familytreehouse.co.uk

So I look at familytreehouse, and realise we havent written down half of what we have been doing for the last two weeks. Why? because we have been so busy, doing nothing

Granny was 65.
Daddy was 6 - well that’s what he says :d
We did painting and made cardboard animals at C.L.A.S
We made food, and cooked.
We made goats milk cheese - yummy.
We went shopping.
We sat and watched Mary Poppins.. (what a great film!)
We discussed chimney sweeps, musicals, dancing… and asha wants to return to ballet - so we shall
We have played ball, made bags out of felt, managed to jump down firemans poles unaided!!!
We have started to recognise D,B,S,M,A in capital letters and small letters. Expertly!
We have drawn pictures of flaminogoes, daffodils, puffins, grandads, and made dens and nests.
We have talked about the moon and the sun. How to make electricity, Why people need glasses, Why people live and die, what the difference is between a leaf eater bee and a bumble bee. The difference between wild and domestic animals….

We have practiced ballet, and drawing. We have made mud pies, eaten in restaurants. Tried oysters, and scallops.

Seen Oxford, Stratford, and slept at uncle andrews house. In fact all things considered, its no wonder i cant remeber what we have done this last few weeks, as all I have wanted to do is sleep, sleep sleep!

We have read books, and discussed the moon, time, our bodies, and why we have skin. We have talked about why some animals have fur (like cats) and some have a hide (like rino’s)

And to add to this medley of life, Steve has read her Jonathan Livingstone Seagull !

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Steve and I were heavily criticised by a lot of friends and family, over the invasions of iraq. we said at the time its about oil, its nothing about war on terrorism, or Bin Laden, thats a different matter.

Well the 19th is the 5th anniversay of the invasion of iraq… Interesting how its not been in the news… isnt it

Well folks. the reality is.. our good, kind goverment has been killing innocent people. We have even allowed them to do it, and to contine doing it..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/2890403.stm

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Mum has offered to pay for membership for us for my birthday, so i sent an email to query some of the issues on the membership leaflet for home educating families.

My reply:

There is no legal requirement to register with the local LEA to home
educate. As per the education act 1996

Parental Duties: Section 7
“The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to
receive efficient full-time education suitable ;
a) to his age, ability, and aptitude, and
b) to any special educational needs he may have,
either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.”

You may wish to confirm this by lookint at
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/ChoosingASchool/DG_4016124

Dear Victoria,

Thank you for your email.

Before I can provide you with the information you requested, can you please confirm if you are registered with the government as a certified home educator.

Kind regards,

Ste Galloway
Membership Department

—- Original Message —-
My mother plans on paying for us to have home educating membership for the
national trust for our daughter. She is currently 3 1/2.

However before we decide to do this, I am concerend about a few of the
practicalitis of the Educators Membership, and what would be expected of us.

Would I be expected to notify a venue 7 days in advance, of us visiting?

We often only decide on the day that we are going to attend a venue. The
idea of notifying somewhere 7 days in advance is not really practicle, could
you explain why this is necessary? What bonus is there to us as home
educators of you knowing we are coming? My daughters and my health
restrictions as well as weather in wales, kind of dictates our activites

Would I be expected to have insurance?

With thanks

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We decided that we could meet Granny and Grandad, have some lunch and they could have a play with Asha.

It was a windy day, but i got there on time 12.30

Asha had a lovely time, and we got the few things we wanted. I think everyone enjoyed them selves, and we got a job done, plus happy grandparents..

Success!

We also got the materials to make the ponchos for Gerwin Y Coed, so now feeling very pleased with myself.

http://www.abakhan.co.uk/default.asp

I however am totally exhausted, and have lost my voice!

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Ouch.. got up out of bed, feeling very rough, and with not a lot of rest last night.

Asha remebered where I had put Daddys birthday card, we had made yesterday, and gave it to Daddy whilst I was still in bed :d Oh the joys of nearly four, I get a lie in on Daddys Birthday! - I had planned on breakfast in bed for him, but erm, lack of sleep and a hurt foot put a seal of death on that idea!

We got ready for C.L.A.S and went on our way. On the way, we called into Mac D’s and Tescos. Armed with goods for C.L.A.S and Gwerin Y Coed, we were soon at our destination, and Asha was soon running around with friends, and having a go at makeing bracelets and having tons of fun.

Us parents, well we were doing our normal things, and trying to encourage some of the older kids into having a go at making cheese… Yes, steve did enjoy making the cheese didnt you!

Goats Milk Cheese

1 litre of semi skimmed goats milk. (not tried it with anything else)
bring to boil.
add joice of one lemon per two pints = i lemon.
It will curdle the milk.
Seive off the whey. ( and throw.. or if your creative do what ever with it)
the curds contents in your seive now.. is your cheese. allow to cool, and enjoy on a cracker / similar!

I dont know where the C.L.A.S lot get there ideas from, but this was brilliant!

I spent a bit longer on my feet than I ought to have done, but it was cold and I didnt want anyone outside with the kids too long. Plus I so needed some air!

Asha played well all day today, and tonight. I was very pleased with her!

At Gwerin Y Coed, she did some more cooking! Rice cakes are very easy for an A! She also enjoyed playing with the rest of the group, it was a very busy and big meeting tonight, but it did go well.

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Monday - zoo
monday night i fell over off my chair, whilst trying to take off my slip on boots! and hurt my ankle. Its still sore, but at least I can weight bear. I am just glad, I wasnt alone, as Asha was in bed, and Steve was still downstairs as well.

Result was all plans for tuesday (including shopping and me going to the drs, got put on hold.)

So what to do with an Asha then? Well we spent some time doing a project on the animals in the zoo, we also spent time reading, and cuddling on the sofa. She helped me get dressed, which she always finds funny. And we did make and do, sewing and we talked about different animal shapes, sounds and colours.

We also talked a little bit about emtions, and fealings such as fear, anger, sad, tired (her contribution)

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Plus income support!

 Not really what I want to use Familytreehouse for, but i felt it important to hightlight

this problem:

On Friday 14th December  the Department of Work and Pensions had published a White Paper containing the results of their recent consultation about getting single parents off Income Support and on to Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Currently, lone parents can remain on Income Support until their youngest child is 16. The Government Green Paper In Work, Better Off published in July 2007, put forward proposals for lone parents to be moved to Jobseeker’s Allowance in October 2008 when their youngest child was 12, moving down to a lower age limit of 7 in 2010. ….

For more information, help and to support those who are home educating there children at home visit http://www.freedomforchildrentogrow.org/lone.htm

This issue actually does worry me, it is once more the goverment removing parental choice, and more worrying, if the child is at home due to SEN.. it is putting more pressure on all concerend!

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Discovered it would take me 40 minutes to get to our drs by bus, minimal. With one change of buses.. Well thats practicle isnt it!

http://www.traveline-cymru.org.uk/

Vicki xx

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I have been putting together some fun and simple ideas to get clarification that the kids know there insects (mini beasts) I now have a pdf worksheet for referance and I am going to cut out the insects, take some blue tack with me and we can have a insect hunt in the hall tomorrow, if we get there early. If not, next week!

Minibeasts PDF

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After a success full day on the whole yesterday, today was never going to be good, with me hurting my foot. but so far we have read in bed.. always good fun.

Talked about the zoo in some depth. Chatted about the difference between home education and school. And done a lovely project on the Zoo, which i have attached a copy of. Although the copy attached dosnt include all her hand drawn work!.. Just her typing and choice of borders, and pictures.

We have also made pizza’s for lunch and Steves card for tomorrow… but hush, dont tell him that!

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After a lovely day yesterday, last night whilst trying to take my boots off, I fell and hurt my ankle. I now cant weight bear on it. I dont think its broken, but it hurts like anything.

I decided I can probably drive, as its my left foot, so only need it for the clutch. But I am not a happy bunny at all!

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We went to the Welsh Mountain Zoo with the CLAS group today and Asha had a whale of a time.

Cant say she looked at many of the animals, though she did watch in wonder at the tortoise making a hole to lay its eggs in, and she was fascinated. She also loved the baby rabbits, the guinea pigs, with there tiny baby suckling on the mummy) the pregnant goat (which had a beard like daddies) and the Aligator.

She did run around and have great fun on there out door climbing frames, slides and playing with her other friends , and there very energetic mums! Thanks K and S!

She was telling me all about little M tonight, and how she looked after him, and brought him back to his mummy up those big steps! - And she wasnt wrong, they are big steps!

On the way home Asha was telling me about the sea lions, bears, snow lepards, and the flamingoes. We actually managed to watch the sea lions getting fed, which was even better!

All in all a very successfull day, with education, social interaction, and loads of fun, fun, fun!

Asha’s project

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Asha and I got up today and cooked her Mummy breakfast in bed. There was some debate about what we should put on the card, in the end Asha decided to write her name and I did the rest. I always joke that Vicki always wants the impossible so I made her “The Moon on a Stick” I was hoping to use a balloon, but in the end had to settle for a round piece of paper stuck to a random piece of wood found outside.

She also had a cup of coffee.

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Bake off course!

We no longer have a kitchen but Asha has measured, spread, cut, stired, poured, weighed, seived, broken eggs, whsked, counted, ….and watched the cakes rise..

She has also experimented, and ended up making her own egg custard

Result?

1 big bowl of rice pudding, with raisins in
1 Bread and butter pudding.
1 banana and egg custard
1 mountain of banana and chocolate cakes.. all now eaten (yes they did taste good!)

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Aparently it is totally normal for a nearly four year old not to be able to breath / walk or eat wheat / oats or cows milk. According to the DWP the inability to walk as a four year old dosnt mean she is disabled, nor does the horrendous amount of nights we spend up in her room as she is crying / unsettled / struggling to breath due to having had a drop of milk/ gluten somewhere….
Oh well.. we are going to appeal, but things like this just get my back up as its one more thing to deal with. We have sent a copy of our appeal letter to our local MP.. They are not popular at the moment due to the school closures, so I am sure they would like an extra two votes

Vicki xx

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A long time ago we used to use a web site called DAMMIT.

When Asha was born Steve told the other members of our fantastic news.

Tonight I found the link and saved his post as a JPG.

I hope you like it!

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didnt quite happen today, so I am now exhausted but:

We got to drive over the beautiful Britannia Bridge, Across the Menai

We did order a new car via motability and ford.

We did get out to see some of our new CLAS friends, and A had a wonderfull time as did we. It was lovely. Thankyou N, K and J!

I loved not being attacked by the geese, it really did sort out my fear of them.. I never realised it was possible to be in a field with them and they not attack you!

A is thoroughly loving her new dolls high chair, and has spent best part of an hour tonight feeding dolly in it! Wonderfull!

Vicki xx

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Tonight was Gwerin Y Coed We talked about St Davids Day. and painted some leeks, and Welsh Dragons. We also Found out about the anglisizing (sp?) of the daff, for the symbolism of Wales.

The emblem of Wales is the leek, arising from an occasion when a troop of Welsh were unable to distinguish each other from a troop of the English enemy dressed in similar fashion. They pulled up handfuls of coarse grass, with its white roots and green leaves, and stuffed them in their caps (in much the same way as the Plantagenets adopted the broom - plante a genet - as their badge and emblem.) The grass became stylised into a leek - the same shape and colour but bigger - and adopted as the badge of the Welsh.
An alternative emblem developed in recent years is the daffodil, which looks similar to a leek until it flowers, and was preferred by the English government as it did not have the same military and nationalistic associations as the leek.

We are working towards a couple of badges at the moment, and one of the things is trying to learn some new songs, so first things first.. we are learning the Welsh words for :

Link your hands together

Link your hands together, A circle we’ll make,

This bond of our friendship, No power can break,

Lets all sing together, In one mighty throng,

If any be weary, We’ll help them along,

If any be weary, We’ll help them along.

Daliwn ddwylo’n gilydd, Yn gylch ar y cyd,

I uno cyfeillion, Mewn hyfryd o fyd,

Gadewch i ni ganu, Yn llawen a chryf,

A sawl sydd yn blino, Rhown gymorth i chi,

A sawl sydd yn blino, Rhown gymorth i chi,

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Its Wednesday. I also couldnt get up this morning, so some of our plans had to be re-organised but I still dont know how Asha gets as much done as she did.

She “read” a book to me in bed this morning - Aesops Tales.

She then played football with Steve, and did some “make and do” she made some pom pom pets,

and glued some things to a peice of paper.

We then went to C.L.A.S Where Asha did some “glass bottle painting” and painted with her friends.

She also played on the swings, played chase and really enjoyed herself. She had a little bump, which did upset her for a while, but she has been o.k. tonight. I think it was just the shock!

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on the internet.

Asha was doing her normal climbing over me one morning this week. I said to her “Asha, mummy isnt for climbing on” her reply

“But mummy it says you are on the internet, I checked”

Kids!

A quick web search however proved her facts wrong

link to show mummy isnt for climbing on 

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