A wet week!

Although last Sunday we did visit Milestones with Grandad (as proved by the photo!) we have been enjoying the rain the rest of the week!

We started on Monday with a trip to Winchester to join in a Wildlife trust event. We were at Winnell Moors which is just off the one way system. However you wouldn't know it. You are suddenly catapulted into the middle of nowhere!

As we arrived Alanna was given a piece of card with double side sticky tape on. She needed to find as many different colours as possible with help from one of the volunteers. As he took the children and the parents round we were told the names of different plants and trees. He picked the blackberries for the children so the poor man ended up covered in scratches!

Then she had a chance to make a potion to help the trees grow. A different volunteer this time who told the children all about different herbs and got them smelling them as well as what they could be used for. THey all went into a cup with each child the adding water it needed squishing! The potion was then poured under a tree of choice to help it grow.

Next we joined in the minibeast hunt. Unfortunately this was when the heavens opened! We did shelter a while under a tree, but it showed no signs of stopping. We did see lots of ladybird puper however! We went on the 'board walk' through the marshland before turning back as our time was up on th ecarparking ticket. By the time Alanna was back in the car she was lovely and dry as she had been wearing wellies, waterproof trousers and a waterproof coat. Mummy on the other hand...... Well I did have a waterproof coat on, it just happened to drip all over the non-waterproof trousers!

When we got home we did some colouring and drew pictures of the potion.

Tuesday was normal as Alanna was in nursery.

Wednesday we went to Tadley library and Alanna finished the space hopper challenge! She has a certificate and a medal. (photo to follow)

Thursday was good fun. We visited a childminder in the morning to see if we all got on. We have a month's trial in September, so fingers crossed as hopefully this will be where she moves to over the next few months from nursery. After lunch was an afternoon/evening at our friend, Nickys house. The children had a brilliant time as they went from playing in the large outdoor, rainy day play tunnel to playing in the paddling pool splashing water. Here I would like to point out that it was drizzling all afternoon and the children had on jeans, tshirts, but did have their wellies on! After about half an hour they decided they were a bit cold so came in to get changed! Nicky's kitchen floor looked like it had been flooded, but the children had really enjoyed it!

Then a communal bath followed, so more getting each other wet!

Friday was spent between nursery and grandmas house before daddy came and picked Alanna up last night. She should be home around 4pm tomorrow.

The house seems very quiet without her.

Spring has started!

Another busy week - I think I'm going to stop saying this as every week seems to be the same!

Monday we met 2 lovely home educated families who were really helpful answering my many questions. Alanna loved playing in the garden with the toys, play house and chickens! Wish we had room for some!

We then went swimming with friends and have never known a pool so empty. For the last half hour we had a 20 metre pool all to ourselves with the floor in the middle raised so Alanna and her friend could stand on it!

Tuesday we went back to Milestones museum for the morning. I can't believe how cheap the annual membership is (£15) so we can now go back as often as we like. Again we met up with some home educated families who gave us more information. Alanna had great fun running around the cobbled streets finding things on her activity sheet.

Wednesday we met up with some friends at a garden centre for lunch. The children enjoyed giving us heart attacks by running around the pot section of the centre! We then made daffodils and painted them (thank you Nicky!). Alanna's lovely purple one is on our newly made seasons table which is taking shape quite nicely.

Thursday we went to the local National Trust place, The vyne for a woodland walk with Grandad. We got some more things for our season table. Alanna practiced her letter recognition, learning about wasps, counting skills, worked out smaller and larger numbers and determined that 1.1 miles was shorter than 1.6 and 2.3! Not bad for a 3 year old. As well as listening to bird sound learning about the world around her and getting exercise (including practicing balancing across a branch - no pictures as she was holding my hand!)

Friday was another work/nursery day but she came home early and helped teach all her toys to jump and swim in a pond (her bed) by demonstrating and helping them!

She's off for a weekend with daddy at the moment so I've been in the garden all day. New Troughs bought for Alanna's beetroot and carrots! Will see what she thinks when she returns.

Have started reading some home education books recently (thanks to Kelly for lending them to me). I have come across the term Wider world educating which I think really sums up the difference between school and Home ed. I really need to look at some schools, but still want to home ed - it just makes so much sense. Hopefully it will happen, only time will tell.

puddles and more...

Another busy week

Monday saw me at work and Alanna with a friend for the first time on her own. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy it and is still talking about it now.

Tuesday we got to the home Ed group meet up at JJs (local soft play place). Alanna was so excited she couldn't wait to get her shoes off - we haven't been for over 6 months and then have only been a total of 3 times previously! We have arranged to meet up with a couple of people and I am trying to arrange a few more meet ups on a one to one basis.

Wednesday came I drove 33 miles for a training with staff I work alongside, run by a trainer from the next door building to work, then 33 miles back again! Hopefully part 2 will be at work


Thursday we met a lovely local family for the first time having only spoken over the GP forum until then. We also discovered our children were born on the same day, same year just different towns!

Friday was a work/nursery day and Brownies.

On the way into nursery we heard a woodpecker so Alanna walked in doing woodpecker impressions much to the confusion of the staff! Alanna joined the Brownies going up the bell tower from the church next to the hall with the help of a Young Leader.

Today! - Saturday

Even busier!! and yet so much more rewarding!

We have made bread (again with bread maker)

hung out bird feeders

Alanna has done some maths (from an activity book)

The we went on a puddle walk and remembered the camera

All by 11am!

We then went shopping and came back to an indoor picnic - my Little girl was getting a bit tired by then so we had to have our luxury on our indoor picnic!

one of our guests!

This afternoon with the help of Grandad we have condemned our tv! The sound has gone for the last 2 weeks and when we tried the DvD freeview with the small portable it works fine. So the freeview box is now upstairs with the portable in my room. On the landing shelves are all our videos and DvDs.

Now where the Tv was is our new seasons table!! Which is currently quite big due to using the tv stand. So far it has a rainbow silk on it and a small bowl of blue glass nuggets to symbolise the puddles. When it looks a bit better photos will follow. Until then I just hope the cat has no interest in the table!

This week - 15 Feb

Been sorting out some recent photos this morning and realised how much we have done in the last week and how much I haven't got photos of!

We've made bread which we hadn't done for a long time as I keep forgetting we can do it now!

Alanna (and Keira the cat) have played at being fairies.

We made bird feeders

Alanna has taught herself to draw around both her hands while visiting a local museum who had half term activities around the Hollywood walk of fame. I forgot my camera that day so ended up taking a photo when we got back to Grandma's house!

Alanna has painted a bird for the first time that looks like a bird!

We have also been to our other local museum for a make and take session about trains as they have recent had a new steam train added to the exhibits. That was great fun, but got no photos apart from playing in the post office! Alanna went running around like the older children with a sheet of drawings of things around the museum for her to find. She also 'wrote' a letter to her friend which we must get round to posting! We talked about trams and looked at the tracks they used. If mummy had been more organised and had taken a packed lunch we could have stayed there all day! Maybe next time!

We are hoping to go swimming this afternoon as long as I get the housework done first. Then she is off to Manchester with her daddy tonight for her cousin's birthday party this weekend. Home ed group next week - looking forward to it as we haven't made it for such a long time!