tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318200232024-02-28T06:36:50.729+00:00Who teaches whom?Home education: my kids teach me everything.Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.comBlogger225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-88375145317464587742012-02-10T00:11:00.000+00:002012-02-10T00:11:17.829+00:00Moving!I'm moving the Who Teaches Whom blog from Blogger to our own server, so now it's at http://whoteacheswhom.me.uk/ - it's also on Wordpress, which is new to me, so any comments gratefully received. I also need to track down all the old links to it, which will take a bit of doing.Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-25907982402539249082012-01-27T23:10:00.001+00:002012-01-27T23:10:31.918+00:00Breaking News: ReadingWell,the 5yo decided that five to eight this evening was the time to start reading. She started trying on a jigsaw, so I got a Peter and Jane book and she rattled through the first 20 pages -- up to page 42, with every other page an illustration -- before she started making more errors than not.
I think she's going to take off as a reader soon. Peter and Jane are really useful for building Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-80921266914348077432012-01-27T13:09:00.001+00:002012-01-27T17:47:36.514+00:00Gifted ChildrenI used to proudly announce that L, now 7, was really really clever and brilliant and super bright and way ahead of her age. And then I stopped.
I'm not sure why. It's difficult to think about. I think it's partially that she wasn't reading fluently until she was almost six, in spite of reading at least a bit from age three. It's partially that people can be quite nasty when one says one's child Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-65625603947415782202012-01-26T17:24:00.001+00:002012-01-26T17:24:27.213+00:00Did. Did not.Did:
Get everyone dressed.
Get two of three children outdoors for at least ten minutes (told them about babies dying of rickets).
Helped one child plant basil and bake scones.
Helped another work through a Marks and Spencer maths workbook. It has nice shiny stickers.
Cooked apple and cinnamon pancakes for lunch.
Dragged third child indoors covered in mud when the rain went from "heavy" to "Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-60157024110364424242012-01-22T22:27:00.001+00:002012-01-22T22:27:13.175+00:00Consultation time!The whole thing is here - I am pulling out the bits I think are specifically relevant to home education, just for you. The good news for those of you who tried to read the Badman report is that this document is coherent, which helps a lot - I don't need to comment much, just draw your attention to some bits for you to look at. I'm looking at two things - the extract from the consultation documentAilbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-51514553537507576632012-01-20T13:17:00.000+00:002012-01-26T14:33:15.139+00:00Spring!It's here. Which is frankly weird, because it's JANUARY, hello? But nonetheless...
We had a busy morning, in that not very busy way; it was low key and unrushed, but people seemed to be getting a lot done.
Reading maths puzzle books. I like that they don't need to be written in, so we can hand them on or lend them to others.
Using acrylic paint to colour air-drying clay. I have no idea Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-60771541027191234152012-01-17T00:07:00.003+00:002012-01-17T00:07:18.893+00:00HESFESI think we're going. I'm a bit scared of it, but it's on clear public transport routes this time, so I think we're going.
If we aren't, I'm sure we can do something with the tickets. Wall-mount them, possibly?Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-42586025918716483112012-01-12T22:04:00.001+00:002012-01-12T22:04:40.940+00:00Sew busy(Sorry).
It was a hectic day. L woke about 3 am, as far as we can tell, so she was charming and delightful by noon. But we all had porridge and headed out to get sewing supplies. All three children, including the 18-month-old, walked the mile to town, and we got sewing scissors for their sewing kits, a pinking shears, some bobbins, and other bits and pieces. I allowed them to choose one fancy Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-76379466218410596462012-01-11T00:09:00.000+00:002012-01-11T00:09:54.352+00:00Almost midnightI'd like, after the slog of illness, Christmas, New Year, more illness, DIY, etc, to get back into blogging.
I thought I'd start by getting a little more up to date.
This week, we started Monday by doing Bananagrams before breakfast; the seven-year-old (L) mainly sees words I don't, and vice versa, and the five-year-old (E) was fascinated by how many words she could make by going through the Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-47167052461876571432011-12-06T22:54:00.001+00:002011-12-06T22:59:14.886+00:00Feels unremarkableWe haven't done much remarkable lately. The five-year-old is learning to read, fairly organically. The seven-year-old is reading voraciously, a mixture of Enid Blyton and non-fiction and things she finds lying around. The one-year-old can stand on tiptoe and almost jump.
Weirdly, I haven't read to the older two for AGES. I'd like to, but I am not sure how to invite them to join me; they are Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-9363800413983195142011-11-23T20:34:00.001+00:002011-11-23T20:37:43.367+00:00Photos instead of a post
Painting on big boards with acrylics, to make a playhouse / room divider. This is the door.
We made a 12-hour train-and-ferry journey and had to bring the water bottles and tea stirrers all the way home because as soon as the tea stirrers were spotted, the five-year-old wanted to make this. With enough stickytape, she can make ANYTHING.
Reading goggles. Right.
Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-49090852190100217062011-10-06T16:25:00.001+01:002011-10-06T16:25:09.465+01:00My Pals Are HereWe went out today, on a train, only an hour late. It has been difficult to go out for ages now, so I was pleased we managed it. No-one had any kind of major meltdown, though because it was to a new place no-one was very sociable either. It won't be new next time, so that's ok.
And then we came home and Linnea started in on My Pals Are Here 1B (workbook part 2). She seems to be enjoying it.
On Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-77579116254911473802011-10-02T20:58:00.002+01:002011-10-02T20:58:51.732+01:00StarsLast night was the end of a very hot day - 29C or so, the first of October! And it was a cloudless night, so at bedtime, instead of sending everyone to bed, we brought them out for a walk around the block and into the (dark, unlit) playground. I actually think we'd have seen more stars from our back garden but it wouldn't have been as exciting.
We saw patterns, some of which we could name and Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-256188013804718232011-09-29T22:39:00.000+01:002011-09-29T22:39:11.598+01:00Clutter(For The Friday Club)
I've been actively decluttering since before the first baby was born to this house.
You can't tell.
But actually, you can, if you used to know what it looked like before. Two adults filled three bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and a garden shed, and still kept a lot of stuff up in the attic. Now we are two adults and three children, and we have two Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-16309919802989976352011-09-28T15:40:00.002+01:002011-09-28T15:40:57.759+01:00Not much to blog aboutWe've had a good time lately. We did lots with fractions - L has been adding fractions in her head for a while without being clear on how she did it, and we did it on paper so she could see what was going on. We finally made it back to the library and got some new books, and somewhere there's a diagram of clementine segment skins under a microscope. Pocketmoney maths is big but complicated.
And Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-88439671877167927402011-09-19T14:04:00.001+01:002011-09-19T14:04:51.874+01:00For SCIENCEWe did an oil-and-water experiment today. The children wanted to do something a bit structured, so we got the balance, found a couple of identical cups and weighed them, and poured equal volumes of oil and water into each one. Then we weighed them. Then we poured them together and mixed them up. And put a lid on and turned it over. And dyed it with food colouring. And got very excited about Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-38343678249193897262011-09-15T11:39:00.000+01:002011-09-15T11:39:27.210+01:00Hunter gatheredThe conkers were from the park and the figs are from the end of our road. We are assuming it's a fig tree; we haven't asked the homeowner whose tree it is, but online searches and asking friends seems to show it most likely is. We're not going to try eating them, though.Stuff grows. This is constantly amazing to us.Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-84700815488909790542011-09-15T11:37:00.000+01:002011-09-15T11:37:42.887+01:00Tomato plantsEmer is loving this - we eat blackberries and nasturtium petals straight away in the garden, but we bring orange tomatoes into the house and leave them on the kitchen windowsill to riped, and then we eat them with actual real live meals. Well, not live meals. But anyway. Yesterday we served some up in salad for her grandparents.I call them "Emer's tomatoes" because she helped plant and water themAilbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-44574263599514580792011-09-09T18:31:00.000+01:002011-09-09T18:31:13.740+01:00CommaI woke up grumpy today. Then I got grumpier, because there was water in the balance, under a teatowel, which spilt on the laptop. Then I got even grumpier because of all the poo I had to clean up.
Everything is a learning opportunity, however, and at lunchtime I had to write up the following sentences to explain what I'd just saidshouted:
I will probably be a lot nicer after I have eaten LinneaAilbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-62406281728744478512011-09-06T21:53:00.003+01:002011-09-06T21:53:55.863+01:00Back to schoolI almost got up and started in on housework this morning, but I heard the children playing a complicated game downstairs and forced myself to stay in bed until 10am. I drank my coffee and listened to the radio, though I can't now say what was on it, and re-read a Georgette Heyer very slowly. Then I got up and did housework and child-cleaning and got them out to storytime at the library and so on.Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-18079644468869397712011-09-06T12:58:00.001+01:002011-09-06T13:01:49.584+01:00CourgetteThe courgette isn't very big but if you click on the second picture you'll see that the plant all but dwarfs the apple tree... Emer is very proud and already looking forward to chopping them up!From Who teaches whom?Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-88463683998797719282011-09-04T21:59:00.002+01:002011-09-04T21:59:13.781+01:00New term! September! New year! In an alternate universe, Linnea is in something like Year Three, I think, and Emer is starting Year One. Actually, they are nothing of the kind, but it sometimes helps to remember what we'd be doing if they were, sometimes.
Linnea recently read her first Young Adult novel - a friend had just finished Anna Carey's The Real Rebecca and was going to lend it to me, Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-38605948120564368062011-07-30T14:28:00.002+01:002011-07-30T14:31:59.046+01:00Ramona Forever!Linnea and I are having a wonderful time. I mean, she's ill, and on antibiotics which mean we have to seriously schedule her eating opportunities, but she found a Ramona book (Beverly Cleary) and liked it, so I've been ordering the rest from Abebooks and when they arrive we pounce on them, argue over who gets to read it first, talk about them - it's a wonderful, wonderful experience.She also sat Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-33034153662078608272011-07-27T20:52:00.002+01:002011-07-27T21:00:13.900+01:00Same ole same oleNot a lot happens, in home education. We live our lives. We got a new toy - Fraction Cubes - and Linnea is learning to add fractions with more accuracy than she had before. We have been drawing plans of the upstairs of our house, so that we are ready for the Great Bedroom Shift, when we rearrange so that what was planned as a two-adult bedroom arrangement is turned into a Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31820023.post-31803630914848547542011-07-20T23:38:00.003+01:002011-07-20T23:54:30.994+01:00New resources!I just discovered Khan Academy. Given that the seven-year-old spent today wandering around saying stuff like "I want to do number bonds!" and has been craving what I think of as tedious repetition in maths, this is brilliant. One grows tired of setting these things oneself and for some reason long sheets with dozens of exercises on a page don't appeal to her, she wants dozens of exercises but no Ailbhehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13766624288427858144noreply@blogger.com0