Moving on up

Does anyone recognise this guy? Bean designed and made him last year after being inspired by a local community scarecrow event. Humpty has been sat in our conservatory ever since but has finally made it out to our vegetable patch and with the addition of some sun catchers is commissioned with scaring away the birds. 

Bean is showing a growing interest in unusual buildings around the globe. We found this construction kit in the pound shop and put together the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it will join The Sydney Opera House which he put together at Christmas.

We had friends over for a playdate this week. There was a lot of watching cartoons and lego animations on you tube punctuated with real life lego, Sylvannians, Peppa Pig and Doll's house. 

We had the fourth and final  monthly rollerdisco. Bean, 8, is doing well and confident now, Plum, 3, had a go at rolling solo and Pumpkin didn't put his on at all...until we were packing up to leave and then he wanted to wear them to the car. Sometimes I just don't understand but holding on to being supportive of his decisions and helping him to achieve.

And a full day out at Leed's Castle with FA#3

Introducing Bean

Bean is currently 4 3/4 and loves building, stories and asking questions.

In the course of one day he can build: a train track on the living room floor; a city in our conservatory (including road network, car garage, airport and a block of flats;) a fire engine that becomes a flat that becomes the rainforest in his bedroom; a dolls house made of duplo; a tall tower with extra large bricks; a treasure chest and probably a whole host of other things that work their way into the process before reaching the final product. I'm already wondering where this love of building things will lead him and whether it will be a life long passion or, like so many other things, may come to pass. He will use any material available to build whatever comes to mind, my favourite has to be using the grated cheese at mealtime to create a bonfire!


Stories have been a number one favourite since birth, I think. There are days when we can sit and read together  and do little else. A trip to the library is a real highlight and, when asked, 'what would you like to do today?' will often request a library visit. We are very keen that he learns to read in the traditional sense in his own time and I allow him to read anything that he chooses from picture books, to chapter books, information books, the daily newspaper, and other magazines we subscribe to. We deliberately choose not to limit reading to 'age appropriate' material initially to give a more rounded view of what reading was for but more recently have been aware of how much he responds to and inquires about things that we previously wouldn't have introduced him to. In some ways this is probably due to a decade and a half of me teaching Reception age children the same old topics: 'All about me' and 'Mini-beasts' etc. that I have missed the fact that children want to know so much more. 
...I also want my children to have their own love of reading and let this be the springboard for them to learn to read, dare I say especially because they are boys. For a more articulate rational: see Michael Rosen blog 


It is reckoned that the *average* 4 year old asks 500 questions a day! I should try and count them! Mostly Bean is currently asking questions about astronomy, skeletal structure, trains, nature and the great outdoors, babies, death, time and distance. I love nurturing their natural curiosity and am very honest when I don't know the answer...as I often don't but we collectively go to lengths to find the answers so much so that he has started asking, 'mummy, who would know about...?' Am I ready for him to be so autonomous at the age of 4? 


end note: today I have enjoyed reading this article: the benefits of homeschooling