Our Week

 After our workboxes on Monday morning, we headed out into the woods to climb some trees.

 

 

Miriam had collected a large pile of twigs to make her own imaginary campfire, so Granny suggested we brought them home to build our own fire in the garden.

 

 

We were not experienced (or brave) enough in these things to build a proper campfire on the grass, so we built it on a metal tray on the patio!

 

 

We cooked our beans for lunch on it

 

 

and toasted marshmallows for pudding. Such fun!

 

 

Throughout the week I have been having a sort out of the piles of work and drawings that have been produced this year, recycling a lot, but choosing the best pieces to file away into their individual box files for storage.

 

 

It was lovely to look back at the different things they have produced.

 

 

 

On Wednesday we had a really interesting and enjoyable family day at Eyam in Derbyshire. It was here in 1665 that the plague struck, carried by a flea infested bundle of cotton that was sent from London to a tailor in the village.

 

The cottage where the plague started.

 

 We looked around Eyam Hall, a National Trust property, that was built in the Jacobean style after the plague had ended.

 

 

On Thursday we had our normal morning routine of workboxes and Nathanael wrote his own Psalm, based upon Psalm 100 which we have been studying.

 

 

Tabitha showing her English literature book. Her current theme is Homes.

 The children looked at the work of Vincent Van Gough and Georgia O'Keefe and had a go at creating their own still life drawings using charcoal.

 

 

 

 

Whilst in Stockport Market on Friday we saw BBC Radio Manchester being recorded live. We stopped for a while to watch, and we were taken by surprise as Nathanael and I ended up getting interviewed by Mike Sweeney!

 

 

 

 Nathanael attended his Maker Fun workshop on Saturday morning and he had the opportunity to learn how to make animation with a real life animator, Paul Claessens using a Raspberry Pi. He had been looking forward to this for weeks.

 

Can you see how excited he was?!

Nathanael chose to make an animated Robin Hood from one of his drawings.

 

 

 

I hope to be able to share with you the video he made when it has been edited.

If you are from Manchester, MakerFun will be at the MOSI Maker Faire next weekend and we would highly recommend that you go and try making your own animation with them.

 

Life Lately

Summer has finally arrived! We all thoroughly enjoyed our monthly Nature Study at a local country park. The ducklings and goslings were a delight to see.

 

 

 

On Family Day we went to see the From Street to Trench exhibition at the Imperial War Museum North.

 

 

 

Tabitha and Nathanael made a windmill each for the garden in the shape of a fish at their Maker Fun workshop.

 

 

 

We have had afternoons at the park...

 

 

..and mornings exploring the countryside.

 



 

I have had a big sort out of all our homeschool resources and curriculum. I came across a Five in a Row manual that I had forgotten about, so we have very much enjoyed using it this week and studying the book  "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey. 

 

After reading the book and watching a google earth video of the route of the ducks took around Boston, we made our own maps of their journey.

 

Miriam drawing her map

 

Nathanael's map

 We also tried to copy some of the illustrations from the book, recreating shading effects, speed lines and lines indicating water.

 

 

 

Nathanael has been so inspired by the story that he has written his own version of the book, based on sights around Stockport.

 

Illustrating his book.

 We have had fun building with gears,

 

 

played some educational games on the computer

 

 

and got the paddling pool out in the garden.

 

 

Even though the water was only about two inches deep they still managed to enjoy themselves. We have no garden hose; it was a laborious job filling it up with tubs of water from the kitchen tap, so that was all I could manage!

 

I am busy making plans for the next academic year. Its hard to believe Abigail will be officially school starting age in September. Where has the time gone?!

Art Bots

Today we attended our second Maker Fun workshop at a local library. This is a non-profit club that aims to get children designing and making for fun, using traditional craft supplies and more modern digital materials.

 

The packs included a motor, motor holder, offset weight, battery holder, plastic disc, wire covers, bolts and nuts, sticky pads and a set of instructions. The craft materials were provided separately.

 

Following instructions, the children made their own robots,

 

 

checked they worked

 

 

and then decorated them!

 

 

To make them into Art Bots, cotton buds were inserted into their legs and they were dipped into paint. The children turned them on and watched them paint their own masterpiece!

 

Here is a video of Tabitha's Art Bot painting a picture!