Bugs, Rain, Football, Home Edcuating a 5 year old and Pirates

Almost two weeks have gone by since my last post - so much for blogging daily.

In my defence however, at least one of my family have been ill over the past 10 days, and then everything seems to grind to a holt. Half Term went by in a flash, rained for most of it, topped off by sore throats, coughs and flu like bugs. This week I have been under the weather with some kind of sinus type bug which made my teeth ache.

So this would explain why I haven't bothered blogging, as its all so bloody boring.

But anyway, as James is now 5, I thought I had better start typing up my Home Education Diary for him, as I did with the older two.  Although home educators do not have to worry about visits anymore, I am not sure if I still have to send in a report or not, but either way I have always felt the need to type up what we have been doing.

I am a bit more relaxed with James when it come to teaching him at home, mainly because I don't give a monkeys about what everyone else thinks anymore, and I don't feel I have to prove that I am doing it "right". 

I am quite happy for him to play, then maybe play, and then play some more.    I remember when I was a newbie at all of this and I was itching to get started when Becky was 5, scouring books (not the Internet because I didn't get a PC until a couple of years later) for ideas on what to do.  Someone once told me that you really don't need to worry to much about reading, writing and maths before there are 7, and that it is best to just let them learn through play.

This is all well and good, but at the time, with not much support, I felt I had to be seen to be doing a bit more.  But after going to HE Groups and mixing with HE families, I became more confident and decided to follow my instincts and go for the child led way.

It was way more fun.

So James spends his days playing, at the moment he is "role playing" .  He has several dressing up suits, mainly super hero's, he is currently Captain America, and alternates between this and The Hulk. This morning he helped make smoothies, jelly and helped me shop for our tea tonight as he wanted roast chicken with Yorkshires (pronounced orkshires) and peas with gravy.

Despite not sitting with him and teaching Maths and English he can count to 20, and not in a parrot fashion, which a child of two could probably do, he understands the number sequences and counts almost everything, stairs, sweets, potatoes.   He also picked up a work book that I bought him a while back, as we bought the older two workbooks before they started school to get them up to scratch, he too wanted one.   It was learning your A-Z and he went through it and got most of the letter sounds right, and I hadn't even taught him any of this.  He has just picked it up through us reading to him, CBeebies, and general conversation and being inquisitive.

I do feel though, that I myself like to have a record of what we have been doing, and anything that he may have learnt throughout the week.  It may be through conversation, on "Come Outside", Numberjacks or Pirates of the Caribbean (which we have watched about 7 times this week).

So a new blog will be formed,for my record of James's education, and I am not going to follow the school terms, not until he is a lot older when it will maybe become more structured.

Onto my other two darling children, pre-teen and teen - still both doing extremely well. Becky is being put into her set for next year, as there are 6 weeks let before the end of this year, next year it is all about preparing for their G.C.S.E's.  So far she has been told that she is in set 2 for Maths, which is very very good.
Danny has been put forward for a Gifted and Talented award for English.  Not quite sure what this is, but it sounds impressive.

Other news-

My Dad has had is knee replaced successfully, and is currently recovering at home.
Our house sale seems to be ticking along nicely, probably will exchange in 4 weeks.
Packing is progressing nicely too.
Still cannot find any England bunting to put up outside our house to support our team in the Euros - am thinking about writing to the Prime Minister about this.
Mikes birthday this weekend - will be as old as me now - 41.


Now, back to watching the end of Pirates o the Caribbean 3 - hate that Davie Jones - very scary.