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Demolishing the Old Laundry
Finally the big day for which we’d been long working towards arrived, the day to pull down our old laundry, this will be replaced with a verandah, thus wrapping our verandah from one end of the house to the other. There were many eager hands to help with the demolition even the youngest two insisted on being given loads of timber to carry. We began ripping off strips and weather boards on the outside, internally the linings and plumbing hardware were removed, windows were gently taken out with the intent to recycle for another project. Once the inside was gutted the pace picked up, …
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This Week in Learning: August 14th, 2015
Continuing to be excited about the learning that is happening this Term. Solid, consistent progress, lessons not only about King Alfred and Japan’s closure to the West but lessons about diligence and time management. A friend and I were chatting yesterday, we’re both long term home-educators with graduates and several children still to educate, we shared how when we were young and dewy-eyed we wanted our children to love learning, well we still do, truth is though, these days we’d settle for application. Actually a whole series in the making there once I’ve formulated my thoughts. Speech Therapy I suspect the speech therapist twigged that I was not being consistent…
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Ponny the Penguin
How can it be six months since I last shared a book review! Rest assured that we love books as much as ever, so many books I’ve intended on sharing but alas when you don’t ‘seize the moment’ the momentum is lost. Trying also to ‘tone it down’ a little for my readers who weren’t keen on too many book reviews. Today I’d love to share Ponny the Penguin by Veronica Basser with you, Ponny has long been a part of our family culture. I first read this gem to our adult children over a decade ago, enjoyed it with our ‘middle set’ several years later and now have delighted in introducing Ponny to another…
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My Daybook: August 3rd, 2015
Outside my window… all is dark, it’s late and the house is settling I am thankful… that our boys all passed their driving tests. Within the space of a couple of days all three older boys received new driver’s licenses. Michelangelo now has his Learner’s license (driving under supervision), Einstein passed to Green Ps (100km/hr) and Carpenter has a full license (110km and no display plates) The registry staff and I were on chatting basis by the conclusion of the week I am thinking… about how our children are more than capable and sometimes we sell them short. Academically we’ve stepped our expectations for the children up several notches and…
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This Week in Learning: July 31st, 2015
We began Term 3 strongly and have continued to power along in the two weeks since. Rather excited as this is the most intense and productive our learning has been all year, lots of terrific learning happening:) Though admittedly it’s been a little challenging having to compete for their attention with the new chooks as they are checked regularly in case they have yet laid an egg;) Having our adult children still home visiting has also been a slight attention stealer. Speech Therapy Bass is back at weekly speech therapy, therefore speech ‘homework’ is on the ‘must do’ list again, I’m failing miserably here, which doesn’t make the therapist happy, wince. Whilst big…
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Our Chook Population Explosion
Nearly two weeks ago dear friends gifted us with ten hens and a rooster, bringing our chook population up to the grand total of twelve. The children spend hours in the chook pen lavishing attention on them and have named each bird Such an inexpensive pet they provide hours of pleasure and best of all we see a return with egg production Apparently the chooks need assistance in being ‘put to bed’ they appear to be incapable of walking up the ramp themselves;) The chook pen and the neighbouring garden, which is currently dormant, are totally weed free thanks to the hours put in by this team. We had…
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Planning Epiphany
After nearly two decades of planning for our home education journey I’m continually humbled as to how much I still have to learn.Two weeks ago I commenced my planning with the determination that this would be the term we’d correct all shortcomings. I began with the premise that our problems would all be solved by ‘raising our work standard.’ An assumption I continued with until my epiphany moment. Factors in Planning When planning, many factors come into play. Your teaching style, the children’s individual learning styles, family logistics, your educational philosophy, all have a role. Not only in how you home educate but what resources you select. My personal philosophy…
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Siblings 2015: July
This past week life has been ‘bursting at the seams’ with our oldest two lads and Carpenter’s girlfriend home on holidays. We instantly went from a home of mostly younger and ‘middle children’ to a home dominated by teens and young adults. The freezing weather we, along with most Australians are currently experiencing, put an end to outdoor plans, though the brave and hardy tried their hand at kite flying with the homemade variety as well as the ready made. Plenty of games of pool abound, with Miss Jelly Bean (11) generally emerging as the victor. All are keen to relieve her of her Championship status and put…
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My Daybook: July 8th, 2015
Outside my window… it’s a miserable overcast day. Forecast tells us it’s going to snow up on the mountains this weekend, the children are begging that we drive 2 hours up the Range just to see snow. We’ve never seen snow, it could be an experience, guaranteed to be a cold one at least I am thankful… to have nearly all of our children home. Einstein arrived home on Monday night, it’s wonderful to have him home for a couple of weeks. I always find it fascinating how dynamics change as our ‘children come in and out’ of our home I am thinking… about the importance of habits, about modelling…
