New school year

Our 'first day back' photos, with hand-designed 'school uniforms'. ;)

Art on a sunny winter's day

School work

One of the questions we are asked quite frequently is about where the children do their studies in the house. They do have desks, but there's an awful lot of this too:

Especially now that it's winter - they're drawn to wherever the sun shines in. Or where the dog is... or the trampoline... or the hammock... or where there's a pile of blankets... You get the picture.

Another question is "does the government give you resources?" Nope. We collect resources for the year based on a variety of things: mainly what the children are interested in, what's next for a curriculum we have already use for a subject, and a little of what is expected of them in school. Today my eldest decided to try out an online SAT practice test to see what it was like... just out of curiosity... as you do!(?)

Some people are curious as to how we make sure we are covering all the subjects that they would do in school. To be honest I don't really care what they are covering in school. I have a look at the national curriculum once a year to see "how we are going", and there is rarely anything there that we haven't covered already just by following the child's interests. Occasionally there's something, and I try to find a fun resource for it, but my children can generally spot it from a mile away and it's the least successful part of our studies. Lets face it, as adults we follow our own interests and learn best that way - it's no different with children.

Welcome to Autumn

One more day of schooling left this term. One. More. Day. Ahhhh. Everyone has been going well, but there's some projects looming that I want to get stuck into.

The children are still knitting up a storm. The blue chipmunk in the previous post was given to me for my birthday (awwww!). I've had to put up some shelves for all the knitted love gifts being given. So sweet! I have been trying to crochet a rabbit. I might finish it one year.

Eldest chicken was starting to look like she was behind in her reading list this term. Shocking, I know. But seeing as she's in the middle of Les Miserables I thought I'd let her off the hook. Very kind, I know. I'm letting her watch snippets of the movie as she reads too, which I think has increased her enjoyment of the book. She loved reading Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights this term as well. It's so nice to enjoy the same books!! Some of her book choices for this year scare me a little, though. I'm not sure I'm quite prepared for Beowulf, to be honest.

We joined the gym this term. I never thought that would happen, but I just wasn't getting enough exercise. My boy is now chasing me down the lanes at the pool. Cheeky fellow. I think our two littlest chickens would do sport (and music) all day if given the opportunity. They have all been saving their pocket money lately to buy music - Piano Guys, Lindsey Stirling, Peter Hollens. Littlest chicken would like to learn violin as well as ukulele and piano, but I'm wondering just how many things it's sensible to fit into a week (and a budget). Hmmm.

I'm trying to whip up enthusiasm for an assignment for college. The history of design is so much less exciting than actually creating things! Ah well.

A sunny day in June

November

Well, I don't know where Spring has gone. It's over by the feel of current weather.

We're ploughing through the last few weeks of schooling for the year. I'm ready to quit, but the children are still going strong - what's with that?? It's partly do to with discovering an online maths program that suits them much better - especially eldest chicken has a lot more control over her learning. But it's shown me that she can do an entire year's maths in one term if she puts her mind to it... so the bar might be a little higher for next year, eh? And she's also shown me that a bit of chocolate-type rewarding turns a reluctant science student into one that can get 100% in her tests. Hmmm.... amazing what the right motivation can do!

Apart from that I seem to have been bitten by the sewing bug again. There's been a bit of quilting going on.

And the odd bit of photography.

And campaigning for the release of child asylum seekers from concentration camps. Oopps, I mean detention. The children at church helped with this banner. One of the girls did the gorgeous yellow swirls.

Marsupial Park

Our local Marsupial Park has improved a lot over the last few years. We went there last week with some local homeschooling families, and then again on Easter Monday.

My eldest chicken is improving in her photography too! She's using my little digital camera. I love the artistic reflection shot, and the cheeky bird sticking it's neck through the cage!

Museums and a broken arm

We went visited both the Picasso and Renaissance Exhibitions last week, as well as 2 science museums. That should keep us going for a little while! It was lovely to visit friends, have homemade wood fired pizza, and swim lots in Nanna and Grandad's pool. What a week!

Within a few minutes of arriving home our littlest chicken managed to break her arm. :( But she remains as cheerful as ever.

Here she is, ready to do her phonics work on the computer.

And here's our boy: keen to get the mower going.