Hecticness

I don't know if that is even a real word, but it sums up life round here lately!

There were more celebrations for A, and of course - more cake:

All went extremely well, the sleepover was very chilled, and it was nice that I had a friend here to hang out with too. The only annoying bit was the ice-rink inexplicably closing an hour early, so the girls only got about 20 minutes on the ice, but even that didn't seem to bother them too much (it bothered me - I had paid for them all!!)

It was great for both me and A to reconnect with our friends who came up from Glespin, we don't see them very often but they are important people to us. They ended up staying until Monday because of car problems, so we got them for an extra day :-)

Then, it was my birthday! A much quieter affair for me, we were booked to go to the ballet with the HE group on the actual day, so that worked out well. It was Cinderella, which we hadn't seen before, the set and costumes were pretty wild! At the pre-show talk we went to there was mention of influences from Andy Warhol and Vivienne Westwood, all very colourful and glamorous.

We seem to be doing loads of activities at the moment - A has started a new drama class at the big theatre in Inverness (as well as still going to the local one), and is keeping up with Guides, writing group, ice skating and guitar lessons. While I am continuing with Italian class and pilates, and have taken up Bhangra dancing and boxercise! Its all very exhausting, but in a good way ;-)

Our new HE schedule kind of went by the wayside for about a week, while all the celebrations were going on/being prepared for, but we are back on track with it all now. Granny has been away so A has had to put up with me ignoring her on my work days, which has been fine really. I give her an idea of what I'd like her to work on for the day (mostly stuff she has already chosen as areas of interest) and she gets on with it.

We found this fabulous book - well actually the librarian found it for us and ordered it in - as A had said she wanted to look at the different states in America. The book is so good we have decided to just work through it, covering American history/geography/politics/culture. We've also been playing this game to try and learn where the states are.

Something else we're quite taken with is the Brian Cox series 'Wonders of the Solar System', I had recorded this when it was on TV last year and we've just got around to watching it. Brilliant programme, we are big fans!

Red Cabbage Experiment

A drew up a schedule for Friday. I was a little apprehensive as it was a very long list, but it worked brilliantly. She did have to cut things out as the day went on, but that was ok. Our main activity for the day was pH indicator-making with a red cabbage:

The cabbage was first chopped...

then boiled for ten minutes

Meanwhile, several household substances were gathered

Once the cabbage water had been drained and cooled, it was distributed between 10 glass containers (I knew all those jars I was hoarding would come in handy one day!)

Then A added a different substance to each jar - recording how much was added and any differences occuring to the cabbage water.

And here are the results - A has estimated the pH of each substance based on how blue or red the cabbage water turned.

Next came the 'experimental healthy biscuits', this involved chucking a load of vaguely healthy ingredients together, shaping into biscuit shapes and baking.

They weren't at all bad actually.

Other activities included:

• another crime scene investigation project, this time looking at DNA evidence
• writing a short story in 20 minutes
• online maths assessment on multiplication (she got 10 out of 10 - yay!!)
• 'geograball' - a game A made up with her Granny which involves throwing a ball at each other and naming countries/cities beginning with A/B/C etc
• piano practice
• smoothie making session

We ended the day with pizza-making, and both felt very satisfied with our day. Its great to see A so motivated, she seems to be entering a new phase (or something) where she's taking much more responsibility for her own learning.

The art session with the HE group went really well, I think A was quite inspired by the artist taking the session, and had a good look at her website when we got home.

A had her first night at Guides on Thursday. She was extremely nervous about it, worrying that she wouldn't know anyone, but as it turned out she already knew a couple of the girls, and was put into their patrol, so she came home with a big smile, keen to go back next week.

So all good then. I'm off to the pub tonight - haven't done that for ages. I think I'm in a lager mood tonight...

I am - most definitely - back

OK, enough with the blog break. It didn't work. Even if no one reads it or wants to know what I think or what we're doing, I have to blog.

I have been motivated today, by some positive news on the work front, to give myself a good kick up the arse and stop being so lazy. I cant use the 'not enough time' line as an excuse - there is NEVER enough time to do everything I want to, thats how my life is. Truth is, I like blogging, I enjoy it, and I've missed it.

I think there may be changes in the way I blog, it has evolved along the way in any case, its bound to. I'm toying with ideas about changing the name and how it looks, but am not sure yet. I think a slight change in perspective may occur, posting more about me and work, but then my life is still predominantly about parent/home ed stuff, so not that much of a change perhaps.

I am going to try to be more honest here. I think I've held back on a lot of issues because I'm not sure who's reading and don't want to upset anyone. A bit ridiculous really, why should I care? Its my blog.

Anyway, here is a little update on some of the things we've been up to:

• went to the science festival at a local college with our HE group. A bit stressful for me as I had been the contact for the group, so lots of emailing to and fro, but all went well on the day and we learnt about volcanoes, made solar power models with K'nex, and met lots of creepy crawlies.

• went for a loooong bike ride in the sunshine.

• watched and discussed a programme called 'American Hate' about the Black Panthers - their history, and the current 'new' Black Panthers. We're going to watch the second part, about the Ku Klux Klan, sometime soon.

• A wrote a letter and drew a picture to send to the African child her Granny is sponsoring

• A created some more fashion designs for her label

• We discussed and researched setting up our own shop on Folksy - watch this space!!

• Talked to Nonno and Nonna about our plans for Italy next year - they are taking us to meet some of A's family out there.

• Lots of maths, English, piano, drama, art, singing, laughing, eating of cake....I could go on...

Another busy week!

I really feel I need an extra day in my week.

I was at a conference on Tuesday - 'Immunity From Pandemics: Protecting Yourself & Your Community', put on by the Shen_Foundation . Very interesting stuff with some excellent speakers. In particular Prof_Mark_Harrison from Oxford who spoke about historical perspectives on pandemics; and Dr Zaijin Ren who talked about her extensive experience of flu prevention projects in China, particularly in relation to use of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Meanwhile, Granny took A to see a play - Playing_a_round_with_Shakespeare , which they both enjoyed very much. I'm sad to have missed it myself, it sounded great - very funny apparently.

Choir and drama on Wednesday again - the choir have their first performance next Friday and A is very excited about that, and rehearsals for the drama performance (next month) are developing well. A and her friend are coming up with some great ideas about costumes and slapstick routines for their roles, they make a good comedy duo.

A had her third piano lesson and I am so thrilled with the way its going. Its not so much the level of playing (although she's catching on to things very quickly), but more the way she approaches it and communicates with the teacher. She is showing herself to be a very mature and intelligent young person, and I feel very proud of her.

On Friday we had a home ed group visit to Duff_House , where the children learnt about how it was used as a POW camp during WWII. The activity leader was really good - in character as a soldier, but not too shouty or intimidating. I think the kids had a lot of fun.
A certainly enjoyed it, and also enjoyed seeing a few friends again, particularly the girls who came over to ours a couple of weeks ago. She managed to have a bit of time with them after the group activity, and we're going over to theirs sometime soon.

A has spent this weekend with her Grandparents, and also had the chance to see her little half siblings and their mum. She's not back yet so I don't know how it went, but I'm sure they will have had a lovely time, and Nonna will be exhausted!! (but in a good way).

Sunshine and Science

We enjoyed the beautiful weather last weekend. Went out jogging on Friday morning (before it got too hot), then spent the rest of the morning out in our yard reading to each other. I finished Spilling_the_Beans_on_Charles_Darwin which we both loved (on to STB on Tutankhamen now). A read a chapter of Pippi_Longstocking - a brilliantly funny and anarchic tale about a nine-year-old girl who lives on her own and does things her own way, ignoring adult advice/intervention. This is one of my all-time favourite children's books.

Reading in the sun

We had friends over for a barbecue Saturday night, and we all happily stuffed our faces with Linda McCartney sausages.

A went out with my camera yesterday and took some 'abstract photos' (her words) around the town and neighbouring gardens. Here are a few:

Yesterday was also 'science day' through at Inverness_College, organised by one of our HE group parents and hosted by the STEM club. A had a great time, she worked mostly in a group with two other girls, but there was a really nice friendly feel to the whole group - including the parents, and I had quite a laugh too (much needed at the moment!). Briefly, the experiments were:

Enzymes - looking at how enzymes in pineapple and kiwi fruit affect the protein in gelatin, by leaving the fruit in some jelly for three hours and checking for changes.

Fruit battery - wired up a lemon/orange/grapefuit to a LED using a copper coin and a galvanised nail, then added more fruit to the circuit, testing how many were needed to light the LED.

Fat Content and Diffusion - looking at how fat affects diffusion by adding one drop of food colouring into pots of different types of milk (skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole) and comparing them.

Protective Packaging - each group had to design a container for an egg that would prevent it from breaking when dropped from head height, using newspaper/bubble-wrap/straws/tape. The designs were very varied, but they all worked.

Soda Snakes - using sand, bicarbonate of soda, icing sugar, alcohol, and a match, some very impressive 'snakes' emerged for some groups! Really should have taken my camera - for this alone - but, of course, I didn't :0(

We were here today...

...doesn't look very exciting from the outside - but this is MFR, the local radio station. One of the home ed group parents organised for a group of us to be shown around. Me and A were on the reserve list, as only 8 people were allowed in the group, but someone had to drop out so we got in at the last minute! I have to admit we very rarely listen to MFR, we tend to fight over having the radio set to Radio 4/Radio 1 (I'm sure you can guess where the preferences lie), but this was a really interesting trip - seeing how the shows are put together, and how the news room functions. We were in the studio as Tich_McCooey was broadcasting his show, he chatted to the kids, and even did a card trick for them (he was rubbish!) while the music was on.

It been quite a social week for A, she went over to her friend's yesterday (an old school friend). We seem to have a fairly regular Wednesday arrangement with this particular friend (and often her twin brother too), which is great for A, as its a friendship she really values.
On Monday we had a friend from the home ed group and her Mum over, which was lovely for both of us. I had originally tried to set up a get-together with a few of the girls from the HE group, as there hasn't been a lot going on with the group lately, and when we have been to things the girls A gets on best with haven't been there, but only one of the people we invited was able to make it. It was a bit of a shame more couldn't come, as I think A was well up for a party, but we had a nice time with the people who did come :0) Maybe we'll try again for a party later in the year (if I have another brave moment!).

Tomorrow we are off to Eden_Court with my friend and four other girls from A's old school, to see a special event Scottish_Ballet are putting on, should be interesting! Then on Saturday it is the Mayfair at A's old school, which she is very keen to go to. I'm not so keen, but am aware that this is largely because I'm a grumpy, antisocial git, so will make the effort for A's sake. So - a busy old time at the moment for us.

Must mention this book about Albert Einstein we've been reading, there is a whole series of them (we also have one on Charles Darwin to read next) and they are brilliant - just the right level for A, giving an interesting account of the individual's life as well as some insight into his work and theories.

Science, hair dye and Chocolat

Had a great workshop on Wednesday with the home ed group - The_Renewable_Energy_Roadshow did two sessions with the kids. The first had them all in lab coats doing experiments with dry ice, then after lunch they looked at sources of renewable energy, and in small groups had to decide on what kinds of renewable energy they would use in a fictional town/village. Each group had a map and info about their designated town, and discussed what they would do, then presented their decisions to the other groups.
A really enjoyed the whole thing, I think it was great for her to work in a group on this sort of subject. I also got the chance to chat with some other home ed parents, and met one or two I hadn't seen before. Thats one of the good things about our network - its so huge you always seem to meet different people at different events.

A investigating solar power

The only slight concern I have at the moment is the lack of a regular social group/meet for A. I'm really happy with our home ed group, but the way it works is various people come up with different ideas and if there's enough interest someone organises it, and it all seems to come together (well, thats my experience so far). And it does work well for us, as we go to the things we're interested in, and there's no pressure to turn up to things we're not so into. The downside is that A isn't developing any close friendships within the group as the meetings are so sporadic. She gets on well with several of the girls, but we don't see them that often. This isn't a huge problem - she still has friends from her old school, and she doesn't seem lonely, but thinking about the future I wonder if it might be a good idea for her to find a way of building up some friendships locally. She is a very social person, and I hate the idea of her becoming isolated, especially as she gets older and becomes more independent (and basically wants to get away from her mother!!). So at the moment I am toying with the idea of persuading A to join the Girl_Guides. This is a very strange concept for me, as I have huge issues with the history of Scouts/Guides, the religious aspect, and the whole promising to serve Queen and country thing. Not my bag really. But I can also see how it might be a really positive opportunity for A socially. I've just got to persuade her of that now.

We had a lovely, meandering type of day today. Got up late after some dramatics last night (A's continuing problems with getting to sleep, and my annoyance at her many trips out of bed while I was trying to watch a film. It really doesn't help matters when I get annoyed, you'd think I would have learned that by now). We then put some blue/black dye in A's hair (see blurry pic below).

We spent a lot of time reading Chocolat by Joanne Harris, I've been reading this (on and off) to A for a couple of months now, and she is really enjoying it. Of course, we had to eat some chocolate too, its impossible to read the book without suffering terrible cravings for it!
A has also been preparing the flat for her mini party tomorrow. Should be fun!?

Winter Solstice

We decided to have a solstice celebration. I had bought this book some time ago, and we also found some other poems and verses to read to each other. We got down our globe and using A's head to represent the sun demonstrated how the northern hemisphere tilts away from the sun to give us winter. We lit loads of candles, and the fire. We also baked a sun cake, which became a birthday cake for our friend who unexpectedly came to stay for a couple of nights. It was a really lovely time for us, so peaceful and reflective, worlds away from the stress and excess of what Christmas has become for most people. I think I'll give up celebrating Christmas and just stick to Yule (no, I don't think I'd get away with that actually!).
Didn't get a picture of our lovely cake (its long gone now!), so here is one of the fire to warm you up:


We also had our home ed group Christmas party on Wednesday - a huge turn out for it. I was a bit nervous when I walked into such a full hall, but soon relaxed and chatted to a few lovely people. Lots of faces there I didn't know, but I'm starting to get to know a few people a little bit now. The kids had a fantastic time, someone came and did some games with them, which worked really well. I'm so glad that such a strong network of HEers exists up here.

My party food offerings - delicious (even if I do say so myself)

A very strange party game (thats A wrapped in toilet roll!?)

I had an energetic end to Wednesday as I went to see the Levellers play in Inverness. Danced like a maniac the whole night. I need more of this stuff in my life!!

Hello!!

Been a bit of a strange week - really positive in parts, very stressful in others, but generally good.

A has been on good form, she spent yesterday morning writing several poems, while I sat and watched the washing machine (there is a mysterious leak which only happens when noone is there to see it. The other day I found a puddle of water under the machine after it had been on, so called a guy out to look at it - of course he could find no leak of any kind. I've since sat and watched the whole cycle twice and not a drop of water on the floor. Even as I type this I am thinking 'how much more exciting can my life get??') anyway - back to the poetry - one of these was titled 'Why men?', and brought up a whole load of concerns about the cynicism I may have passed on to her (it was pretty scathing about men generally, in a way you wouldn't expect from a 9-yr-old!). I do try to be fair and balanced, and we do have some lovely male friends and relatives in our lives (including her beloved Nonno), but I suppose there are certain experiences she is aware of at some level. She has also been watching Eastenders at Granny's house, which may have something to do with it! Its times like this I really wish my Dad was still around (A was 4 when he died, and he was pretty far down the road with Alzheimer's when she was born so she didn't really know him at all), he was such a great geezer; a real solid, down-to-earth, funny, quietly caring and easy-going bloke. I just know that A would have got on brilliantly with him.
Another of the poems was about goths, and was very impressive, hopefully she'll put it on her blog.

A enjoyed her HE drama group on Wednesday, and I enjoyed chatting a bit with a few other Mums. Lucy very kindly lent me a John Taylor Gatto book: Dumbing_Us_Down , which I am getting stuck into.
This is a picture I took on the way home of a beautiful setting sun - you cant see all the lovely colours (I shall blame the camera), but you get a hint.

Thats the only photo I've managed to take this week. Had a great opportunity today at the Lantern-lit Christmas fair of A's old Steiner school, but of course I forgot my camera. I really am rubbish sometimes.
It was interesting how much I enjoyed the experience this year - it was very different not being involved in all the build up, having to get the baking done in time and do your hour on the class stall. I felt much more sociable and relaxed. We ended up coming home with an extra child, which was lovely for A as she hasn't had a chance to play with this particular girl for ages. Even better - Granny has magically whisked them away to the local pantomime, so I have a chance to blog!!! A's friend's Mum is coming over to join us for lunch tomorrow before they head off, so I will have a chance to catch up with her too.

Strangeface

A few of us went to see a weird and wonderful play last night at the Universal_Hall in Findhorn. 'The Last Resort' by a company called Strangeface. The actors all used masks for the performance, and there were also puppets such as the fantastic devil below.
The masks were quite unnerving to begin with (have a look at the link for some examples), but were very effective. And an interesting storyline about human nature/failings, and redemption. We weren't sure before we went whether it was aimed at kids or adults, and I'm still not sure, but I think we all enjoyed it equally (our group ranged in age from 9 - 84).
After the show the audience were all invited to look around the set and play with the masks and puppets - a great idea, we had to drag the kids away in the end!


Its been a fairly quiet couple of weeks, colder weather has meant a lot more of this:

which is keeping us nice and cosy, in the front room anyway!

We've managed to get into a bit of a routine with some maths and English every day, not always workbooks, we decide day by day what we want to do, but focusing on those subjects.

Since we got back from our holiday A has shown much more interest in the computer (although not her blog! She is intending to blog again soon though, so she says...). I think this is a direct influence from her cousin, who gave her web addresses to some games sites. Consequently, I have become addicted to this bloody annoying game which is driving me mad! I have wasted far too much time on it lately. A is more drawn to the dress-up/make-up type games, although has tried a few others.

I'm kind of in two minds about this increased use of the computer, it was always very much frowned upon by her (Steiner) school, as they have a strong belief that TV and computer games are damaging to children. I felt it was a good idea to limit these things when A was younger, but the older she gets the more I feel she needs to decide things for herself. To be honest I would be very unhappy with her sitting at the computer for hours on end (not least because when I've done that with studying I end up with really bad headaches) but she doesn't seem to want to do that, at the moment anyway. I certainly think its good for her reading skills - she's still not too interested in reading books - as she is reading a lot of instructions for different games.

We've also been on a home ed group outing to Smarty_Art in Grantown, where we painted some pottery. Afterwards we came home and watched Chaplin's The_Great_Dictator, I'd forgotten how much I love this film - we both laughed a lot, and A also learnt a bit about WW2 through discussions about the film.

A has mentioned that she's missing her school friends, I think the long holiday without seeing them, and then a cancelled sleepover she had really been looking forward to have brought it home a bit. She did see all her old classmates at a birthday party last week, and on one level she had a great time seeing them all, but on another it highlights how they are still a group and she is now an outsider. Its difficult as there's nothing I can do really, but she doesn't seem too upset, and is still enjoying HE and insisting she doesn't want to go to the local school.

Down in the Woods Today...

No pictures of our woodland adventures as I very stupidly forgot my camera, so just this lovely one of an upside down, mid-flip A on our trampoline. I love this photo!

Our trip to the woods was with the local home education group, and it was great. The forest rangers took us on a walk and we talked about the different types of trees and some of the wildlife, then it was off for lunch and a bit of pond dipping which the kids all thoroughly enjoyed. A happily joined the other kids and seemed totally at ease, a good day all round actually.

I have to say I feel really lucky to have this established network of home educating families so close at hand. It has definately made the process easier for me. From the very beginning, when I was just considering HE as one option and made tentative enquiries, the group has been welcoming and friendly in a down to earth kind of way.

Visitors!

Well, our lovely visitors left today, and A has gone to stay with her grandparents for the night, so I am all alone. After such a hectic week I am going to really enjoy a night completely to myself.

Our friends arrived on Tuesday, and the girls immediately hit it off, leaving me and D to catch up and chat, which was great. On Wednesday we all went to a drama workshop with the local HE group, which the kids seemed to enjoy. We've only been to a couple of these group events, and being very introverted I do find it really difficult, but it turned out well as some of us had lunch together afterwards so I had a chat with a few of the other parents. They are a friendly bunch.

I do worry sometimes about my lack of sociability, not so much for me (I'm quite happy with my own company, and have enough close friends to know I'm not a complete freak!) but for the effects on A. She is naturally quite sociable and fairly confident once she gets over the initial shyness, so I will have to make sure she gets enough opportunities to mix and socialise, which means I will have to get 'out there' too. Don't know why I find this such a struggle - its not that difficult for most people surely? I waver between thinking 'its just my nature - the way I am' and 'what the hell is wrong with me?!'

Thursday we had a nice long walk, ending up by the sea (see above photo), and A was back on stage with 'Revolting Rhymes' in the evening. Then Friday we went to an event organised by the local council - part of their summer activites programme - 'mythical stories and beach sculpture'. The sand dragon that the kids all worked on was fantastic, and kept them occupied for a good couple of hours. Friday evening our visitors went to see the final performance of RR, which went down very well. They are now off on their travels again, and hopefully me and A will get down to visit them next year (they have inspired us to do a bit of travelling in the spring if I can save some money up).

Next week should be a bit quieter, we have another HE group event, and will maybe catch up with some friends. And I really ought to be working on my OU essay and project (!)