FIELD TRIP THEN WORK, WORK, WORK

Good evening, hope you are all well.

Today we really knuckled down and did some work.  We said we would have a whole day of science and we did.  We are covering Biology at the moment and in particular trees, plants, leaves, grasses and, eventually, plants as food.

We started our day off on a field trip to Capstone Park to look at trees, leaves and grasses.  Firstly we had to pick out 4 different trees and measure the circumference of the trunks using string and a tape measure and then record the results.  We then picked a leaf from each tree to aid it's identification and took bark rubbings.  We also had a look at some cut branches around the park and counted rings to decipher age and discussed why some rings are wider apart than others.

Then we gathered a few more larger leaves that were similar in shape for another experiment which we set up later (more on that in a bit).

We then moved onto a nearby field and, whilst the dog ran around, we looked at one length of the field and it's hedgerow and picked as many different grasses as we could find to identify once home; taking note of how common they were to find.

On the way back to the car we found a largish cut log with very clear rings that Callum counted and then measured the circumference of the log to find a comparison with number of rings in relation to circumference of trunk.

Once home we used the two measurements 62 rings with a 127cm circumference to come up with the calculation 127 / 62 = 2.05 years per cm.  Using this we could work out an approximate age of the trees we measured.

We also used various references to identify the trees and created a page for each tree with the leaf, the identification, the measurement and approximate age and bark rubbing.

Callum also did some leaf rubbings to create some artwork.

After dealing with the trees we used the computer and a print off to identify some grasses and made a little booklet with the grass, id and some general information.  We also recorded the popularity of the grass within the border that we took them from.

This completed most of the written and research work and it was time to set up a couple of extra experiments which we can monitor.

One was to see how much moisture a leaf will lose over a period of time, using petroleum jelly to mask parts of or all of the leaf.  One leaf was left completely uncovered, one had the top side covered, one the underside covered and one completely covered with jelly.  They were then hung up by string and will be monitored over the next week or so.

Working from left to right;  underside covered, not covered, all covered and topside covered.  We'll see what happens.

Then we set up another experiment to see how roots and shoots grow using a piece of sweet potato.

Again, we'll see what happens.

Callum worked really hard today to get everything done and even when he was starting to flag, he suggested a break and then went back to it.

So what has Callum learnt today, in his own words: "we can use other ways of finding out the age of a tree other than counting rings and that the size of the leaf is not compared with the age as our oldest tree did not have the largest leaf." and "there are lots of different types of grass".

Best bit of the day: "The field trip to measure the trees".

Tomorrow will be tying up any lose ends from the week and getting some maths done.

Cya

All experiments come from http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1741856140/?tag=hydra0b-21&hvadid=11068759565&ref=asc_df_1741856140

A GRAND DAY OUT

Good evening peoples.

We had an unexpected, unplanned day out today!  Callum's dad, Phil, is off work all week and although we have work to do, it was such lovely weather I asked if we could go out for the day.  As he had nothing planned it was a yes!  So upstairs I went to wake Callum and ask if he fancied going out.  Choices were Legoland, Hever Castle or a runabout at Romney Marsh or if he didn't fancy any of those, he could come up with something else.  I was convinced he'd say Legoland, but no, Hever Castle won the day.

So after a quick trip up the town to get some money and something for lunch, we drove off to Hever.  We have been before but not for ages.  Callum decided he wanted to go around the grounds and into the house, which he's never done before.

So after getting our tickets (I remembered to take his DLA letter, so got one adult in for free) we decided to do an anticlockwise walk around the grounds including a walk around the whole lake (something I've never done before either).  So a visual description of our day goes as follows:

1st Fountain

We have another photo like this when he was small

Off for the 'around the lake walk'

Ducks hiding

Red dragonfly

The Waterfall

The Weir

Phil and Callum on a jetty

The Water Maze

Callum in the Maze

Callum at the top

After our walk around the lake and a rest stop at the Water Maze for lunch and Callum to investigate and have a play around, we headed to The Loggia and had an ice cream.

The Loggia Fountain

The Yew Maze

Anne Boleyn's House

After doing a complete circle of the grounds we went into the house above.  Lots of rooms to explore and Callum had a good look round everything and even remembered who some of the people in the paintings were from the Horrible Histories show that we saw earlier in the year about The Tudors.

Topiary Pig

One of the friendly ducks after our cakes

After a cuppa and cake; they even did gluten free for me, we went into the shop and dolls house exhibition before making our way back to the car ready for the journey home.

Callum's favourite bits of the day were the water maze and the walk around the lake which doesn't surprise me as he loves water and he learn't "that I'm very good at mazes".

Bearing in mind that today was unplanned, Callum did fantastically well.  No kick offs, no grumps, but then we did allow him to lead us where he wanted to go (with a bit of persuasion occasionally) so there was nothing that he didn't want to do.

Hope you enjoy the photos.  Tomorrow we'll be writing it up and doing a bit of extra stuff on Anne Boleyn.

Cya
  

A DAY OUT - NO LESSONS REQUIRED

Good evening peoples.  And what have we been doing today?  Well education in it's formal and most obvious state wasn't on the menu today.  Today we had a day out; no lessons, no workshops, just a day out with friends.

We were taken to Greenwich today for the Chinese supermarket.  I've been cooking a lot of Indian and Asian food recently and was in desperate need of expanding my store cupboard.  So Carol and Lauren, myself and Callum were let loose with a trolley for each family unit into a vast warehouse full of goodies.  Was amazing to see so many things that are often so difficult to get hold of and when you can they are really expensive.  Here it was available and reasonably priced.  I was like a kid in a sweetie shop and Callum pushed the trolley and enjoyed looking through all the bits and pieces and boxes and bottles and cans and packets.  As a pescatarian and gluten free individual (one through choice and one not) I find buying foods often difficult and/or expensive, so to be able to get large packs of rice, rice noodles, rice wrappers (for summer rolls, like spring rolls), a wide variety of dried mushrooms and frozen fish at ridiculously cheap prices plus all the condiments I could possibly wish for was fantastic.   Callum even got a large box of prawn crackers (I can't eat them, but he loves them) and a gigantic box of fortune cookies which we split between Carol and myself (again I can't eat but Callum also loves) for £11.  I also treated myself to a bamboo steamer for just under £7, a pack of beautiful chopsticks and a couple of other utensils which would be handy.  Spent rather a lot, but most will be things I will never have to buy again and the rest will last me months.

Then off to Hall Place for a picnic lunch, where we had to fight off the geese, and a wander round.  Weather stayed lovely even though they had threatened rain today.

Callum at Hall Place

 There was a stream/river running through which, of course, drew Callum's attention and this is the view from the bridge we walked over.  The rest of the pictures are me playing with the macro button on my camera in the green house including one which shows the fish in the pond.  The large one, middle right, was Callum's favourite (of the fish that is).

Frangipan blossom

Bananas

Grasses

Bottle Brush Plant

After having a good walk around and looking at everything, including eating mulberries off the tree and swiping a couple of quinces, we made out way home, stopping off at Morrisons so I could show Callum the wide variety of fresh fruit and veg that they have and so he could see the 'dry ice' machine that they use to keep things fresh.

Carol picked some rosa rugosa hips for me and then it was home for a cuppa and a division of fortune cookies (one rather full carrier bag each) and then me attempting to find a home for all our wonderous goodies.

Callum's favourite memory of the day "FORTUNE COOKIES"

Tomorrow will be back to normal with lessons and then group trampolining.  Cya

HE'S CONFIDENT! I'M NOT! BAD ME!

Hi all

Wow, that week went quick!  Can't believe I last did this blog on Sunday.  You must think we've been really busy and I suppose we have, but not because we've been out and about, we've actually done some work.

Callum and myself are feeling a little non motivated at the moment so trying to get into the spirit of doing 'work' has been really hard.  He just wants to play on his games, occasionally see his friends and bounce around on the trampoline as the weather has allowed us outside in the garden for a change.  Now there is nothing wrong with any of that and he has still being doing all of that.

I'm ready for the 'end of year' and having some time to catch up with sewing, gardening, knitting, etc.  But I'm also very aware of the fact that the open day is looming and we still have stuff to finish.  I'm also aware that Callum is now 13 and I'm suffering from one of  my 'aaargh' moments.  Those moments where I feel that we aren't doing enough; what will he do about qualifications; will he get a job; all those questions that all  parents must have from time to time, but I also feel that if any of the above fails that it will be down to me!  I know that everything is really fine.  I know that Callum is learning, maybe not as much as he would do at school, but he's learning what he enjoys and enjoys what he learns and it's at his own pace.  I'm pretty sure that he'll be fine when it's time to find work, but I'm still panicking and I do every year and I'm sure that as the years pass, I'll get worse and worse.  The trick is not to let it influence my attitude towards what we do.  I don't want our home ed experience to turn into one of me being teacher in front of him at a desk telling him what to do and how.

Callum on the other hand isn't having any of those worries.  He is certain that he's going to get a job; he's certain that it will be in computers (games design) and he's pretty certain that he's going to end up emigrating to America to do it!  I wish I had his confidence and his certainty, but I'm glad he has it.  Before we started home education he didn't have any certainty of anything.  He was a scared little boy; a frustrated and angry little boy with very little confidence and no idea of what he was good at.  Home education has taught him that; it has allowed him to investigate his likes and dislikes and has allowed him to grow in confidence in his own capabilities.  He may not be the most sociable kid on the block nor is he the bravest, but he has inner confidence and that is often more important.

So what 'work' have we done?  Well, we looked at areas and perimeters of different shapes and looked at Pi.  We talked about nouns, pronouns, verbs and adverbs.  We talked about what books we wanted to read next year. We had a discussion about how our local area has changed since I was a kid.  We wrote up the Horrible Histories theatre trip.  We looked up Amelia Dyer, the Victorian baby farmer.  We looked up the Charge of the Light Brigade.  We looked at the Tudor family tree.  We discussed next year's 'timetable'.  He rediscovered Lego and built several Halo models and built a base to put them in.

 He built an alarm for his bedroom door and we went to trampolining lesson!

On top of that, we've had visitors, bounced around on the trampoline, read numerous Horrid Henry books and been shopping.  Oh and, of course, played on the computer!

Cya

RAIN, THEN SUN, THEN RAIN AGAIN

Well this week has been a bit of a weird one weatherwise.  It started off wet, we've just had a few days of brilliant sunshine and now they are predicting heavy rain again.  All good for the garden, but not so good when you have plans for being out and about.

Spent last weekend, which was fine in the day and wet by the evening, out and about foraging with Phil and Callum down at Riverside and Motney Hill.  Saturday was elderflowers for cordial, chickweed for infusing in oil for an anti itching lotion for later and sea beet for prawn stir fry for dinner.  Callum isn't into picking stuff, but loves trying things out when I've cooked them.  But he is getting rather good at spotting things, so armed with my 'shopping list' we set off.  Elderflowers this year seem rather abundant so managed to get plenty for cordial and a few extra for drying for making 'flu season' tea later in the year.  He thoroughly enjoyed himself running up and down the 'beach' with the dog and climbing over the walls.

Once home his dad had to go back to work and I spent the afternoon in the kitchen prepping my free goodies.

Sunday was Motney Hill for some more elderflowers; this time for fritters and we managed to get some samphire from the beach for dinner.  Also collected some red clover for drying for a tea.  Callum actually helped pick today, but only the clover as he was having far too much fun running up and down with the dog on the beach, but at least it's a start.  Both him and the dog ended up covered in mud and sand, but it all washes out so who cares?

Monday we went off to a friend's house and ended up picking even more elderflowers (this time from her garden) and showing them and her student how to make the fritters.  There were tons of them; plenty for 4 kids and 4 adults.  Callum had a great time playing with Azeem in his little den.

Tuesday was Callum's birthday; the big 13!!  Was planning to take him to the beach, but it poured down all day so we didn't go.  Asked him what he wanted to do and he said "pj day"!  So that's what he had.  All day in pjs.  He watched Tin Tin on DVD, played on the Playstation and the computer and watched a bit of telly.  Big sis visited for the day as well and he obviously had some presents to open and some cards.  Has ended up with £30 in cash to spend and a WH Smith voucher, has already ordered a new PC game.

Wednesday was a beautiful sunny day which was brilliant as we were on a home education trip to Quex House in Birchington.  Quite a large group of kids, but Callum coped well and he did have some space to retreat for some quiet time too.  The guide we had was fab; very good with the children and very patient and funny.  We learnt a little about the Powell-Cotton estate, but he didn't dwell on it for long.  We then watched a short video on how to make African pots before going outside in the sunshine to have a go at making our own.  Will post a photo up next time.  Then back inside to make masks.  First had a little discussion about different types of masks and why we would use them and then pretty much all the kids went to make animal masks in the animal room.  Callum wasn't too keen on doing that, but decided to make a tribal one instead.  So I went and gathered some paper and crayons and we returned to the tribal room to make his mask.  Had to leave him to get on with it as he didn't want me watching.  It's turned out really well and I'll post a photo of that next time too.  He wants to add things to it before we finally put it together for a mask, so I may wait until it's complete, but then again I might not.

Then it was lunch and free time.  He needed to get some space by this point, so we went over by the fountain to eat and then walked around the gardens before coming home.  Was rather proud of him as he remained with the group for the majority of the time which I know was quite hard for him on occasion.

Today he's been at home playing on a game he's found on Facebook.  He now has an account as he's 13.  He wouldn't join before as you aren't supposed to have one until then.  A few of his friends already had their own account, but he insisted on waiting.  I must admit, it's a bit odd seeing him comment or like posts.

Tomorrow is his dad's driving experience day at Cranleigh and hopefully the thrill ride for them both.  I'll be making sure I have a large flask of tea to drink while I watch them career around the track.  Might have to make sure there are waterproofs too as they are forecasting heavy rain again for the afternoon.

Oh well, here's hoping it'll stay dry enough for them to have their afternoon.  Cya later folks.

TEEN + HEAT = VERY LITTLE DONE

Hiya

I know I should be doing a daily blog, but to be honest we really haven't done enough to warrant a daily one.  Weather has changed here in the South and it's become hot, very hot!  It appears we will have to get used to swinging from jumpers, raincoats and wellies one day to vest tops, sunhats and sandals the next without a period of acclimatisation in between.  Add to this the fact that, as previously mentioned, Callum is reading until all hours and sleeping in later (Issac Newton's theory springs to mind "every action has an equal and opposite reaction") and we don't exactly have a lot of room in the day for getting things done before Phil is home and chaos reigns. Phil is also an Aspi (undiagnosed), but is one for strict routines (his, not ours) and woe betide we alter those or get in the way of them.  So anything we want to do that requires the kitchen, utility room or the TV and often the garden too has to be completed before 3.30pm!  Bit like school really.  I know he would argue that he isn't like this at all, but having experienced the hrumphing and the moaning, I beg to differ.

So this week; what have we achieved?  Monday wasn't too bad as we managed to write up our visit to the Imperial War Museum that happened the week before.  We did separate write ups for each part of the day as the Art Exhibition was going into the colour and light project we are supposed to be doing and the museum part is in the unrelated days out folder.  It appears we are doing rather a lot of those and I might have to go through it at the end of the 'school' year and perhaps pick bits out to expand upon into projects for next year.  The write up took rather longer than expected as, as usual, we got sidetracked by conversation, questions and online searching.  That's the one big thing that I love about home education, it can wander off topic, go onto lots of different pathways and then come full circle back to where we started.  Found a really interesting website whilst having a conversation on timezones (don't ask how we got onto those as I can't remember) which had lots of other stuff on it too.  We ended up 'playing' on here for ages:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Tuesday was Faversham meet.  Callum happy as quite a few of his mates were there, so he didn't end up reading the whole time.  I did find it particularly funny though when I went to look for him as his mate and himself were in the computer room (no surprise there) but at opposite ends of the room talking to each other on Roblox (no surprise there either).  Oh and he actually spoke to another adult!  Well, I say spoke he answered her polite enquiries with stilted two word answers, but it's better than nothing.  Davinia, you are honoured! hehe

Wednesday I didn't see him all day pretty much.  Terri was over and as she needed to use the computer, he was upstairs in his room playing with his tanks and watching Family Guy and Have I Got News For You on his telly (he has Tivo in his room).  Lots of laughter coming from his room with the added occasional 'explosion' from his game he'd made up.

Today he didn't surface until 9.50am!!!!  And even then he was a bit lethargic - he'd been reading until gone 11pm the night before again.  So we decided to have a PJ day and watch a documentary that I'd recorded about why we need the moon.  It was really interesting and the presenter, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock was brilliant as it was explained in easy to understand terms (good for me as well, haha).  It isn't on iPlayer that I can see, but the link below has some information and clips.  Well worth watching if you can find it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yb5jp

This afternoon we dug out Callum's Alpine trough (well it's an old sink to be precise) and repotted with some salvaged old plants and some new ones we bought at the garden festival a few weeks back.

We just need to get some more gravel to fill in the spaces, but it's now looking a lot more healthy than it did as it was overgrown with weeds and unwanted seedlings.

Anyway, that's about it.  Ice skating tomorrow and then we are intending to plant some more seeds in the garden and into pots in the afternoon.

Cya

A WEEKEND WITH NATURE

Hiya


Thought I'd do an end of weekend blog.  Normally don't do anything over the weekend on the computer, but recent weeks have proved that there really is nothing worth watching on the TV and I've caught up on all my recorded programmes.  So have been spending more time on here listening to music and playing on Facebook and, tonight, I'm doing those and writing up the blog.


This weekend has been particularly busy as the weather has been good and we had a couple of events booked at our local Country Parks.


Saturday was Riverside for a mini beast hunt.  We obviously go there far too often as we don't even have to give our names now, haha.  But the events are really good, the staff are lovely and they don't cost much; the mini beast session cost £1.50!  So what did we do?  Well, we started at the pond for some pond dipping, looking out for different creatures that live in the water.

The Pond

The little pile of twigs and leaves (lower centre) is a coot's nest where they put their babies when they are off looking for food.  Bit like a playpen.

The Tray of goodies

It doesn't really show much in this picture, but the tray ended up with loads of water boatmen, tiny watermites, snails, caddis larvae which were really weird and waterlice (underwater woodlouse).  One boy managed to net a stickleback and another a newt.

Then off to the meadow with nets and jars clutched in hands to look for insects.

'fishing for insects'

Our ranger and some of the others

Callum with net

Admittedly there wasn't a great deal of diversity to find at this time of year, so it might be worth going on another hunt at the end of the summer.  Callum did find lots of red ants, a black ladybird, a tiny spider, lots of fruit flies, a few little beetles and a green winged insect that looked like a grass seed which I can't remember the name of and have looked on google, but can't find it.  Really need to invest in a good insect book.

All in all a good morning was had by the both of us.  In the afternoon we planted beans, cabbages and brussel sprout plants along with carrot and beetroot seeds.

Then today, Sunday; which didn't start off too well.  Both Callum and myself felt a bit rough; both of us have colds or the start of hayfever and both had very snuffly noses and not a lot of energy, but we wanted to go on our tree walk, so dragged ourselves up and off we went with dad in tow this time.

It was Capstone Park today with Ranger Dave for a 2.5hr walk around the park looking at the different types of trees that were there.  We, obviously, didn't identify every tree, but picked out the most common ones.  Will let pictures speak for themselves on this one.  

Common Oak

Large Common Oak Tree in Ancient Woodland

Hazel

Ash

Norway Maple

Field Maple

Whitebeam

There was a lot more than that, but didn't take pictures of them all.  Had a lovely walk and the weather stayed dry if overcast.  Both Callum and I felt a lot better afterwards.  Had the rest of the afternoon to laze; with Callum on Roblox catching up with his friend he's made from China for the rest of the day until bedtime, while I read my book.

So weekend over and a week of catching up to do as we don't have a lot of outings planned.

Cya