Didcot Library has a display of BBC/Poetry postcards. They are free, so I took 2 and am planning to use these for my letter on Home Education to our local MP Ed Vaizey. Now I have written this I am honour-bound to get going with writing and sending it.
Do look in your local libraries for these, they have striking designs on the front and a snippet of poetry on the back and front.
Gold star for Didcot Library, it has such a lovely load of brand new books to enjoy.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Monday, 29 June 2009
Breastfeeding - brainfeeding
When I first deregistered H from school I saw the beautiful turning of his face towards me. His face lost its anxiety and fear. What I realised was that all of a sudden I had my authority back as a mother. This is not in a bad sense, but a truly wonderful sense.
He turns to me for my views and information. He doesn't agree with all of it, but that is his starting point. For lots of things he goes straight to the internet or other people. He knows I regard his health as most important, I don't dismiss his views.
What I want to write is that while breastfeeding is about security and feeding of nutrients, there is a next stage no-one has named which I call brainfeeding. It is an intellectual taking of what is needed from the parent. There is a natural assessment of the value of what the parent says, I get told that what I have said is rubbish every so often, or I am asked why, or my children tell me something and they want to see what my reaction is. Sometimes they simply bring up a topic and after a bit of discussion they move the talk onto something else. I can see the 'say no more' look on their faces. Sometimes they are polite and will glance at an interesting, to me, photo of an insect I show them, but I can tell it is never going to become a big interest!
What is nice is that I can ask a question about something technical then I can tell them I don't want to know any more, that is enough for now. Then they stop telling me about it, so I can regulate how much information coming my way, just as they can.
That not being swamped by information is similar to the self regulation of breastfeeding, which is the opposite to the forced feeding or spoon feeding of information by a school approach.
He turns to me for my views and information. He doesn't agree with all of it, but that is his starting point. For lots of things he goes straight to the internet or other people. He knows I regard his health as most important, I don't dismiss his views.
What I want to write is that while breastfeeding is about security and feeding of nutrients, there is a next stage no-one has named which I call brainfeeding. It is an intellectual taking of what is needed from the parent. There is a natural assessment of the value of what the parent says, I get told that what I have said is rubbish every so often, or I am asked why, or my children tell me something and they want to see what my reaction is. Sometimes they simply bring up a topic and after a bit of discussion they move the talk onto something else. I can see the 'say no more' look on their faces. Sometimes they are polite and will glance at an interesting, to me, photo of an insect I show them, but I can tell it is never going to become a big interest!
What is nice is that I can ask a question about something technical then I can tell them I don't want to know any more, that is enough for now. Then they stop telling me about it, so I can regulate how much information coming my way, just as they can.
That not being swamped by information is similar to the self regulation of breastfeeding, which is the opposite to the forced feeding or spoon feeding of information by a school approach.
De Jure
A few days ago T used this phrase while we were chatting in the car eating KFC as we drove up the A34. I corrected his pronounciation, 3 syllables, not 2. Then I pointed out that I had never said it myself until right then, nor had I ever heard anyone, child or adult use it in conversation either, so I could be wrong about how to say it.
That is home education. Experimenting with a new phrase, wondering about how to say it, pointing out that it is Latin. So what that it was on the way home from his school. He chooses to go there, mind you at age 11 it was a choice of several schools, I didn't offer HE as an option back then. He knows it is an option now.
That is home education. Experimenting with a new phrase, wondering about how to say it, pointing out that it is Latin. So what that it was on the way home from his school. He chooses to go there, mind you at age 11 it was a choice of several schools, I didn't offer HE as an option back then. He knows it is an option now.
Sleeping
What is it with home education and sleeping? H really does sleep at least 10 hours a night, every single night. T would too, but he can only do this at weekends and on school half terms and holidays.
I'm beginning to think that practically everything people say their schooled teens 'would spend all day' doing, is what they are hard wired to want and need to do. So those activities are like the wild flowers peeking up through the cracks in a formal pavement. And it could be a wild flower meadow instead.
For some teens is could be a lot of gaming, for others a lot of chatting with friends, for others a lot of being in town with friends, a lot of preening and hair experimentation or making things on our kitchen table....:)
Here's to a beautiful wild meadow summer holiday. Term ends just after midday this Friday...yippee.
I'm beginning to think that practically everything people say their schooled teens 'would spend all day' doing, is what they are hard wired to want and need to do. So those activities are like the wild flowers peeking up through the cracks in a formal pavement. And it could be a wild flower meadow instead.
For some teens is could be a lot of gaming, for others a lot of chatting with friends, for others a lot of being in town with friends, a lot of preening and hair experimentation or making things on our kitchen table....:)
Here's to a beautiful wild meadow summer holiday. Term ends just after midday this Friday...yippee.
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Remember this?
"And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wondrous cold:
And ice, mast-high, came floating by,
As green as emerald."
I read this out to T.
"Moonpig dot com"
T sang this to me, he can't get it out of his head.
And there is a song with those words too....one thing leads to another...
And it grew wondrous cold:
And ice, mast-high, came floating by,
As green as emerald."
I read this out to T.
"Moonpig dot com"
T sang this to me, he can't get it out of his head.
And there is a song with those words too....one thing leads to another...
It's late
I can't concentrate because something is squeaking every 2 seconds out in the night. Maybe it is a baby bird that has not been tended by a parent?? Is it an odd owl?? I wish I knew.
Now that has stopped and a different pitched thing is regularly tweeting every one second.
18 hours ago it was early morning and a woodpecker was pecking out there.
The well-grown lambs on our nearest farm have stopped suckling from their mothers now. I wonder why. They still stand right up close to their mothers though. Do they snuggle up to their mothers all night? I bet they do.
Now that has stopped and a different pitched thing is regularly tweeting every one second.
18 hours ago it was early morning and a woodpecker was pecking out there.
The well-grown lambs on our nearest farm have stopped suckling from their mothers now. I wonder why. They still stand right up close to their mothers though. Do they snuggle up to their mothers all night? I bet they do.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Soldering
We will work out how to do this tonight, all being well. I have a light soldering iron, some flux and solder. T has lots of components he wants to put together and good enough eyesight that he can see what he is doing with all those tiny wires. Also the love of electronics which pushes him on to work on such things.
Butter
It's very easy to make butter. I did a bit of googling, bought a large amount of double cream and whizzed it just like making a cake. A cake bowl is the wrong shape for it though. As soon as the whipped cream turns into solid butter the buttermilk gets sent everywhere!
I want to find a deep straight sided mixing bowl for next time.
Washing the butter was ok, tipping away the buttermilk (into my soup) and whizzing again with fresh cold water from the tap maybe 7 or 8 times. The clear water turns cloudy and is tipped away each time. Watch out for the butter heating up, if that happens it melts and is tipped away with the washing out water, not the plan.
I am not yet clear on how to get the remaining clear water drops out of the butter. It goes rancid if this water remains in the butter. So I need to google some more and look it up on YouTube.
If I eat it all in the next few days there won't be a going rancid problem.....By the way it is surprisingly pale and tasteless.
I want to find a deep straight sided mixing bowl for next time.
Washing the butter was ok, tipping away the buttermilk (into my soup) and whizzing again with fresh cold water from the tap maybe 7 or 8 times. The clear water turns cloudy and is tipped away each time. Watch out for the butter heating up, if that happens it melts and is tipped away with the washing out water, not the plan.
I am not yet clear on how to get the remaining clear water drops out of the butter. It goes rancid if this water remains in the butter. So I need to google some more and look it up on YouTube.
If I eat it all in the next few days there won't be a going rancid problem.....By the way it is surprisingly pale and tasteless.
Friday, 19 June 2009
Learning New Spellings
As an adult I am having to face the fact that English is shifting and growing as I breathe.
Here are the spellings I had to get right, ie get wrong then Google to check how to get them right, just in the past few minutes.
LEDs
IDE adaptor
Bluetooth
ThinkPad
Here are the ones I actually knew already:
10Gb, pronounced gig, ie gigabyte
USB hub
Compact Flash drive
T has a shopping list so I offered to write it down there and then as I have a pen and A4 pad. He is recovering from the lurgy so is at home and doing lots of computery stuff.
Here are the spellings I had to get right, ie get wrong then Google to check how to get them right, just in the past few minutes.
LEDs
IDE adaptor
Bluetooth
ThinkPad
Here are the ones I actually knew already:
10Gb, pronounced gig, ie gigabyte
USB hub
Compact Flash drive
T has a shopping list so I offered to write it down there and then as I have a pen and A4 pad. He is recovering from the lurgy so is at home and doing lots of computery stuff.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
My comment to Ed Balls today
Re: Badman review of Home Education
I want to point out that it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children are educated and cared for.
Home education is a precious option I never knew I would need to choose.
There is a huge amount of debate at the moment among home educating parents. You will see evidence of this as the topic of home education becomes more of a mainstream issue.
Be aware that there are many parents of younger children who are planning to continue to home educate once their little ones get to age 5. Home education starts at birth and is a demanding and rewarding occupation.
There may be parents with children amongst your own circle of friends who are considering home education. Do listen and observe them.
My Name
Go to http://www.edballs.com (look for the 'Ed Balls wants to hear from you' section on his website)
I want to point out that it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children are educated and cared for.
Home education is a precious option I never knew I would need to choose.
There is a huge amount of debate at the moment among home educating parents. You will see evidence of this as the topic of home education becomes more of a mainstream issue.
Be aware that there are many parents of younger children who are planning to continue to home educate once their little ones get to age 5. Home education starts at birth and is a demanding and rewarding occupation.
There may be parents with children amongst your own circle of friends who are considering home education. Do listen and observe them.
My Name
Go to http://www.edballs.com (look for the 'Ed Balls wants to hear from you' section on his website)
Monday, 15 June 2009
Charlotte Mason and Nature
Every so often I read a little more about Charlotte Mason. This is what I found today:
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-mason.htm
Until I read the piece above I hadn't realised that she had suffered from depression/a breakdown. It makes so much sense that she turned to nature and perhaps found solace there. I'm guessing on this. So being in daily contact with nature may help the home educator as well as the children on different levels.
I have 2 indoor children, but we observe the wildlife indoors too, bugs which fly around the lights at night, slug trails sometimes, dead bees, flies and bees needing to be let out of windows, spiders I catch and release outdoors (I am the champion spider catcher). Our visiting cat simply walks in and goes to sit beside H.
Even driving to the station each day means that we check which field the sheep are in, see the seagulls come inland when the weather is bad, look at how the steam from our power station rises right up to form neat clouds when there is no wind or smell the manure if it has just been spread. There is so much nature to look at and talk about briefly. Because I have got into the habit of noting down details in a desk diary each day, I make a point of searching for new things to pay attention to.
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-mason.htm
Until I read the piece above I hadn't realised that she had suffered from depression/a breakdown. It makes so much sense that she turned to nature and perhaps found solace there. I'm guessing on this. So being in daily contact with nature may help the home educator as well as the children on different levels.
I have 2 indoor children, but we observe the wildlife indoors too, bugs which fly around the lights at night, slug trails sometimes, dead bees, flies and bees needing to be let out of windows, spiders I catch and release outdoors (I am the champion spider catcher). Our visiting cat simply walks in and goes to sit beside H.
Even driving to the station each day means that we check which field the sheep are in, see the seagulls come inland when the weather is bad, look at how the steam from our power station rises right up to form neat clouds when there is no wind or smell the manure if it has just been spread. There is so much nature to look at and talk about briefly. Because I have got into the habit of noting down details in a desk diary each day, I make a point of searching for new things to pay attention to.
Friday, 12 June 2009
Conversation
T and H are talking away, spam, getting a second broadband line, horror films I won't allow "I do have some standards" I squeaked, computers, shopping for new cables, toolbars for flash, apps, some special back lit keyboard, face cream!!, American ads on TV, YouTube, how to pronounce 'derogatory', insults on COD4, getting an email address, making up new words, 'that's the second time I said that and I regret that', getting a headset, mistaking an insect on the screen for my cursor, B and V lessons, psychological test on critical thinking, being out of the house in the drive when H was busy indoors, our visiting cat starting to scratch the furniture, new approach to the cat, possibility of the cat scratching the fan of the computer, hoovers, silencer on a hoover, Delta fan and a finger (not recommended), don't touch the red button, tasting ear wax, Scooby Snacks, bad breath in the morning, gunk in your eyes/sleepy dust, tasting apple flavoured washing up liquid when I was 16, why?, coco pops, Coke, Jane Austen went to school for one year around age 11, mindless drivel, laughing at your own jokes, Bugatti Veyron with mile high spoiler, what is Jeremy Clarkson doing right now?,
The clock, turquoise paint, carpet in bathrooms, light fittings are awful, bulbs are see though and filaments burn your eyes, bad fireplace, dead bees in the blue sofa room, bugs flying round the room in the evening, why did we buy this house, this would be a nice conversion, make it more modern, light, Grade 1 listed, Grade 3??, problem with a g2 listed house no one would ever want to buy it, couldn't even sell it to the bank, knocking though to next door, non sequitur, I want to go to bed, I really like Stonehenge, pulling a piece of shocking chewing gum.
The clock, turquoise paint, carpet in bathrooms, light fittings are awful, bulbs are see though and filaments burn your eyes, bad fireplace, dead bees in the blue sofa room, bugs flying round the room in the evening, why did we buy this house, this would be a nice conversion, make it more modern, light, Grade 1 listed, Grade 3??, problem with a g2 listed house no one would ever want to buy it, couldn't even sell it to the bank, knocking though to next door, non sequitur, I want to go to bed, I really like Stonehenge, pulling a piece of shocking chewing gum.
The Badman Review
Well I haven't read it yet. I will sit down when I feel strong and make notes as I go with a pad of A4 beside me.
Since I am known to our local Local Authority I have no anonymity to lose. This means I am able to use my real life name on emails and letters on behalf of those who are not known. This is a daunting responsibility.
There is a lot of discussion online about coming together to speak with one voice. So I will bide my time and see what campaign/s will come out of this. I only want to write one letter to my MP, and it had better be a short, effective one in tune with whatever approach we collectively agree on. Luckily I am new to all this and will just watch and wait from the sidelines.
Since I am known to our local Local Authority I have no anonymity to lose. This means I am able to use my real life name on emails and letters on behalf of those who are not known. This is a daunting responsibility.
There is a lot of discussion online about coming together to speak with one voice. So I will bide my time and see what campaign/s will come out of this. I only want to write one letter to my MP, and it had better be a short, effective one in tune with whatever approach we collectively agree on. Luckily I am new to all this and will just watch and wait from the sidelines.
Parallel Housework
I am so excited. A friend of mine, F, suggested the idea of parallel housework. We think it will mean doing gardening, clearing out the grotty garage, moving piles of books from here to there. Since it is with a great friend and we can eat cake and drink coffee at the same time, what better way to spend a Home Ed Friday?
My HE son H is pursuing his interests with a dedication which puts my keenness on facebook/mumsnet etc in the shade. So he'll be doing that while we do something a little different.
My HE son H is pursuing his interests with a dedication which puts my keenness on facebook/mumsnet etc in the shade. So he'll be doing that while we do something a little different.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Experiment in the Garden
Method
My son T was full of beans when I picked him up from the station after school today. He asked if we could buy a box of matches and some firelighters, then simply light the box to see what would happen.
So we wandered round Tesco to find them. Got home and went straight ino the garden to set up the experiment. We put one firelighter on a metal garden chair in the middle of the lawn, placed the box of matches on top, filled the watering can with water, I wetted the grass under and around the metal chair, went through the 'roll a person on the ground if they are on fire' warning I always mention, then T lit it and we stood 20 feet away.
Results
There was a flash of flame from one side of the box, which was very slightly open. Then the fire lighter continued burning. This was the 'is that it?' stage. After a while there was a bigger flash of flame from both ends of the box, simultaneous. There was a whoosh noise too. T said this was the magnesium. We decided to pour water over the lot once it was clear it was just burning quietly, no further explosions. The fire was doused immediately.
Conclusions
When we poked the box open with a stick, we found that only the ends of the matches had burnt, the middle sections of wood were still pale. If we had let it burn itself out it would have taken some time. I felt a bit stupid for having risked the paint on the chair going up in smoke, luckily it didn't take. Next time I would use the fire pit or a sturdy foil bowl as a fireplace. T said he had wanted to try this for years, ever since I had lit 5 matches at once as an experiment one time.
My son T was full of beans when I picked him up from the station after school today. He asked if we could buy a box of matches and some firelighters, then simply light the box to see what would happen.
So we wandered round Tesco to find them. Got home and went straight ino the garden to set up the experiment. We put one firelighter on a metal garden chair in the middle of the lawn, placed the box of matches on top, filled the watering can with water, I wetted the grass under and around the metal chair, went through the 'roll a person on the ground if they are on fire' warning I always mention, then T lit it and we stood 20 feet away.
Results
There was a flash of flame from one side of the box, which was very slightly open. Then the fire lighter continued burning. This was the 'is that it?' stage. After a while there was a bigger flash of flame from both ends of the box, simultaneous. There was a whoosh noise too. T said this was the magnesium. We decided to pour water over the lot once it was clear it was just burning quietly, no further explosions. The fire was doused immediately.
Conclusions
When we poked the box open with a stick, we found that only the ends of the matches had burnt, the middle sections of wood were still pale. If we had let it burn itself out it would have taken some time. I felt a bit stupid for having risked the paint on the chair going up in smoke, luckily it didn't take. Next time I would use the fire pit or a sturdy foil bowl as a fireplace. T said he had wanted to try this for years, ever since I had lit 5 matches at once as an experiment one time.
Farm Town and our visiting cat
I'm 2 days into this and am wondering why I didn't try this before. I've just rearranged my fruit trees and found out that their harvest % has gone down to zero. So I now have to wait for them to grow again.
vc5tttttt6rrrrrrr That was our visiting cat walking across the keyboard!
3wwwwwwwww We have named her Furry Ninja.
Anyone else addicted to Farm Town? I wish it had a better name though.
vc5tttttt6rrrrrrr That was our visiting cat walking across the keyboard!
3wwwwwwwww We have named her Furry Ninja.
Anyone else addicted to Farm Town? I wish it had a better name though.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Old English
This is fascinating, so many words haven't changed a bit. The translation I have runs alongside the original, practically line for line. Seamus Heaney uses simple English words to emphasise the similarity I think.
Sae - sea
Sande - sand/beach
Worde - words/speech
Aesc - ash (sc is pronounced sh)
We - we
Under - under
Thaes - this
There is a great online OE dictionary. I have found myself simply reading down the lists of words and meanings. I wonder when all the ge- verbs disappeared.
I keep on bounding up to my sons and telling them that head, nose, hand, foot, tooth etc must be Old English, because they are short words and are for the essentials. I have pointed out the -ing ending which we use to create verbs from new words, making them our own.
I have a sort of giddiness when I think of words like hall, work, gear, shield, spear, anchor, sun and winter. It is all so ancient. Rather like when I see the ridges of the old farming strips lit up by the evening sun.
Sae - sea
Sande - sand/beach
Worde - words/speech
Aesc - ash (sc is pronounced sh)
We - we
Under - under
Thaes - this
There is a great online OE dictionary. I have found myself simply reading down the lists of words and meanings. I wonder when all the ge- verbs disappeared.
I keep on bounding up to my sons and telling them that head, nose, hand, foot, tooth etc must be Old English, because they are short words and are for the essentials. I have pointed out the -ing ending which we use to create verbs from new words, making them our own.
I have a sort of giddiness when I think of words like hall, work, gear, shield, spear, anchor, sun and winter. It is all so ancient. Rather like when I see the ridges of the old farming strips lit up by the evening sun.
The Lambs
As I drive past the lamb fields I look over to see what they are up to. I love it when 2 strapping lambs rush up to their mother, one each side. They head butt her udders and she stands there so stockily. Both lambs' tails wiggle furiously in the air. Try telling them they are too old to be suckling!
My Obama Mug
I am so grateful to my friend C. She went to the States and managed to buy an Obama mug for me. I keep on saying my President, which is incorrect. However politicians make a big impact, beyond their own countries. A vote in one part of the world can have an influence on people somewhere else in the world.
Music and Meditation
This is turning into a boasty blog, but I'm sure things will even out in time. At the moment I'm on a roll.
The music for this term is one Bruckner piece and 3 Mahler pieces. I have the CDs and am trying out paying attention to the music as I drive on my own. So every time I think of something else I aim to let it go and come back to the music. Clearly a big part of my mind is alert to the road and the traffic.
They also say not to lie down to meditate, however it is a brilliant way to fall asleep, counting each breath and starting again at 1 each time I get to 10.
Sitting in our garden is hard because doing the thinking/thinking/thinking and feeling/feeling/feeling meditation gets very confusing with birds singing, the wind moving past etc, it is all too busy. I need to find a way to allow all that sensory imput to flow over me.
The music for this term is one Bruckner piece and 3 Mahler pieces. I have the CDs and am trying out paying attention to the music as I drive on my own. So every time I think of something else I aim to let it go and come back to the music. Clearly a big part of my mind is alert to the road and the traffic.
They also say not to lie down to meditate, however it is a brilliant way to fall asleep, counting each breath and starting again at 1 each time I get to 10.
Sitting in our garden is hard because doing the thinking/thinking/thinking and feeling/feeling/feeling meditation gets very confusing with birds singing, the wind moving past etc, it is all too busy. I need to find a way to allow all that sensory imput to flow over me.
Petruchio's Wedding Outfit
Try this for handwriting practice. The Charlotte Mason approach includes handwriting practice, 'copywork', so I am doubling this up with noting some favourite passages from Taming of the Shrew. Well, I'm getting a great education and am staying off H's back so he can do his autonomous thing.
..............
I'll edit this post later to add the lines I think are great.
..............
I'll edit this post later to add the lines I think are great.
Fashion Crimes
My younger son H does not mince his words. He came into the kitchen and said what I was wearing looked like a "70's remix". It was only a black rollneck top over a long green t-shirt and a slightly different green long skirt and black boots. So I have my own Gok Wan in the house.
Last time I made a bad impression on my sons was the day they told me I was wearing my "mushroom top". It was actually a leopard print summer top I really liked. They were adamant it would not do, so I took it to the charity shop. They protested so strongly and in such spontaneous stereo that I had to believe them.
Last time I made a bad impression on my sons was the day they told me I was wearing my "mushroom top". It was actually a leopard print summer top I really liked. They were adamant it would not do, so I took it to the charity shop. They protested so strongly and in such spontaneous stereo that I had to believe them.
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