Music | Life, Love & Literature

Southern Pro Musica Concert

by sarah

Every year since Jack was 4 we have attended a classical music concert at Portsmouth Guildhall at this time of year. We love it, adds some structure to the seasons and is one of the highlights of the year.

It was a bit (lot!) of an effort to get up and go based on how I’d felt on Monday but definitely worth it.

We started off in Victoria Park where we managed 20 mins play, lunch in the cafe and then some other hardy souls from the local home-ed group joined us for another 15 mins in the park. It was really cold!

Then it was to the concert. This was the programme.

Overture ‘Ruslan and Lyudmila’ — Glinka
Meet The Orchestra — Jonathon Willcocks (he is also the orchestra’s conductor)
The Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba –Handel
Tubby The Tuba — Kleinsinger
Waltz From Swan Lake — Tchaikovsky
Trumpet Concerto (Finale) — Hummel
Hornpipe — arr. Hentry Wood
Tritsch-Tratsch Polka –J Strauss
Wigwam — Jonathon Willcocks

Sam doesn’t like things too loud (neither does Jack but he’s getting better with age) so I manufactured a muffling device from a scarf.

The final song is always an audience participation one and this is the first year that they both joined in with enthusiasm. I think they liked the ‘terrible disaster’ action…

Out and About

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Jack’s Curriculum 2011

by sarah

For once we begin the academic year with Jack working at the level he would be at school. We’ll ignore the fact that in some subjects this is our second or third curriculum.

The plan is to spend less time focusing on Maths, English and Science and introduce new subjects and do more project work.

Maths

Realistically I suspect that this is not enough to last the year but we will bulk out, with Maths puzzles, try some test papers and probably start on some KS3 Maths books we have, if necessary.

English

Last year I did a lot of work with Jack on writing for different purposes and audiences (everything he was writing sounded like it came from a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book) and it has definitely paid off. However, he is a bit fed up of writing exercises so this year the aim is quality not quantity. I hope to encourage him to start planning a bit more.

We have also time for reading built into our days so we aim to read the books linked to the comprehension exercises in to Jack’s English book.

Science

History

Geography

Jack wanted to use these

I’m not impressed. So the plan is to take the themes from it and expand them into projects.

Plan is to look at;

Coasts

Maps

Settlements

London

Rivers

These books form the core of our extension work

Latin

Both boys will be working together on Minimus.

French

These books are excellent because they work alongside each other. The books address the same themes in the same order, but obviously the work in Book 1 is more in depth than that in the Elementary book. This means we can study the main ideas and vocab together but boys can work at their own level.

Drama

Jack is doing drama lessons at New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth.

Music

I hope to do a bit of music appreciation using this

Plus Jack has fortnightly piano lessons.

Art

We will look at different artistic works and produce pieces inspired by them.

Project work

Jack is quite keen on the idea of these and as long as he remains so I will leave the entirely within his control.

He is starting with one about the seaside.

Curriculum Jack's Work

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Adventure Group — Painting with nature

by sarah

Tuesday started with piano practice.

Piano practice

And a bit of maths and english.

Sam’s work

Then it was over to our home ed group meeting where one of the mum’s ran a workshop on painting with plants. She explained how she made the dyes and showed them how to rub colour out of petals.

image of Fran showing how to make natural paints

Learning how to make natural paints

Some of the plants they used.

Some of the plants used to make paints

Sam’s picture is of someone bleeding to death.

Sam’s picture

Jack’s is of someone being shot with an arrow and erupting into blood and guts.

Jack’s picture

Outside there was a full scale storm going on, thunder, lightning, rain the works. But the kids still enjoyed playing. Sam fell over and managed to land face down in his cake

a cake accident

We left early and went to the shops as Jack needs a ‘lion tamer’s’ outfit for his drama play.

Jack then had a piano lesson before Cubs. Sun had come out so after dropping Jack off at Cubs, Sam, Pussy and I had 20 mins in the park.

a cake accident

Day to day life Home Ed Group

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All Change!

by sarah

Has anyone else had problems with Blogger lately? I haven’t been able to log in for a week — grr!

Normal routines seem to have pretty much gone to pot over the last couple of weeks. Grandpa has been to stay and Pete had a weekend away. Jack is going through one of those spells when he has a lot of spark about him and we’re working more or less autonomously.

We’ve been playing lots of table tennis.

Been out and about running errands. I’ve had about 1/2 my hair chopped off and have new glasses on order.

There has been ice creams.

Buying of ‘tat’ from charity shops (Jack is a Weeping Angel from Doctor Who).

Lots of time in libraries. Friday they spent an hour and a half in the local one reading and colouring while I changed the wall display and Weds we spent an hour in the Discovery Centre in Gosport as it has a much better non-fic range collecting books on anything that caught our fancy.

We’ve been experimenting with plants.

Beanstalks again.

Which have sprouted already. When they are a bit bigger we will turn one upside down to see what happens.

And cress. We’re testing what plants need to grow so have deprived some of light/heat/water etc.

We’ve been making things with salt dough.

2 egyptian plagues and cartouches waiting to be painted.

Baked cakes. Lemon and Strawberry sherbet cupcakes to be exact.

Oh and we got a new piano!

They were so excited I got a rousing rendition of Ode to Joy, complete with random german sounding words, at 8.30 this morning while it was still in the box

Day to day life Educational Philosophy Out and About

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Knights and Castles

by sarah

Last week when we went to the Adventure Playground for HE group, they had finished the play castle. Since we had no plan in mind for this week we decided to go take the castle as inspiration for a group session.

Susie read the children Herb the Vegetarian Dragon to get us in the mood.

Then they all teamed up to paint a giant dragon, wonderfully drawn by Donna.

Then we’d bought a load of craft supplies from Baker Ross and Crafty Crocodiles (Baker Ross showed up 10mins before I had to leave the house — Postman probably thought I was mad as I greeted him most enthusiastically.

So they decorated card swords.

Glass painted rings and necklaces.

And made scratch art crowns.

Then we stuck up the dragon and it was out to play. You may not be surprised there was a lot of knight related games.

Sam slayed the dragon…

Jack slayed the Princess!

Cubs was music night so Jack got to show off his keyboard, recorder and boomwhacker skills and have a go on a full size drum kit, he got home very tired and happy.

Day to day life Home Ed Group

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“Rock” Music

by sarah

I had a few chores to do in Gosport today so the boys and I went to the Local Studies centre.

This is really just a section of the library in a separate building across the road. Lots of local books and a room about local Geology.

Jack and I played a game where he had to identify whether a rock was igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic by touch.

Sam was excited by everything as he always is. He loves museums!

A fossilised dinosaur footprint

Making a geological timeline…

Then we looked at the old maps for a bit, seeing the growth of Lee.

Then it was over the ferry to Portsmouth. Every year there is a Children’s Orchestral Concert at the Guildhall and it is a lovely event. Took me back a bit when I calculated this must be our 6th year! The steps outside the Guildhall are always a good place to play too.

We stopped in a local music shop and spent lots of virtual pounds… Jack is keen on an electric guitar. We did buy Sam an ocarina though which should be interesting.

Then back to Lee for Jack’s piano lesson.

Now we’re off to cubs!

Day to day life Out and About

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Love is …

by sarah

… spending hours of your life baking batch after batch of Pudsey Bear shaped biscuits, because your 8yo decided that as part of a Cubs badge he was going to bake some to sell to raise money for Children in Need and then lost interest 15 mins in to the mammoth baking session and left me you to it.

When I suggested that I should get the badge as I did the work, he pointed out the badge criteria said he had to ‘organise’ a fundraising event not actually do the work. Crafty little so and so even got Sam to do the bulk of the decorating!

While I worked in the kitchen boys played on Education City.

Then we did some more of Sam’s Pilgrim project

Including making a model of a stick used by a Tithing man. Apparently he stood at the back of the long church services with one of these. The knob was to tap talking children on the head and the fur end (a squirrel’s tale) was to tickle the noses of people who fell asleep.

Jack and I built a Hawker Tempest (a plane)

And then the boys painted the models they had made this week.

I introduced Jack to the iron — so he could iron his cub scarf as part of his Home Help badge.

Then Jack had a piano lesson, followed by Cubs and Sam watched Nigel Marven’s Penguin Safari.

Day to day life

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Out and About

by sarah

Last week involved lots of running around.

Monday we started with a bit of work. Maths, English (reading practice for Sam)and read our story of the week.

We looked at ‘Eeyore’s Birthday’ to continue the ‘festivals’ theme.

We then did some experiments with balloons. Putting on some sticky tape and then poking a needle through.

Then inflating a balloon using the gas released from mixing vinegar and baking powder.

Then home ed group where they played with the boomwhackers and gymnastics for Sam.

Tuesday we braved the wind and rain (and thunder and lightning) to go over to Portsmouth for book group. We discussed George’s Marvellous Medicine. Made a volcano from baking soda and vinegar again. Everyone drew ingredients and we stuck them on a big pan to make a collage.

The kids then all made blobber (borax, and pva) with varying degrees of success.

After lunch we played parachute games and the kids did some dancing.

Back home we dropped of our bags and then took Jack to his piano lesson. Back home for 1hr, time for a quick tea and change. Then off to Cubs. Where Jack wrote the following poem…

Lots of soldiers died

By their rules we abide

On Remembrance Day

I say

Spirits invisible to the naked eye

There in the graveyard they do lie

Weds we messed around at home and then the boys came to Rainbows with me. The other Guider has 8yo twins, a 9yo and a 10yo, who stayed too and they all get on really well. While the older 2 help out the younger ones hide away in the corner and play/chat.

Thursday we caught up with some work and household chores then took Jack to drama. As the lady who is in charge was there Sam decide to ask if he could join in next term. She let him join in then, he loved it!

Friday we went out to Southampton to celebrate Sam’s birthday, which being on a Sunday (and Remembrance Day) we’ll spend quietly at home (or out parading). Due to the rain we just went to the town centre. To the model shop for Airfix kits, Burger King for lunch and then to the Build a Bear workshop.

(sorry for picture quality, photos are off phone)

Sam made a rabbit named Alexander — complete with Star Wars PJs.

And then played some music with Dad before bed.

Day to day life Out and About

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Moon Festival

by sarah

For numerous reasons I’ve got really far behind, so time for a catch up.

3 weeks ago we moved our focus from Autumn and plants to festivals. To tie the two together we started with a beautiful book from Barefoot Books (think they come 2nd to Usborne but only just…)

Monday was still film week so we headed over to Gunwharf to watch Toy Story 3 — which we all hated. Took the opportunity for a look around the shops and in particular to top up Jack’s woeful clothes and shoe supplies. He has now decided he loves Gap. He’s grown up enough to care about what he wears beyond whether it has Ben 10 or Star Wars on — grr.

To Stubbington for Sam’s Gym and then home where we spent awhile looking up China in the atlas and talking about cultural differences.

Tuesday — I had my OU exam so Pete was in charge. Gave him the task of explaining phases of the moon to Sam. Then Jack had music and was inducted in to Cubs (which made him very happy).

Weds — We went to Gosport Gallery where there was an exhibition of illustrations from children’s books. We read some stories did some colouring and made an Elmer.

As I had to be back in Gosport later for Vision, the Guiding Finale we decided to hang around. Had lunch in MacDonalds, went around the shops (to buy gloves, hat, vest and tights — I was woefully underdressed for the evenings festivities) and hung about in the library. Sam and I explored the library museum while Jack worked his way through their Goosebumps collection.

Sun setting over Portsmouth. Just before they started lighting up the Spinnaker in guiding colours.

Thursday — After the previous week we (or I perhaps) were exhausted so we took it easy. They painted me with Halloween makeup (not a flattering picture).

And I painted Sam.

Then Sam and I spent a long time in the bath. And I spent a longer time cleaning the bath!

Then we decorated cakes

To look like monsters!

And took Jack to drama.

Friday — Sam finished off his first ever lapbook. About Harvest.

Jack practised the piano.

We painted silver moons to make a mobile the next week.

And I caught up on a week and a half of housework!

Day to day life

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Back to Work

by sarah

With one thing and another we really came off the boil over the summer and didn’t seem to achieve anything and behaviour definitely seemed to suffer as a result. Therefore, decided to start the new academic year with a new ‘structured’ approach. How long it will last time will tell but so far so good and everyone seems happier.

The idea is that for Jack morning is work time. I give him a list of things to do in a book and he manages them. After that he is free to do as he wishes. Haven’t told him but I have relaxed my computer/tv rules as to be honest if we are working all morning then out late afternoon for whatever that day’s activity is there isn’t a huge amount of time for him to play on them anyway. However, he does seem to be self regulating and is happy grabbing the last of the summer sun in the garden.

Workwise Jack is using CGP for Maths, Galore Park for English, Science and History, DK Spanish and Geog and everything else I make up as we go along.

For Sam, we are trying to follow “The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading” as well as learning the dolch words. I’m not convinced by phonics personally but Sam seems to struggle a bit with picking out sounds in speech (and as a result it can be difficult to understand him sometimes) so thought I’d see if this helps. Maths we are finishing off his Heinnekken books but plan to start Math-U-See in the next few weeks.

For everything else for Sam I am hoping to use an approach inspired by “Five in a Row”

The idea is that you read a book for 5 days on the trot and each day follow up with an activity, covering art, science, humanities, creative language and applied maths. I loved the idea and some of the books were nice but having seen the manual it left me cold. There was little progression of ideas and there was still an awful lot of planning needed.

Therefore I have decided to raid my bookcases and the library and come up with my own version. Advantage being I can feed in from what Jack is doing, home ed trips etc. Having sketched out a term I still have loads of books/idea so hopefully will

manage at least a year or so.

Anyway this weeks book is

Part of a vegetables/healthy eating theme as I try to inspire Sam to not be so fussy.

Monday, Jack worked through Maths, English, Science and labelled some maps of America, including playing the states games on here and the joined Sam for his ‘Oliver’s Vegetables’ activity of making food pyramids.