Going to post to pictures and video clips to give you a flavour of today...
TP did an experiment with starch (ground rice) and iodine.
I videoed whilst she did the experiment and just listening to the backing track of general noise is quite amusing! The high pitched voice is BBC Dance Mat that Stitch was working on ("Type on meee!"), but all else is just us!
Result - black rice! ~ and tomorrow the theory is applied to leaves!
Chip got busy doing some copy-colour work
Chip worked very diligently whilst Stitch did a colour-cut-stick exercise beside him (a bus) ~ working on fine-motor skills and making good progress :)
Finished work. I only helped him (at his request) by doing the red of the sub' and the propeller - all the rest is entirely his colouring. I don't think we are going to have pencil control issues with this one ;-)
And today's 'auto-awesome' is quite nice :D
The rest of today has included some History (talking about the beginnings of the Agricultural Revolution), Igniting Your Writing II (which is not as 'igniting' as IYW I - that they all enjoyed - and may end up getting shelved as it's a bit of a drudge atm) and the usual Maths and other 'normals'. I've felt a bit 'flat' today. I have a lot of days like this just now and they make everything seem so much harder than it is, but we muddle through... At least we didn't have any battles over tea tonight (pulled pork) which is always a relief, but Stitch, who had been complaining of not feeling quite right all day, was sick before he went to bed. Hope he's OK in the morning, but if not he can have a TV day.
And to finish - here's some pics from Monday. We are doing FIAR on Mondays and have spent this half term looking at The Story of Ping. To finish off, this week we made Lego rafts and did a little sink-float experimentation. We tried different shapes of buoyancy aids in varying numbers and arrangements. We moved the man around a little too, to see how that affected the floating of the raft. I can't say it was a very 'fair test' because there were too many variables, but the boys enjoyed themselves and ultimately we all agreed that Stitch's raft was the best floater!
He tried removing one layer of floats (and the Lego rods to which they were attached) and it still floated, as it was now lighter, but it sat lower in the water. It was better when the man was more central of course.
Stitch's raft next. He had a solid row of square floats and the raft floated really well.
I suggested he remove alternate floats to see how much difference it made. The raft still floated and, although not as high in the water, the man still stayed dry!
My raft was a total failure and floated so low in the water that my girl got drenched!!
And to finish - here's some pics from Monday. We are doing FIAR on Mondays and have spent this half term looking at The Story of Ping. To finish off, this week we made Lego rafts and did a little sink-float experimentation. We tried different shapes of buoyancy aids in varying numbers and arrangements. We moved the man around a little too, to see how that affected the floating of the raft. I can't say it was a very 'fair test' because there were too many variables, but the boys enjoyed themselves and ultimately we all agreed that Stitch's raft was the best floater!
DD went first with his double layer of 'floating heads'! It floated well enough.
He tried removing one layer of floats (and the Lego rods to which they were attached) and it still floated, as it was now lighter, but it sat lower in the water. It was better when the man was more central of course.
Stitch's raft next. He had a solid row of square floats and the raft floated really well.
I suggested he remove alternate floats to see how much difference it made. The raft still floated and, although not as high in the water, the man still stayed dry!
My raft was a total failure and floated so low in the water that my girl got drenched!!
Next week is half term here. Paul and the four eldest chids are off to The Gathering on Friday evening and I won't see them again until Sunday. They love it and will have an incredible time - they always do! I, on the other hand, dread it! Home alone for three days, with just the youngest chids & no transport to go anywhere is HARD!! We do have a lift to church on Sunday, so that'll help, but still... I don't envy single mothers AT ALL!!
Before church on Sunday morning DD is leaving to go and stay in Brum with his cousins for the week, then late Sunday afternoon Paul and the big chids all return home (exhausted usually!). On Monday we have some close friends visiting from Oxford for three days, which will be lovely, as we just don't see enough of them :(. They go Wednesday morning and another friend is popping in to see us Wednesday afternoon! Thursday MIGHT be a quiet day, but Paul has the day off, so we might do something outdoorsy if the weather is nice enough and we have the energy to! Friday afternoon Paul's parents arrive for the weekend, also bringing DD home with them. I have a Pastor's wives conference to go to Friday evening and Saturday, and then Mum & Dad are taking us out for a meal Saturday evening (as a belated celebration of Paul's 40th back in June!).
All in all it's going to be a crazy busy half term, and somewhere in all that I need to review the chids 'school' work and re-shuffle things a little, because quite a lot of what they have been doing this term they have completed and/or moved on from. I'm not sure I'm going to get everything done, but I will try ~ otherwise the chids might get a 2 week break, which they might need anyway to recover from all the craziness!!
