Week Two - Still on Target

We have managed another week of following our semi structured Home Ed plan for J - it doesn't always go exactly to plan, but we did cover most of the activities planned.

English and Maths - from workbooks and printable sheets.

Science
Experiment - Food Colouring  and Oil, Density.   Mix equal parts oil and water and then adding a drop of food colouring. The water-based drop remains intact until it sinks through the oil and contacts the water, at which point the colour at last disperses. The oil remains separate from the water because it lacks polarity  and floats because it’s less dense.
Workbook - Living and non living things and naming parts of animals and plants.

Also taking part in the Garden Bird Watch for the RSPB this weekend.

History 
Egyptians - We didn't look inside a virtual Pyramid as planned but instead performed a virtual mummification, which was quite gruesome but J enjoyed it.

Coloured in a sarcophagus

Mummified Action Man.

That was the end of History for that morning as J then went and mummified all his action man and had a mass battle.

Geography

Rocks and Minerals- watched The Magic School Bus on you tube, all about this subject obvs.  Read this book

Also found a magazine at Tesco,  first issue focusing on Gold.  It was 99p, but of course the price will go up,and then I wont be able to find the rest of the issues without paying a fortune for it which is what often happens with these kinds of educational magazines, but this issue was quite useful and has lots of photos of various rocks and minerals with descriptions.

The soil experiment is being saved for today when we go to the allotment to collect the main ingredient.

B is continuing to study for her exams to be taken this year, and this week submitted an application form for our local college to study A levels in English, English Literature, RE and Politics.

D also continue to study for his exams to be taken next year, which includes, English, Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics.  

Now making plans for J's activities for next week :)

Planning for Autumn, but still enjoying the summer

So in July I was going to make a start on Home Ed planning for J.  Actually looking forward to this as my role as a Home Educating Mum has declined a bit over the last couple of  years due to fact that the older two are  studying towards their iGCSE's/GCSE's and therefore have their own timetable and study pattern.  Help is needed occasionally and usually M has more knowledge in these areas, but all in all it feels that I have become some what redundant.

My time is taken up of course with my little whirlwind of a son, and also all my energy I have to say.  Following the same child led approach of my other two, hardly any formal learning has taken place for J in the early years, now, however as he is 7 years old  I intend to start introducing just a little bit of structure to his learning routine.

So I will be gathering all sorts of info/plans/projects etc over the summer months, ready to start with J in September.

In the meantime, learning is still taking place of course and we are spending quite a bit of time at the allotment

Harvesting Potatoes

Nature Walk (which involved a lot of tree climbing)

Making Peanut Butter Cookies

Swimming

Next week - hoping to go somewhere nice  by train and make the most of our free family railcard!

Loving the rain at the moment......

Because it means that the sewage blockage  at the rear of our property gets washed away by the rain!

It really is rank - we have been promised though, that they will start work on the rotting sewage pipes next week.

Anyway.


We got a new cat

Bettie

There was an add in the local newsagents to say that Bettie needed a new home, so we went to meet her and she took to us immediately, so we bought her home.

Our other cat was a bit annoyed to say the least, but she seems to be getting used to her now.

Amelia

Athletics

D won the Devon School Trials, with a great throw of 32.68, which puts him in the top 20 for his age group in the UK, and No 1 in the South West. He now goes onto the Devon Championships in June.

H.E.
B took her first ever exam - iGCSE English (Specification B).  She thinks she did OK, but as always, its difficult to tell.  She is now having the weekend off before making a start revising for her GCSE Maths exam..

J has been busy, with his new reading books and jigsaws, drawing, playing and baking

Making Jam Tarts

We made the most of the nice weather, making time to go to the allotment, where J has his own patch

Planting Potatoes

Watering

Digging

Also went to the sea-side, where J had a great time in the play area next to the beach

Climbing

On the Swan Pedal Boat with his Dad

Enjoying an ice cream

(its worth mentioning that we didn't get this ice cream from our usual place, because in one of the raging storms during the Winter, the Ice Cream Kiosk we normally visit almost got washed into the sea

To top it off, an old military smoke grenade was then found underneath, which dated back to the Second World War!

I'm off now to prepare for J's birthday tomorrow, B has made him an amazing Sponge Bob Square Pants Cake, which I will post a photo of  when finished!

Autonomy, gardening and Trials (of the sporting kind)

I cannot say that the last four months (since my last blog post) has gone to plan with regards to J's Home Education Plans.

But I think I have given up on that.

So I guess we are completely Autonomous.

We started allotmenting about two months ago, and J has learnt a great deal while there.All different kinds of mini beasts and various plants and we have almost got to the point of digging over most of the allotment, once this is done he will have his own patch to tend to, where he would like to plant pumpkins in time for Halloween and carrots for Rudolph at Christmas.  He also has his own spade and rake, along with garden gloves.  He also spends a lot of the time there playing with his action figures, and hurdling over bamboo sticks!

Plan to print out a few identification sheets for insects before our next visit, and he is always referring to various Characters from James and the Giant Peach, which I think we may start reading again, after I have finished reading him Charlotte's Webb, which I am starting this evening.

J spends a lot of time drawing, sometimes from Tutorials online.  He recently copied this from an online Simpsons Tutorial

We have also been watching Astronomy programmes, and we are currently watching Earth's Extraordinary Jouney on BBC2.

With regards to reading and writing, he going at his own pace, and we are not making him sit and practice his reading and writing every day, that will come when his is ready and willing.  Having watched the other two start learning to read at age 7 without any problems I am not particularly  worried, and am more confident this time around.

So going OK, apart from I really would like to do more Science Experiments with him each week, so must get my act together in that area.

Teens.

B is studying away, ready for her iGCSE English exam which she will take soon, as well as still holding down a part time job.

D is studying, not as intensely as B, as he will take his first two next year.

The Rugby season has now come to an end, D and M have really enjoyed  playing and coaching, but are both in need of a rest now I think.  D has recently been selected for Front Row training by the Devon School of Rugby, and has been asked back for further training in the summer, so about a months break and it will all start again.

In the meantime the Athletics season has started, and D threw in his first Discus Competition of the year yesterday, throwing a PB of 30.03.  Wednesday will see him at the Devon School Trials, which is a great achievement for Home Educators as I had to go through all sorts to get him there. Eventually though it has all been sorted, and he will be taking part will all of the other Devon Schools.

So a busy month ahead, exams, trials and of course J's birthday!!!

Back to work

Term Begins

Serious stuff now as B will be sitting two exams this June.

We will start off this week with a GCSE Maths paper for B, and a Year 9 exam for D, just to see where they are at, and what areas we need to work on.    J will be starting on a few new projects, including Astronomy, animals of the world,  and Dinosaurs, as well as continuing with his weekly science experiments and weather monitoring, (could tell him what the weather will probably be this week, wet and windy)!


Will also try and do a few more hands on activities related to the above projects, I am not really very good at the crafty side of things, and it usually all goes horribly wrong, but will try and give it a go.

Out and About

My news years resolutions as always are to eat healthier and exercise more - and also to give the "15 minutes a day" task a go - where you have a  job to do, that's not necessarily important, maybe a bit tedious but you want to get it done. So you just spend 15 minutes a day, no more, getting all, or part of these jobs done.  Mine is to print off photos and put them in an album. I did this for about an hour yesterday, and even though it is nice to look back over the photographs, after a while it does become a bit tedious, especially when there are some may other things to get done.

Also am going to have to brave the weather and get back up to the allotment.  Better get my wellingtons out!

Happy New Year x