One small step for...

Our day so far

After chores and watching Kiki's Delivery Service and finally getting out of pjs,  the kids did a few "tick-box" things from their folders and the boys did touch-typing. Ds2 translated rude English sentences into Spanish. Ds1 read a few pages of chemistry IGCSE and didn't grumble. Too much. 

Ds2 and dd launched into some Art from the Fine Arts Harmony Course (making clay and wire figures), while listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (to go with our 'moon' theme today) on Youtube. 

We may not be very cultured, but we can at least do a good job of faking it.

Continuing with our Solar System/Space theme, we watched this on the moon and tides. Then, inspired by this, dd and ds2 made 'moon craters' using marbles, flour and chocolate powder. 

Ds1 put this film together, with a little help from ds2.

The experiments indicated that, yes, we could make craters just like those on the moon. The experiments also showed that flour and chocolate powder go a long way and don't brush off black clothes as easily as one might expect :)

Soon we will be heading down the library to return our - always overdue - books and to pick up a reservation of an audio CD for bookclub (20 discs. Yikes.) Then dd and ds2 will be going swimming with friends.

And now...

Dd has just rediscovered the asteroid landing zone that I brought in from the threat of terrestrial rain. She is currently covering the conservatory table, and herself, with flour and chocolate powder. Joy.

Friday: Home Things

People often ask what we do for home education; what our weeks are like. 'But how do you make them sit down and do work?' They ask.

Well. Most of the time they don't do 'work'. And they certainly don't spend much time at the table, unless it is to eat, to draw, make models or do some other child-directed activity.

So if you look at my past few blogs you will see a few of the things we did last week. Not every week is like this, but I guess it's fairly representative of how we do home education.



And so to Friday...

Friday is a 'home day'. Usually we tidy up, clean rooms, potter in the garden, bake, go to the library, and generally pursue our own interests. Of course you can label these activities however you like. For us everything we do has value, simply because we have chosen to do it.


Last week, this was our Friday.


Dd playing on her ds (literacy, IT, problem solving skills)

Ds1 writing a storyboard for his latest film (art, literacy, drama, media studies)

Metal detecting in the garden... (archaeology, physical education, history)

Lego modelling (design and technology)

Ds2 with his nose in a book (literacy, pure pleasure)

The tidying, undone (hey, what the hell):

A day of treasures:

(Check out my previous posts for Tuesday-Thursday)