The Rainforest, with links

A while back I was trying to tie in dd's desire to do more science, with ds2's ongoing geography learning. I came up with rainforest (and soils - see previous post) as suitable topics that I could engage them both in. Dd has more of an interest in animals than anything else. Below is her rainforest layers poster: 

The rainforest layers printable (top left of the top picture) was the nicest and simplest one I could find. It can be seen here.

I printed out Rainforest food chain items which we laminated and velcro'd onto our felt board. I think I got more satisfaction from laminating than the kids did from the 5 minutes they spent arranging the food web, but that's kinda how it goes sometimes :)

[For info: This is the link to the food chain printable, which I found via this resource here. The latter has other Rainforest printables, worksheets etc. that might be of use if you happen to be doing Rainforesty things.]



In addition to all the rainforest stuff, ds2 did a mini-poster on The Nile and the Aswaan Dam, which was a spin off from the geography book he is using. He will be starting IGCSE geography in September, so I'm trying desperately to do the more projecty stuff now before we get to the hoop jumping.

Free gorgeous animals of the world colouring pages

Here:

http://www.louiseelliottdesign.net/Download.html

For the reluctant colour-in-er :)

Thursday: The Odyssey and Van Gogh's sunflowers

Stepping back into the Harmony Fine Arts course after several months' absence, it's good to see dd and ds2 getting creative again.

In prep for our ventures into the classics we borrowed a dramatisation of The Odyssey on audio cd from the library. Ds2 said it was a bit like ancient Steven Spielberg, how the characters were always going and doing the things they'd been warned not to.

We talked for a while about plot and suspense. I have to agree with him. Tbh after two CDs of monster after monster, storm after storm, and men doing dumb things, usually through character flaws such as greed, I'm starting to wish they'd just hurry up and drown!

Home days and birthdays

On Monday ds2 celebrated his twelfth birthday. Family members all clubbed together and he got exactly what he wanted - a tablet - lucky boy!

Today, we've been mostly pottering (interspersed with bouts of chemistry revision). We need to recharge and re-group and with half-term on this week there are fewer demands on time.

I finally got around to helping dd finish making  her beany dragon. This dragon has been ongoing for several months. Until now I've not really had the time or attention to give to projects. Sewing with a child requires as much patience as cooking,with a child. I have to be in a relaxed and generous frame of mind. It doesn't happen very often :)

Watching episodes of The Great British Sewing Bee has inspired me to get back to the crafts I once enjoyed (and often cursed over). But this sewing thing is a love-hate relationship.

Ds1 has been tinkering with his art homework this afternoon. This involves copying a piece of abstract art and writing about it. Not easy for a child who isn't actually interested in art and doesn't particularly enjoy writing.

Ds1 has spent much of the afternoon on his tablet, "researching" a writer for his Arts Award. Apparently Michel Paver has "unlimited ammo" ... ;)

9.30 pm, 18th December

Watching Wartime Farm while making 'modern art' transfer scenes and reading Michelle Paver.

This month (November)

November is nearly over and it's time for a quick catch-up of what we've been up to this month.

Autumn walks in the woods

 (with home-made dart shooters)

Visits to home ed group to do Chemistry, Spanish, Art, Arts Award (and time for dd to sneak off and play on the communal computer)

Bat-themed activities

Bat origami

Online bat jigsaws (here )

Putting together a festive mini-swap for Worldwide Culture Exchange (sent to the USA). Pick three to five items representing Christmas/The Winter holidays in your family and send it to another family. Mini-swap sign-up form can be found here (festive mini-swap open til the end of November)

Digging for dinosaurs in a wolf suit (thank you 99p shop!)

Playing lego games

 Fungal foraging

 And spore printing

 
 Enjoying outdoor times with friends

Looking at lichen

Sewing Christmas decorations and printing cards

Making a mobile of the solar system (printable here)

Ds digs up our area in the name of archaeology (and finds pottery, nails, bones and a medieval tile painted with a griffin) 

Leaf rubbings

Making a printer out of Lego Mindstorms

Artwork (experimenting with symmetry)

 Trip to Aldeburgh Poetry Festival (me, without the children). Hence plenty of time to take arty photographs...

Fencing competitions

Bug handling workshops

Harmony Fine Arts Course

 We've got back to doing the Harmony Fine Arts course over half term, as our regular commitments aren't on and we have a little more time at home.

Of course we don't actually stick to the instructions, but it gives the children something to start them off and then they pretty much do what they like.

Today's inspiration was to paint an autumn picture.

Instead dd decided to do leaf rubbings with leaves from the garden and oil pastels.

Ds2 seems less impressed with the course.

'Impressed' is perhaps the wrong word. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that he finds it harder to get inspiration from the ideas, and tends to give up quite early on with each 'exercise'. It might be because he's doing it with his sister and when she 'flies' with an idea he feels 'stuck' by comparison. She seems on the surface less inhibited, less of a perfectionist. Quite likely this is an age thing. It may also be a personality thing. Different children have different approaches.

Maybe it's simply that he likes to do a particular sort of art (Manga) and will repeat one figure over and over again, and isn't much interested in any other sort of art. He often works at one figure on-and-off for weeks, with not much (in quantity) to show for the hours he puts in.

He'll be starting a few art sessions at the centre we go to and I wonder how he's going to take to being given 'art instruction' and a limited time in which to work. It will be interesting to see whether he enjoys it, and what, if anything, he produces during the sessions.