier than usual (so close to a sleep in for mummy but not close enough!)

Bean and Plum and mummy went into the garden again this afternoon for an hour and a half. Bean wanted to water the garlic he planted yesterday and we swept the paths and put some compost on the vegetable patch. We played football again and this time had a goal each. Bean kept winning so he pretended to get distracted by spotting wild and crazy animals in the sky so that I could score a goal. Totally lovely. Then we cut back some of the shooting raspberry canes and Bean sat and cut up a few canes with the secateurs and devised an entire plan involving making toys from the canes and selling them. I cleared some of the lingering dead bind weed and was reminded of our annual struggle to curb it from taking over the garden.

Pumpkin still remains energy-less and looks grey, hence why he was in the buggy for our town trip. He lay on the sofa for the afternoon and had a sleep when we were in the garden.

And Plum. She has spent most of the day in the sling or sitting on the floor with her brothers or charging around holding on to the furniture but she goes at such a great speed. She's enjoying standing up without holding on to things and claps herself every time. She blew a kiss to Bean this morning too.

A life less ordinary

Monday 11th February

Chores. Do your kids do chores? Mine do. They brush their own teeth and wash their own faces. The carry their empty dishes back to the kitchen. They pour their own drinks and hang up their own coats, amongst other things. Sounds quite angelic, doesn't it? 

In reality they don't do these things all the time, or every day. Sometimes I help them, sometimes I do it for them because they don't want to. Sometimes I shout at them because of the inconsistency of when they choose to and choose not to. 

We've never made them do chores. But we have asked them to help and sometimes they say yes and muck in and help, and other times they say no, and at other times they completely ignore us! Bean is beginning to recognise 'jobs' that he doesn't like doing but mostly they just join in with the jobs that we're doing and don't really notice that it's a 'chore' as such because we're just doing life together (ooo that sounds like a prison sentence!!! ha ha ha) 

Today I was washing up after dinner and Bean comes in from playing in the other room and says, 'mummy can I help you?' 'sure' so he pulls up a stool and I give him a cloth and we spend ten minutes washing the dishes together, except really it wasn't ten minutes washing the dishes it was, in fact, just ten minutes together. precious.

Do you have to register?

Tuesday 12th February

Do you have to register to home educate? was the question de jour. Brief answer is, no. You do have to deregister though if your child is being removed from school in order for them to be home educated.  This normally, in turn, means that this information is passed on to the relevant faculty within the council and they will probably, in turn, contact you.

Do you have to be inspected? No. The faculty should only be there to offer support and help and home educators are under no obligation to meet with or submit any information, although some do choose to. It tends to be a personal family decision.

Do you have to use a curriculum? No. (Isn't home ed cool?) Some families choose to use some curricular for some things (maybe English and Maths) others use more, others use less. The answer really is, you can if you want to but the freedom that home education brings means you can choose. Anyone who's read more than one post on the blog will realise that we don't follow a curriculum and are autonomous in our approach to learning, which was really just a natural progression for us as the children have never been to any form of structured preschool or school.

So, today's adventures have included:

Bean drawing a brick wall (again) in a grid like pattern and me showing him how Pop's taught me to draw bricks and them him giving it a go.

The gas works starting outside our house, which will be in operation for a few weeks yet and a great source of joy for the smalls, even Plum.

Making potions with bicarb and vinegar and food colouring. Bean wasn't that impressed mainly because the vinegar smelt.

Some guitar playing, paper aeroplane throwing, lego model making, small world car play, and mummy and Bean making a brick house (notice the recurring theme?) complete with garden, car, fireplace, communal sleeping area, kitchen and comfy chair :)

It's cold outside

Wednesday 13th February

Reason #321 to love home ed: we get to see Fav Auntie #3 on a weekday (which is good because she works weekends)

We didn't meet in our usual spot as there are major roadworks on the m25 making the journey much slower and longer than it needs to be so we joined the traffic and went across country and met her at Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells, it was freezing, officially 0! It was a great walk around the pond. Bean, who normally avoids dirt, decided that walking on the muddy grass was preferable and got stuck in a muddy bog. The picture does not do it justice. He was covered up to his knees. He also played hide and seek in the bushes. Pumpkin had originally opted for no coat but as FA#3 got Plum suited and booted he had time to rethink (or experience the cold) and put coat hat and gloves on. We also feed the ducks, thanks to a passer by sharing their bread supply, and checked out the boating prices ready for a return visit in warmer climes when the boating shed is open.

The afternoon was spent at FA#3 (new) house where we played rapido. It turns out that Pumpkin is really very good at making a whole range of items from playdough at speed and I am quite good at guessing them! Although it also helped that Bean was in the kind of mood to let others win and not be disappointed and upset when he didn't, he was just enjoying the fun of it.

FA#2 and cousin B joined us for dinner and pancakes and then we travelled home. Both Plum and Pumpkin fell asleep in the car (about 6.30pm) and Bean challenged himself to stay awake the whole way home, even though he was struggling at some points, just so that he could have daddy read him some stories. Needless to say, there weren't that many stories before he crawled into bed!

apples by Pumpkin

flower by Pumpkin

teddy bear by Bean

cat by Bean

traffic light by FA#3

traffic light by Pumpkin