Caz

And boy was it!   I thought I'd follow suit with a couple of the blogs I like to read regularly, and share what we got up to this week.  We have had a really busy week starting on Monday with our Home ed network art & gymnastics classes and finishing up today with our extra curricular day!

Well, it's not REALLY finishing up today, because tomorrow it's off to Nana's for a birthday/anniversary cake and afternoon tea, followed by a sleepover (I think mum has ALL 5 grandkids for the night, she's either brave or crazy!).  On Sunday we're meeting them at a cousins house where the kids will have a swim and hang out with family before we head home.  So yeah.. no rest for the wicked until after Monday here lol.  

Blogger is being shonky today, and not letting me format my pics well.. so bear with me :)  The distance education 'school' arranged for the RSPCA to be on site for our students with their EMU..which is not, as you would naturally assume, a giant flightless bird... but is their Educational Mobile Unit.  Basically a big trailer that is all fitted out with computers,   and hands on games and materials for learning all about animal welfare and safety.  

  Here's Sam and Frodo being 'vets'  and taking care of the stuffed animals.  Sam is using a handheld scanner to see if this kitty has a microchip, and got very excited when the scanner gave him a response.  This is about the only pic of Frodo today as the rest of the time he was at a computer playing the games and totally zones out lol.  

 This activity was all about native animals and invasive species that are non native to Australia.  There were a selection of plastic animals and four 'habitiats'.  The idea was for the kids to place the animals where you should expect to find them.. and those that don't belong here at all and damage our environment (like the fox & rabbit).  Sam had a good time with this and a couple of other matching activities.

 Here is Sam rescuing the kitten that is stuck in the pipes using a little mirror and peeking in.  He was triumphant when he reached in and pulled out a cute little stuffed grey kitty.  I was shocked that he didn't take advantage of the 'costumes' (work shirts) on the hooks by the pipe lol.

 Due to Monday and Friday being away days, we had just 3 days worth of 'school' time.  We still got a fair bit done.  There was reading comprehension, grammar & spelling for Frodo...as well as Math and handwriting.  And Sam worked on his handwriting and Headsprout phonics :)  As a group, we worked on our Ancient China study.    The boys learned about Chinese numbers and calligraphy, the Great Wall of China, along with things about what the average Chinese persons day would have been like.  In our history pocket the boys made a Chinese lantern chain with the numbers & pronounciations on them.  They're loving 'counting' their way across the shelf in another language.

 And Sam actually did more than just a quick scribble .. he actually stuck with it through all the colouring, cutting, and gluing.  Kudos kiddo!   Here's the finished product of the entire chain.  Yes, someone in this house is a serious Raymond E. Fiest fan, if you look closely lol.  This expedit shelf actually houses most of our school 'books' (there are other materials here and there all over the house.. in the linen cupboard, in the dining room hutch, in the computer room and garage even!) So I thought I'd share a little peek.   There's a little bit of adult stuff there, 1 cube of Fiest and one of Eddings, but otherwise this is all the kids domain.  There are math manipulatives, puzzles, felt boards, crayons, pencils, scissors, glue and such in the baskets.  Up on the top row of cubes is where we keep our library books, so we can always find them.. and so Merry (who hasn't yet learned the idea of gentle with books @@) cannot damage them.   He still gets to read them... just with mum or brothers 'helping'.  He has his own cube with his 'that's not my' books and his own crayons drawing pad.

   On the very top of the unit is my prized collection of handpainted Christmas cottages... personally created by yours truly and a very dear friend of mine over 10yrs ago.  They are super special to me, so they are out year round, but I would like ot find another 'home' for them around here somewhere!  The solar system is due to start sprouting on the top of these shelves any week now, so having the sun parked next to the soda shop might not work out so well! ;)   

Just in front of the shelves is a nice area that I'm hoping the rug  mum bought us for our anniversary fits in th at part of the room so that it can become a nice cosy reading area.  I'd like a couple of big floor pillows for that corner as well.  I'm repurposing a picture frame or two that have been gathering dust in my closet as well.  I plan to put some of the boys masterpeices from art class in them to really cozy up the corner, and make it 'their own.

 

 

 

 

6 Responses
  1. Todd Says:

    Great pictures. Glad the day went well, as near as I can tell :-)


  2. Kylie Says:

    Great seeing your week in review. :)


  3. Anonymous Says:

    What great activities! Your week was far more interesting and productive than ours. I hope all of you have a lovely time with your Nana!


  4. Caz Says:

    Thanks gang, Kylie.. I had to trim out a bit of more mundane schooly stuff because my post was so long it would have put ya to sleep lol.

    Wendy the boys can have fun with Nan, they're sleeping over. WE are coming home to enjoy a nearly 24hr kid free hiatus!


  5. Anonymous Says:

    Can I go to your house for homeschooling? ;-)
    Cari- Did you see the new Barefoot Books that have arrived? (www.BooksByBarefoot.com)
    They are geared towards younger kids but my son still loves all kinds of books. Can't wait for the new chapter books to come out though!


  6. Caz Says:

    Oh no I haven't had a peek since they went on the site! They REALLY need to open up Australian operations dammit! I am lucky, I have younger ones so ANY boods are good ones for us.

    And of course you (and Roo) can pop over for homeschool fun ;)