Sand Crafts it was today... Here they all with the fruits of their labours. They all had a great time making them, I didn't help the bigger 3, just guided really... Monika and Raven made all the decisions, I just helped them to do it by holding the bag weight basically. Now I want to do one! (Don't mind Monika, she's just woken up, and frumpy cute). Enjoy...
Awww... the extra photo of Monika, so entreating and irrisistable!
Next is Kai's poem and snake picture:
...and his pictures of various reptiles complete with label.
Here Dante was required to label the various reptiles.
The rest is various artworks the children have done over the course of the last week, no where complete. Dante's Flat Lizard sunning itself on rocks (obviously inspired by the unit).
Raven's Sack Boy from LBP.
Still into Scary Stuff, this is one cute monster, by Raven.
Above is Raven's Frog, below Labyrinth has drawn a swan feasting on a fish.
Labyrinth's Girl bouncing on Trampoline followed up by an ABC TV inspired drawing of Fish and Seals under the Ice.
Kai has drawn an eye view of a War Zone. He's decided he doesn't really like real war. It's a bit scary (that's an early jump, and thank goodness for that). But he still likes the fantasy of it at this stage.
And here is Kai's Striped Penguin.
This is also inspired by a drawing show on ABC TV. Dante has drawn a lovely fish/light rain/clouds and rainbow scene.
This next one of Dante's is inspired by Ice Age 3, where the T Rex is about to eat the baby Triceratops.
Next two are Dante's ZOIDS... a Death Stinger and a Command Wolf.
Besides this they've been doing BOOST Math on the computer, still doing writing drills in their books, read aloud, usually to the littlest two (makes it a bit easier on Andrew and I - they aren't asking us 24/7) and to themselves from chapter books. Dante's currently reading Extreme Adventure: Scorpion Sting, Kai is reading The Donkey who carried the Wounded, and Labyrinth is reading the last graphic novel to the anime Fruits Basket.
Today we are, after lunch, going to do glass bottle and sand craft, and cooking cup cakes tomorrow.
I've started doing Uni again, as previously mentioned, which has been taking up far too much time just finding the cheapest books. Also we've brought about $200 on various green building methods and bee keeping which has also taken up lots of time reading those, but loving it. It was actually worth a lot more, but there was a huge 30% discount blanket across the store as they were having a huge birthday sale of 30 years. YAY Book City. Imagine building your main house structure for under $1.000 which is fire proof. Yeah, I'm interested.
Also been sick a bit too... and Raven poor lad, was feverish on Thursday night but now seems perfect. Monika is weaning slowly... and as I didn't manage to put up any of her artwork I owe a photo of her next time. As for now though, I'll endeavour to put up at least two posts a week or more. Q.
Bad news first: My tomatoes and basil didn't survive...
Funnily enough we have a thriving pea patch on our hay that we haven't used yet.
Our surviving baby vegetables. I was really concerned about the survival of seedlings in a Tassie Winter, but these have most definately done so and are thriving. There has been alot of rain, some have died from being flooded, or being thrashed about in high winds. So we have around 9 plants still going, plus the pea patch, so we are pretty happy with what we do have. No where near able to see ourselves eating from the garden any time soon because they still are babies, but we might yield some edible food from the vege patch yet!
Our Jasmine, which I haven't gotten a photo of, is growing very well, and I am sad we'll have to leave it behind to be honest. Thats nearly 3 years of growth on those two plants! But they won't be happy to be moved and I couldn't move them interstate anyways. I guess I've grown attached to it!
As for homeschooling, it couldn't happen again today, as it was their day with their carer. As it turns out though I think we won't be needing her services for much longer at all. She's probably losing her best paying job and I feel sorry for her, but we have some issues - and there is the broken feeling to the week and to their lessons that I don't like and have never appreciated. Having a break from them is all well and good but we've done better in the past without that.
So, that is all really, Q.
A small indication of how the wind was beating around yesterday morning, only to get worse by night. We had trouble getting a few groceries inside when we got home. When Andrew put the car away, we had to hold back the gates so he could drive the van in, wind was making it difficult even to drive!
I am yet to visit the Garden to see if any of it is left....
I know it could have been much worse, of course... but we do have a contingency plan if the house's roof got ripped off.
Above: Dante's Titan Below: Raven's Monkeys
Below: Monika's Monkey (eyes and mouth/face area?) She said it was a monkey!
Below: Labyrinth's Littlest Pet Shop 
Above: Kai's weapons of choice Below: Dante's weapons and bugs.
A visit from Nan's today while we were doing writing lessons, realising Today is the first day back for Semester 2 for me, and lots of organising and chores around the house!
Really looking forward to this semester... A subject that you get to read children's books like Princess Bride, Where The Wild Things Are, Tombs of Antuan.... etc, another with books I like too, sounds like fun!
Other than that Kai is really not wanting to do his writing at the moment - it took him about 3 times as long as it did the other two, let alone his chores. He just wants to play PSP all the time, that is not an option I'm afraid. I did manage to get all of the art above too, without any being destroyed before I could grapple it from toddlers... The eldest three did BOOST Math and read from a chapter book to themselves and aloud to the littlest two. I read Eric Carle books to them as well, a family favourite author. Other than that I'm struggling with my patience and my tolerance of Kai's Desire To Not Study, Labyrinth's Desire To Question My Every Move and two toddlers Desire to Wreak Havoc Over Clean Just Folded Piles Of Laundry. Not to mention Andrew's struggle with all thing computers (well, just the Media Centre and the Children's Beastie.)
Because soon they will be a child no more. That and I don't have the money to go out and pay someone else to take them for me.
As for homeschooling, we're all good. They are doing handwriting drills just because I think they need to be able to do legible writing and in a decent time frame, mainly as it slows everything else down too much. They all seem to enjoy it, even Raven has his own book. Brought them from Big W for less that $5 a piece. It was a necessary expense unfortunatly. With any luck it will solve all the issues. 
Did I mention that Raven had his speech evaluation (as he is/has been very difficult to understand), well the verdict is in... he's more advanced intellectually than he is physically and his vocal cords are not mature enough to speak the words his mind is capable of understanding and using. This is all good because now I can 'guess' what he's trying to say (because he doesn't gesture or use body language he just gets frustrated). Tonight he told me he was cwyt... I asked him to repeat it and he did but it was still too difficult then I tried to understand and realised he was saying 'caught' on a basket in the loungeroom and it gave him a scratch (which was another leap of understanding.) Its great, I can now 'get' his speech!
He's also capable of beginning to write and read, as he shows me constantly. This is huge. He only turned 4 this month, but as it goes this is quite natural really in a homeschool environment, he just wants to be able to do what the other older children are doing so he's jumped ahead.
This can be said of Monika who was devestated that I didn't buy her one of the books previously mentioned, but she is happy to be read to everyday. We all take turns (even Raven who 'reads' to her in his own special way - you know how non readers do it for younger siblings?) She also would much rather do a drawing than watch TV or play with toys most of the time. She is an extreme mischief maker too. Just today she cunningly got the bag of sugar off the toaster which is above the counter top. She must have pushed her high chair over to do it. She never spilt any in the kitchen but took the bag into the loungeroom and proceeded to dump half it on the floor and begin eating and 'drawing' in it. Luckily Dante was in the room and rescued it and set Labyrinth to task to clean the mess while he emptied the last of it into glass canisters. How grown up!
Where was Andrew and I in all this? I was in the shower while Andrew was stubbornly refusing to get out of bed (and didn't until 11:40 am!) That is one of the issues of mental health, you can't push him you can only poke and prod a little and hope he'll take the hint or he might just stay there and refuse to get up at all.
We got ourselves some bargain fish, fruit and vegetables. Checked out some chairs we were considering accepting but now am unsure. Reasons won't be disclosed here. Anyways... that is it for now, Q.
