Photos and Art

Labryinth with her Red Panda

Dante

Kai with a SMILE

So cute! They got this all ready themselves and it's so sweet! Monika and Raven.

Labyrinth's Butterflies

Dante's Devil

Raven's Frogs. We've been studying amphibians.

Raven's Trees with birds, apples, bees and farm house.

We're still ill from that nasty flagyl. Monika's always got a bleeding bottom from the heat caused by the big D, we use creams and change her often but it only makes it only just bareable for her. Others still suffering are Dante, Andrew and myself besides Monika. The children have been doing lots of natural learning, watching David Attenborough's Life in Cold Blood, drawing, reading and doing some lessons. Actually, yesterday they went out of Fit'N'Fun with their Carer. They went to the Evolution exhibition a few weeks ago which they really enjoyed.

Personally while I've been ill I've been catching up on reading, I've almost completed the Pliocene Exile series by Julian May, which is the first time I've read it. I've also read this year her Galatic Milieu series and Intervention (first time for Intervention). So I've got about 1/8th of The Adversary to go. The children and I and sometimes Andrew bursts out into song at any given moment. At the moment we're enjoying the various dark versions of well known songs in this lovely book:

Rather cutely, Raven has been telling us he is learning "Scary" at the moment with an angelic glee in his eyes, fallen angel that is. I'm not going very well in the weaning process either. I don't know how to go about it, if I even want to! I get guilts even thinking about it. Maybe I could go without the wretched anti-depressants altogether. Labyrinth and Dante have gotten into InuYasha lately, and Ranma 1/2.... Oh, and enjoyed watching Stealing Beauty.

Not to mention Andrew has really gotten into the idea of getting a block of land as soon as we possibly can!

Some things are really really good right now!

Today at Quasior's Home School - Dissention

Up first though... some pics. Andrew took this one out in our backyard today of the mountain, you can see snow there... just... but the rainbow was so low and soooo beautiful.Above is Monika who didn't want to be dressed in her snow suit, and below is happily resigned to it.

Below is the model making Andrew is doing with the boys (Dante and Kai)...

Some HAIR photos... Raven with his hair up (so sweet) and the bigger boys with their mohawks, and one where Labyrinth wants to show us her pretty singlet...

This is Dante without a tube of gel in his hair...

Twas a bit of a learning experience, to be honest. We borrowed BBC The Planets from the library yesterday and realised not only was it way above them, it was about Scientists not Planets! We nearly watched the moon, and then tried another which lasted only several minutes. We were attempting to get Dante to 'get into' the idea of the solar system because he thinks its all boring and all he really wants to learn about is animals. CONFLICT of interests here! The other's are content to continue... So this will be an attempt over the next few days to get him interested. Wish me luck!

In the end we just did a heap of HOP which was fantastic! We really enjoyed it and Kai is now on the Red level, Dante is one lesson from being on master reader and Labyrinth IS on master reader. She also read half of a very small chapter book to Andrew today! Sunday was also about Andrew spending time with the bigger boys building models (see above).

As mentioned, we visited the library yesterday and exchanged books. I grabbed Babies! by Dr Green see if I can find any advice on my Monika issues... And a comic by Will Eisner.

In other news:

Over the last week I've been studying hard, yesterday I got an essay in, another assignment (not an essay thank the gods) on Friday and a personal essay due the following Friday. I am enjoying the idea of this... feeling very positive about it. The essay was all about the Ochre chapter in Victoria Finlay's Colour: Travels from the Paintbox... I am keen to get me a copy, but will need to wait I'm afraid, as next pay I've got it earmarked to become a member of Tasmanian Writer's Centre.

I have also been trying to get in contact with my elusive sister who has recently had a baby - and said baby is still in NICU... and catch up with old friends.

Andrew is great, for father's day he has picked out a model ship called the Yamato, a Japanese Warship, that he will build in both reality and the virtual world of the computer (3D Modelling). He seems to being improving BUT as always there is a but, he's had a headache of varying degrees and very nearly constantly for well over 3 weeks now.

That is all for now, may you, your family and your other loved ones be welll, Q.

SPACE (26 August)

We're doing a unit of study - SPACE !! This is Tuesday's efforts...
Raven's up first... Earth and Moons of Earth and Mars.



Here is Kai's work: Earth, moons and Sun.


Dante's Earth, moons and Sun:

And finally Labyrinth's Earth, moon and Sun:

Below are 2 examples of other work we did, rhyme and subtraction. We also did addition. There was so much work it was impossible to put it all on (as it was it was an hour of scanning and preparing.

A better outlook today... and lots to catch up on!!

Pics as always up first....

Above is my very beautiful, very demanding little baby girl. What's not to love? Right now she is in her Jolly Jumper, screaming for attention, but when else will I get to blog? I'm afraid she'll have to wait her turn :( Below is a picture Dante drew that was after his painting. Basically, I've been teaching them about artistic practice and working drawings. The only one who has any clue is Dante. Long story short, this is his drawing inspired by his painting below. But it's no loss really - they've all done beautiful paintings anyway... other things will come later with maturity I'm sure...

The Chocolate Cake (sourced from Cadbury's site). Made from scratch, YUMMO! The kids had a great time, and as some of it was a chemical reaction to bicarb and heat, a neat science lesson too!
So here is the paintings: Kai, Labyrinth, Raven and Dantes great work!



Below a lizard drawing by Dante, followed by a short story and picture by Kai about riding in the park.

Here is a math's excerise that they have done, colour by addition, of butterflies, sourced from www.enchantedlearning.com somewhere I most definately need to add to my list of things to purchase for homeschooling. They used thier cuisenaire rods to complete these little pictures.

I'm afraid that's it for now, I'd love to blog more but I can barely stand her screaming to me (and she usually won't go to Andrew for comfort). So, I might get to actually put some words with pictures next time... nighty night, Q.