Learning on the Go

Today we dipped in and out of formal learning activities, interspersed with a trip to the library, outdoor play, reading, lego playing and screen time.

At the moment, this ebb and flow style seems to be working really well.

A while ago, I set up a system by which the children could select pictures of their chosen activities and post them onto individual learning boards.

Unfortunately, this only worked for one or two days and, to my disappointment, has been abandoned.

I think Sarah much prefers to use a range of approaches, focussing on one for a week or two and then trying something new....

So after the children had got themselves ready and done their Monday chores, i.e. emptying the dishwasher (usually a daily chore), emptying the bins, tidying their rooms and replenishing the loo rolls, they enjoyed a bit of screen time, before we set off for the library.

We stopped for a few minutes at Dunster park and the children had great fun doing several laps of the adventure equipment in the glorious sunshine.

 

We piled back into the car and set off for the recycling centre.

 

 When we arrived, Matthew was most affronted to see that the recycling assistants were disposing of three very useable chairs. As I had been keeping an eye out for some spare chairs on free-cycle, I went and asked the men whether we could have them. They were happy to retrieve them from the skip and we somehow managed to stuff them into the car, with some clever jiggery pokery...
It was amazing how we turned up at exactly the right time for Matthew to spot the chairs!

We were pleased to find that the library was open when we finally arrived. I had been afraid that it may have closed for lunch, as some smaller libraries are wont to do.

 

Matthew chose a pile of Asterix books, which Sarah immediately started reading.

He also found a couple of Paddington story books

We chose to start reading one of these as soon as we got home.

But funnily enough, while we were still at the library, we ended up reading a Lego Ideas Book Matthew had thought he wanted to return!
Needless to say, he decided to keep this one after all. He wanted to try out some of the ideas at home.

 

We were excited to find Gangsta Granny, by David Walliams, which Matthew was very keen to read.

 



 

As well as a couple of Captain Underpants, Matthew was determined to take home, as he had discovered that the author also has dyslexia....

On the way home, we popped into Tescos. Sarah wanted to read books, while Matthew helped me to find four or five things we needed. We added the total up as we went round the shop.

 

When we got home, Matthew related in great detail, an incident he had watched on youtube involving a mole and a cat and the magic potion pot! It was quite funny and I made a note to encourage him to draw a picture of this as a starting point for a creative writing activity. Apparently it is from an episode of Asterix Conquers America, which he thinks may not be an authentic Asterix, but fun all the same. If you are interested, you can find the link here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av3Tq3iCztk

After lunch, Sarah practised the cornet and piano, while Matthew completed his Reading Eggs and Conquer Maths challenges. He was going to do another Nessy task, but it wouldn't let us in...
He also read a reading book from the library from the Awful Alfie series.
Regular practice is really paying off and we are starting to see some tangible progress, although it is still very hard work for him. occasionally he will write words quite spontaneously, which is so encouraging.

When Sarah finished her Music practice, she needed some down time, as it requires a lot of concentration. She chose to play on the trampoline and has also set herself a challenge to complete several laps of the garden using a circuit she has made for herself, using Matthew's hurdles and the paddling pool!

Another activity she is enjoying at the moment, apart from reading, is to sit on her window sill and record all the books on her shelf on pieces of paper, using her red ink and a feather.



She has created a duplo construction in her room. One of the joys of home education, is the fact that no one tells you that you are too old to play with certain toys. So at eleven and a half, she quite happily entertains herself with small world play.

Matthew also enjoys designing his own lego creations and no longer relies on Sarah to play by his side. They still come to blows over this activity from time to time as they have their own individual rules of play, which neither seems to necessarily understand.

When Sarah had had enough down time, she came upstairs to do some Conquer Maths, Duolingo French and a Reading Comprehension Activity based on Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott.

By this time, she was overtired, as a spate of late nights had caught up with her. She wanted to complete these activities in bed and this she did, where she also ate her tea.

Matthew enjoyed a bath after tea and we shared a couple of chapters from another Paddington Book I had found on his book shelf.



We were in stitches and had to pipe down as Sarah was trying to go to sleep and we were disturbing her! Although we were having great fun, it was important to learn to be considerate as Sarah definitely needed an earlier night.



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