bit of this and a lotta that

It's terrible losing my blogger mojo. I have stacks of photos of interesting and fun things that we've been doing and blogging just hasn't made the cut of important things to do. So sad though because I love recording our doings.

So what to share? It's difficult to choose!

We did a great experiment triggered by Backyard Science on ABC schools TV through which we discovered The Science Toymaker online. We'll be chipping away at these 'toys' I think. I have some very excited little boys :D thanks to this find.

The experiment was called a Cartesian Diver and for great video instructions and loads of fantastic info on the science of the toy, just follow the links. My boys spent the whole of Friday arvo playing and experimenting by adding different weights to their divers through the addition or removal of blue tack and paper clips.

Our weekend was the most chilled that we've experienced in a long while. Mr E's Mum and Dad came up from Brisbane to visit and as always when we parted we were left a little sorrowful over the length between visits. We ate, drank, talked, and ate some more. Our boys received belated Christmas presents from their extended family - David Attenborough's Planet Earth, from their super fantastic Aunt, an absolutely awesome present But the other gift... I couldn't believe it when they unwrapped these huge water pistol gun things. Neither could our boys. They were pretty darn ecstatic and by this time I felt it was just too mean to say no. I feel a little like a joy killer sometimes, but water pistols! We have managed to keep them out of our home for nearly ten years so I guess we didn't do so bad. I'm not going to pretend like it wasn't fun though, to see our boys running madly through the rain splashing each other with the super soaker. So I guess it'll be something I'll get over. Just one of the many minor adjustments we make in our parenting as our little men grow, and we're always growing as parents.

Kookaburra pulled me aside before bed and asked my opinion of the water pistols (more like mega guns!). I was pleased with his consideration. He said he knew that this was something that we (well... I) didn't want in our home but after some chatting I reassured him that with a pure intention of fun and a few ground rules ('give each other room fella's!') I can't deny the fact they were having harmless fun with their new toys. It seriously wasn't that long ago when I was hooting and hollering through my own childhood yard, shooting up my baby brothers as a cowgirl and lo and behold, none of us are scarred or malicious from the experience. So the Water guns can stay.

Sunday passed in a lazy haze of endless cups of coffee and a continuous dragging out of games to play. A beautiful way to spend the day. I did more planning and am excited about my purchase from Little Acorn Learning of their March Enrichment Guide. I can't actually say anything about it due to copyright but I'm so pleased to have a laid out way to bring the magic into our home again.

Today we began with some nicely stacked (overwhelming) piles of books on our kitchen table and progressed outside for some yoga and games. Received warmly by Kookaburra but Kangaroo wants me right beside him, being hands on. It's nice to be needed. After this he was off and pleased to give the Yoga a go.

Hmmm.... What else?

Well, we've had cloud watching and painting, hat decorating for the musical and so many other things which is keeping us all pretty busy and happy.

This week we're hoping to get to two free workshops run by Landcare. One on Reptile identification and the other about identifying our foreshore friends - they're not all seagulls they're saying. We can't wait!

I hope I blog more often because this was a mega overload catch up before I zip to quickly put together some tea for my men and head out to musical rehearsal with my Kookaburra.

Life is busy and we're balancing it okay but as always, I need more sleep. Today I've been snippish and snappish with my boys and they really don't deserve my being frustrated with them over such small things (but honestly, boys farting while I'm eating always irritates me :P).

Till next time, I hope life is peaceful and fulfilling for you all.

.............................................................................

Exciting news!

So whilst downloading my photos for tonight's post our big boy, I'm so proud of him, walked in bubbling over with news. He's just returned from his Karate lessons and announced happily:

'I'm going to have my first grading for Karate on Wednesday night. I'm going to be a Yellow belt!'

I Love my boys :) I love being their Mumma. Bad Smells, triumphs and all.

'Backyard Insects'

We very nearly bumped into our Nature Study today.

Mid-morning we came through our front gate after piano lesson and groceries (oh, the joy of doing the yukkeries) when haphazardly fluttering past were these two very large butterflies. They danced gracefully, a little uncoordinated though, across our little suburban garden negotiating their way to the 'right' leaf to mate.

Since I re-started my blog last September I've tried hard, but haven't always succeeded, to keep my camera with me. Somewhere handy so I can grab and click. This was one occasion where I was so thankful to have the opportunity to slip the camera out of my handbag and fire away.

My boys were pleased to observe our little visitors and as they fluttered past hither and thither we followed them around noting their colours, how they flew, what they were doing and where they may flutter off to next. Too soon the butterflies parted ways to which Kookaburra announced that they must have mated.

Really?! I replied in a little disbelief.

Between you, me and the front gate - it was much too brief :D

So we took our photos inside. Downloaded them and dug out our 'Backyard Insects' book.

Turns out these little beauties are in fact a wee bit of a pest for our citrus growing friends out there. Its name is the Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly or Citrus Butterfly. One can deduce from the name the little fellas favourite snack.

In the Charlotte Mason world of homeschooling, I should have encouraged my boys to draw the butterflies but seeing as drawing madly has been their main occupation this week, I let them print, cut, paste and narrate to their hearts content into their Science Notebooks.

I don't mind Kookaburra dictating. Through giving him the chance to 'tell' me all he knows about the butterfly, we're developing his knowledge and I'm happy for him to develop his writing skills in his Language Arts program (for the moment).

Kangaroo's contribution was a little smaller but he's pleased with getting to know the inhabitants of our backyard a little better.

For fun we googled a few videos of the Orchard Butterfly too.

Firstly,

the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly hatching

Defense Behaviour of the Giant Swallow Tail Butterfly




Giant Swallowtail Butterfly becoming a chrysalis

My boys especially loved the little alien hatching and the chrysalis boogie dancer. It really appealed to their super silly side and had them cracking up with laughter.

Getting Around the Bumps

This year we're trying to drive out the cost of homeschooling. Yes, homeschooling again but this IS my life. My children are the center of everything I do and we homeschool so my blog reflects this fact :D! I'm sure I'll develop some other interest.... soon? Maybe!

I find the idea of being able to educate for virtually free a hugely exciting concept especially because banks in Oz have decided to clamp down hard on owner builders and are NO longer lending money to them. That means for us that we will have to pay a builder to get our home to lock-up at Iri'ni which means $$$$ for labour that we didn't think would be necessary when we purchased our beautiful five acres. Mr E visited five different banks yesterday and it's the same story, no builder, no loan. This whole house building exercise is one frustration after another, and we haven't even begun to build yet! There should be a bank out there that meets our requirements, hopefully we'll find them next week :D.

So free educating is becoming necessary and fortunately it seems that increasingly more quality free materials are becoming available online every other day. For information about free educational materials the best place to visit is Freely Educate, a blog devoted entirely to it's name sake and if you're on facebook, 'like' Homeschool for Free for updates or visit their website Free Homeschool Resources.

It's through Freely Educate that I came across Lesson Pathways which is a K-5 online school , with lesson plans and resources all ready to go. Originally there was a cost but since the advent of Facebook and twitter and the like, it has since become temporarily free, and potentially permanently. You can read on their site as to how these social mediums have effected the cost.

I had contemplated using Lesson Pathways as a complete curriculum which would satisfy the box ticker in me but have since rubbished that idea as stressful and a waste of all the awesome materials we have already accumulated, oops I mean acquired ;) over the past four or so years . So the outcome is we will continue with what we have and supplement with Lesson Pathways as a unit study help.

For the moment The Natives and I have decided that alternating a weekly theme between them both will be best as they're always interested in what the other is doing - and it's easier for me. To divide myself would see me frazzled and doing an okay job but by concentrating our energies I know we'll ride the wave of enthusiasm and the learning will just be so much more enjoyable and natural. Kookaburra has chosen first for next week and it will be aircrafts and flight. Looking over my shoulder yesterday they saw the first experiment and ran off to give it a go....





Hoorah for excitement sparked by experiments!

On a sadder note, my boys have been told that another of our homeschooling families will be sending their children to school next week. I wholeheartedly understand the choice. But to fill the social void is becoming more necessary than ever before. This year both The Natives join Scouts, are attending art classes, volunteering at the Sanctuary, attending martial arts, and swimming lessons. I'll be seeking to grow friendships a little more pro-actively, we've been socially very quiet since we moved to Little House last April, which has been lovely but can't go on forever, so it's time to come out of my near hermit like status. On the homeschool friends front, our local group will be meeting monthly for games, chat and support with the hopes of growing it into a co-op where everybody shares a turn at mentoring the children with an especial area of interest or perhaps even a facet from their profession. For example a nurse may share with the children lessons about their bodies, health and hygiene, leveling the information for the varying age groups. Sounds like a very beneficial idea and I know it works splendidly in the States but we are so small here which works against us I think.

Well, here's hoping :D

A little sad for us but I'm planning to cater for the changes. So a few challenges this year but I know that through staying positive, relaxing and praying, everything will work itself out as it is meant too.

Rockets with The Fantastic Mr E

You'll need:

:) bicarb soda

:) white vinegar

:) sticky tape

:) a tube like the berocca tubes we used with a snap on lid is great or try an empty milk bottle


Instructions:

:) Place about a teaspoon of bicarb soda into the clean, dry lid of the container you're using.

:) Loosely place sticky tape over the contents and secure at the back of the lid, this is so the contents can slowly mix with the vinegar giving you time to place the tube upside down securely and get some distance between the rocket and yourself.

:) Half fill the tube with white vinegar.

:) Secure the lid to the tube and place on the ground upside down allowing the vinegar to slowly react with the bicarb soda.

:) Take another sweet shot of Dada showing Kangaroo.

:) And... well... remember to move fast to get some room between you and the rocket and be prepared to experiment with the mixture ratio and definitely wear glasses for eye protection because these rockets really got some height.

:) Try various other containers and mess with the bicarb soda and vinegar ratio until you get


an awesome explosion like this!!!!!

:) Make sure all pets are well back and feeling pretty cool about the proceedings!

The Fantastic Mr E introduced these simple rockets to our boys over his holidays and the kids had a great time hanging with their Dadda and talkin' up the boy stuff. We didn't get heavy into the science side of things because our boys understand that a reaction is occurring when the two substances come together and most importantly, we are showing them that science can be very fun!

Creepy Catches

Cyrtophora moluccensis

or sometimes commonly referred to as the tent spider, (not that we knew that :P so maybe it's not at all that commonly known) is a frequently found creepy catch hanging out in our garden. The common name refers to it's tent like web which is large and 'three dimensional'.

Kookaburra is still catching insects and spiders but at least now he is more likely to catch, draw and release than catch and keep it until it dies a slow painful death.

Visits to national parks stating quite clearly

'Take nothing but photos
and
leave nothing but foot prints'

has left enough of an impression to change his Arthropodological habits.

Thanks to Find A Spider Guide for the great and helpful information and for the crystal clear photo of this beautifully marked , female tent spider.

Who's been hanging out in your garden recently?

Just say YES :D

I can get pretty uptight! What's so wrong with eating his tea with chopsticks? Kangaroo is already a very messy eater so to throw chopsticks into the mix.... oh dear me!

Yesterday I read an article over at Science@home which has inspired me. The title Young Scientists - Doing Science with Babies, Toddlers and Kids written by science teacher Deb Hodgkin, pretty much sums up the content. It was a timely reminder and sweet relief to read. I needed a gentle prod to not be so rigid with lessons (um... and life too I guess :S) and to let go, to be okay with disastrous results and mess, after all I do have two very competent helpers. But most of all I need to remember that my boys have not been here before and they need to make mistakes and get things right for themselves. They aren't always learning when I just provide the answers.

Odonata: dragonflies and damselflies

According to the Australian Museum, this is a Dragonfly. A quick identifier is the fact the Dragonfly holds its wings out at rest whereas a Damselfly will hold theirs alongside their body at rest. Both belong to the order of Odonata.

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Faith Hope & a whole lotta Love :D!