This week has been all about our new school room. We had hoped to have it finished by now but we are nowhere near it. Everything takes so much longer when you have five children needing your attention. We have almost finished our science nook: 1) Gary is working on some shelves which we will use……
Category: Homeschooling
When Project Work Doesn’t go According to Plan
A massive goal for our little home school is independence. I really want the children to desire to learn and to be able to do it independently. There is a whole different kind of joy which comes from work they are able to own for themselves. Last academic year, each of my older children chose……
Medieval Feast: Invitations
It was essential that the invitations to our medieval banquet were designed, made and sent to their recipients in time for an answer to be given. Therefore, this was one of L11’s very first projects to be completed. L11 had already jotted her ideas down for the invitations during one of her project sessions. I encouraged……
Week 49: One Year Pond Study: Bird Study – Moor Hens
We have two resident Moorhens, who have been there each time we have visited the pond this year. We have never seen them fly, they are there regardless of the times we go (night-time, early morning etc), they have nested and reared their young and are basically a permanent fixture at our pond. Moorhens are……
Precious Moments
This week has been a bit slow in the school department with much of my time taken up creating a new learning space out of our old hallway. The reason for doing this is to have a quiet place for the older ones to study, away from the little ones when necessary and also it……
Law Study: Hands on Democratic Rule
Having had a highly successful demonstration of what an autocratic rule is, we attempted to replicate the democratic rule. We had already learnt about how the House of Lords and the House of Commons was first formed. I found a couple of clips from YouTube for both, primarily to show the difference between the two,……
Law Study: Hands-on Autocratic Rule!
When I shared with the children what I had planned to help them to understand autocratic rule they were a little excited! In fact they nagged me incessantly because they wanted to do the activity immediately. Everyday they plotted and planned and nagged until I finally gave in and we proceeded with the activity. I’m not sure one……
Leadership Study: King John
I thought King John might be an interesting leader to do a study on because, in general, he is considered a poor leader. We have only ever looked at renowned strong leaders before, so I knew this would be a little different. I wasn’t in the mood to study King John, to be honest, so I was……
Precious Moments
Welcome to my first ever proper weekly wrap up. I feel all chuffed with myself because I’ve finally learnt how to collage! I’m so atrocious at this electronic stuff that any step forward is huge for me. The first collage contains pictures of us just hanging around, enjoying being at home: L11 looking gorgeous; T12……
One Year Pond Study: Week 47 – A Quick Visit and a Surprise
Here is our pond this week: Spring is finally peeking around the corner and the trees are responding afresh with buds for a new season. It lifts one’s spirits and I am so glad we have the different seasons to enjoy anew. This particular pond visit was a very quick one, crammed in on our……
King John and the Magna Charta: Resources
As you all know, February is my least favourite time of home school, on account of a severe lack of energy. When I saw King John was coming up on the horizon, hibernation for its duration seemed like the only sensible solution. Of course humans don’t, as a rule, tend towards hibernation, and I figured……
Family Work Day
Last Friday we were hit by a nasty storm, so bad it kept all of us bar Gary and T12 awake. Everyone was a little scared, and rightly so. We had a large fir-tree, situated approximately 2 meters from the house, which was swaying precariously. The storm, being characterised by its wind strength, had already……
Mr Men Birthday Party
This week heralded the third birthday of my youngest. Three! How did that happen? Our Mr Men school has created an obsession with all things Mr Men so of course she wanted a Mr Men party! I had a few thoughts, put together a few ideas, and set to work. All was against me, or so it seemed,……
A Day in the Life….
I am currently in the trenches of the February home school blahs, which I seem to get each year. I thought I had avoided them this year on account of the huge enthusiasm I was feeling towards the changes in our home school. But no, it seems I am as susceptible as ever and am……
Medieval Feasts: Subtleties
Subtleties or entremets (old French meaning ‘between servings) are works of art using food and story telling and which vary between simple frumenty to more elaborate models of fruit filled castles or allegorical figures from literature. They traditionally marked the end of one course and the beginning of another. Towards the end of the middle ages subtleties……