Sunday, September 30, 2012

Precious days


We had the loveliest day today.

There are photos to post but it's almost midnight and we're off on a wonderful new adventure in the morning (!) so it wont be now.

But I wanted to share something. To commemorate such a precious day. With precious friends. #blessed.


p.s. This is their cat Perron. She's too beautiful. And she knows it ;)


Thursday, September 27, 2012

Wanderlust


It's the holidays.


 Sweet time to dream.


And plan. 
Yes! Europe 2013-14 *happy dance*


And take random photographs :)


And borrow more library books than I can read (okay, admission, I do that all year round).


And hang out in cool cafes while the kids do fun stuff like go to the movies with their Nan. 


Ubiquitous coffee shot. 

What are you doing? x




Thursday, September 20, 2012

International Day of Peace

 

Tomorrow (September 21) is the United Nations International Day of Peace. 


May peace be with you. X



"The International Day of Peace, is observed annually on 21 September.
It is dedicated to peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first celebrated in 1982, and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples".




Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Cafe School

We're not Unschoolers. 
I  believe in interest-driven, child-led learning but we do "do" school. 


Often at the kitchen table. Often on our front lawn. Often snuggled on the couch. We read and we write and we count and we laugh and we multiply and yes, sometimes we cry. All of us. It's a bit of a messy business this school thing.


And one morning a week, at least, we have decided to do "cafe school". 


Yesterday it was a little different as we had to be dropped off for the boys sailing lessons at 7am, almost two hours early, after a 5:30 wake up. Crazy. So a cup of coffee, juice for the boys and somewhere nice to sit was definitely in order.

I had their 'work' with me - on travelling days or for "cafe school" I pack a light load but it generally includes their Maths workbooks, some phonics work or a crossword puzzle, a reading book and/or a copy of The School Magazine and their handwriting books - but at 7am it's a bit early to throw them into that! 


So we pulled out one of their favourite school-time activities... Graffiti Doodle: Mess Up A Masterpiece (here's a link. We LOVE this book).
Doodlers are encouraged to deface and disfigure all manner of recognisable places, people and products: add some more heads to Mount Rushmore; put a Zulu warrior in a sentry box at Buckingham Palace; give Michelangelo's (naked) David a three-piece suit; give the Mona Lisa a full makeover. There are no restrictions to the havoc that can be created with this fun and rebellious book.
The brilliance lies in the book's rebellious good-hearted nature. Go on, go crazy. Let your imagination go wild. And... at the same time you're going to learn about The Bayeux Tapestry, Otto von Bismarck, The United Nations Headquarters, Gustave Doré, North Korea or the Papyrus of Ani. That's cool if you ask me.


The way we use it is that the boys take turns choosing a page (this stops L doing a squiggle on every page and announcing the book as "all used up"). Smile. We google the person or the place or the artwork, look at an image of the real thing and I read a little about it to them. Thanks wikipedia. Yesterday it was Mount Rushmore. Fun. 


And yum.


And somehow in the mix of all that I showed them a photo of a baby Polar Bear (awwww) and a photo of a rocket strapped to a 747 (Wow) and we discussed these things too. 


And Hug had an impromptu lesson using my camera. Because he will after all be 9 this weekend coming and almost-9 year olds can be trusted with such things. Lovely, being 6, of course sulked about that :) This is Hug's photo of his much-loved Harry Potter. 


Oh, and as it happened we were sat by a big map of Germany.


So they studied that. And laughed that there was a city called Hamburg(er).


And that was that.
Where do you most like to learn? (homeschooling or not :) X


Monday, September 17, 2012

Breakfast


Hug put in a special request for Monday morning French Toast. We make it gluten and dairy-free.


It even smelt good to Boston.


Voila.


I'm loving these sunny Spring mornings...




Home



It was a big weekend. Hug and T went away for Hug's very first overnight Cub Scouts camp. 



We had a sweet time, Lovely and I, but we missed them. 



They got back this afternoon. Lovely was so happy to have his daddy home. 



Home. To warm baths and collapse-on-the-couch-time.


With oldskool cartoons.


And favourite friends. 


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Spring Fair


My eldest son started kindergarten at a Steiner school. It's just down the road (okay, it's a 15 minute drive - but we are in Australia. So, let's say it's just down the road. Lol.)

I find myself getting a little sentimental every year when the school Spring Fair rolls around.

It's the colour.


And the sweetness.


And the sense of community.

The simple beauty.

And the magic.


As we start the last week of Term 3 I feel the pull towards the artistic. The colourful. The beautiful. I think there will be more music. More art. More handcrafting next term. We don't need to 'be there' to capture that magic. I am wise enough to know that now. So, instead I feel inspired. And grateful.



Tuesday, September 11, 2012

A little procrastination

Gasp. Why am I such a procrastinator?! Even on a morning like this when I have time to myself (T has taken the boys to their sailing class) I've procrastinated all morning when going through these books & thinking about next term is something I'm really excited about!

Are you a procrastinator par excellence like me or are you good at throwing yourself into things?



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