Primary Mathematics Challenge

Amazing news today! We extended our break from Mathletics, and have been looking more at 'problem-solving' and applying maths to real-life situations. We started off using the Schofield and Sims books that Madi was familiar with from her time at school.

She was much more engaged with this than she has been with maths for some time, and encouraged, I tried a couple a couple of past papers from the Primary Mathematics Challenge and although it is aimed at ' aimed at the top 60% of pupils in Years 5 and 6 England and Wales' she did well and we decided to give it a try and signed up to join the Home Educator's group to enter.


Unfortunately the paper had to be taken in a quite difficult week when she already had Clarinet and Piano exams to sit, so I was overjoyed when we received the results and she had been awarded a silver certificate!

Madi, typically, thought she should have done better! Maybe next year...

Blast Off and bag pack

This term's choral event with Music for Everyone featured Blast Off! - a short musical telling the story of a school threatened with closure whose pupils attempt to save it with a trip in to space to bring back Jupiter Rock! This wasn't my favourite selection, but did include a range of puns and wider cultural references that we were able to talk through together, and the accompanying selection of songs from The X Factor included Hannah Montana's The Climb, a favourite of Madi's and 'You Raise Me Up', which I can't believe any Mother could watch her child's choir perform without a tear in her eye!

But before heading off for rehearsals, Madi left Nottinghamshire Performing Arts School early and dashed over to Morrison's at Mansfield to take part in a fundraising bag pack. She really enjoys these, and with her friend Holly, was one of the few Rainbows to take part at previous events. This was a joint Guiding/Scouting event though and had a good turnout, and even better for me was a chance meet up with Amanda, whose previously HE daughter returned to school about the same time as JK, for a coffee, chat and catchup in the cafe.

Poolsbrook Pals and the Goose Fair

It's always lovely to meet new home ed friends, and recently we have joined in with some get togethers at Poolsbrook Country Park, not that far from us, but somewhere we had never heard of before.

Some families we had met before in different ways, and others not, but everyone is very friendly, and the children seem to all mix really well in different combinations, and we've been amazingly lucky with the weather!

This week the weather was not looking good and most people had agreed we wouldn't meet up, but in the event it was glorious, so Madi and I took the tram in to the 717th Goose Fair at Nottingham:

Goose Fair is one of Europe's largest travelling fairs with a history that dates back more than 700 years. Amongst the array of Roller Coasters, Water Rides, Giant Wheels, Bombers, Dodgems, Twists, Waltzers and Miamis familiar to Goose Fair there will be a number of new attractions that have not visited Nottingham before.

This year the Runaway Train became the largest ride ever to attend any travelling fair probably in the World! Previously it was a permanent attraction at the American Adventure theme park before the park closed. Since then, it has been completely rebuilt into a mobile attraction by Nottingham-based James Mellors Amusements, using local engineers and craftsmen.

Some facts about the ride: The £1 million ride has 300m of track length and occupies a 2800 metre square area although the height of the train is no more than 8m to make it a suitable family ride. There are eight carriages each seating four passengers with a two-driver engine at the front. The ride proved to be a huge family attraction at this year's Goose Fair.

Along with the traditional Goose Fair food of mushy peas and mint sauce, candy floss and brandy snaps, visitors could eat their way around the world with chestnuts and doughnuts to food from the Caribbean, Chinese noodles, Indian kebabs, Spanish churros, paella and French crepes.

Madi tried several rides, whilst I stuck to my mushy peas and mint sauce at 7th Nottingham Scouts HQ, which is on the Forest Recreation Ground, and where many of our Gang Show friends are based. Madi did have donuts there too, but then couldn't resist a strawberry and marshmallow kebab from the chocolate fountain!

Bunting

This month's Crafty Kids session had a new venue, and a new tutor, and Madi and Evie found a (re)new(ed) enthusiasm too!

They made some beautiful bunting- you can see from the photo how impressed Jo was!- and Madi's is now proudly hanging in her bedroom.

Sadly they were the only two to attend today, so we now have to cross our fingers and hope the group continues.

Sudbury Hall and the Museum of Childhood

The beautiful weather this week, our recent National Trust membership, our new Victorian theme, and a cancelled trip to Stratford-upon-Avon for friends were all factors in today's impromptu visit to Sudbury Hall, starting in the recently refurbished Museum of Childhood.

After trying out some outside games and Madi being very scared of walking through the mining tunnel in the dark, she was overjoyed to find a dolls house...

...and relented so far as trying to squeeze in to a gap the size of a chimney, if not going through the chimney tunnel itself!

And I was overjoyed at first to spot a Brownie uniform just like the one I wore myself (complete with Kelpie six badge!) but then quite disconcerted to realise that I am now history!

In the schools area, Madi and Evie got quite hands on...

But when we entered the storytelling area...

...poor Lucy ended up carrying and leading them out past the puppets and mannequins!

...but only after they had staged their performance.

The boys' toys area was a surprise success...

...as were the very old and unusual toys.

After a lovely picnic lunch, in to the Hall itself...

...with a trail to follow and discovery boxes...

...before checking out the playground, and ice-creams at the cafe :O)

Archery Club Championships

Congratulations to Madi, who today became U16 Girls Recurve Champion in the Sherwood Archers Annual Club Championships!

And to Simon too, who became Novice Champion :o)

Beeston Badgers

A rare chance for me today to watch JK in a field hockey match, as he played for Beeston against Ashby in a 'Badgers' game. Unfortunately I didn't realise that Badgers was a specialist term meaning a team comprising up to 3 adults, playing and coaching alongside juniors starting to prepare for the transition to adult hockey.

As JK is more than used to having shots fired at him from adults, he didn't really benefit from the session as much as the others, and as most of the action was at the other end of the pitch, often found himself a little bored!

He also attended the first session of a GK Academy at Beeston this weekend, coached by Grahame Mansell-Grace aka "Panda", a retired international goalee coach, and which we were very fortunate to have funded by the Club as we couldn't have afforded it on top of everything else, and then trials for the Midlands Ice Hockey Conference, in the middle of the night at the National Ice Arena (fortunately Simon is taking him to that one!)

Victorian Washday

To get us started on our new 'Victorians' theme, we spent this afternoon at the Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard, where the very formal and Victorian-like Mrs Crowfoot talked to the children about life in Victorian times and allowed them to help with grating the soap and ponching the clothes in the dolly tub.

Unfortunately the mangle was considered too much of a health and safety risk, and they didn't get around to washing my white blouse which I had clumsily spilt tomato juice down whilst trying to fit lunch in on our mad dash across from Brazilian Soccer School!

But I did like the idea of Madi learning to iron ;o)

Butterflies

Today we finally made our return visit to Butterflies- the Swadlincote based HE group run by Alison Gardner. It is a very long way from home, but equally very close to BFF who we were both overjoyed to see with Big sis and Little bro.

The planned activity was salt dough, using a recipe from The Little Experience, a site I hadn't come across before.

1 cup of salt

2 cups of plain flour

1 cup of water

3 teaspons of lemon juice (optional, but will make your finished dough shapes harder)

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and then add the water (and lemon juice if using) a little bit at a time. Keep stirring the ingredients and they should gradually come together to make a firm, smooth dough. You can either oven bake (up to 4 hours at 120C/250F/Gas Mark 1-2) turning every half hour, or leave to dry on a flat surface for 30-48 hours. Oven baking is quicker, but bigger shapes can sometimes crack as they are heated up.

The girls' first attempt at following the recipe was less than successful, but eventually Madi made some crotchets, quavers, minims and semibreves that she plans to paint black and hang in her window along a ribbon.

Little bro's pizza was perfect, and Big sis's angel was amazing!

We still wish we could see more of this fab family, but distance and work commitments are not to be- we'll keep trying!

Alton Towers

With grateful thanks to my Dad, who collected tokens for free tickets (from a newspaper that I wouldn't bother reading even if I had the time!) Madi and I spent today at Alton Towers. The tickets were intended for JK and a friend, but unfortunately we had no say in the date, and the new term started yesterday- just another downside to school education. But an upside to Madi and I, as the park was not that busy and we were able to go on everything we wanted, several times over!

blue slushie on the way to the Grand Canyon ride

learning to drive (again!)

outside the Wonka factory

Mummy just couldn't stomach Submission!

Sonic Spinball was Madi's favourite ride, mine was 13

Sadly, after the Galleries of Justice and Warwick Castle Dungeons, Hex proved just too much for Little Miss No Fear, and we had to leave by the fire exit! In spite of this, and the tiring miles we must have walked, we had an amazing day and hope we can go back again next year when Madi is tall enough for Oblivion, Air and Rita.

OPAL Water Survey at Duke's Wood

Although it was quite an early start today, we were very much looking forward to catching up with HE friends that we have neglected over the school summer break, and also to taking part in another of the OPAL surveys. This was also to be our first visit to Dukes Wood, a Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust reserve, at the site of the UK's first oilfield.

The small museum was opened up specially for our group, and we were lucky to have one of the engineers that worked the site to answer any questions we had.

We then headed in to the woods in search of a pond...

Given the weather we had this summer, we were more than a little surprised to discover that the first pond had actually dried up! Fortunately, there was another, albeit a little muddy...

...and we discovered a rams horn snail, pond snail, leech, water beetles, waterlice, water shrimps and a common newt.

I was also fascinated to find out that this plant is angelica, that used to appear crystallized on desserts of the 1970s, very much a part of my childhood!

Whereas Madi preferred being in charge of the clipboard and recording our results...

...then submitting them to the OPAL website when we got home.

Birthday Gift: living!

And after allowing them some time to settle in so they weren't too alarmed by the camera flash, please allow me to introduce the two new additions to our family....

Cookie...

...and Muffin.

They are still both very skittish (particularly Muffin) but are definitely much easier for Madi to handle and awake more often when she is than the hamsters we have cared for whilst friends are on holiday.

Madi has read several books from the library (all with conflicting advice!) and talked to other guinea pig owners in preparation, and is a very proud new mum!

Big Top Heroes at The Hill

It is hard to believe it is already a whole year since Madi first went to The Hill Methodist Church, for their summer playscheme. She has been back again each morning this week, where she was introduced to the Bible stories of Daniel, Jonah and Samson through a circus theme, with lots of singing, dancing, colouring and craft, jokes and custard pies!

snorkelling

trying out snorkelling at a school holiday session at Calverton Leisure Centre...