More snow fun...

Over the past couple of days we've had a really unusual cold spell, bringing with it buckets and buckets of snow. The kids of course have been having a whale of a time. Daddy had a snow day as the car couldn't drive up our snowy street. Family time at a moments notice!
When we were schooling the morning would have been fretful. Listening to local radio and checking weather reports, so we could see if our school was open. There has even been a time I've battled through the snow to get to school only to be turned away. Now the only stress we have is getting enough layers on in the shortest possible time!
The kids have made a huge igloo with daddy today, well the first six inches maybe. He finished the rest whilst hot chocolate was served and gloves were drying on radiators. It looks pretty fine now though.
Engineering lesson I reckon!

 

The Wolseley centre

Outdoors is so much fun!
Our local home education group meets monthly at another local (ish to us) beauty spot. We went for the first time a few weeks ago. It was really cold, but with our wet weather gear on we enjoyed the winter sunshine.
There's so much to do at Wolseley. As soon asthe children got out of the car they ran in all directions to discover what there was to do.
There's a fab play area with a simple basket swing which they played on with all their new found friends.
There's so much  to discover there. Hidden away were various styles of gardens, a lake as well as an informative visitor centre. Interactive displays teach about the animals living in and around Wolseley as well as their diverse habitats.
There are compost heaps set up in one area of the garden with a bug station to investigate.

Exploring the stream.

Having a packed lunch in the back of the car in the wintery sunshine.

James Dyson Foundation...

I didn't get round to telling you all about our Dyson engineering box that we got back in January. I just came across some photos on my tablet and thought it'd be great to share some information about it with you.
Dyson are very well known in the UK for being very popular manufacturers of household vacuums. I found out via their website that they offer a free service to home schoolers as well as schools. If you visit www.jamesdysonfoundation.com/education you can book yourself an engineering pack. There is quite a lengthy waiting list but I personally think it was worth waiting for.
The foundation sent a huge box to our home address by courier, on loan for two weeks, at no cost whatsoever. It contained a full size vacuum cleaner, 7 turbine floor head tools (like the ones pictured), screwdrivers and a teachers pack. It had  everything we needed to get the kids hands on with technology and engineering.
They really enjoyed getting busy with the screwdrivers and seeing how everything fitted together.
It came with a teachers pack too which was brilliant. Full instructions on how we should disassemble and reassemble all the bits provided in the box. There was also a few decent sized posters to keep too. All in all a great internet find.

Getting to grips with the vacuum floor heads.

Screwdrivers at the ready!

Our home ed friends...

We meet regularly wth a small group of friends. There are a few toddlers and three older kids. They mix together really well, there are very few fallings out and its great to see the interactions of the mixed age groups.
The small group meets once a fortnight and we take it in turns to host at our houses. It keeps the costs down as we don't have to pay for the hire of a hall and it means that we can get involved with all kinds of activities. So far we've done science experiments, bread making and jewellery making. The wax day that we had (mentioned in another blog post) was a huge success for parents and children alike. Not something we could imagine a class full of children getting the opportunity to take part in as its needs careful supervision. Thats the beauty of our small group.

The way we all work together also means that if one of us needs childcare we can get 'tribal' and help each other out. It really is something special when we get together in unexpected circumstances to help each other. It also shows the children what being a true friend really means. A lesson rarely taught in mainstream education.
One of our mums was taken really ill not so long ago. It meant that another mum needed to go into hospital with her, leaving their four children needing supervising. We stepped in and before I knew it we had a house full of nine children. It was a spontaneous home ed meet-up. The kids loved it! Instead of anything structured, they got to play on minecraft, mess about in bedrooms and watch TV. No arguements. I'm pretty sure it was because the kids knew how serious the situation was but I also like to think we have a great set of kids who get on whatever the situation finds them in. It's another example of how kids who socialise outside of school can mix with people of all ages very happily. None of the small children gets left out and the bigger ones watch over the small ones. There's nothing nicer than seeing a bigger one reassuring a smaller child who's upset, without having to be prompted to 'Give her a cuddle.'
Brilliant.

Here's most of the gang watching 'The Simpsons' after tea one night.
A couple of us parents were looking after the children whilst the mums took another parent to hospital.

Whilst everyones at school...

This has to be the best thing about home education. The freedom it gives us to enjoy anywhere at anytime, without the crowds.
Even just taking a walk at a local National Trust area is different. All the people are gone. Yes, there's the odd dog walker that we come across, but even they have time to stop and chat. No one seems to rush half as much as at the weekend.
We know from experience that weekends tend to be crammed full of trips out, extra classes of swimming and visiting family. Now we don't have to rush around, we have loads more time to do all the things we like. Finding a car parking space is easy. Getting a seat in a cafe is easy. Hardly any queues for anything, and oh how us Brits like to queue!
Today we managed a trip to a local beauty spot that is literally 10 minutes drive away in our camper van. We parked up on an empty car park, popped our roof and got out some sandwiches and poured soup into a saucepan to warm on our stove. After having a lovely lunch we went on an adventure.
I spent many an hour playing on the stepping stones at the Downs Banks as a child. Climbing trees was a special treat so when our big girl gets up in the branches I'm almost taken back twenty years.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/downs-banks/
Lovely views, a great picnic area and lots of new memories.

Gladstone museum

Rather than travelling for ages, we've been checking out our local tourist attractions. Those that are on your doorstep are often dismissed or forgotten. Here in Stoke we are surrounded by old pot banks and the local history here is amazing. The part the Potteries industry play in lives gone by are really interesting and I will never tire of the information out there. Any excuse to involve my kids I will take gladly!
These museums are far from boring. They often have fascinating interactive exhibitions going on and just because they're local to us doesn't make them any less desirable as a toursit attraction. Going midweek when they're quiet is great too. We practically had the whole place to ourselves for the whole afternoon.

Our big girl got so much from this field trip. I was getting worried that she wasn't getting 'interested' in anything of late. Even whilst we were at the museum I was sure that none of it was going in. She was intent on rushing her way through all the markers on the map and not reading any of the interesting signs that were hung everywhere. I feel foolish now as I even questioned her enthusiam whilst we were slurping tea in the nice cafe (mummy fail!)
Once we got home and began talking about our day she showed me just how much had sunk in. She talked with gusto about the various jobs that were had around the factory in the early 1900's and the way that children were put to work there. She told her dad all about the sagger makers and the saggar makers bottom knockers who worked really hard at very long labourious shifts. I was pleased to see her getting excited about it all around our chalkboard table that evening whilst we ate dinner.

Note to self:
I should have more confidence in our home schooling journey. It really is working.

Inside the bottle kiln with a worker loading saggars ready for firing.

There was an unusual exhibition happening while we were there too. Like an added bonus!

The 'Flushed with pride' show was all about toilets. Yes, toilets! Nothing too strange there?!

Toilets have been manufactured locally for decades. The potteries industry makes porcelain bowls of all sorts and up until quite recently has been an export of ours.

This interactive exhibition was really exciting. We were greeted with a foul stench as we made our way through history. Talking about the uncleanliness in our streets at the beginning, how sanitation changed when sewage pipes were put into major cities and towns, right through to the most modern toilets and even how astronauts pee in space!!

Well worth a visit to hear the kids giggling as they sit on all kinds of toilets through the ages.

Penny taking a 'seat'!

Google hangout...

Have you ever had burning questions about where to start with home education?
Afraid to take the leap?
Partner not on board?
Worried about your kids socialising?
My good friend at www.katiespencerwhite.com organised a google hangout tonight. It was streamed live to YouTube and I was honoured to be amongst parents just like you and me. It's the first time I've done anything like this and it was great fun. There will be lots more hangouts scheduled in the future so be sure to keep checking back, as I'll be adding them as soon as I know they're happening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzhe3WiY99A