Thursday 16 July 2009

The week Grandad came to visit

I've finally written to our MP about the Badman review. I'll put it in another post, with a copy of the reply if I get one.

Freddie said the most amazing thing the other day. His water went down the wrong way. Once he'd got over it and had another sip, he said that his tiny points had changed. What an interesting (and pretty accurate) way to look at it.

We've had a great week so far. A few activities and themes have been recurrant:

- mazes. Goodness Freddie has got through dozens and dozens! A whole book, plus 20 or so I printed off from a 'maze maker' (found that gem in the muddlepuddle yahoo group).

- Imaginative play. The most frequent have been Robot and Roboty the dogs. They've come in the car with us, gone to bed with Freddie, need feeding, walking etc. Another favourite has been going on holiday or going to work, complete with Grandad's pull-along overnight bag. Lots of pirates - fighting, chasing other pirates, finding treasure.

- TV. *yawn* Tom and Jerry, Tom and Jerry, Tom and Jerry.

The highlight has been a visit from Grandad. We picked him up from Milton Keynes on Wednesday. Freddie and Betsy were so delighted, it was very sweet. Freddie insisted that Gerry sit next to him in the back of the car (thus making me taxi driver) and pointed out every car, van and truck on the road. He also pointed out that things far away were very very small. Hmm, the beginnings of a conversation about perspective!

We'll be taking Gerry back to MK train station tomorrow, the plan being to go into the station and wave him off, and have a look around at the trains.

We've had a few other bits and pieces to do. We went to Thame to the play centre there, and on the way home got stuck behind a huge combine harvester trundeling along the road. We noticed that the big bit normally at the front was being towed behind. We checked out youtube when we got back, looking at combines in action, then stumbled across footage of a combine and field on fire, with a fire engine coming along to put the fire out. Cool!

It was the last swimming lesson before the summer break. I saw that some HE families meet up at Chesham open air pool on Monday afternoons. What a lovely thing to do. I've emailed asking if my kids are a bit young, but I hope some others are there with little ones. I think we'd love to go.

Monday 13 July 2009

Start of the summer holidays

Freddie had his leavers party last Friday. He didn't really get it - kept asking why nursery was ending. I think if he was going to school in September it would all make much more sense to him. He's not unduly concerned, it was just not terribly straight forward!

Last week we went to meet a long-standing home ed family a few miles from where we live. Freddie loved it, not least because they had a trapeze in the living room and chickens living under the trampoline in the garden. It was great to meet them and see what the future could hold, as I do feel like I'm teetering on the edge of something I don't quite understand (but rather like the look of).

Rob came back from work with news that redundancy is a possibility. This is not good news, for him, for us or for the home ed plan. I'm half thinking I may need to work weekends.

But for now here I am - here we are - at the beginning of the journey. When I asked the home edder I met last week what her advice might be to a newbie, she said don't panic (which I sort of am) and don't do much at all while the kids are young. That fits with how I am feeling, so for now I won't be getting the phonics out, or making lapbooks, or setting targets. I will be taking the kids to maize mazes, and NT gardens, and museums, and the allotment, and to see friends. And we'll see what we learn on the way.

Monday 6 July 2009

Lots of paper!

Despite an early morning - Freddie getting me out of bed at 6.30am ( I do miss those mornings when he woke up at 8 or even later!) - we've had a pretty good day. A few meltdowm moments but I handled them a bit better than I have been of late.

He spent quite a long time drawing shapes and cutting them out. I drew a square and triangle for him but he did the others by himself. Betsy joined in and sat for 15 minutes looking at some shapes I did for her and 'naming' them, even when I went upstairs. Result!

They also made cakes with scrunched up paper, mixing bowls and spoons. Again they both got involved with minimal input from me.

Later in the afternoon Freddie spent another big chunk of time being a postman and posting some paper and old letters into the washing basket.

Another current theme is pretending to be a little dog. He spends ages on this - he is a dog looking after lots of little dogs, I am a vet or the dog's daddy, I am a farmer feeding the dogs etc etc. Today he was a dog when we were at the playground, pushing his little dogs on the swing and scampering around on hands and knees.

In between we've been to the shops (almost a daily event as I always seem to run out of something), he's had a swimming lesson, played a game of dominos and played the Billie Goats Gruff (complete with bridge and troll thanks to Rob!).

I even managed to clean the living room. Goodness!

Saturday 4 July 2009

Last week of preschool...

Freddie has 3 more sessions before the summer break. I'm pleased it's finally come around so I can get into the swing of things and get on with it rather than thinking about what on earth I'm going to do.

I've started writing activity ideas in my diary each week for when I'm out of inspiration and need to come up with something - hopefully this will help me out of the holes I'll encounter!