It may well be the summer holidays for those of a schooly inclination, for us us it's always about the learning. Well, apart from when we're not. So forgetting for a moment the days where everyone is so happily engrossed in something I can practically ignore the children and read or sew or crochet or whatever and call it autonomous learning, remember that life is learning and we can squeeze educational benefit from our everyday tasks and challenges.
For instance the topic of this weeks learning shall be wholly relating to our annual trip to the fabulous Camp Bestival. We can tick off all our learning boxes and they (kids) won't have a clue!
I give you the following examples.
Q1, How will family Phillips manage to transport 4 adults, 4 children (varying sizes and ages), 1 baby to Camp Bestival, with 2 cars and 1 roof box, stopping on route to pick up 2 more children?
Q2, How many pairs of pants can each person take to cover 4 festival days and 6 more camping in Cornwall, taking into consideration the above information?
Q3, How long will it take family Phillips to reach its Lulworth Castle destination? Factor in baby feeding, changing, crying, wee stops, coffee stops, traffic jams and Somerset detour.
Q4, How much fuel will that be? (second thoughts don't answer that *gulp*)
Q5, Can you program the Sat Nav so that it does not always want to take us round the M25 or through a field? Please, anybody?
Q6, Can you estimate how many portions of cheesy chips Mia will eat whilst being surrounded by fabulous food options?
Q7, Research the likelihood of precipitation, providing detailed water cycle and jet stream mapping. (okay so they might not do this but they can use multiple apps and get the info on an hourly basis)
Q8, How many different ways can you fold a 5m Bell tent? And then fit it back into its bag with all the poles?
Q9, You have £9.56 left in your bank account after feeding everyone at the festival for 4 days, how will you feed everyone for the next week in Cornwall?
Q10, It's Monday can you rustle up costumes appropriate to the theme "silly Olympics" in 3 days without buying more supplies?
And the list could (will) go on and on until we are wedged into the cars and heading down the road. We will have faced all manner of problems, including how we sit through another of Oliver's James Bond theme CD mixes. But it will have been worth it and who could argue with the educational validity of those questions?!!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday 23 July 2012
Thursday 19 July 2012
So, yes, we too saw the torch.
Did it fill our minds with thoughts of athletic prowess? Community spirit? What it takes for a young person to fulfil their dream?
Sadly no.
We waited an hour, saw a huge convoy of advertising trucks, police outriders and a cheer bus with, as the teen described, the smiliest Morrisey lookalike trying to whoop the crowd into torch frenzy. It was drizzling, that didn't happen.
Our torch bearer ran. Ran like the wind past us all. Past the young school children with their hand made torches. Past gaggles of mums, toddlers in pushchairs waving damp flags happily. Older school kids let off so that they might witness the spectacle for themselves. Office workers, old folk and of course us.
We ate our sandwiches while waiting. Chatting about what we might see. We'd been expecting huge crowds, but at the top of the high street we found a spot.
We learned valuable lessons of hold that spot and jump up and down if you're feeling chilly. We talked properly about people who'd been picked to participate in the relay and what it might mean to them.
Davy had his camera and went into covert picture taking mode, making the most of the different people out on the streets. Surely adding something to his portfolio, see, time well spent. He wasn't convinced.
And we brought a baby along for the ride too. Multi generational experiences. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's nearly time. Look here are the police.
And a sponsor truck. Cause it's important, the money, you know.
And more police. Come on, come on.
And oooo yes, here it is, oh, it's gone.
Our only shot. No idea who the super fast young man was. And here is the problem. We all saw the soft drink sponsor, the phone Sponsor, the support crews, security teams and police officers. We saw the singing and dancing bus asking if we're ready. And we were, properly ready to witness something that could bring this strange community together along the desolate high street of a struggling town. But we don't know why the man had the honour of running for his community, county, country. Educationally we were able to talk about flags, patriotism, sponsorship deals, why we needed security and all sorts of other questions. But the young minds in my educational care were bemused and disappointed. I couldn't answer all of their questions. I had no idea of this persons great deed. He could have been a hero to them, he may have already given much to his community or overcome great hurdles in his life.
I know that not everyone's experience has been like this. We know of a lady in a neighbouring town given the honour because of her services to teaching and running music services. She walked, waved, smiled, hugged and posed her way through her walk. Students and families she had touched for 20+ years came out to support her and share in the moment. As for us, well perhaps the poor chap was playing catch up! All we know is the games favourite drink.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sadly no.
We waited an hour, saw a huge convoy of advertising trucks, police outriders and a cheer bus with, as the teen described, the smiliest Morrisey lookalike trying to whoop the crowd into torch frenzy. It was drizzling, that didn't happen.
Our torch bearer ran. Ran like the wind past us all. Past the young school children with their hand made torches. Past gaggles of mums, toddlers in pushchairs waving damp flags happily. Older school kids let off so that they might witness the spectacle for themselves. Office workers, old folk and of course us.
We ate our sandwiches while waiting. Chatting about what we might see. We'd been expecting huge crowds, but at the top of the high street we found a spot.
We learned valuable lessons of hold that spot and jump up and down if you're feeling chilly. We talked properly about people who'd been picked to participate in the relay and what it might mean to them.
Davy had his camera and went into covert picture taking mode, making the most of the different people out on the streets. Surely adding something to his portfolio, see, time well spent. He wasn't convinced.
And we brought a baby along for the ride too. Multi generational experiences. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's nearly time. Look here are the police.
And a sponsor truck. Cause it's important, the money, you know.
And more police. Come on, come on.
And oooo yes, here it is, oh, it's gone.
Our only shot. No idea who the super fast young man was. And here is the problem. We all saw the soft drink sponsor, the phone Sponsor, the support crews, security teams and police officers. We saw the singing and dancing bus asking if we're ready. And we were, properly ready to witness something that could bring this strange community together along the desolate high street of a struggling town. But we don't know why the man had the honour of running for his community, county, country. Educationally we were able to talk about flags, patriotism, sponsorship deals, why we needed security and all sorts of other questions. But the young minds in my educational care were bemused and disappointed. I couldn't answer all of their questions. I had no idea of this persons great deed. He could have been a hero to them, he may have already given much to his community or overcome great hurdles in his life.
I know that not everyone's experience has been like this. We know of a lady in a neighbouring town given the honour because of her services to teaching and running music services. She walked, waved, smiled, hugged and posed her way through her walk. Students and families she had touched for 20+ years came out to support her and share in the moment. As for us, well perhaps the poor chap was playing catch up! All we know is the games favourite drink.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday 16 July 2012
I blame the rain.
Well we all are aren't we?
The lack of informative blog updates.
The general malaise.
The slugs eating half my salad veg (and the rest the next day)
The depressing light that makes me feel like its still March.
The way none of us is up for a jaunt further than the local library or a mates house.
Or maybe it's not. Perhaps I jinxed myself so badly with my last post that not only have I been unable to write, I've been unable to motivate those around me into action either. Blogging totally gone!
As a record for home educating it's not so full of the day to days. However, I know this is okay! Truly it is.
Because I've got a secret. I go to other places. I post photos on instagram and follow interesting people on twitter. Our life spilling further into the crazy Internet world where it can mingle with others doing the same. Where, I can sneak a peak at other peoples lives, different and yet alike. Struggling, thinking, laughing and sharing all the different things I'm/we're interested in. You can find us all around, those enjoying this "alternative" lifestyle. Not just blogging away the minutiae of our days in the hope our records are enough to keep us from the grip of the local LA. But posting how damn lovely or bloody awful our day has been. Or look at this picture of sun, rain, dog, little Johnny (insert anything) isnt it/he/she great.
I'm a bad blog reader, twitter follower and instagram watcher really. Not commenting often enough when something touches me. Not always responding with a few immediate words. Not liking every photo that's made me smile with a knowing nod or laugh out loud. But I'm there. I'm here too, just not as often as i have been. And maybe there's someone like me out there too, dipping in and out quietly and occasionally sharing a snippet of their day, their life. Perhaps this space helps them like others help me.
And of course I really know we've not been sitting on our bums doing nothing at all. I've got the photos to prove it if I want. But today it's good to just write*, to let myself off the hook.
This is my education too!
*obviously the next post will be a mammoth photo montage of all the most excellent educational stuff, you know, just in case.
- Posted using BlogPress and supreme effort to get my brain in gear
The lack of informative blog updates.
The general malaise.
The slugs eating half my salad veg (and the rest the next day)
The depressing light that makes me feel like its still March.
The way none of us is up for a jaunt further than the local library or a mates house.
Or maybe it's not. Perhaps I jinxed myself so badly with my last post that not only have I been unable to write, I've been unable to motivate those around me into action either. Blogging totally gone!
As a record for home educating it's not so full of the day to days. However, I know this is okay! Truly it is.
Because I've got a secret. I go to other places. I post photos on instagram and follow interesting people on twitter. Our life spilling further into the crazy Internet world where it can mingle with others doing the same. Where, I can sneak a peak at other peoples lives, different and yet alike. Struggling, thinking, laughing and sharing all the different things I'm/we're interested in. You can find us all around, those enjoying this "alternative" lifestyle. Not just blogging away the minutiae of our days in the hope our records are enough to keep us from the grip of the local LA. But posting how damn lovely or bloody awful our day has been. Or look at this picture of sun, rain, dog, little Johnny (insert anything) isnt it/he/she great.
I'm a bad blog reader, twitter follower and instagram watcher really. Not commenting often enough when something touches me. Not always responding with a few immediate words. Not liking every photo that's made me smile with a knowing nod or laugh out loud. But I'm there. I'm here too, just not as often as i have been. And maybe there's someone like me out there too, dipping in and out quietly and occasionally sharing a snippet of their day, their life. Perhaps this space helps them like others help me.
And of course I really know we've not been sitting on our bums doing nothing at all. I've got the photos to prove it if I want. But today it's good to just write*, to let myself off the hook.
This is my education too!
*obviously the next post will be a mammoth photo montage of all the most excellent educational stuff, you know, just in case.
- Posted using BlogPress and supreme effort to get my brain in gear
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)