Queens Birthday... Whatever! We do our own thing...

Maths - Fractions and Addition:

Dante and Labyrinth are plodding along and

getting it, but Kai is soaring for his age!

Here we have the first day of our bug unit (inspired by The Bee Movie.) Not because it was particularly good or anything, more opposite really, correcting those pesky untruths they loaded onto the children such as Bees 2 legs and 2 arms when we know that insects have 6 legs, and other wonderful, factual tales. Actually, my mother insisted they take her copy as it was so educational... umm well enough said. Below Kai's says, "The bees live in hives with honey, their babies hatch from eggs."

Raven's done a lovely picture, tis a shame this bloody scanner doesn't pick up yellow very well. Below is the poem about bees. Further below is Labyrinth's Bee Poem and picture. "Bees Buzz, Flowers Grow, Honey is made and its Yum, Yum, Yum!"

Above is Dante's. His states, "The bees make honey from flowers, and fly around looking for flowers."

We also looked at Haiku poetry today, and we discussed how it relates to a moment in nature, and tries to capture a feeling. I read these:

The breeze brought it--

a moment of moonlight

to the hidden fern.

-Foster Jewell

After I step

through the moonbeam--

I do it again

--George Swede

The fog has settled

around us. A faint redness

where the maple was.

--Claire Pratt

and two from children

Soap bubbles!

My face is flying

too!

-Masahiro Suzuki, Japan, Gr. 4

Mr. Ant,

do you mind if I set you

on my leaf boat?

-Norimasa Oikawa, Japan, Gr.1

The fog poem particularly caught their imaginations, as we could see the fog outside, thick and cold. So we rewrote it together to suit our own environment:

The fog has settled

around us. A faint greeness

where the trees are.

We also played guitar and did some singing. I read to them - Mem Foxes Possum Magic, A lift the Flap Thomas Adventure and Steve Parish's Mother Duck's Family.

They played really well in the cold stillness of the afternoon, and hugged each other before disappearing to sleep. Monika is in the process of cutting her newest tooth, and suffers for it. We made pizza tonight (dough and all) and the children made individual ones, faces etc.

Random Pics and Thoughts

Dante is a real Otaku. The boys really like ZOIDS, pokemon, Hamtaro and they also like Ben Ten. Labyrinth, at the moment likes pokemon, sailormoon, and studio Ghibli stuff and Hamtaro. Above is Picachu and Ash.
Kai finally did a picture which doesn't involve gunfire! YAY for Kai! This is the four eldest children playing at McDonalds. Raven is at the end of the slide at the bottom.
Here Monika is doing what she does best - makes the whole world smile with her :)
A beautiful, strange, endearing photo of Raven.
If you can read it says: Dante 14/3/08. Obviously out of date, but hey, it was so good it had to go onto the blog at some point. This picture has been in our "gallery". Anytime the kids do something exeptional, it is put up on display in the hallway, and often guests will check it out and make comments on these special pictures. It really makes them feel good and worthwhile. Which is important right now for Dante, as his "unique" talent for drawing isn't so "unique" anymore, as Labyrinth and Kai both are starting to move along with drawing. Which isn't to say he can't do it anymore, its just he feels he can't say he is the best anymore, and it irks him.

Anybody can learn how to draw, it isn't difficult. Each of us has the ability to do many things, its how we do them that is important. I was reading some comics by a guy called Jack T. Chick today, a link off a forum. That was a bit scary. He is a christian with a bit of an attitude. I guess I am quite liberal, and to see a very talented artist doing comics like this was astounding!

Today the children at a play at HJ's and an icecream. Despite the morals of eating at a global coperate cichlid establishment - lol- it is incredibly convenient, and the children love it. It was good because a lot of play areas were today saturated with rain, which is also a wonderful thing. I'm thinking to myself that the drought will break in the next year or so I hope. Our little garden got a good drink, that's for sure!

I'm wishing for wonderful great things to happen, but I'm putting in the ground work and finishing off my degree by distance, so tommorrow I'll be working hard on something I despise - the essay. Some essay writing is good, it's about stuff I enjoy learning about or thinking about, but not this one. Its about mobile phones! I use one sometimes, but I don't really care for them. They are not made for hands like mine, they are made for delicate people, which I am not. Nails are also an issue. To me socially speaking they are an annoyance and can zap money too. But I have to think about all the good stuff too, like emergencies or whatever.

A friend has recently invited me to jam with her sometime. I will probably take up the offer, considering I haven't for a long time it will be good for me!

Have a good nite *Q*

Sick Today, so short and sweet...

Twas Dante's Seventh birthday today. He got the presents I mentioned last week, Dino books, Schleich toys and a dino excavation kit (that he is having a ball with), and an invite to his cousins' birthday party next monday. They were actually born on the exact same day - how rare is that??? Even rarely it was 12 hours apart. They actually get along quite well so that should be a good day...

Monika got 3 peek-a-boo blocks, Raven a schleich Panda, Kai a dino scheich toy and Labyrinth a Bratz DVD. They had a good day, getting up early, having pancakes, choc milk and custard tart (I had my customary muesli of course!) Then it present time and computer time while they waited until lunch, which was a pseudo BBQ with birthday cake (excavation site in the mud cake), and treats from Nanny and Poppy. Nanny and Poppy gave him an activity dino book, and a how to draw fish book (he adores that), socks, and a DVD (12000 leagues under the sea).

I got my uni books today too! And there was the play and food time at tea time (ended up being Mcdonalds as Monika and I aren't up for much else. Head cold (stuffed up, hot, achy - you know the drill. While they played though, there was some PE milestone breakthroughs, Labyrinth can do a decent cartwheel, Dante has proven to himself he can sumersault, Raven can with help and tah dah, Kai can do headstands! Dante can also climb wide straight poles like a "birthday boy monkey", not to mention Labyrinth climbing onto the equipment up the poles and onto the top bits (naughty, naughty).

All in all, a fairly decent day... I'm going to bed early! Love Ya, Q.

Happy Birthday Dante (will post a pic of the cake tommorrow)