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……
Tag: Homeschooling
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……
My Struggling Maths Student is Struggling No Longer
Over Christmas I noticed a revolution going on. It was occurring so quietly, lead by my calmest and quietest child, but a revolution none the less. This radical change I speak off? L11, who absolutely, definitely, nothing was ever going to change her mind hated maths with a passion, had decided it’s not so bad……
So What Type of Home Schooler Are You Anyway? Part Five
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is……
One Year Pond Study: Week 44 – Winter Ash Tree Study
I’m really enjoying these last visits to the pond. Looking back over the year, especially over the seasonal activities we have done, it is satisfying to have a visual record of the changes that have occurred. This post is a quick photo collage looking back on all four seasons of the Ash tree: I can……
What Type of Homeschoolers Are We, Anyway? Part 4
Unschooling has evolved from simply not being in school (John Holt), to life learning in the 1980’s, to child led learning in the 1990’s. These days there is a plethora of radical unschoolers, who to be honest make me feel a little uncomfortable. I am glad I have been looking into unschooling from a place of homeschooling confidence……
What Type of Home Schoolers Are We, Anyway? Part 3
There is another reason, other than the older ones maturing, for me looking for an alternative method of learning for my guys. My first four children have been incredibly lovely, easy-going, easy to train and well-behaved children. I have never really needed to question too much what I was doing. If they were unhappy they……
What Type of Homeschoolers Are We, Anyway? Part 2
Over the past month or so I’ve been trying to organise my messy thoughts. This is nothing unusual. Everything about me is usually in a state of disarray. But to me, this was more important than my usual scatty mumblings. When we first started home schooling, my children’s eagerness to learn knew no bounds. We……