UMMMMM SORRY!

Hello (I say rather sheepishly), is there anyone still out there? It's been ages!! Sorry!

Anyway, what have we been up to since last month (can't believe it's been that long)!

Well, as it's now August, we have tried to take time out like the schooled kids, but when you home educate you realise that kids never really take time off! Everything they do and everywhere they go, they are learning. But we are not doing projects, we haven't done any structured lessons and the only stuff we have done has been 'as and when it happens' stuff. So that's time off for us!

The last week or so of July was taking up by finishing off work for the year and gathering everything together into understandable sections - not easy when you start things, go off on tangents and then come back to stuff, but we managed it and were quite surprised by how much we'd actually done! Lots of science stuff surfaced and at least 3 major projects with lots of little ones on the side!

Callum decided he would like to show off his work to some of his friends and family, so we had about a dozen people round (he chose who he wanted, designed invites and printed them off and got them sent) for an 'open day' with Phil doing a very basic BBQ of burgers and sausages! I was rather impressed with Callum actually as he not only took charge of the invites, but he decided what work he wanted out, displayed it and set up a 'science room' in the utility room with work and some experiments. He then proceeded, on the day, to organise a rota of demonstrations of said experiments in approx 15min intervals and went over them again so later arrivals could also join in. He did it all by himself and I was very proud of him!

We also had our yearly home education beach day in July. Weather held, although was very cloudy; only raining later on in the afternoon. Quite a few families turned up and we met some new families - belated thanks to Ann for organising!!! Callum had a wonderful day and spent most of the time down in the water. It was while he was down there that I realised how much he'd grown! I was looking for him from up on the sands where we were sitting and Phil said that he was with the big boys in the water. I said I couldn't see him and then realised that he was one of the big boys!!!! Oops!! There I was looking for a little 'un! Hey ho!

So far during August we have been on a Monk's day at Rochester with Lorraine and Amy; trampolining lessons (last one of the year for the group and a couple of private ones); Ann's house for play; out with a new friend who we met through MAGIC; Callum's been on 3 Activity Days with MAGIC on his own (well, without me, but with Callum D); Trosley Park with our ASD home ed group; Capstone with Linda and Danielle to do water survey (which we never got round to doing with big sis) and to play and we've seen his best mate Callum as much as possible. All in all, our relaxing August has been a very busy, very socialable and very pleasant month!

Still to come is beach day with our, now not so, baby group. It's become an annual event! 3 mums and 4 kids down to Broadstairs. The kids have grown up together and it's like getting together with family, so really nice! We also have a zoo trip planned; more trampolining and a visit to Natural History Museum for The Deep exhibition in London and hopefully more play dates. By then it'll be September and we will need to start thinking (note I said thinking - hehe) about getting back to a routine of 'school'! Well, we will see what happens won't we?

Anyway, you are now filled in! So cya soon.