Back to normal service this week, thankfully. Just the usual round of sunshine, picnics, random conversations, playing, documentaries, and a tiny bit of regular sit at the table learning thrown in!
On Sunday we went to WWT Arundel where there was a good showing of babies, with ducklings and goslings a-plenty. The Bewick's swan pair were on their usual island nest, with one of them sitting so hopefully there will be cygnets too on our next visit. We also saw a couple of herons, some strikingly coloured coot babies, quite a contrast to their monochrome parents, and admired all the new plants shooting up.
Tatiana was delighted with her first daisy chain bracelet:
With the bird flu restrictions lifted, the feeding points were reinstated and found some willing feeders and very happy customers:
On Monday we headed to Homebase, pleasantly not too busy considering it was Bank Holiday Monday (we had forgotten!). We're working with them to sort out our neglected balcony and create an edible garden, and the girls happily chose what to grow then selected their plants and seeds and got them in the compost at home. Sophia is the keenest gardener, and very proud to have the tell-tale dirt permanently under her nails! All she needs now is her very own Nigel to 'help'.
Tuesday was the warmest and sunniest day of the week so we headed over to Southsea to the splash park for most of the day. There were only a couple of other families there, but the girls quickly made friends and had a great time splashing, swimming and playing. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera!
On Wednesday Steve was back to work, so we had a bit of a vegging out morning. The girls made their own yogurt and fruit breakfasts, we watched a documentary about Ancient Egypt, and painted butterflies.
In the afternoon we took the car over to Chichester for a repair and had a leisurely walk back to the train station. Lara bought the train tickets herself, and worked out the change, then paid for a treat each in the platform café. She coped remarkably well with the train, and the bus when we went back to get the car a couple of days later. Not a single meltdown; progress indeed. She was fascinated by this beautiful blossom on the way back home from the station.
Thursday was talking all about voting, elections, government etc etc, and then putting it into practice at the polling station. The appalling turn out rates on Thursday must be a result of people feeling disconnected from the system, and surely that starts at the youngest age. Do people actually know how and why they 'won' the vote, what government is for, how it works? I wonder. Hopefully by starting at this age we are raising engaged, invested constituents of the future. The amount of House of Commons letters that come through our letterbox probably helps too! Our children may only be 3, 5 and 7, but they are capable of understanding and having an opinion on most issues, so we do discuss things with them a lot, and value their input and thoughts.
In the evening Lara and Sophia spent ages poring over books about the human body, and then created this diagram of the inside of a human hand, showing how the blood moves, the bones etc:
The girls area really into the Timeshift documentaries on BBC iPlayer at the moment, so we watched the fire service and Ladybird books ones on Friday, before going to collect the car and heading to the park. This morning it was the sailors one, fascinating, and the second part of Dan Cruikshank's exploration of our homes, this time focussing on terraced housing, particularly in Liverpool. We were all astounded to learn that the average life expectancy there in the 19th century was just 19 years. The girls really loved Ladybird books one as we collect them, so that was on again today - I feel an eBay hunting list being made!
This afternoon we went to Bosham for a walk and play, and discovered more seaweed types, fed the ducks, and admired the flowers. A nice relaxing end to the week.
On Sunday we went to WWT Arundel where there was a good showing of babies, with ducklings and goslings a-plenty. The Bewick's swan pair were on their usual island nest, with one of them sitting so hopefully there will be cygnets too on our next visit. We also saw a couple of herons, some strikingly coloured coot babies, quite a contrast to their monochrome parents, and admired all the new plants shooting up.
Tatiana was delighted with her first daisy chain bracelet:
With the bird flu restrictions lifted, the feeding points were reinstated and found some willing feeders and very happy customers:
On Monday we headed to Homebase, pleasantly not too busy considering it was Bank Holiday Monday (we had forgotten!). We're working with them to sort out our neglected balcony and create an edible garden, and the girls happily chose what to grow then selected their plants and seeds and got them in the compost at home. Sophia is the keenest gardener, and very proud to have the tell-tale dirt permanently under her nails! All she needs now is her very own Nigel to 'help'.
Tuesday was the warmest and sunniest day of the week so we headed over to Southsea to the splash park for most of the day. There were only a couple of other families there, but the girls quickly made friends and had a great time splashing, swimming and playing. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera!
On Wednesday Steve was back to work, so we had a bit of a vegging out morning. The girls made their own yogurt and fruit breakfasts, we watched a documentary about Ancient Egypt, and painted butterflies.
In the afternoon we took the car over to Chichester for a repair and had a leisurely walk back to the train station. Lara bought the train tickets herself, and worked out the change, then paid for a treat each in the platform café. She coped remarkably well with the train, and the bus when we went back to get the car a couple of days later. Not a single meltdown; progress indeed. She was fascinated by this beautiful blossom on the way back home from the station.
Thursday was talking all about voting, elections, government etc etc, and then putting it into practice at the polling station. The appalling turn out rates on Thursday must be a result of people feeling disconnected from the system, and surely that starts at the youngest age. Do people actually know how and why they 'won' the vote, what government is for, how it works? I wonder. Hopefully by starting at this age we are raising engaged, invested constituents of the future. The amount of House of Commons letters that come through our letterbox probably helps too! Our children may only be 3, 5 and 7, but they are capable of understanding and having an opinion on most issues, so we do discuss things with them a lot, and value their input and thoughts.
In the evening Lara and Sophia spent ages poring over books about the human body, and then created this diagram of the inside of a human hand, showing how the blood moves, the bones etc:
The girls area really into the Timeshift documentaries on BBC iPlayer at the moment, so we watched the fire service and Ladybird books ones on Friday, before going to collect the car and heading to the park. This morning it was the sailors one, fascinating, and the second part of Dan Cruikshank's exploration of our homes, this time focussing on terraced housing, particularly in Liverpool. We were all astounded to learn that the average life expectancy there in the 19th century was just 19 years. The girls really loved Ladybird books one as we collect them, so that was on again today - I feel an eBay hunting list being made!
This afternoon we went to Bosham for a walk and play, and discovered more seaweed types, fed the ducks, and admired the flowers. A nice relaxing end to the week.