Here we are again

I'm showing you bare minimum. But it is a cute bare minimum! Its art from the last few days...
Below is two drawings that followed a rather sweet conversation I had with Dante while Kai listened in. We were discussing the wonders of octopuses, and how intellegent they are and how cunning. Here Dante has drawn one getting into a bottle to get a prized crab to eat. Kai has drawn a similar picture below.


Last week my sister had a new baby, and here is some cards that Dante and Labyrinth have made for him. Unfortunately the new baby is still in hospital due to breathing issues, poor darling.



Above we have a picture Dante has drawn about his strong desire to go camping. I only wish we had the equipment! Below is some pictures from Raven.





Labyrinth has drawn a story board in the segments of beginning, middle and end. Her picture is also about wishful thinking about camping.
The sad reality is we are really not financially able to right now. I'd love to buy a campervan or caravan or bus.... travel maybe or just have holidays around our state....
Oh, I'm so over being so poor, but what can you do?
Back to educational updates. We're about 4 or 5 days from completion of our basic english book. We are not doing HOP right now, we've been enjoying books a heap though, including a trip to the library today. We're also slack with math, as we've been desperately been trying to get our house in order due to our ill health and what happens when everyone is down for the count. But I do see we are overcoming slowly! We've purchased colourful buckets in order to separate each of the children's toys, so they only have to worry about their own for now.
I've had to do a small assignment for Uni too... about personal essays... and devices to make them 'sellable'.
Other news: Monika is still not walking, but she is standing a lot more. She is saying more words. She is a stirer! She wont say Mum unless she is in distress - she calls me Dad.
Raven is loving his new Dora the Explorer phonics books. He just loves the attention too.
Kai, I really need to spend some good time with Kai - he is just a stormy little guy!
Dante is good, he's a great little man who loves Monika so much its just so sweet.
Labyrinth is OK, she still hurts herself a bit, always on her arms or legs is wounds that are healing... its despairing. I need to get her into something for fun. I'd like to get them all into martial arts actually, but the money issue.
Andrew is having problems, as always. He is still not good with his meds, no happy medium yet.
Me. I'm always in pain, always slogging away sometimes feels like I'm drowning and wondering to myself how the hell did I get myself here....?
Well, I have more to post, but that will wait until tomorrow.
Cheers, Q.

Art and Words

The last week has been very busy in our little homeschool, making up for lost time. We have sadly been up against a brick wall with maths, so we are looking into options, one of which is Hooked on Math, as we have been so pleased with how Hooked on Phonics has happened. Reading is wonderful! Dante and Labyrinth are progressing through the green book, Kai ploughing through the orange and Raven has been 'reading' his new set of Dora phonics books from Scholastic. We got the three programs for $49 and he has been sooo pleased.

Below is Raven's drawings...

This is Kai's Croc.
A Raven and Kai collaborative effort.
Dante's Cheetah in hot pursuit of prey.

Labyrinth has been writing more into her art works. Below states "The cat is asleep. The cat woke up hungry!"

Here are some worksheets sourced from Enchanted.com, which are teaching all about Compound Words. It also gets them writing... Below first two are Labyrinths, Dante and Kai in order below those. There writing is coming along marvellously.

Now here's a thing. Below was an attempt on my behalf to try and get them to do working drawings, building up to doing a piece that could have been collage or 3D images etc, but they didn't get it but some beautiful work happened anyway. Below is Labyrinth's Fairy Delivery, Dante's Dinosaur and Kai's Elephant at the waterhole.

Here is some work they've done quite early in the week. I simply allowed them to do as they wished, and this is what they have produced. Raven, followed by Labyrinth, Dante and Kai.

Naturally, this isn't all they've been doing. They have also been playing music together with the musical instruments. They've done various cooking including breadmaking and meal making. We've been steadily going through the English workbooks, there is less than a fortnight left in those for them. We've looked at bats and elephants and crocodiles (also sourced from Enchanted.com). I really want to get a paying membership there, but when we can afford it. I am saving the homeschool money towards getting Hooked on Math or perhaps MathsUSee, I'm just not sure yet. Again, I'm not concerned about their slowness in Math, they aren't silly they just need another approach and I don't have a few hundred dollars to throw at a number of approaches, I wish I did.

They are better behaved, we're doing more studies, they are enjoying stuff more. Thank you 1,2,3 Magic!

As for Terrific Toddlers, I have read through it and realised it isn't an approach I want to take. My children won't be "trained", they will learn through living, delight and experiment. They are allowed autonomy, freedom to choose to like different things, to celebrate their individuality. So if anyone would like my copy, drop me a comment in the comments section and tell me how it will benefit their children I'll send it right along. Please include your email so I can get back to you.

Other news:

Monika is standing up for longer periods and is walking with assistance, but not quite willing to take the plunge yet.

Raven is speaking! He still can't tell colours yet (I so hope his albinoism hasn't made him colour blind).

Kai is frustrated about having to pitch in with chores still and thinks I'm a bully because I ask him to do some things!

Dante is happy and content for the most part.

Labyrinth is struggling still, but far happier and quite willing to work and progress in her learning.

Andrew's bipolar seems to be improving somewhat. He's less depressed but a bit manic.

My chest infection/asthma is slowly coming under control. I am starting to feel somewhat normal again.

My dad is back from hospital, but still very sick. Can't see him because I might send him back to hospital with complications from my illness. My mum is OK doing her usual which is drive me nuts with ringing me up and demanding my time when I'm trying to do lessons and off load vast quantities of food on us. Not that I mind it just can be a bit much when she rings 5 times in one day, I know she cares, but geez!

That's all for now, tomorrow is payday so I probably won't be a bloggin' tomorrow - unless Monika starts walking that is! Q.

Fun...without the sun!

Whoever said you can't have fun without the sun?
I went to peg the clothes on the line this morning, in the vain hope it may not rain :) to find my eldest three really enjoying their play. They were pretending to take on the roles in Go Diego Go, using english and spanish, and enjoying themselves immensely! Under a bleak and sunless sky, the kind that permeates a day of wind, cold and rain - bleached and muted colours. I was quite pleasantly surprised to find they were very happily enjoying themselves, and learning at the same time (Dante was Diego, and they were in the south pole with penguins). How cute is that?

Other breakthroughs: *Raven is toilet training! YAY! We have a tradition, with the first wee on potty they recieve a gift. Raven is Dora the Explorer mad, so he chose a Dora heart shaped bowl. He has succuessfully been three times now, and only one accident, so far so good. That was Thursday his first.
*Kai is getting along with reading, very slowly but he is reading and so excited to be reading. Dante is cruising, well into second grade. Labyrinth is very nearly finished the first grade review (under a week she has completed the review course - which is very nearly the whole course). Raven is learning to speak Spanish, as is everyone in the family. We are also teaching German and Japanese.
*A sister of mine is pregnant, and a brother is moving into a 2 storey 5 bedroom home, and already was buying a large home.
*Monika is very nearly crawling. She is just over 5 months. She can say a few words clearly enough for Andrew and I to understand.
*Our neighbours from hell have moved out. We can only hope the people who move in will be decent!!!

On Thursday we did the spectrum of reading, writing, spelling and maths. On Friday was just reading. I want to be doing reading daily so they don't slip behind. They are keen. I've also told THEAC we are teaching Kai this year, so they'll be adding him and coming to visit soon. Before we had 2 years dispensation...

Enjoying life without our beloved sun, Q.