Our current watching of the David Attenborough DVD encylopedia Life On Earth, beginning with Life In the Undergrowth is currently inspiring our current theme of work. Here we have our worksheets from today, writing, drawing, maths and we also learnt about antanyms and synanyms. They chose their favourite critters to draw and write about. In order of Kai, Dante, Labyrinth.

Below is Raven and Monika's efforts. Raven is keen to write and Monika is keen to grow up quick!

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They were such a pleasure to work with today, they had a real interest in what they were doing, they were trying very hard to do their very best and they really seemed to have jumped a few bridges since the last time we sat down to such formal lessons. Since we have been doing much more natural learning I am starting to become a believer in natural learning/unschooling. They love to learn which magical and sooo important for them, I'm so glad they don't go to school to have it beaten out of them! Just positive vibes here today *)

Just Quickly...

We are just about finished rearranging and resorting, and still doing our lessons.
Today they did their lessons, reading, writing and improv music, played on Raven's new instruments (and theirs), which was great. They seemed to really enjoy themselves, and it was all about getting familiar with the different sounds and how the instruments could actually be used...
Also, they enjoyed some time on the computers, mostly checking out YouTube, but since thats what they like doing... erg.
Raven played Monika's software, BoohBah. He likes going to the Nick Jnr website and playing mostly Dora/Diego type stuff. Of course I read to them, I do everyday - tonight was Elmo and Wilbur. Kai loves Elmer, and now does Raven.
They also really enjoyed playing with the wooden train table set.
We had a simple but rather happy and fulfilling day today. Music should fill the air everyday, it brings such happiness to the children :) Q.

Books of Worksheets all in a row.

There is one of these each for Labyrinth, Dante and Kai for right now. This is mainly to solidify what they already know and to make sure that there are no gaps in their knowledge. They want those dreadful worksheets, now they have them in abundance! They will probably get bored with them perhaps, but either way, its all good. They are excited and happy to have a new book each. They wanted more lessons in the day, they are getting them. This is child led, but I'll be enriching the curriculum wherever I can to make it personal, more interesting to them and more enjoyable as a whole. If they decide down the track they don't want to keep going with it, we'll go another way. But, here it is, for what its worth....

We will be celebrating the fact that Kai is over his broken leg on Monday, which is anniversary to when that happened. I won't be blogging again until then. I'm also sneaking in puppets of Steiner/Waldorf persuasion, I just have to get down and make them, I've got plenty of felt, I just need plenty of time :) don't we all?

Cheers, Q.

Horses, of Course!

Yesterday we learnt about horses, and the children are really improving with writing! Above is Raven's, of course the image is all he has done, but isn't it wonderful, he told me it was a sleeping horse *) Below is Dante's effort, it reads: "Horses live in grasslands. Because horses can run fast, people use them for races."

Next is Kai's wonderful horse picture. His reads, "Horses eat hay and grass. They are fleet of foot to escape predators."
Here is Labyrinth's lovely purple and blue horse. Hers reads: "Horses eat grass and hay. Hay is eaten when there is no grass to eat."
Here is a picture Raven drew, at least he said so... I have my suspicions Kai had something to do with it.
And here is the horse worksheet we worked from.
No doubt in my mind who finds reading more natural, young Kai! He's speeding through and can't get enough! Although the other two are doing very well, its taken two goes at the yellow level to make sure, but I don't think I'll be needing to do that with Kai. He corrects Labyrinth when she is reading. Wow to that :)!

Young Raven is learning his phonetic alphabet and his numbers again. He could recite most of the alphabet before but now he's relearning it phonetically. He knows numbers too. He's learnt colours and shapes, I'm fairly confident he knows what he needs to know at this stage, but really, who needs to push, he is nearly 3 so its really up to him, I'm not pushing.

They all love doing art, so tomorrow they are getting their first real art lesson, the colour wheel. Again, I'm in no rush, they will run with it if they want, and I'll be happy to keep up with them. On the other hand, they are asking for more lessons, so I'm upping reading lessons to twice a day to get them reading independantly faster, and I'm helping them more with writing, and gee hasn't it improved???

Other news: Monika is saying more words now, she can say Mum Dad Dante Bub Stir Bye Fish confidently, and attempts others. She is no closer to walking very content to get around with crawling so I am doubting she'll be beating Labyrinth to the mark now, but she has nearly a month to go to the deadline. She can also wave goodbye, it was sooo cute when she did it for the first time yesterday, and then today to my parents.

Labyrinth is getting more and more challenging so I put it to her: If you want more from me all you have to do is ask - don't be bored, do something about it! So, I've agreed to those extra lessons.

Dante is a stirer, so is Kai. So they have to improve by not tormenting their sister. So there can be more harmony in the home the challenge for them is set, and also I'll be keeping them busy with more lessons.

Raven is using more words, is really toilet trained except for going out (sort of, he has been out without a nappy, quite fine with 1's but not so confident with 2's). He's also drawing all the time, and he loves it!

So, besides getting healthy (personally) and getting more stuff done, we're in the middle of resorting the house (the story of our lives) but we're actually sorting out that quiet reading corner, our studies, computers children ready and media centre ready and fully sorting out storage of clothes and probably getting rid of much unneeded things that are cluttering up our house and our living spaces. Our garden is now improving, things are growing nicely, we have been given 5 more roses of varying types, one name I can remember is the fairy rose. We'll be planting them out the front into a 'rose garden'. Jasmine outside is suffering from the wind, the other lot is shooting out new runners and putting out flowers. YAY. The children had fun giving the garden a drink today.

Well, its been slow lately because I've been quite unwell, or coping with the others while they've been so unwell. Whoopy Doo-Dah Day for the 'flu shot. OK, we could have suffered much much more, but it was so drawn out it was ridiculous. Oh, and I've been busily working on various crafty projects. Must get down and work on my children's book too...
'Bye for now, Q

Cassowaries, Emus and Dinosaurs

Just short and sweet tonight. Monika is teething and not sleeping so I really need to look after her so people in the house can sleep/do what they need to do! I've got photos to download to my computer and upload to here too... hope all is well, Q.

Birds and Pictures.... and X-rays

Today several things happened.

First I'll talk about Kai. Kai didn't do any school learning today for the simple fact its coming up the the yearly anniversary of his broken leg. What a nasty episode that was, he split his femur in two, broke the long bone diagonally narrowly missing his growth plate (small mercies) and it was a third of the length of the bone. This is the kind of injury that is more common to skiing or car accidents. How did he do it? He was running down a small slope at Tolosa St Reserve, not noticing a large, stepped hole, he fell over bang onto his knee and Snap!!!

It was terrible, one of my nightmares is to see someone with a leg bent the wrong angle, and there he was my own son in this predicament, not 2 weeks off his fifth birthday... He was in a hip sica for 6 weeks, after half a week in traction (that week was hell. We kept a bedside vigil, as you do, but it was heartbreaking because everytime he needed to be moved ie to toilet or to be pulled up the bed because they screwed up the wieghts and he had to be dragged back up after he slid down X distance). Well, today is the week before D Day for poor young Kai. Simply put... as the injured area is stimulated to heal, it is also stimulated to grow. However, this means that if he overshoots he'll be lame unless he gets it surgically rebroken. So, after today's X-Ray, and next weeks visit to the registrar, we will be aware of which road we'll be headed. Another 6 weeks of pain for Kai for the sake of his leg, or he'll be all clear. Time will tell, but I'm nervous as hell for him....

So he and Andrew spent an hour waiting to be seen as the room was occupied by a naughty child who they could not settle for a long time for their X-Rays.

Meanwhile, at home, the remaining children and I did some lessons about birds. We were inspired by the bird watching on the way back from the picnic, and the swans we love to see on the way back home from being 'out'. The lessons for the big two were matching bird names together (ie half and half) and writing them out, then writing and drawing the birds we counted on the way home. So inspired were they that they've asked for some more bird lessons tommorrow! They are so curious, they really want to learn. So without further ado, here the pictures are...
Labyrinth's Swan and Cygnet:



Raven's star to star Swan:
Dante's picture of himself and his friend A from the picnic:

Labyrinth's bird name matching worksheet: Ditto Dantes:
Below is Raven's glow in the dark painted bugs he has worked on over several occasions. I love the colours - so glossy and he was so very careful. So very cute:

Here is Raven's bird pictures, he actually told me when he was drawing them that he was drawing a bird and a raven (that's a milestone!), and you can see it down the bottom right:
I'm so impressed with Dante's and Labyrinths birds today! They are fantastic, don't you think?




Above, last but not least is Labyrinths cut out drawing of a cat. I so think they are all getting better at writing and drawing, and their confidence is soaring!

In regards to reading, Dante finished off the orange level of HOP tonight, which means officially half way through grade 2 reading, Labyrinth is nearly finished the red level which is the one above, but her reading level is beyond that really, with what she reads now for pleasure!

They both will be getting an extra $10 pocket money for their wonderful progress!

Also they watched a documentary on dolphins (National Geographic) and I read some books, we revisited wombat stew, and the children helped me to read Green Eggs and Ham in front of a lushly roaring fire!

Hope you are enjoying a nice warm evening/day, Q.