Home Educating our way.

Home Educating J is going mainly the same way as the eldest two, very much child led.  I make sure I have lots of materials ready, subjects with topics in mind, and then we probably sit down for about 30 minutes a day depending on his interest and what else he is doing.

Week before last we listened to The Mitten online for our story of the week, made a tornado in a jar (which we still have and everyone shakes the jar when they walk past it) made fog in a jar as well, which kind of worked but was not as spectacular as the tornado.

We finished up on the rock project as I think J was getting a bit bored with it and finished up  looking at The Egyptians - looking up his name in hieroglyphics, printing the letters out for him to colour in. Also made Pyramids out of paper mache.

We didn't go to the museum as some kind of bug swept through the house, starting with J so we spent quite a few days cooped up in the living room watching films.

J said for the next week he wanted to learn more about WW2 so last week we started by looking at the Spywatch series (learn and read) on you tube which he really enjoyed, despite it being filmed in the eighties.

We also found a monster reading website which he likes to play and we have been watching alpha blocks and numberjacks.

We didnt get around to doing the science experiment last week or have a look at animals around the world (would like to get a world map for that) apart from watching the Polar Bears on the San Diego Zoo web cam.

For most of last week  he has been mainly playing with action men and lego.

I am absolutely fine with this, I truly believe that children learn so much through play, and while he is thoroughly enjoying playing I am not going to stop him to make him sit down to learn History, Geography etc.

I do however make sure that I have enough resources and ideas to hand that will interest him, and that we do try and sit down a few times a week to read, watch or play an online game that involves learning to read.  This apparently makes me not unschooled or autonomous, and my method of "teaching" seems to not fit into the semi structured category either, as I have seen some of the semi-structured methods that people use (from as early as two years old!!!) and I am not sure what the "semi" stands for in most cases.

There is enough going on around us inside the house and out for J to be able to learn through life itself.

Last week I also had to speak to the college about B's interview date, which should be coming up in March, and D played against his old team today in the U15 rugby match and won!

(also have to mention that England beat Wales at The Millennium Stadium in the first game of the Six Nations)

Anyway, onto next week, I still have plenty of WW2 resources to look at, a visit to the  museum  to look at the Egyptians and WW2 section and possibly have at look at different types of rock.

We will try and watch the rest of the Spywatch series, and maybe have a go at making Patriotic Pudding.
Also try last weeks science experiment, look at more animals that live in the Arctic and watch the first episode of Alaska, Earths Frozen Kingdom.

B will be continuing to study, but D is starting half term week as he has two important rugby training sessions this week, one with the Devon School of Rugby and the day after a training session with the RFU England U16's coaches.  This will be followed by County trials at the weekend where he will be away for three days. So I think he has enough to focus on without having to worry about studying.

Hope its a bit warmer next week - this week it was just so cold we hardly went out of the house!

Planning Week 4

English and Maths will be covered by using workbooks. I usually sit and do a couple of pages of this with J. In addition to this we read together, play online games, usually from BBC Bitesize, play cards and English and Maths related games. This weeks book being read online is another from Jan Brett - The Three Snow Bears

Science

A couple of pages of his Science workbook, and this week the experiment is weather related, as all eyes this week for us seem to be on the weather and whether it will or will not snow!

So IF it does snow we will be examining snowflakes .  If not the cloud in a bottle experiment.

History

I planned on looking at one topic each month, so we have finished The Egyptians and J has requested that we learn more about the Second World War - plans for the month are:

Spywatch Episodes- In the modern day, adult Norman Starkey goes to the Shropshire village where he was evacuated during the Second World War. With the help of the local librarian, he writes the story of his adventure. The modern day parts include the educational aspects, which form the middle of each episode. The main adventure is set in 1942, in the middle of World War II. Three children, young Norman, Dennis and Mary are evacuated to Westbourne in the Shropshire countryside, away from the bombs. The boys stay at a farm, owned by Amy Hobbs (Aunty Amy) and her granddaughter Polly, and Mary stays at Westbourne Hall with Miss Millington and Mr Grainger. The children come across what they think is a trail of spies, but the number of suspects is very high and the children have to solve the mystery.

Britons at War -  Vividly recreates wartime Britain through a detailed three- part drama which follows the experiences of 10-year-old Johnny in a period of traumatic change in British history. 

World War 2 Aeroplane colouring pages 
Soldier Printable

Will have a go at making Patriotic Pudding

Patriotic Pudding
Ingredients
4 table-spoons Flour
4 table-spoons grated raw Potato or Fine Oatmeal
1 table-spoon Fat
½ table-spoon Jam, Treacle or Milk and Water to mix Syrup and 1 grated Carrot
½ tea-spoon Bicarbonate of Soda
Pinch of Salt
2 tea-spoons grated Orange or Lemon Rind (if available)
Milk and Water to mix

Method:
Rub the fat into the flour, add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the jam and carrot, heated in four table-spoons of milk and mix to a soft mixture adding more milk or water if necessary. Turn into a well-greased bowl, cover and steam for 1 hour.

OR: Place jam and carrot in the bottom of a well-greased bowl make the mixture as above, mixing the dry ingredients with the milk only.

(from Recipes Past and Present )

Shop for a meal in World War 2 game with a ration book at BBC Primary History

Listen to World War 2 sounds - air raid siren, music, spitfires and a Lancaster Bomber taking off.

Ordered a free resource pack from The British Legion and this from Amazon.

Children's War Memorabilia Pack

Geography 

Animals around the world, starting off with the polar bear, as in between Friends episodes (and yes, I do let my 7 year old watch this, he thinks its hilarious - as do I) there is a advertisement about  polar bears becoming an endangered species and asking for help which seems to grab his attention, so thought it would be a good start.

Animals around the World Website here, you can click on various parts of the world and it will tell you what animals live there and facts about them.

Polar Cam
Polar Bear printable activities including the life cycle of a polar bear.
The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett read online
Make fake snow by using 3 cups of bi-carb and hair conditioner, preferably white.

Trip this month will be the Zoo - Exmoor, Paignton or Bristol.

Now I would dearly love to take J to Paignton Zoo. When the eldest two were younger we visited the Zoo twice a year. But then they arrived - The Crocs!

Since then I have been to the Zoo only once, and I had to go into their enclosure because the rest of my family wanted to and I had to make sure they wouldn't be eaten.

I know most of the population of the world aren't that keen on a crocodiles, but I do have reoccurring nightmares about crocodiles, especially if I have seen them on TV, read about them or talked about them. So obviously I will be expecting them to feature in my dreams tonight

 My fear of crocodiles stems from what I think is the horror movie that I call Peter Pan (tick tock tick tock)! It may also have something to do with my parents taking me to a circus at an early age and watching a man put his head in a crocodiles mouth!

So, a trip to the zoo is on the cards, but I will have to insist on not going to see them - although just knowing they are there will send shivers up my spine I am sure!