Knitiing.

Well I've nearly finished my first history unit. It's on the village of Eyam in Derbyshire. I've wrote out all the information - all 18 pages of it!!! Now all I have to do is make up the questions, tasks and activities to accompany the unit.
While I was working Chloe asked if I would show her how to knit.
At the moment she is busy knitting a little scarf for one of her teddies.
I can rememebr my mum showing me how to knit and having my own little knitting bag.
If she takes to it I might try and make a patch work blanket. Maybe showing certain events - though I don't know what yet!!!

Megabus/train - WOW!!!

I've just recently found out about the megabus/train!
It looks fab, you can travel to most 'big' cities - London, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburugh etc for a couple of quid!!
I think it works by pre-selling tickets at off peak times - I think!!!
But Chloe and I could travel to Edinburugh from B'ham for £2 each!!!!
London from as little as £7 each!! It's mad.
It now means that we can open up our learning options as we don't go to many museums because I don't like driving in 'big' cities.
I'm hoping to arrange a trip to London, just for the day, as part of our history topic. Once we've finished our civil war lapbooks; we're moving onto the Great fire of London. I'd like to walk the fire route, visit the London museum (i think that's what it was called) the monument - all though they are repairing it at the moment! And anything else we can fit in.
My kids have never been to London before so it would be a great adventure.
Watch this space.....

We started back yesterday.

yesterday we officially started back on our learning.
We're spending the next couple of days finishing off our English civil war lapbooks.
Yesterday we looked at who should govern England now that King Charles was dead? And Oliver Cromwell's campaign in Ireland. Chloe doesn't like learning about people being tortured and having their headspopped onto spikes!!! Bless her. :-)
I sometimes wonder if it is all to advanced for her and maybe I should go back to what they teach in primary school??? Especially when my older children say that they didn't study that until year 8 - she's only yr5 and very proud of it!
She seems to take it all in though and is enjoying learning about it all. I think she would be so bored if she went back to school.
Today we are looking at the battle of Worcester. Charles the second actually came to Shropshire and hid at Boscobel House, so we're planning a trip there soon.
It was starnge having just one child. Daddy was home too(finishing off the decorating) so he kept on adding little bits of info , which was nice to have someone else's points of view and learning style.
I can't wait until the lapbooks are finished. I will take a 100 photo's as we have worked very hard on them.

Tragic news.

I checked my emails this morning only to find out that on one of my HEd groups had suffered a tragic accident. A little boy - who I do not know, died. He was only 3 and leaves behind a very sad mummy and daddy aswell as 2 brothers.
It kind of puts everything else into perspective.
The washing, the grass needing a cut, the food shop - all unimportant. Yet we occupy our time with them and then don't have the time or strength to be with our loved ones.
So I'm now going to snuggle up to my kids and tell them how much I really love them.

Creative Geography.

Hi
Still planning and researching our topics for next term, and while doing so I found a FAB site. It talks about making games for geography - but the bit that interested me were the 3D models. Here's a link to one:
http://www.sln.org.uk/geography/just_good_ideas.htm
You have to scroll down to the bottom until you reach creating a river basin.
We looked at rivers last year and this would have fitted in perfectly.
This year I'm hoping to study various countries so could include this project then. Maybe when we look at China or Ancient Egypt would be a good one especially as the river Nile played such an important role.
Anyway it got me thinking and I'm hoping to try and make something similar but for our volcano topic.
I want to do a case study on a major volcano - I was thinking MT Pinatubo,MT ST Helens or the Roman MT Versuvious. (Chloe loves the Romans.)
I think MT Pinatubo would be a good one, simple because we could do a before and after model. Anyway looks like the paper maiche is coming out again. So watch this space....

Microbes.

While researching our science topic this morning i found this FAB site - Microworld.
It has lots of experiments on microbes. I love hands on activities.
There's one on growing mould. I did this when i was younger. I can remember coming down stairs every morning and looking at my experiment (bread in a bottle)I was fascinated by it. (How sad was I as a child!!LOL I'm still alittle nerdy now.)
I love the experiment on why you should wash your hands. I'm going to do this with Chloe. I might also try to do one showing how easily germs can spread.Using handcream and glitter. Watch this space...

Planning for the new term.

I love the start of a new school year. The planning. What shall we study this term, gathering resources, brain storming activiites. I love it.
For maths we're studying shape - 2D and 3D shapes, area, perimetre, angles etc.
Last term i made a lot of educational games. So I might make a shape lotto game up this term. Chloe also wants to something out of salt dough; so we might make up some 3D beads for jewellry. Check out salt dough maps - I found it on the net while looking for some salt dough ideas. They look FAB!
For English we're be looking at The Great Plague. This will link into out history topic 17th century London. I have a book already planned for Chloe to read. It's a diary account of the plague. So a little different to what we normally read. Then I'm going to link in letter writing, stories, poems etc.
For history we're studying 17th century London. This topic has just grown and grown. But alot happened in those 100 years!!! Civil war, plague, fire, the gun powder plot. Our civil war lapbooks are really coming on. I will post pictures once they are complete.
For science we are looking at micro-organisms (germs!) Which will link into the plague and the great fire (bread and yeast) We might try to make the bakery in Pudding Lane out of a box or we might make a scene from London during the fire. Too many ideas, swirling around my head. LOL
For RE, we're continuing our work on Jesus' miracles. We started this last term but it just didn't take off. (Busy time of year with exams!!!)
At first we're going to make a 2D paper sculpture. But now I'm leaning more towards the idea of making a tile for each miracle and then linking them together somehow???
Like I said too many ideas in my head...