It’s the end of the year….. Me “so Helena what have you learned this year?” Helena “nothing” “Oh”… so I go find evidence, our journal, our folder, things she’s written and she (with the odd prod) comes up with: Writing ★ I’ve learnt some words off by heart ★ I am thinking about blends ★…
Category: thoughts
letting go of product…
Paper making – heres how it would go in a product atmosphere. Make the pulp, showing kids how to rip the paper into small pieces, having first removed anything unsuitable – sellotape, stables etc. Use boiling water to speed up process, probably even a blender to make pieces small.. Make the paper (the real activity?)…
Pigs in Nature
By Helena (so nearly 7) A pig lay under some plants on some dry dirt. All of it’s life it had longed to have a friend, it was very lonely. When one day two more pigs came. At first they were shy then they started to play together. They enjoyed playing on trampolines, they played…
the “holiday reading slump”
I was reading in the paper about how over the holidays children slip back a reading level and what we (parents I guess or do they mean teachers) could do about it. I guess this implies that kids don’t read in the holidays. Just so we have this totally clear these are the summer holidays,…
in the pursuit of science 2…
Equipment: Books Internet Method: We are doing the KCC challenges and one is find a new bug. So we’ve been keeping our eyes open for interesting bugs and we found this one.. Next step: what is it? We look up in Explanatorium of Nature (awesome book) which we have out of the library and identity its parts….
in the pursuit of science 1…
Equipment Car Chalk Blocks Ramp Method Make a ramp one block high and roll a car down it, seeing how far it goes and mark the position with a chalk. Repeat but this time make the ramp two blocks high. Theory: “my theory is that maybe with one less block the car wouldn’t go so…
the great loquat war
This is hours of work….. First there was the walk with a stool, as you do, up the road to raid the low hanging branches of a loquat tree (as identified by a child) that hangs over the footpath. This required conversations about baskets, relitive size of baskets – big scale negotiations, which soft toys…
measurement
Why do studies on measurement? Just give them the Guinness Book of Records, which really is no more than a teaching tool … We harvested a cauliflower, that actually looked like a shop one, from the garden. Child rushes off to find the picture that she knew was there of the biggest one 27.48kgs.. weighs…
learning from one’s peers
Helena had to, and wanted to, write a birthday card for her cousin. She had plans about the layout and getting to draw hearts but her friend was here…. fortunately for everybody her enthusiasm and joy about the task was enough to entice her friend (who is not a big drawer or writer) to the…
Favorite video…better than David Attenborough
This is Helena’s favourite DVD. She is having another age rather than get more chapters of famous 5. I never watched it, you get given it by plunket? when you have a baby, but once Helena found it… I’ve possibly watched it more than our David Attenborough. Helena gets excited every time she sees it…
homeschoolery 