Ghost hand...!

So, this is Ethans' first attempt at a tape sculpture.

As you can imagine, he now wants to do various other parts of the body, and have things like legs hanging out of the ceiling, and headless yet fully clothed bodies wandering the village.

Could be fun !!! :)

Chills, turns and sticky tape...!

Well, it's a frozen and misty Monday morning, and the walk into town with Laurence was bracing to say the very least!

I am secretly wishing for some good snow. I would love to take the kids sledging, and get everyone out in the garden building snow dens and snowmen, but all we have had so far is a light dusting. 

Still, something rather excellent happened over the weekend. Joseph fully turned over, and now there is no stopping him. No matter where you put him down, he flips over, buries his face into the floor and pokes his bum in the air! What a clever little lad.


The first attempt at tape sculpting is completed. We grabbed the first thing that came to hand which would serve as a good template and didn't require much fiddling about with.

It came out pretty well, although we are in two minds as to whether we use the same method again, or try for something different. 
The method we used was to wrap the object - in this case a bottle - in cling film first, then cover in tape. It's fine, except when you come to cut a seam (so you can remove the bottle) the tape cuts fine, but the cling film tended to tear and bunch up a little which made patching up the seam a bit messy.
The alternative method is to cover the object with a layer of backwards tape first (sticky side out) then continue to cover normally. I can see how this might make cutting the seam easier. So we'll try that next.


Loz x

Crafty Art...

Well, after much thinking yesterday, Ethan opted for an art project that took his fancy; Large scale plastic tape sculptures ! (pictures to follow, so watch this space).

It is just about he easiest thing we have ever tried, and is great fun because you can make a model of just about anything that can be wrapped in cling film, then wrapped in sellotape. It is also worth asking around at local packing companies for any rolls of tape they have because alot of them throw them away when there is still a good inch left on the roll...there for, you can save and recycle at the same time.

We have asked Daniel if he would be kind enough to model for a whole body sculpture....he is in the process of 'thinking about it'. :p

Arty-Farty....

OK...I'm going to admit it, as far as arts and crafts go, I'm pretty useless. Looking at and listening to what some people get up to amazes me. One HE family I met up with had successfully designed and made a full sized willow house! Others create some brilliant sculptures and paintings. So of course, not wanting to see my kids go without, I have in the past attempted to indulge them in something arty. However, I always seem to come up at a loss (I can't even bake a cake without it coming out like a biscuit, and biscuits come out like hockey pucks). 
So, today I have decided to put some serious thought into large scale projects. No more model kits, no more clay and matchsticks, no more messing about with fiddly bits of fluff and plastic bobs.
I think planning something, and making something on a large scale will hold not only my interest for longer but more importantly, Ethan's interest.

The thing is, what to create?
I don't have a huge garden, so I don't want to make some monstrosity that is going to over take what precious space we have to play in, but at the same time, I want to us to make something that involves a bit of maths, a bit of science, and some research (materials, method etc). 
I'm going to ask about for ideas on the various HE groups that I am a member of, but if anyone else out there wants to make a suggestion, then do feel free. 



Loz x

Well, it would appear that it is Josephs' turn to have a bit of a grotty day, all he really wants to do is eat and sleep...not usual for him, but no temperature or anything else nasty, so hopefully it'll pass as quickly as it did for Laurence.
However, it does put a slight cloud of doubt on whether he will enjoy our visit to the indoor play centre..Laurence is so looking forward to it as always, and surprisingly so is Ethan. Lets hope that a cuddle and something new to look at will distract him enough to let him enjoy it.

Loz x

The dilemma of jealousy.

As you know, I HE my 12 year old son. Which leaves my 11 year old son still attending secondary school. Which has caused some....issues.
Jealousy, to be precise, from my schooled son. We expected as much when we first discussed the pro's and con's and now it's arrived.
Daniel started secondary this September, and on the outside seems to love it, he comes home with lots of homework, which we help him with, and he has received 4 mentions in the weekly academic achievement awards (in the form of a letter sent to us, commending him on his behaviour/attitude etc in certain subjects).
He recently brought home his first term report which sang his praises in all classes, and according to the teachers he has settled well and is achieving good to excellent reports from them. 
All this makes us very happy, and content in the knowledge that he is adjusting to secondary life well. 
He has some issues at present with his homework, which he frets and gets his knickers in a twist about - fearing the dreaded detention for poor standards or insufficient work, and so he really does push himself to complete homework on time, and to a level which pleases everyone. However, he does get quite stressed about it.
His main gripe is that Ethan gets to 'study' those subjects which interest him, rather than actually having to sit down for long periods and go through set subjects in a robotic manner learning across the board, and that he gets to go out during the day to places instead of staying in school.
Now, Daniel does have a bit of a selfish streak running through him, and has always complained about Ethan having something which he does not have, or doing something he does not get to do, so in a way we are not surprised about his behaviour. They are at the end of the day very close in age (17 months) and this inevitably causes quite a degree of sibling rivalry which we have at times handled well, and at others not so well. We are fully aware of this, and address the issue as and when it arises. But this time, I have to admit to being in a bit of turmoil about it.
After seeing how well Ethan has responded to HE, and how much his general concentration and achievements have improved, I would secretly love to HE all the children. I think about Laurence (3 yr old) starting school next September and in truth it makes me shudder. 4 Years old and expected to learn to such a degree that he will receive his first reading test at 6 yrs old, hardly a year into his proper academic career (reception year at 4-5 of course).
And with all the pressures of the National Curriculum changing like the wind these days, and discussions about scraping modular GCSE's and replacing them for one big test - possibly at 14, just seems like a level of stress not condusive to happy learning. It would seem that it's all about gaining as much in as little time as possible, and I am sorry, but I don't think it's going to work as seamlessly as people think it will. 
Inbetween all this academia, where exactly is the time for children to just be children and learn through experience? Learn through coming across something that is not neatly set out for them in a classroom first? Learn through wanting to learn, because something has caught their attention and interest, and not through having to learn because that is the way society and government says it must be done?

Anyway, back to the Crux of this waffle. My husband and I have discussed the possibility of Daniel also being Home Schooled, because he has expressed that he would like that also,and although I would do it in an instant, my husbands' voice of reason came up with an option that I think is worth giving consideration to.
We have told Daniel that we think it is best if he completes his first year at secondary and then gives some serious thought about what he wants to do thereafter. In more ways than one, this would work out better, since it coincides with when Laurence would be starting too. If we decided at that time that it would be feasible to HE all of them, then the proverbial two birds with one stone would come into effect.

I believe in my own ability to HE my children. I enjoy it immensely, and thrive on seeing how effective it is.

Here is a brief statement from Ethan, who wanted to contribute to this:

"The good points are, that I can get taught about certain subjects, then my mum will let me learn about that subject until I want to try something else. I don't have to do as much writing and sit at a desk all day listening to a teacher going on about stuff which I forget half way through. My mum gives me the most important facts about what I have to do in my lesson, so that I can remember it all and get on with working. 

I don't make as many friends at home as I could at school, even though I didn't make that many anyway. But, my mum can arrange trips and we get to meet other HE families. The hours I work for are not as long as in school. I get to be around other people that understand when I get bored or tired and loose track of what I am doing so I can take a break, and I get to have whatever I want for lunch. I don't have to wear a uniform for 5 days in a row. There is no chance of me getting picked on at home. I get to be around my brothers Joseph and Laurence more. 

I feel more happy when I am HE, because I can actually ask about things which confuse me, and not have the rest of the class laugh at me, like what happened in my last lesson of English at school. 

If I need to research anything which I don't know about, I have a computer close by. 
I feel that I am more calm at home than I am at school...it is less of a rush. 
I think my mum would be a bit all over the place to start with if everyone was home schooled, then after a while she would get the hang of it.
I believe that if we were all home taught we would become a much smarter family, I also think that probably everyone would be better off being home taught rather than going to school. "


I like it that Ethan feels he can be honest and open about his feelings. We have always pushed for that in this family, as we feel pent up emotions and opinions are not a good thing.

To conclude then (this turned into a far more in depth blab than I intended it to be).
Daniel has his issues with Ethan being home Schooled at present, but personally I am hoping that that is a short term thing, because I would like to HE all the children eventually. I of course, welcome comments and suggestions if anyone would like to leave any. (I love to discuss...can you tell? :P)


Loz x

Monday Blues....

Oh dear...the week has not started out very well. Last night at about 4am I was woken by my 3 yr old, screaming at shadows in his room. He had a raging temperature, and was on the brink of delirium. However, a tepid sponge down and some calpol later, I managed to get it under control. He doesn't seem to have any other symptoms, other than mentioning he has a sore tummy. I am hoping a day on the sofa, reading some nice books and him catching up on some sleep will sort things out. I hate to see any of my kids upset, in pain or unwell.

Ethan has been busy putting the finishing touches to his 'report' on the game Halo. He was fascinated at the general Halo Brand, and decided for himself to look into it. He has been making comparisons with it and other games of the same genre, including merchandising, TV and film involvement, and has even attempted to record some statistics about the game into his workings.
This was completely Ethans' idea, and something he was very enthusiastic about, and I know there will be some people rolling their eyes and clucking their tongues thinking he is spending all day playing video games. The fact of the matter is, he wants to work in the gaming industry, and is finding new and interesting aspects about gaming to work on. He is managing to include business studies into his work, maths, geography and many other subjects.  And who says that he cant make a case study on a game that he enjoys? I would rather he was doing something constructive alongside a leisure pursuit and actually learning from it, than not.
Anyway, and speaking of the devil, he has now appeared, rake in hand, ready to dispose of the multitude of leaves in the garden before making himself some lunch. And I have a very unhappy little fella to attend to. So ta-ta for now.

Loz x

Demystifying simplicity......

There are things that kids these days have absolutely no idea about. Like how to work a washing machine (they dont have remote controls), and how to post something at the Post Office. 

You see, with so much electronic assistance these days, kids believe things just happen on their own, and something as archaic as a Post Office is just mindboggling to them.

So, today, both my kids had to package something, take it down to the post office, select the appropriate postage and then pay and keep receipts. Sounds ridiculous? To some, yes it might do. But they had no idea how that worked, but now that they do, I am having to find more things for them to post!!!
I think it is important to keep hold of the more old fashioned methods of postage/communication etc  because you never know, it might one day be all we have to rely on.

Doing it the Italian way...

Cooking has always been a massive part of my life. Coming from an Italian family, there were always big gatherings with lots of wonderful food. And the fond memories I have of my Nonna and my mother in the kitchen, laughing and joking whilst cooking up a meal (and usually prancing about and indulging in general tomfoolery) will always stay with me.

Both Ethan and Daniel love cooking and experimenting with different recipes, from the complicated to the down right easy.

Here is Ethan deciding he wants some pasta for lunch. Which is certainly a breath of fresh air when most kids will be more than happy to grab something pre-packed, or fill themselves up with fatty snacks.

He is quite a stickler for detail, and so enjoys making written reports of what he does when he cooks. Each recipe has to be down to the letter, and the method is as precise as any I have ever read.

At least he wont starve to death when he finally makes his way out into the big wide world!



Beautiful Cotswolds...

Ethan has completely surprised me with his budding interest in photography. He has always been keen on images, drawing, painting and graphics etc, but had never really given cameras a fair crack of the whip. Here are some of the early attempts he made, whilst trying to capture the essense of the village we live in.




The River Windrush

                                                                                                                                                                                              This is my favourite, it's the village church. It has such a rich history and a really imposing presence, which I think Ethan has managed to capture with this striking upward perspective of the tower.                                                

I like the way he has got the sunlight coming thorugh from behind the sign on this one. It would have been a pretty boring photo without that added interest to it I think.

Hopefully on 3rd December, when the village has it's victorian night, and the Christmas lights get switched on, it will provide Ethan with plenty of excellent photograph opportunities. I just wish I had a better camera for him to work with.

Arghhhh...Christmas...!

Trying to get any ideas out of a 3 year old for what they would like for Christmas is usually such an easy thing. You open the Argos catalogue, flick through the pages and take note of the many things they point at and say 'I like dat one..I like dat one...'
Unfortunately, Laurence seems to be the exception to that rule. We sit nicely and go through each page, and he talks intently about everything, but each time I ask him, 'do you want that one?' he pauses...then says no, and turns to the next page.

I can quite confidently say, that after twenty minutes of scouring the Argos book..I am still none the wiser as to what to get him.

Still, and before I get my knickers into too much of a twist about it, at least we have had absolute success with weaning him off of the dummy >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
(affectionately known as row-rowf). The dummy fairy came, effectively stole his comforter of 3 years, and left him something instantly forgettable in its place. However, we have now had 4 dummy free days, and surprisingly little upset about it. So I'm proud of him for yet another reason. :)


Loz x

The joys of decorating....

Well, we moved into our new house nearly 6 months ago now, and slowly but surely we have been applying our stamp to the place, but it never fails to amaze me, the surprises you unearth when decorating a new home.

Yes, what you see here is indeed a few nice paintings of Tinkerbell, and Ariel the Mermaid...and yes, these we found under some lining paper in what is now the master bedroom!

Don't get me wrong, I am sure that who ever decided to make this delightful mural had the very best intentions of making the room some kind of girlie Disney wonderland..but seriously...it's hideous.

This is where I get on a soap box to some extent. Some would tell me to look at it and think, ah, at least they tried to make it look nice blah blah blah. Well, no. What they actually achieved is a half finished mess on the wall that is painted with industrial strength poster paint, which is impossible to cover (hence the lining paper on that wall only). The background painting is ridiculous, we have a tri-stripe effort of light blue on the bottom, dark blue in the middle, and purple on the top. I mean...really? they don't even blend in together, and the quality of the painting itself, when you get up close is horrendous.

Ariel looks like she has suffered a stroke, Tinkerbells' arms look like those of a heroine user, and the sad effort of a pirate ship silhouetted against the moon is just laughable.

I know, I know, in a world already full of hatred, cholera spreading UN workers and grossly overpaid England footballers, you would think that I should be giving a little credit to the person that tried to cheer up an otherwise perfectly normal and decoratable room. Well, all I have to say about that is this..you try to sleep with psychotic looking fairies and mermaids staring at you all night, then let me know.

Loz x

It has to be said...cooking with kids is great fun. Today we made a white chocolate chip marble cake.

Laurence needs a bit of encouragement, because he doesn't really like getting too messy...although, he'll quite happily splash about in puddles and crawl around in mud. But when it comes to finger painting or cooking etc, he gets quite particular. And heavens help us if his apron feels too big!!! lol

Louise x

Have just sent Ethan off with his days task. Percentages and statistics...nice! 
But..give him credit, it's not particularly warm outside, or dry, and yet he's gone and done it without complaint or typical teenage grunting. lmao.


Louise x

The Home Education debate...

Ethan and Joseph

I am a firm believer in children receiving a good academic education. I believe it is a right and a necessary requirement in order to achieve anything in society. Take my brother for instance, he is 12 years my junior and already studying for a Masters Degree in order to attain his goal of becoming a journalist. He has worked tirelessly in recent years to do the best he can, and gain the grades he needs in order to stand out from the crowd - and lets face it, in the world of journalism, it's a busy and competitive crowd. 
However, I do think he is one of the lucky ones. He has a clear idea of what he wants for his future, and works efficiently and effectively towards it.  
My eldest son, Ethan, wants to be a computer games designer (or a film producer), and my next eldest wants to be in the police force. (The Gods alone know what surprises the other two will turn up in years to come).
So when I was approached by Ethan asking; 'why do I have to study certain subjects that have absolutely no relevance to what I want to be when I'm older?' I was stumped for an answer that he wouldn't immediately see straight through.
You see, although Ethan has Aspergers, he certainly does not have 'special needs'. In fact, I loathe that particular label. There is nothing special about being needy. And few with a disability would be all that happy about people assuming they are in need. On the other hand, 'particular needs' is far more realistic - in my mind anyway.
Mainstream schooling did not suit Ethan. Not because he has a disability, but because he has particular needs that mainstream schools simply could not provide for. Oh, they tried. They provided a special learning centre, away from the rest of the school, in a little hut with a huge plaque on the front for all the school to see reading 'special needs dept', and had after school homework clubs, and a safe place for 'special' kids to use as a retreat - should they need it, where they could eat their lunch away from the rest of the school - if they wish - and where they can get extra help with their classwork - if they wish, and where an on site support team (which you needed to make an appointment with to be seen) could be on hand should they need to discuss anything - if they wish.  
Needless to say, Ethan never felt comfortable taking advantage of these extra facilities, in his own words 'it's where all the divs go'.
So, that aside, here is the main reason for why school did not suit Ethan. It did not inspire him. 
Sitting for hour after hour, being spoken AT by the teacher, reading through countless exercise books, and watching endless power point presentations, just did not rock his boat. 
You see, Ethan understands alot more than he is at first willing to let on. But he enjoys discussing it..not reading about it, or watching about it. He likes to ask questions, join in a debate, brain storm, actively and physically demonstrate his thoughts on a subject. Things which schools just don't have the time to devote to. He would tell me of how, when sitting in class and after listening to the teacher explaining something in the least inspiring way, he would hold his hand up to ask a question. It would be ignored. He would continue to hold his hand up....eventually the teacher would spot him, he would put forth his question, but because the teacher had been in such a hurry to get onto the next point, his question would only be relevant to something she had been talking about five minutes ago. And because his mind had been concentrating on that question, he had subsequently missed all the other waffle she had been going on about since. Moments of ridicule and impatience were aplenty. So, Ethan switched off. In his mind, if people were too busy to teach him, then he was too busy to learn. 
That's not to say that he suffered at school, or got damning reports or that we watched his grades slowly slip into the pit of educational abandon, never to be seen again, he did quite well, and muddled on. But he was loosing enthusiasm - and that's never a good thing.
So, between the three of us (hubby, Ethan and myself) we opted for Home Education. We made all the necessary arrangements, wrote what seemed like a hundred letters to a hundred different places, and made the leap into the unknown.
Some will inevitably be thinking 'if he was getting on OK, why change?' well, they say the proof is in the pudding, and since taking him out of school, he has become more receptive towards subjects that would otherwise have bored him. Everything is tailor made to a way he finds interesting - in fact, he pretty much chooses what he wants to do. That's not to say he chooses everyday to sit in front of the TV - not in this house! Quite the opposite, he gets excited about what things I have planned, the places we are going to visit, the projects he is going to do. He even takes pride in how he presents his work now, striving to make his handwriting better, his grammar more correct, and actually employing the correct techniques to make his work flow better. 

We chose not to go with a formal attitude. He doesn't sit down for long periods writing, or listening. He doesn't read through text books or make reams of notes. Instead we discuss things. we create experiments or projects to reflect what we have discussed, and he has shown a surprising interest in history along the way - something he hated at school.                                                                                                        
I do have a mountain of 'proper' text books, CGP and Letts workbooks, practise papers and revision guides, but they are mostly for my use to make sure some of the more important subjects are being covered at the right pace, and to provide ideas for study etc. He does want to take his GCSE's, and he does want eventually to go to University, so we know we have quite the hill to climb to get him there. But we will. Adversity has no place in this family, and if it tries to poke its nose in, we soon send it packing.
I understand others thoughts on this decision, and I will always be willing to listen to advice and rethink as needed, but I am also prone to making my mind up and sticking with it - and on this occasion, I believe it is the best decision for Ethan, and thankfully, he agrees.


Daniel making chilli con carne



I have even introduced Ethan and Daniel to the delights of cooking, as I believe it is just as important to teach kids how to live in the real world, and not just how to study it. So many kids leave home only able to cook something which requires nothing more than a few microwave buttons being pressed, I want to make sure that my kids can cook healthy, homemade fare, which costs just pence, but tastes amazing.

As for the social side of it - something which many have concerns about - Ethan has made more friends in the last five months, than in his previous 10 years! kids are always knocking on our door asking for him, and he spends every evening socialising with them. He plans to join the Army Cadets in the village along with a friend, which I am thrilled about. Not that I would seriously want any of my children going into the Army - not these days - but to have the opportunity to do things which would otherwise be closed to him, is important. To learn how to work as a team, to have fun, and to develop a sense of personal achievement far outweighs any frivolous academic pat on the back.

So, in a nutshell, that is the reason why for us, Home Educating is the way forward.
I have a lot to think about these days as far as my kids education is concerned. Laurence (3 years old) is due to start school next September - which I think is way too young - and I am not sure if he will be ready for it. But time will have to tell on that one.

Anyway, at the risk of this becoming a depressive dialogue, I think that's enough on this matter for now. The smaller details are unimportant to the issue so I'll not bore you into a comatose state by going on about them.
Suffice it to say, that it is a huge issue, and deserves far more public interest than it currently has, and far more government backing than it currently has. But for now, I am happy just making sure Ethan gets the education he wants, and that he continues to enjoy it. 

Later, we are cooking marble cake with Laurence...should be great fun!



   

To Teach..or not to teach ???

                                                                                        

For some reason it seems important to teach children about some bloke called Shakespeare (?)
I have a copy of Macbeth. Seems like an appropriate place to start - full of violence, death and insanity, so why not? I'm sure, if given the chance, any self respecting 12 year old will love it.
Lets see....



Loz x

So here we are!!

16.11.10                                                                          

So this is the first of my blogs..and to be honest, I haven't really got a clue what I am doing with templates, gadgets and goodness knows what else they keep trying to get me to click on, so forgive the simplicity of this page..I'm just not the tech type.

Anyway, the whole point of this blog, is for me really - anyone who wants to watch it, comment on it or just poke fun at and laugh at it, is more than welcome. It's a free country - just - and I am certainly the last person to complain about the invasion of my privacy, since these days...there is none.

I have 4 kids..all boys. The youngest is 13 weeks today, the oldest is 12. The two inbetween are 3 and 11. Yes, I have my hands full, yes I am a glutton for punishment, and yes I do grasp every opportunity to make life more difficult than it has to be just for the fun of it.
Some people keep themselves amused by having a nintendo ds with some brain training game you control with a plastic stick, others throw themselves into their job and pretend their life is satisfying, whilst secretly harbouring thoughts of what it would be like to be a benefits leech. Others have pets they dress up and idolise, and others creep about in dark alleys and dank bedsits plastering their walls with pictures of those they plan to stalk and eventually cut into little pieces to make dainty pieces of jewellery out of. The world, as we know it, is a funny place, full of equally funny people...some are funny haha, others are just funny peculiar.  But its variety like that which fascinates me.
But I digress...as I was saying, this blog is for me and my family. I home educate my oldest at present, and so I am considering doing the same with all of them eventually. But I thought I would put down into words those thoughts that lie and fester in the dusty recesses of my mind, so when I forget things in the real world - which happens on an all too frighteningly regular basis - I can dip into the virtual world and remind myself why I did something a certain way, and what the idea behind it was in the first place.

So, that's it really. Expect loads of strange waffle and random comments teamed with some obscure questions and thoughts.

Tata for now.

Loz x