Not Back to School

This year we will officially have three children who are Not Back to School: Bean, 10, Pumpkin, 8, and Plum, 5. And then there is Pippin, 2, tagging along for the ride.

None of the children have ever been to school or preschool, we decided that home education was for us before Bean was even two. That makes this officially our sixth year of Home Ed (7th if you include Reception too) For this reason, i have no idea what school year my children would be in now, i could work it out if i wanted to but it seems unnecessary.

We chose to Home Educate for many reasons. We discussed the education system, which i taught in for 11 years, and reflected on things we did and didn't want for our children. We discussed child development and cognitive development and educational approaches. We discussed our own educational journeys and reflected on our experiences and paths. We discussed the spiritual implications and social implications of attending school. We discussed the character and personality of our eldest. And as we brought together all these things we came undoubtedly to the conclusion that Home Education was the way forward for us as a family.

We fell into Unschooling naturally as we continued to live and learn together as we moved from babyhood to toddlerhood to preschool age to school age. Fundamentally nothing changed for us in our day to day. The children are learning all the time and we, as the adults, support and facilitate and provide the things they need to be able to achieve the things they want to achieve.

Unschooling means that our days look different, each and everyone. One day we could be at the beach, playing in the water or collecting stones and shells, or playing in the arcade, or scooting along the promenade. The next day we could be at gymnastics class followed by a picnic and play in the park. Another day we could have friends over and do playdough and craft and board games or role play. And then we could spend a day going to the library and the local museum, into town to buy supplies. Another day we could spend reading and watching films and playing computer games or building dominoe runs and lego models or playing barbies. We have busy days and quiet days; frantic moments and calm moments; full on, all in, consuming, immersed passions, and then relaxed, laid back, contemplative hours. We don't really have a typical day, we do the things we love and we do them as and when we want to. We dance and play and watch and bake and explore and craft and sing and read and run and rest to our own unique schedule. 

You can follow us (almost) daily here and find out more about our Home Education here.

Blessed

Mostly today was gymnastics and nerf wars and jumangi. We were actually a few minutes early for gymnastics too. Not bad for the final session of the term. Pippin, 2, busied herself with climbing the guard rails and walking along the squash court seating areas, jumping down the steps, she ate lunch and we drew a few family pictures together. Plum, 5, left her bag on the grass verge next to the car so after driving back home via the butchers we did a quick u-turn and returned to the lesuire centre. The bag had been given in to reception.

Tea and biscuit bŕeak was required when we got home.

This was followed by a nerf war. Pippin hasn't quite got the hang of not running into the shooting zone so it was a bit fraught at times. There is now an elaborate set up required which has developed over the last few weeks of playing. There are barracades and set hiding spots, den building and base points. There is also a sequence to game play, attack and defense procedures.

We watched Jumangi whilst eating dinner. Daddy and the smalls had watched it last week and they were keen to show it to me. It was 8.45pm before we began tidying up the nerf forts and food and plates and other toys but everyone helped. Daddy was out for the evening so bedtimes were solo mio. Pippin first, breastfed and sleep, plum next with Bible story and prayers and then she lay in bed whilst i read stories with Bean (who is currently listening to treasure island with daddy at bedtimes), back to plum to cuddle whilst she went to sleep and then i said goodnight to pumpkin at about 11pm and i went to bed. Daddy was home shortly after.

Rememberall

Today was an At Home Day, daddy took the car to work and we had packing to begin for our first camping trip of the year. Plum, 5, and Pippin, 2, helped unpack and clean and repack the camping boxes. We did four boxes in total throughout the day.

Pippin began the day by watching Bolt whilst eating breakfast and drawing. When Plum woke up, pippin and plum played with the cogs set and watched the different patterns as they spun the cogs.

Bean, 10, and pumpkin, 8, watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire whilst also playing games on Pumpkin's tablet which he was sharing with Bean as i had dropped his and smashed the screen last night.
Bean followed this by playing minecraft on the pc whilst Pumpkin sat with him and played Clash of Clans.

Plum set about trying to find mislaid polly pocket peices around the house in the miscellaneous boxes, this resulted in her tipping all the miscellaneous boxes onto the living room floor and everyone collecting their spoils.

Pippin requested painting in the afternoon and produced about ten papers of black stripes.

We tried to Skype our friends that we had spoken to yesterday and arranged to continue today but they had gone out. There was a lot of Sponge Bob in the evening and Pippin had a bubbly bath.

Bean has been busy building his Star Wars tie fighter model and x wing fighter in the last week. Everyone has bathed, bean enjoys wearing his goggles in the bath and pippin loves the bubbles, plum likes to bath and play with pippin, whilst pumpkin likes the idea of having a bath alone until bean turns up and jumps in and then they have lots of fun together. We have also spent hours watching America's got Talent and been enjoying the ventriloquism and magicians especially the children performers in the last week. It's difficult to remember all the things that happen in a day for four small people, sometimes it feels very unproductive but it is extremely difficult to actually do nothing, as writing this blog serves to prove, and remembering it all is a real challenge.

7 is perfection

Wednesday: We went out to meet friends at Southwater Country Park and played in the heat of the dinosaur park. Pippin, 2, was improved but remained cuddly. Our time was brief as it was hot and bean, 10, and pumpkin, 8, were adjitated and fighting each other. We spent the rest of the day hiding in cool spots around the house, settled each doing their own thing. Playing doll's house, napping, watching films, playing the amazing frog.

Thursday was gymnastics day followed by a picnic in tilgate park. The children played in the woods and on the play area with friends. Plum, 5, and her friend found a frog . Pippin felt much better and played and played and played. Pumpkin found a friend and played zombie games together with bean, fighting and chasing and acting like zombies.

Friday we went to town and bought birthday presents and spent pocket money on toys and silly string and got new dresses for plum. Plum and pumpkin and pippin played with the new pizza play dough set at home and they all played silly string in the garden.

We went to a friend's Harry Potter birthday party. Plum painted clay owls and pippin coloured a werewolf finger puppet, there was a pinata and pass the parcel and food and a treaure hunt game and flying on broomsticks. Everyone was happily exhausted, the journey home was epic and pippin fell asleep for the night.

Sunday was church day, daddy was preaching so we all went together. R from church came over to play for the afternoon. There was a lot of creative kitchen using the cherries from the garden and dress up and nerf and knights tornaments. We saw a hoglet out with mrs tiddywinkle in the evening.

Monday was a home day. The four smalls all played the same game for five hours: piling every duvet and pillow and beanbag in the house on the sofa and sitting on the top of them and sliding off. We ended the day by watching Swallows and Amazons.

We began the day by watching Swallows and Amazons. And tuesday we went to Fisher's Farm. It was raining on and off but this didn't seem to deter anyone. We began indoors but only briefly. We played on the slides, the go karts, the bouncy pillows, bumper boats, carosel, squirrel scramble, toddler tractors, sand pit, cannons, tractor ride, and pony rides.

This week we are mostly packing for our first camping trip of the year. Lots of laundry and cleaning of camping equipment ready for our holiday next week.

Chasing Butterflies and Robots

Thursday and the Big Three did gymnastics.

Friday we went to a Robot Wars workshop. It was originally booked for bean, 10, however Pumpkin, 8, said he'd like to do it too. I managed to secure a last minute spot for him during the same session as bean and our friends A and J. The venue allowed for me to have the girls outside on the meadow. Plum, 5,  and i made a daisy chain crown and pippin, 2, chased butterflies around the meadow.
Inside the hall, the boys got to watch a few robots built for Robot Wars in action including 'Matilda.' Then they worked in a group to build their own robot (125g) and battle it against other group's robots. They had met everyone in their group before and they all had a turn or more at operating the robot. Pumpkin won every one of his three battles.
We played in the play park after and ate more of our lunch and then headed home.

Saturday. We went to a friend's 60th birthday party in the afternoon and then went on to a bbq on lancing beadh with our church friends. Bean and plum and daddy all went in the sea. Pumpkin wnjoyed playing on the rocks.
Unfortunately pumpkin was sick in the night.

Sunday. Church day as always, except daddy, pumpkin and bean stayed at home and mummy took plum and pippin. We spent the afternoon resting and fixing FA#3's car. Daddy also fixed the wii so Pumpkin spent several hours playing lego harry potter.
The children decided that they would like to try staying up all night again. Plum was still awake at 12.30 but asleep by 2.30. Bean and pumpkin were still awake at 4.45am but asleep soon after. Bean woke at 9am but he took my suggestion to go and rest on his bed and went back to sleep until 12 noon. Pumpkin woke just before 12 noon.
Plum and Pippin had spent the morning with me playing Polly Pocket and doing various household tasks. Pippin took a nap between 11 and 1. By 1pm all four children were awake at the same time. We watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban together.

Tuesday we took another At Home Day as Pippin keeps spiking a temperature and is ever so lethargic and keeps napping at unusual (for her) times. Plum and pippin and i face painted each other as tigers and the girls mixed kitchen ingredients and cooked them. Bean began setting out the base of his tree house and marking which sections he would like to cut and/or replace. Pumpkin suggested a game of nerf wars but it has been put on hold until the morning. He also has plans to build his own robot using a remote control car as the base. We watched some robot wars clups together on youtube.

Unintended

Pumpkin, 8, mention this morning that he didn't want to watch Toy Story 2 as it was playing for the second time, it would later play for a third time too. I jokingly replied by beginning to name all the other options and toys and craft and construction and puzzles etc that we have in the house. He and bean, 10, responded by systematically getting out toys and spent the rest of the day building railway track and marble runs.

In the evening, when daddy arrived home, all six of us built a railway track that encompassed the boy's room and mummy's room and joined up along the corridor. Lots of fun.

Untitled

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.