Weekly

I seem to be managing to post weekly at the moment. Not the plan but it's better than nothing. The problem is that i forget the detail of what the smalls have been up to.

Bean, 10, enjoyed Fisher's Farm with his friends. The tabogan ride, cannons, indoor play, crazy golf, bouncy pillows and waiting all day for skyfall to be open. He took the boomerang out for a spin again on Saturday and Sunday. Monday he had a good go at bowling without the bumpers up and the gaming computer had its first go on in months as it is now fixed. Sims 4 and roblox were the first games to be played. We met friends on tuesday and walked to an abandoned tank where they smalls played for an hour and a half. Bean also got out the dominoes again and attempted to make a run with operating parts. He also made a balloon catapult and telephone set using paper cups and strong.

Pumpkin, 8, is back to full health. Fisher's farm with friends included the tabogan, twin swings, cannons, gold, indoor play, feeding the animals, and bouncy pillows. He had a try at the skyfall by climbing to the first ledge but decided against it. He took his bike out on saturday and played boomerang with bean. He went out with daddy on sunday to play boomerang together. He thrashed us all at bowling on monday and thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the tank to play. He has been on the gaming computer playing roblox and has had his grossery gang out to play on the chess board and pirate ship.

Plum, 5, played all day with her friend V at fisher's farm. They fed the animals and rode the ponies, played in the tree houses, tabogans, bouncy pillows, cannons, twin swings, indoor play, golf, and probably more. She had a great time playing with her cousins C and H. They mostly played small world and role play games. We went to the play park and took a bath together too. Sunday plum went to the green and played boomerang with daddy and did hama beads with both mummy and daddy. Monday she enjoyed bowling with FA#2 and tuesday she rested a lot but also played doll's house with pippin.

Pippin, 3. Pippin is now three. We celebrated on her birthday with a HE trip to Fisher's Farm. She choose all the things she wanted to do. Pony rides, tabogan, feeding and stroking the animals, ice cream, chips, indoor play, tree houses, bouncy pillows, twin swings. After four weeks of not eating she is now eating like a horse! We had a family birthday party on Saturday. FA#1 and FA#3 with cousins C and H came to play. We played pass the parcel and a few other spontaneous games. We went to play pooh sticks and boomerang and to the play park before heading home for more play and dinner and a bath. She had a great birthday.

Quick update

Six day blog post. We have had rest days and full on busy days so here goes:

Bean, 10, has been rediscovering his electronics kit. He spent one full day on it and then it came to grandma's house with us, of course Pumpkin and plum managed to get a look in too. He likes to follow the diagrams in the book but also branched out into creating his own circuits. He has astonished us by riding on rides at Paultons park that went high and fast and reriding them many times. He has grown in confidence swimming in our friend's pool and enjoyed a new game called Marco Paula. He has been inspired by our recent theme park visits and designed three rides and a theme park map. He organised a surprise treasure hunt for daddy with written clues and we recorded together a scenerio of mummy eating breakfast but Bean as my hands.

Pumpkin, 8, enjoyed a bike ride to the park on the new estate. We have played minecraft together, building houses and build battle together. He enjoyed Paulon's park, the spinning pirate ship and the catopillar roller coaster. He has played terreria with his friend A at his house. And he has immersed homself in The Amazing World of Gumball. He instigated doing a 200 piece puzzle with bean.

Plum, 5, has had two chapter books read to her in the last week. Paulton's park was a big hit and we enjoyed all the Peppa Pig rides. She disappeared to play with her friend J at her house, and she enjoyed the pool. She spent an hour playing with pippin in the bath yesterday, followed by a room tidy (inspired by youtube) and puzzles with pippin too. She also helped me choose some party items for Pippin's upcoming birthday.

Pippin, 2, continued her love of thrilling rides at paulton's park. She enjoyed the peppa pig theme but definitley enjoyed the bigger rides better. She has been using a lot of play dough in the last week and making worlds from duplo and wooden blocks to play with the people figures in.

The big three all took part in gymnastics.

A bit of a whistle stop tour of the last six days.

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We met with friends on Friday. They were one of the first families that i met when we first stepped into the HE community and although we have seen each other frequently at HE events it is not until now that our children have connected. Bean, 10, and Pumpkin, 8, spent more than an hour at their house whilst i took plum, 5, and pippin, 2, to the nearby play park with K, 12. We had a great time at the park and played on the zipline, roundabout, swings, slide, pirate boat and the adult gym equipment before we got a call to return to the boys. We then stayed a little longer watching a film before we left. The plan eas for pippin to sleep, which she did on the return journey but promptly woke when we got home.

Saturday we went to Pilgrim Hall for our church away day. The children played all day with SGG and SGS who did clay models and kite flying and pictures and junk modelling with them. Daddy and i sat next to each other all day and we took the children swimming in the outdoor pool. Pumpkin didn't want to swim so swang on the tree swing a while and then went and played table tennis and table football with a friend.

Sunday we went to church and then collapsed in the afternoon. All the children took themselves to their own corner and lay and played on their tablets. We did the same Monday too. Both saturday and sunday we had had to wake the big three to get them up and out for the day, monday was blessed relief.

Monday their was some Magic: the gathering, playing in the paddling pool, painting, playing mummies and daddies, minecraft, and a lego zip wire. I also took plum and pippin to the park for an hour.

Tuesday we took Archie dog out for a walk in the woods. We had to go and buy him some tennis balls as he didn't have any. It started to rain just as we were leaving. The remainder of the day was spent with water beads and den making, minecraft, youtube, gaming, and film watching.

Relax

We had a fairly relaxing day. It took us all morning to eat and dress and prep to go out. We played a bit of terreria together, bean, 10, pumpkin, 8, and mummy. Pumpkin gave me two grappling hooks and showed me his costume wardrobe.

Pippin, 2, got the roller skates out for the second day in a row and had various success on the carpet. She tried on all three pairs. And then she played babies with plum, 5. Pippin has been playing a lot with the dog soft toys and putting them on leads and playing with rocky (the rocking horse.)

We then went to gymnastics. Bean, pumpkin and plum all went into the session and pippin played with another toddler. Pumpkin really enjoyed it. We ate our lunch at the lesiure centre before coming home.

Everyone disappeared to seperate corners when we got home watching/playing on their tablets. I took plum and pippin out to vote and when we got back bean, pumpkin and plum played sims 4 together. They created a new toddler character for their household.

Dispite having been fed all day, there was a lot of additional eating from all the smalls in the evening before pippin fell asleep on the sofa, bean and plum had stories and pumpkin went to bed after me (as per normal) Bean is currently reading through the Chronicales of Narnia with daddy and plum stil has brown bear, brown bear every night and we make up the animals.

Rainy days

Plum, 5, and Pippin, 2, spent over an hour role playing together. Today's theme was schools. They reasranged the letters and words on the fridge and had 'lessons' and then took their babies and fed them and put them to bed. They then repeated this over and over again.

Pippin and mummy made a marble cake together that Bean, 10, declared to be his new favourite cake.

We buried Charlie the guinea pig. Pippin played guitar and sang a 'goodbye charlie' song and bean got his prayer book and we said the 'thank you for our dead pet' prayer.

In the afternoon we went to Fisher's Farm. We played in the new indoor area and then all the smalls went for a pony ride. It was pippin's first time on a pony ride. We then played on the go karts for half an hour before heading home.

Back home bean and pumpkin, 8, played terreria together. Plum and pippin played together before she went and lay in her bed and watched on her tablet. Pippin fell asleep on the sofa and the boys watched more Simpsons.

Over and over again

A morning at home: plum, 5, and pippin, 2, playing together all morning. The schools game was prominant today. Plum takes pippin to school and then has to pick her up again. The conservatory and the garden are the school. Pippin is only there briefly but is allowed to play with any of the toys that she wants to. They both ended up getting the playdough out.

After lunch we too bean's, 10, and pumpkin's, 8, bikes to Worthing seafront to cycle the route we walked last week and spend the boys' pocket money in the arcade on the shooting game. Bean and pumpkin rode their and then back again in the dreary rain. Lydia walked there and back again. Plum took a sheltered ride in the buggy on the return. Plum and pippin took barbie and lottie doll with them and also played air hockey together.

Back home daddy painted plum and pippin's nails and stuck nail stikers on them. Plum lay in bed watching on her tablet and bean put on the simpsons.

Returning to favourite places and repeating things that we enjoyed his one of the reasons we love home ed. Having the space and time in a schedule to play and play and play the same game or visit the same place or do something we love as many times as we are able to is part of our learning process. Emersing ourselves in the things we enjoy includes places and games and activities.

Turn around

I was slightly nervous about today's adventures, after yesterday's unsuccessful trip out. However, it was, in fact, super amazing.

We began the day with Plum, 5, and Pippin, 2, playing dogs and schools and running around the house and garden. They had the dollies out too and were dressing them and pushing them around in the house. At one point Pippin was attempting to take the scooter up the stairs. They hung the laundry up with me and fed the animals. They had a very busy morning.

Bean, 10, and Pumpkin, 8, watched scoobydoo (again) and Bakugan and played minecraft together. Bean got out the hotglue gun to stick a plastic snake to his tablet cover. He tried it three or four times but it wouldn't work. The hotglue would not stick to the cover. He realised that he could make things with the hotglue using the cover and then peel it off. He made an emoji for Pumpkin, a poo emoji for daddy, and a tellytubby for Plum and Pippin, he made mummy a heart. He used the marker pens to colour them in and Pumpkin came and had a go too.

After lunch we went out to meet FA#1 and cousinB at Sheffield Park. Bean got everyone's drinks ready. This is the third time we have been to Sheffield Park. The first time we went into the grounds and Pumpkin was nervous about the ponds. The second time we ate lunch in the picnic area in the car park and climbed the trees and then came home. Today we made it to the playtrail in the woods. We spent over an hour watching all the children making a huge den, complete with outdoor fire with fire guard, indoor seats, sofa, and bed.

After this we found a pub and went and ate out. I had mentioned that we would have battered sausage as we had originally planned to meet at a beach. FA#1 broke the news to Pumpkin and they agreed that next time we would go to a chip shop. The pub we found had a play area and did a children's menu including ice cream. It was all good. Bean got Harry Potter trivial pursuit cards as his birthday present from FA#1 so we played that in the pub garden whilst we waited/ate food.

It takes two

It turns out that we needed two days to recover and regroup after bean's, 10, weekend away. Tuesday was a designated Home Day. Bean spent a lot of time lying on the sofa, watching Bakukan and playing on his tablet. He also put on Harry Potter. Pumpkin, 8, sat with him for most of the time. Plum, 5, and Pippin, 2, played role play games all day. The made a picnic in the conservatory, played cooking, mummy and daddy, schools, dogs. And bean, Plum and Pippin had baths in the evening.

Wednesday we attempted to go to the library. We took the bikes and scooters. It was an unsuccesful trip and we didn't make it. We were out for an hour and a half and travelled probably five minutes away. About a third of the time was spent sitting on a green area. Fortunately the weather was beautiful and i had packed drinks and snacks. As soon as we got home everyone was composed and had decided on a movie to watch together, scoobydoo, we ate food and snuggled.

Pippin had a long afternoon nap, plum watched on her tablet and played doll's house in her room. I took the girls to the play park around the corner when Pippin woke up and then made more food whilst the smalls all set up dens for a nerf war. We played for about half an hour. Plum and Pippin played in the garden, tying their feet together with a fabric belt and laughing hysterically.

Bean downloaded a fun fair world on minecraft and bean and pumpkin played together whilst watching the Simpsons.

Nerf War

Today was a nerf war kind of day. We made dens in the living room, kitchen, large bedroom and Plum's top bunk. Bean, 10, and Pumpkin, 8, teamed up and mummy and Plum, 5, were on the opposing team. We made barracades and shields from pillows and cushions and hid behind doors and walls and shot at each other. This game lasted for about three hours (although i did manage to call a food break in the middle and another break to breastfeed Pippin, 2, in the hope that she would go to sleep, which she didn't until i found her in my bed at 4.30pm)

We also hot glued more youhurt pots onto Bran's pot tower. It is now over 2m tall. He measured it with the tape measure. His aim is to reach the ceiling. Pumpkin then picked up the tape measure and measured the coffee table and himself and the width of his knees and various other objects he found.

Plum and Pippin hung the laundry outside with me and played on the slide and the see-saw. Plum set up a shop in the large bedroom and Pumpkin went and played with her and then they moved on to playing roblox (natural disasters) together.

Having the time and the space to move between one activity and other as necessary is one of the many reasons we love Home Ed. Playing on the see saw for one minute and then moving to the slide or emersing ourselves into three hours of a nerf war or continuing a project with yoghurt pots that we began weeks ago, having the freedom explore and play and create and managing our own time and pace is essential.

Joy in our heart

Things that make my heart happy:

Bean, 9, asking how to spell things and reading every sign and advert and leaflet we pass. And getting excited about things we have planned or are planning, setting up a game with his siblings and playing together for hours, wanting to tell me about the things he is watching and sharing things that he finds funny and making us laugh, plans to make a bigger origami display for the next showcase event.

Pumpkin, 8, swinging his arm as he runs, finding giant sticks that he has ideas to whittle so it looks like Gandalf's staff, helping his brother up out of the stream, being excited at the Butcher's and choosing something to eat, riding the roundabout with his siblings and letting Pippin push him on the swing.

Plum, 5, making friends with a dog and being so pleased with herself, playing IT with Bean and Pippin, forward rolls at hyperspeed across our bed, playing hide and seek toys with Pippin, waiting up for me before she goes to bed, holding hands as she falls asleep.

Pippin, 2, singing twinkle twinkle as we drive in the car, swinging and swinging and swinging at the park trying to make it go by herself, throwing a ball to the dog and eventually getting out of the buggy and loving the dog, reciting We're going on a Besr Hunt, running to the window to wave at our neighbour in the morning.

Our day was a mixture of Cartoon Network, minecraft, Terreria, a trip to the Butcher's, over an hour at the play park, walking Archie for two hours in the woods, playing The Battle of the Pirates role playing game, hide and seek toys, watching The Pink Panther cartoon, Gobblet, buying Harry Potter collectors stickers and chocolate ice cream.

Home on the Ranch

Still at home. Day 7. One full week for the girls. But Pippin, 2, is still sporting fresh spots. Plum, 5, is truely on the mend and now itching to go out.

We started the morning with The Winnie The Pooh movie followed by more moon sand play. We built different shaped sandcastles using the moulds we have and then Plum got her mini My Little Ponies and Pippin got her Bing toys to play with. Plum hid her toys in the sand and then mummy had to find them.

Plum has also signed up to Teach Your Monster To Read and in the afternoon she and Pippin played mummies and babies together using the soft toys, cot, baby blankets, dummies. There was a brief moment when Plum watched SevenSuperGirls on YouTube and then we put on The Heffalumo movie but she didn't watch it all as she returned to her game with Pippin.

Bean, 9, and Pumpkin, 8, played minecraft on the temple map. They built a tree house, tamed two dogs and a horse, played hide and seek and allowed Plum and mummy to play too. We spent some time trying to work out how to take screenshots from Bean's tablet but were unsuccessful. Bean and i read more Harry Potter in the afternoon followed by a deep bath so that he could practice putting his head under the water and holding his breath. We played more of the paper game he made yesterday and then made a couple of flip books together.

Bean and Plum played lego together in the evening. Plum made a race track with action posed runners and a finish line. We read stories and, for the first time since she got chicken pox, she slept in her own bed.

Room for everyone

Pippin, 2, was busy this morning playing board games and other family games from the shelf. She got out dotty dinosaurs, dinosaur races and pop up pirate. Plum, 4, has been devising and perfecting a game with the building blocks similar to Jenga. Pumpkin, 7, has been playing with the pokemonGo update, and Bean, 9, has been working on his gaming rexording and fixing the problem with the sound recording.

Pippin and Plum played 'babies' together upstairs and then moved downstairs to get the play dough out and play cafes. They made pizza with toppings and then we sliced it up, this was followed by tea and cake. Plum told me all about her birthday party and what was going to happen there (i wrote it all down) Then we got out the old Christmas cards and they both cut up pictures and made hanging decorations for the tree and Christmas pictures.

We attempted to go out and meet friends but we couldn't find the car keys. After half an hour of searching we discovered that daddy had them at work. Playdate was postponed. By this time Pippin was tired so she went for a sleep. Plum came and sat with us , watching on her tablet with headphones on. The boys were doing their own thing downstairs. We rested for an hour.

The, now, usual wrestling game occured whilst i prepared food and we watched Elf together whilst we ate. I managed to redirect Pumpkin upstairs for a bath and then Plum and Pippin followed,and next was Bean. All clean.

Let the games begin

Monday

Plum went off to Little Verse as is the custom for a Monday morning, taken by SGG, whilst the remainder of us played Terraria together and Pippin slept for two hours nursing a cold. Terraria confuses me after the simplicity of minecraft but Bean has been on hand to give me full guidance and support. 

We then went to a friend's house to play in the afternoon specifically for the boys to play lego dimensions. Anna enjoyed the swing, trampoline, play dough, and electronic keyboard. 

Tuesday

We all spent the morning preparing for this afternoon's group meeting, collecting up outdoor toys and choosing pictures to take and colour, as well as snacks and drinks. Pumpkin began a memory game on the mat where he hopped from one picture to another and the following person had to remember the sequence and hop the same. We all enjoyed colouring and crafting. Bean, Pumpkin and their friend took the paper boats they made and experimented to see who's would last the longest on water before sinking.

Wednesday

A rather wet, thunder stormy, muddy walk at the top of Box Hill with friends. Pumpkin continuing his need to collect huge numbers of sticks. Pippin was so covered after walking and falling around in mud baths that her clothes were soaked through. We seemed to spend two hours barely getting anywhere but spent a lot of time in and out of dens and stick fighting. 

And then we headed home to spend time with more friends, watching Hoodwinked and eating ice cream together. All four are currently out in the garden playing a game together. One of the things that has changed recently is the depth and breadth of the games the smalls play. A game becomes established and they all have their space and role and equipment that is theirs and the game becomes deeper and more involved each time it is played. This is true of the garden and the games they play there but also of places that we go to regularly, certain games become connected to certain places and they are picked up each time we visit, each small already established in their role and the game commences.