Actual, Like, Home-Edding

We did a Five in a Row book this week, one we've done before, but better. We coloured flags and stuck them to the map - the American flag, and we're doing another American book this coming week, so we might actually draw flags this time, you never know - and we watched videos on YouTube and briefly went through the history of transport, from horsepower and wind to steam to petrol and electric, with particular reference to funny-looking cars. No-one asked who the first person to ride a horse was, but they probably will one day. We also talked about major and minor characters and had an indecisive conversation on whether a character who drives the plot significantly but is only mentioned once is major or minor.

It turns out that Linnea remembers what we did in the summer about using the sun to tell time, too, so that was nice.

And then on Thursday night I thought to look up the word "lapbook" which I have seen around the home ed blogosphere, and I was intrigued; it looks like a Tionscnamh (why do I remember calling them Tionscnamh when the Irish for "project" appears to be "tionscadal"? poor memory or something else?) we might have done at school, but more fun and with nicer paper. I suggested it to the children and Emer was quite interested and did a little one on Friday, and I've decided to cut out a lot of bits for her to use to make more on other topics later - she made a little book to show how a home-made electric digger dug a flowerbed (my written commentary is essential to understand this, but it's the thought that counts) and another to show that things other than steam shovels were steam-powered.

Linnea remarked, out of the blue, on Friday, that there aren't any black people in the book. Searching through the crowd scenes showed a few people who may have been black, but nothing definite enough for her to be sure. I'm pretty sure there's one black woman seen from the rear at one point, but that's about it.

We talked about our Town Hall, where Rob and I were married seven years ago, and where Linnea used to go to art sessions in the basement; we decided that the basement counted as a cellar. I faintly hope to take them to the museum in the Town Hall this week but we've been unwell so I'm not sure how many of us are up for the walk. We shall see.