Week Commencing 16th January.

Monday:
Monthly Forest School.  The day starts at 5am.  No day should start at 5am, it's simply rude.
The journey is OK, bit faffy with a replacement bus, but manageable.  Rye is excited we are going on an adventure together; the knee has kept me mostly housebound.  I've invited Rose Howey's Canadian guest to come with us too, and it's nice to have another adult present.

While walking from the train station to the centre, I feel a tearing sensation in my calf, which hurts like the beejeebus.

Forest School starts, I hobble to the cafe, feeling sorry for myself and  I buy a slice of cake.  Raw eating be damned.   J follows one of the walks around the forest, while she's gone I crochet, drink coffee and slowly eat the massive slice of  Red Velvet cake.  It's ok, nothing to write home about.

At lunch time I arrange with a fellow home edding mum to get a lift to the station, which eases the worry about trying to walk back.

Rye is happy as Larry.  Friends, both old and new to play with, and at Forest School they are building bird feeders, and using tools.  The fresh air, seeing different people, the adventure is clearly doing him good.  We have been rather like hermits because of my injured knee.

Tuesday:
Quiet day.  Yesterday was exhausting and we both sleep way longer than normal.  My calf is wince inducing painful, and it feels like it can't take my full weight.  I'm hobbling worst than ever.  Much later in the evening I realise I forgot about taking Rye to the Black-e for Circus Skills.

Wednesday:
Today we are going to Manchester Science and Technology Museum for an explosions workshop.  The workshop is shorter than I imagined, nonetheless, Rye enjoys it.  A friend gave us a lift into Manchester and because she has to leave, we do not stay long.

 Thursday:
Ah, creative writing, I'm thankful we host this activity.  My calf is feeling much stronger, still I'm nervous of going too far.  Today in creative writing the kids are drawing and describing the characters for a story.   Rye is being obtuse, he wants to do his own thing.  I feel frustrated and annoyed, he's been attending creative writing long enough now, to know the deal - and I'm tired of his need to show off and try and be clever with me in front of his peers.  I'm also exasperated by how much he allows H to wind him up.  She's critiquing his drawings and he's whining at her to stop looking.  Eventually, he does the task - it's a bit like trying to bleed a stone and I can't decide if he's truly not understood what describing the character means or if he's being extra obtuse.

After creative writing, our friend gives us a lift to Trampolining.  Rye, when I suggested the activity was hardly enthusiastic.  "I know how to trampoline, we have one in the garden." he cockily says to me.  I insist, and clearly, mother does know best, because he has a whale of a time and wants to go again.

Friday:
Lots of playing and hanging out with our new members.  K is a young father as well as enjoying video games, electronics etc.  He and Rye have hit it off, and Rye spends most of his time talking about what he and K are going to do, and the robot they are going to build.   Electronic appliances are suddenly not safe in the house as Rye is desperate to take them all to pieces for parts for his robot.
The evening comes and we go out, with our guest to the World Museum.  There's a stargazing and astronomy event on - the sky is beautifully clear and we are looking forward to it.  When we arrive, there is a long queue.  After about ten minutes, staff from the museum begin to come outside, they are clearly looking at the long queue which is getting longer and longer.  Eventually, the director of the museum comes out and apologies profusely but suggests people go home because interest has far exceeded their expectations and inside there are really long queues too for each of the activities.   Reluctantly we leave, I physically can't stand in queues all evening on the off chance we might get to use the telescopes, so we go home.

At home my American housemate is making pizza and the Presidential Inauguration is being projected.   I don't really want to watch it.  I cannot fathom how on earth he managed to win, and it all leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.  I quietly leave after showing my face for a wee while.

Saturday:
Early start, I'm babysitting for a friend.  Rye is grumpy and being controlling.  I suspect he's still processing the altercation we had last night which resulted in me sending him to bed.  I make a mental note to talk to him about it, once the girls are picked up by their dad at lunch time.

Irritatingly, the short amount of walking I did last night, for the aborted World Museum visit has caused my calf to be exceedingly painful and tight again.  I guess I really have hurt the calf after all.

Feeling sorry for myself I make microwave flourless brownie (quite tasty) and share it with Rye, adding black cherry pie filling and custard too.  Later I allow Rye to talk me into a takeaway, which I thoroughly regret after stuffing my face.  Oh well, on wards and up wards.

Sunday:
Chilled day  mooching around doing very little.  It is also very, very cold.  Rye is pestering his new friend, a young dad who has moved into the house with his small family.  Its a case of instant hero worship, Rye of course doesn't know when to back off, so we have a wee chat.  Honestly, I'm not sure he's really taken on board the conversation - probably one of those that has to be repeated very often before it sinks in.
Once it's dark, I project  a couple of episodes of Librarians for us to watch, and then bed for Rye; hilariously, he tries to order me to let him watch another episode.  It's ten to ten though, so not a chance in hell.

Winter Festivals.

I love the festivities at this time of the year, when its dark, gloomy and the nights draw in far too quickly.  The crafting, the lights, candles, decorations, preparations for feasting, wonderful!  It brings light to a dark period of winter, and fills the heart with hope for the days that will soon begin to slowly get longer.

This year my son requested we stay home rather than visit friends for Yule.  I miss them terribly, staying home, however,  has allowed us to be part of a wider winter festival here at Rose Howey.  One family in the house is Jewish, and so we have joined in the Hanukkah celebrations, culminating in tonight, when we lit all the candles, listened to the blessing and ate J's wonderful latkes, apple sauce and vegan sour cream.  The children played the traditional game of dreidel, and the shape gave me an idea for a crafting session, which we enjoyed before the candle lighting.

The kids picked up the game really quickly, and minus the odd bit of squabbling, had great time playing.

I cut strips of paper into the dreidel shape, provided the children with tissue squares, glue and glitter and left the to decorate to their hearts content.  The children were a little heavy handed with the glue, (and glitter) so I'll need to wait till tomorrow before stringing the driels up and adding them to our Winter Festival Branch in the events room.  

They also made a few more snowflakes.  Again using the strips of cardboard, I simply anchor them in the middle with a split pin, and they decorate them.  Very pretty, and a nice change from paper snowflakes.

Rye and me put up our Yule tree today too; a wonderful eclectic mixture of traditional christmas iconography; stars, santas, snowmen, reindeer, colourful baubles, along with decorations Rye has made and ones I've crocheted, including a couple new wire decorations I made yesterday, and  bought pagan decorations of fairy doors, Goddess and hares.  I've left the top of the tree free for now; I plan to make a wire and crochet sun tree topper.  The children in the house also found a very large evergreen branch that was blown off a tree in the recent wild winds, it now adorns one of the walls in the events room, and we will add decorations to it, and pop our hand made gifts to each other under it.

Plans for Yule celebrations, include more crafting and decorating of the events room with greenery, paper chains, popcorn garlands, decorating the yule log to burn, including adding wee notes of wishes of things we want to leave behind us.  We watched the Hog Father last night, and have lots more seasonal dvds to watch together.  We are also planning a wonderful feast, including sun bread, and wassailing.

Eye of God using copper wire and glass beads

Rye is visiting with his dad after Yule until the morning of his birthday, normally I would become very much like a hermit; but this year I've been persuaded to join in Mexican Christmas (vegan mexican meal), which will mostly be adults - so I imagine that will be fun and raucous.

These are the times when I'm reminded of the beauty and joy of co-op living.  The coming together of different family's traditions to create a wholly new tradition that is the spirit of Rose Howey.  The sharing of histories, traditions, knowledge, each individual adding their personal touches.  I have dreamed of living co-operatively all my life, and sure, in my dreams the co-op is deep in the countryside - Rose Howey is the perfect compromise, the advantages of a city on our doorstep yet surrounded by green spaces and trees.

We are very fortunate.

MaMa Appeal & Slouchy Hat Pattern.

So, the group that meets weekly in Rose Howey asked me to create a hat pattern that they could then follow to make and sell to raise funds for MaMa (Migrant Artists Mutual Aid), and in particular for one of the women who attends with her 2yr old daughter.  Mum, is threatened with being returned to India, the daughter was born in the UK, but if she is sent back with her mum, both will almost certainly be killed.

Mum's husband beat  her while she was pregnant, she fled to the UK to seek sanctuary, her daughter was born here, and has brain damage as a result of the beatings, which requires medical supervision. Mum is currently fighting to stay, if sent back she will be brought in front of her tribal council, which is all male, her husband will lie, and the council will sentence her and her daughter, (because girls are not valued, and certainly not with medical conditions) to death.


Please, please help us to raise funds to help this small family stay here and be safe.
I have written the slouchy hat pattern, which is suitable for beginners (and includes links to tutorials and videos for special stitches).  I'm asking folks to make a donation for the pattern - I suggest £5, but honestly, anything you can afford is gratefully received.  The pattern is for personal use, although if you wish to make hats and sell them for MaMa that would be wonderful.

This is the Slouchy Hat Pattern  Please use the Donate button on the side bar.  Thank you so much!

The hats in the photographs above are also available for sale, check out my facebook page By Hook or Crook

All proceeds from sale of hats and donations for the pattern will go to MaMa.

Weekend Catch Up.

Those pesky tubes that run around my eyes and connect to my ears, are experiencing congestion and ickiness.  Friday was the day of copious painkillers until sweet relief descended, followed later by the sweet relief of cider and smokey whiskey.

Life in the co-op does make down days much easier.  There's plenty of other adults who can ensure Rye is fed and looked after, and of course, there's 8 other children he can play with - tho that does mean when his friends are away he mooches around and seems to think lack of play mates means 24/7 access to a screen... er no!

Screen time is pretty relaxed; mornings Rye can use a screen for learning time, and I usually reward him with leisure screen time afterwards, and he usually has the option of screen time on an evening after dinner - though he does often choose to play with his friends.  Screen time is a tad weather dependent - after all this is the British Isles!  So when the sun out, the rule is "no screens" - well, at least not until after dinnertime.  We also have movie / favourite shows screenings on the projector several times a week - a movie, Saturday it was Jurassic Park, and through the week a documentary, Dr Who and in his leisure time, Rye often watches Clone Wars on the Ipad; the current favourite.

Learning time is relaxed at the weekend, Saturday I showed Rye Nessy - after finally managing to log in - seriously don't ask, I'm feel a bit dim at the moment - it's taken me weeks to get in!  Anyhoos, Rye loves Nessy and finds it hilarious.  And I think the boy has finally cracked single phonemes.  He had a spelling test, and the phonic three letter words he spelled correctly, and had he remembered which letters made up "ch" he would have spelled "lunch" correctly too (he forgot the "c").  Really proud of him - he's working really hard.

Rye spent a good hour on Nessy, really proud of his progress.  Definitely need to work on diagraphs, it will improve his phonological fluency massively; and also rhyming words - he still struggles with this a lot.  Perhaps I'll dig out some old nursery rhyming books - ooh and Dr Suess and read those with him for a bit.  By the way, check out PopArt Home Education facebook page for fantastic discounts on Nessy, Maths Whizz, Literacy Planet, and much more. (UK only)

Sunday, is lazy-bum day.
It's one of those days when the "sun shines no screen" rules is relaxed.  Rye woke me to ask if he could go on the laptop and play Nessy.  One hand chuffed to bits he's enjoying it so much, on the other very grumpy he woke me at an ungodly hour on a SUNDAY!    Kids!
He also watched Dinotrucks.

Once screen was away, the moochiness started - I'm bored was mouthed, primarily because the other kids in the house  are away.  I am rather proud that phrase did not pass his lips until he was about 6 years old - it was a concept he had no idea about.

Naturally, when there are friends on tap, he can quite often be found playing on his own in his room!

Anyway, he decided he wanted to do experiments; so teabag rocket it is then.  Oddly, when I set fire to the tea bag it worked, but not when Rye did, and we had a panic when the bag fell over burning, so he blew it...argh!  Thankfully, tea bags burn out very quickly, so there's just a wee mark on my rug.  Then bugger me, he tried again, and blew the match out, blowing the tea bag on the floor again!  At that point I filled up the long necked lighter with butane and let him use that instead.  He wasn't setting light to the tea bag right at the top, so it burned unevenly and didn't woosh.

 How it works?
Well, its because the hot air raises and as the tea bag burns it creates a thermal, or convention current under the bag, and once the bag has burned to ashes, it wooshes up into the air (if burned evenly).

Afterwards, crafting.  Rye decided he wanted to make spirals.  Why? I wondered and he said because spirals are "awesome".  Very true.

 

  After the spiral has dried, we'll cut it out and he can hang it as a mobile in his room.  Oh, and the other day he drew a portrait of us both.  I love my colourful dreads!

I'm joining in This Homeschooling Life, its where Home Educators/Schoolers share what they have been up to for the past month.  Why not join in too :-)

Work Weekend

This weekend is what we, here in the co-op call a "Work Weekend", we currently are on winter preparation and getting ready to host a large Radical Routes Gathering in November, (gulp).  So the jobs we set were windows and the metal access ramp to the garden.

Saturday was a late start as nearly everyone was busy Saturday morning, so we met at 11am for coffee and I made raspberry pastry - which is the easiest thing ever, and so tasty:

Puff pastry
punnet or two of raspberries
touch of sugar
scrapping of marg/butter.

Roll out the pastry, cover with a thin layer of marg or butter - I used marg as the co-op is vegan.  Sprinkle with a little sugar (I used coconut sugar because it adds a lovely burnt caramel note).  The with a sharp knife cut a rectangle, about 2cm from the edge, tumble the raspberries inside the rectangle, sprinkle with a touch more sugar and pop in an oven at 200 degrees for 20 or so minutes until the pastry is puffed up and golden and the raspberries ouzing.  Slice and serve with cream (I used oat cream).  Yum, yum!  Goes very nicely with a pot of real coffee!

After that I volunteered for the ramp team.  I scrubbled the ramp with a metal brush for about an hour, but that was me done.  Dodgy knees have a lot to answer for - even sitting on the ground, or in this case the ramp, means they start to hurt after a while.  Kept A company in the kitchen for a bit, and then helped another housemate with a quick job, before retiring to my rooms and collapsing.

Mainly because I'd been awake most of  the night before with horrible nightmares and just plain weird ass dreams.  There's a few things on my mind, and I suspect my subconscious is delighting in tormenting me.

Rye took full advantage of the freedom to play with friends, use screens and chill.

Sunday, I decided I'd be more use in the kitchen, so I washed up and cooked dinner; stew with vegan yorkshire puds that failed to rise.  I'm going to have to admit defeat and measure.  I NEVER measure, I usually have an excellent eye for baking etc... vegan cooking is more precise I guess; the chemical reactions required to simulate the leavening abilities of eggs demands a bit more precision than my eye.  And afterwards we had foraged blackberry and apple crumble with oat cream.  Happily Rye loved apple and blackberry - he's been saying of late he doesn't like apple crumble - shock, horror!

As for the ramp - its coming along nicely; and the mystery coloured paint that was bought turned out to be green - yay!  No more ugly black railings!  There was a fear it was too rusted to save, but nah, it's fine so long we look after it from now on and don't let it get any worst.

Oooh other news, can't remember if I said or not - I have bought a log burner for my rooms.  One of my housemates has opened up the chimney that services my rooms.  I'm so excited, a real fire, I've not lived in a house with a real fire since I was a kid, and while the log burner downstairs in our communal living space is wonderful - to be able to snuggle on my own sofa and fire watch - bliss, oooh and to be warm - 2 years without heating, this year I'm looking forward to winter!  I hope it snows... so we can get cold and wet playing in the snow, then come in to a lovely warm fire, fire toasted crumpets and hot chocolate....***daydreaming***  My witchy side is very excited too - an actual hearth!

Work weekends also provide opportunities to involve Rye in communal work,  I do like him to be involved - after all ours is a community and we rely on each other to ensure the house is maintained etc.  He helped A clear out the garden room of boxes, flatten them and pop them in the recycling room.  He and the other boys did also use some of the boxes to make "box armour"  Very cool.  Later on after dinner, he helped feed the animals too.

I have mixed feelings about work weekends; limited mobility means I'm also limited in what I can do to help, so guilt there; and while I often end up in the kitchen and compensate by cooking lovely food - I do sometimes feel a bit left out from the weekend, as obviously, whomever is in the kitchen providing food and cake is on their own...and it can be a bit lonely.  There again, that's what community is about, each contributing to their strengths.

Bustling.

So, the laptop sits useless while I faff, really must send it back before the warranty runs out. Upshot, blogging grounded to a halt. I reckon a bit of a catch up is in order, let's see:

M came to visit end of February, a particularly fun day was the day we went to the Maritime museum down at the docks. The Titanic exhibition is excellent, all the kids enjoyed it, and Rye has since announced he's going to be a deep sea diver/explorer when he's grown up and bring the rest of the Titanic up, then he'll become an Astronought.

This is the docks, and the strange looking building over there is the Museum of Liverpool. Rye and me have only just finished exploring the World Museum, and there's still things to see and do, thus we have been once to the Museum of Liverpool and seen a tiny, tiny fraction of it. We plan to remedy this.

M's visit sadly, ended on a low note, the children came down with a sickness bug, and so we quarantined ourselves in my flat, 2 adults and 4 children in my small flat - we were soon driving each other crackers, and a couple of the kids made a break for it a couple of times and had to be brought back in from the garden.

March, crocheted, attended home ed activities, and of course we had a fire for the Equinox, upon which I poured magic, turning the flames turquoise and green.

I cut Rye's hair:

Ooh we went to see Avengers, Age of Ultron at the IMAX cinema. Wow, and Oooh queasy. Too much, I'll stick with normal screens I think.

Afterwards we had ate out, and Rye was given a balloon.

Lots more crochet, exploring, I have started a science club, which is going well.

I bought some water beads that proved an instant hit with Rye and his RH friends.

Ooh working on a collaborative blanket for a 3yr old, which I must finish - I got busy with commissions and had to put it to one side. I've just got the ribbons to add now.

Summer in the parks has begun, with the various fairs and events. This was the Victorian fair, which Rye and the RH kids enjoyed. And a wonderful warm day after the long cold and wet stretch of weather we had.

Rye had his friend over for a sleep over, so naturally I made an indulgent breakfast: pineapple pancakes with chocolate sauce.

The weather sadly returned to wet and cold, still it didn't stop us having a grand time at Sefton Park with our RH friends.

Another birthday has come and gone for me. Lovely few days, out for lunch with Rye, then celebrating later with my housemates, followed by a BBQ at the weekend.

Lunch was lovely, we took a leisurely bike ride over to Lark Lane, and we decided to eat at the Moon and Pea. Gosh, it was tasty! I had Caesar salad, which was scrumptious, and Rye had banana and maple syrup pancakes. Dessert wasn't as great, though Rye certainly was impressed with his banana split, ( tho it was only banana with squirty cream chocolate sprinkles and caramel sauce drizzled over), my carrot cake was sickly, the cream cheese that horrid fake, too sweet, coats your mouth in fat, type frosting. Despite dessert deficiencies, the Moon and Peas has become our favourite cafe. It was so much fun to eat lunch, while sitting on a comfy sofa, and playing Guess Who.

Birthday BBQ - housemates deciding to stack logs - no idea why. Mind pity I didn't get photos of them then trying to stand on a log, then adding another log without getting off...hilarious, particularly as Adel was doing really well, but then one of the children came over and pretended to push him, Adel lost concentration and failed his attempt.

Oh, I've also been making these beautiful lilies, these ones are for a hand fasting, I've since made a few more, just so pretty. I started off following a pattern, but it was fidly, so I ended up designing my own.

Life at RH is busy, I now run an Art & Craft club, the first one was yesterday, as well as Science club, and one of my housemates is a yoga teacher, so she's now teaching family yoga to home ed families, as well as teaching adult yoga on other evenings. I've been partaking of the yoga, oh my world, my front thigh muscles and abdominal muscles - ouch!! Rediscovering muscles apart, it has been lovely to have the yoga in the garden, and afterwards sit around chilling.

Rye has joined Cubs, and is loving it, last night was his second time. First time I went with Anstey and her kids, luckily Rye and T could join in that evening, so we sat in a park and waited for them, hehe, and her eldest got stuck in the baby swings - of course we didn't mock...much.

I saw a friend post a fab photo, on Instagram, that looked dinosuars were in her living room being fed by her son; naturally I had to find the app. I found 2, one makes it look like dinosaurs are moving around you, when you look through the camera app, the next lets one impose dinosaurs into a photo... Well how could I resist:

Dinosaurs even in our house meeting:

And Rye's room is awash with them!

And of course, more hooking - with dinos too!

Despite the distraction, I did manage to complete a wedding gift commission, a wall hanging:

Liverpudlians familiar with the gates to Princes Park will recognise the central motif. The piece is based on the gates, with the added elements of using the colours of a local suffragette, and the namesake of our house, plus adding in flora, and as the bride is facing some difficult challenges, I wanted the piece to be meditative and peaceful.

And, once the flat is tidy I will be hooking this cute dragon



 

Posted with Blogsy

Woooooosh...

that's the sound of me blowing the dust off my blog.

Lots of catching up to do, eh.

Life is busy, Rye is growing up far too fast, and I have even more grey hair!

Life has been dominated by setting up a creative space for me to work in, home education and life in a commune.

Once I have finished sorting through my supplies and yarn I will post photos of my new space.  I'm very pleased with it, and the view from my desk is stunning!  (This view is actually from where I sit to drink my morning coffee, but I can see it too from my desk)

Home Education - well, as there is wont to be, I wobbled viciously and fell into the trap of trying to teach and impose learning on Rye.  Unmitigated disaster!  Thank the Gods, I realised the error of my ways and backed off.  This includes the near constant arguments and frustrations over screen time, and the re-realisation that my job is to provide Rye with opportunities - or to use the unschooling term, to "strew".  

That led me to acceptance of Rye's screen time, which, I have to say, is a huge issue for me.  Personally, I don't see how Minecraft, at least the way Rye uses it, is educational, and it feels weak to tell myself that Rye implementing things he's learned about the game from you tube videos in his "world" is "learning".

 I chaff at the hours he wants to spend watching said videos, or playing minecraft and other games, when I feel he should be outside playing, exploring his environment, climbing trees, helping in the garden and with the animals, going on adventures with his friends, riding his bike.  And when he's not doing that, exploring the wide range of books available to him, asking me to make amazing creative structures with him, play educational board games, explore scientific themes and do experiments, exploring the amazing art galleries and museums available to him...

Well, actually, it's not that he isn't, it's that I feel he should be doing MORE.  And I realised this has come from a place of fear.  Fear that his reading will never become fluent, or his handwriting legible and beautiful, fear that he will not have sufficient knowledge, learning, lifeskills... (it's not like he's living in a socially conscious co-operative, where we are all involved in social change...oh wait...)   This led to the cognizance that for some daft reason I've been expecting Rye to be pretty much like me.

Pratt!

How has it taken me so long to get my head around the fact we are different, he experiences things differently to me.  I loathe, detest and despise computer games, horrible time eating, soul gobbling machinations of wastefulness.  My son finds them wonderful, imagination stretching vehicles of fun, he and his friends pour over their screens, cackling at whatever  building they have just blown up, or zombies mowed down by increasingly upgraded vehicles...  shudder  and through his own investigation he's also watched numerous you tube videos on the solar system, on various scientific laws, animals that capture his interest...and yeah ok, a lot of spoof rubbish that has  me rolling my eyes.  But that is all ok.  I've just been a tad dim of late.

He's not a big fan of reading - um, yeah, partly because I pushed a bit too hard to try and "teach" him to read - yet he doesn't refuse to have a book read to him, and he often pops on an audio book to listen to while playing in his room, or at bedtime...so who am I to say he doesn't love books - he simply chooses to experience them in a different way.  In fact as I sit here typing, it occurs to me that Rye even enjoys reading to me - when, and it's a biggy, when I back off and let him decide when he's had enough - rather than insisting his finish the book...  yeah, I know, lost my way rather significantly!

So, back to blogging, I think it will help me to keep centered and to truly see the learning that is happening around me... for instance, today, sat in the cafe having breakfast and we started talking about forces and motion...ok I'll allow that my son's mind does rather perplex me at times;

"Mum, babies are a force when they come out..."  um, not quite, son.  How talking about "tug of war" as an example of forces - both balanced and unequal, led to that gem, I have no idea.  He did know the Earth is a big magnet, that magnetism is another type of force and gravity is a pulling force, so I shan't worry too much.

I'll be blogging about other areas of our/my life too.  My blog would not be my blog without crochet posts, baking, juices...so yeah I'm back.... besides, Rye is growing up so fast, and these days I'm lucky to get more than a couple photos for the entire month.

Lets have a look at what I have for March;

We made a kite from willow sticks, plastic bag and my crochet cotton for the Fly Kites Not Drones international event on the Equinox.

Eating snacks after Sports for Fun, where he played hockey, basketball and badminton.

Pizza Hut after a workshop at the World Museum on Spiders and Scorpions and other creepy crawlies, and afterwards he insisted on going and looking around the World Museum's bug section.
And last week, we visited the Maritime Museum and he participated in a workshop on Endangered animals and smuggling, which he really enjoyed, and again afterwards he wanted to look around the museum.

Today we have, as I mentioned, discussed Forces and Motion, and we've watched a few you tube videos on Newtons Laws of Motion, watched some cool experiments and decided which ones we want to do ourselves, we've been shopping and Rye decided to use some of his pocket money to buy a water gun, and by the sound of it, he's now on Minecraft.

Autonomous, interested led learning is back on the agenda!  We are back!

Yay!