Recalling the Past Seven Days

Reading - Alice


Alice - English Comprehension ( Worms)

Trying to recall what we have actually done this past week...
Last weekend saw Kitty going off to see New Moon with friends – ANYONE with a pre teenage daughter (or teen!) will not have missed the fact that this is one of the ‘big moments in history’ of the western civilisation!! It was a hit for all concerned, screams (yes!) For Jacob who apparently is a ‘gorgeous guy’ from the pre teens in attendance. As the books from the Twilight series and now the films have captured Kitty’s interest I decided to use these as a base for English work over the past week. She particularly enjoyed doing an interview promoting the film to the ‘Vatican’ giving her reasons why the film is far from a ‘deviant moral vacuum’.
Science for Kitty has looked at the differences between mains electricity and battery electricity before looking at circuit breakers.
Kitty is also spending time rehearsing for this year’s 101 panto – Aladdin which the group take on tour during December. This weekend she is attending two gigs in different locations – Rugby been the one she is particularly looking forward to as last year it was such a buzz!

Made at Syston EHE Group – Alice and Bill







Alice has continued with her structured learning in much the same way, she has particularly shown an interest in Science – Continents, which one do we live in, why is a day 24 hours long, day and night time and looking at sunrise and sunset. Sonlight use a spiral approach in teaching their subjects and I was pleased to see how much she could recall from last year’s curriculum and her enthusiasm for going a little deeper with each subject area this time around.
Tuesday of this week was spent up in Leeds for Laura as part of her YPB work, travelling again by train. This particular session was aimed at showing a group from Scotland how valuable the YPB have been for Cafcass in England and the various ways the young people contribute to the organisation. Laura had a 15 minute slot to present her speech which she did with the aid of bullet points that she had planned earlier.
On Friday, both girls will perform on stage with the local dance club that they belong to; Alice has a tap, ballet and modern piece (3 changes of costume!!)Whilst Kitty is dancing in the modern piece. They have their own fan club of parents, siblings, grandparents and uncles going along to applaud in the right places!

Disclosing Tablets

Alice completed her ‘Teeth’ project yesterday - using disclosing tablets after brushing her teeth to show where further areas of bacteria were still lurking – this she found fascinating and persuaded both Kitty and I to have a go too!! She then wrote up her experiment before watching a link on the web about how bacteria destroy the enamel on teeth.
Next week she will begin a new Sonlight ‘year’ – I opted for Sonlight with Alice - although Kitty will use Noeo.
Written Work


Disclosing Tablets

Wet and Blustery......

One benefit of the weather turning blustery and wet is that the kids are eager to remain at home and work. They have all slept in later each day, guess the dark wet mornings are not much of an incentive to jump out of bed! The relaxed start has worked well.
Kitty’s maths work has been on Divisibility – used to just be called dividing I’m sure when I was younger!! Science subject has been Fire, looking at the fire triangle of the three elements needed to create a fire and what happens if anyone is removed, dangerous fumes, how fires spread, putting out fires – fire extinguishers ( types) and lastly burning and engines. Her chosen book has been Twilight that was finished today and moved swiftly on to New Moon (eager to read that as her and a group of friends are off to see the film on Saturday...) In English we have looked a poems at her request, something that we haven’t really done much off previously.
Dancing groups have continued as well as Circus Group, EHE groups attended and the weekly swim at Syston which a number of EHE families attend over a lunch time period.
Some of Kitty's Work


Alice has begun to look at 3 digit numbers in maths, writing the number before and after a given number and playing with 3 single digit cards to see what 3 digit numbers could be made from those cards. Alice found this difficult at the beginning of the week although yesterday it suddenly dropped into place for her. In English she has recently completed the Foundation Text book and has now moved on to the next level – continuing with the Nelson curriculum, this week Bees, comprehension, vocabulary, spelling and selecting the vowels from words in the ‘Bee Story’ have kept Alice busy. Science has continued with Teeth which she is enjoying and her reading continues form the Animal Ark range. Today she also requested to do some sewing and made an animal puppet before heading off to Market Bosworth EHE group.
For Alice too dancing has continued as well as French, gym and Rainbows.

Alice Maths and English

Sewing

Adding Detail


Hand Puppet

Week Mainly in Pictures

Part of our week - in pictures..
Alice – maths

Alice – Sentences

Alice helping to plant some new trees

Kitty and Alice performed with the 101 at a local elderly person’s home – to help celebrate residents 90th Birthday!!






Alice Syston EHE Group – Making Robots

Disney on Ice – Nott’s Ice Centre
A number of EHE families went along to watch the evening performance, kids dressed up in Disney style costume a good night that David took the girls along to


Laura attended and facilitated a practitioners training day down in Taunton on Wednesday for the YPB– quite a trek by train, over 8 hours travelling in total. Laura delivered a speech and took part in the ice breaker session.

Lord of The Dance And Fire works ( for some...)

This afternoon, Laura, Kitty and I went along to watch Lord of the Dance at the Royal Centre in Nottingham – dance is predominantly Kitty’s ‘thing’ and Laura and I were unsure if Irish Dancing would work for us!
We needn't have! Twenty- two pairs of legs were taping the stage furiously with their thunderous and upbeat rhythm; moving from dance to dance, or song and fiddle solos telling the tale of how the evil dancers rob the nymph’s flute. Of course, to - be defeated by The Lord of the Dance himself. Slightly disappointing were for all of us; the costumes that the women wore, they all appeared quite ‘tired’. Which was in complete contrast to the uniformed sleek appearance of the men.
A pity time didn’t allow remaining in Nottingham for a while after the performance as we needed to return home for the local Fire Works Show at Snibston that Alice was looking forward in going along to. Again she wasn’t disappointed – as in the past four years to our knowledge Snibston always put on a good display.
The younger ones hastily ate Jacket spuds on returning home before falling into bed!
Garden at home prior to the display


Watching The Display

Ice Skating

A great morning spent ice skating at the Nottingham Ice Centre – as I have been sleep deprived due to Bill who had been unwell during the night I forgot the camera. As it was, I had enough to contend with just getting everyone out of the house on time!! All three girls had a lovely time skating whilst Bill and I snuggled under coats to keep warm whilst watching.
Kitty and Alice both attended their modern dance classes this evening – before Kitty went on to the performing arts group that she attends.
Another full day for Laura and Kitty tomorrow as they leave for London at 8 to travel by bus, train and then underground; for a further day’s involvement with the Young g Peoples Board – tomorrow’s agenda – finances for the organisation as a whole and how cost saving measure can be implemented. The girls will be involved in focus groups looking at some of the issues from a young person’s perception.

Happily Busy

Alice and Bill - Stonygate EHE

Happily busy over the past couple of days. Structured work yesterday morning, Alice began her teeth project – looking at the milk teeth and then permanent, identifying three teeth types and their purpose, counting her teeth against how many teeth are expected in both a young child and an adult with a full set and lastly using a dentist mirror to look at my teeth to check all was well!! In Maths, she began the last book in the year 2 level and English, sentences that are questions and using question marks in her written work. Kitty worked further on Fractions from her Abacus maths text book, English wrote three short passages, using the first, second and third person and continued with her Story of the World history book. Once David arrived home at lunch time he took all four of them to Syston pool for a swim with a number of other EHE families.
Today we all attended Stonygate EHE group in Leicester, as the weather has abruptly and harshly turned wet and cold I quickly made a large batch of play dough to take with me for the younger members of the group. Kitty enjoyed the sewing, whilst Alice went along to the French class – today the group looked at body parts and their French names, before playing Hooky Cocky in French of course! Kitty, Alice and Bill also made lanterns from jars and coloured paper that hung by wire – very effective.
Once home Alice quickly changed for her Ballet class, whilst Kitty enjoyed time with a friend that is staying over tonight. Dog was walked, hens cleaned (they haven’t lain for four days now!!) And helped Laura find her Dyslexia Assessment certificate that she needed for tonight’s college class as the students exam entries are been submitted. Before relaxing with Alice and Bill watching a Disney film.

Alice and others making lanterns