This blog is really getting away from me. I need to streamline. So I think I’ll post fortnightly in detail and continue my WWGUT monthly posts that include all of the pictures I’ve taken that month. I also think that from next year my post titles will be very boring as I lack the creativity to come up with something awesome!
Home
Most days start with cuddles. It’s nice, that we don’t have to rush and aren’t separating. But sometimes it becomes frustrating that we are slow to get going or have something to get to. Definitely more pros than cons 😉 One particular day I informed Alex that one of our homeschooling friends is still in hospital. Alex was very sad for him.
The kids and I went through the boxes that are under the art corner table where they keep unfinished bits and piece or things that belong to one of them, often sent by my Mum. They found some stickers and colouring books and we got playing with them. I added a few of them to Daniel’s bag that we take out with us. it mostly gets left in the car but when he’s bored or in need of distraction it’s handy to have.
We’ve been excited to hear from craig, and that he might visit us in December. Perhaps even for Christmas! Alex was particularly happy about this and set about arranging sleeping logistics. We’ve also had Vio sister and family over for dinner. there seems to be some clashes between the eldest of the cousins, the young ones get along just fine. Alex got really upset that they wouldn’t watch Moana with him (Emily gets upset and frightened) – he feels like she gets the say n ‘everything’. It’s hard being the oldest I guess. We watched Moana on another day, and Alex and i had a conversation about the goddess Te Fiti and Te Kar.
We made clay fossils that we hope to bury in sand and excavate. Unfortunately they got left out in the rain and went all sloppy 🙁
Vio had a day at home with the kids as I had an interview with a teaching agency. The kids went to the park with him. they also watched ‘jack and the giant slayer’ which captivated them both, and they watched it again and again over the following days. We’ve watched lots of movies, it seems to be how our evenings end. My suggestion of a childhood favourite – the sword in the stone – was not well received. It didn’t keep them engaged at all!
Daniel has been into the magnetic tiles a lot. He was making a mosaic style pattern flat on the floor and had a space left that required a diamond – he said as much! I gave him 2 yellow triangles to make his diamond with and he finished his work. he’s been quite interested in shapes and has been using the geoboard too. Cooking in his kitchen with new rice too. he doesn’t like to just pretend without something to feel. And he insists on real food!
Alex has been showing me lots of youtube clips – mostly of cool things that he wants! Things have been a little extra tight recently, and I spoke to Alex about the fence costing us $1150. He asked if the neighbour paid too, then worked out that the total was $2300! When the fence guys were here Alex was very curious. The night that we had no fence at all, Alex was outside shooting his nerf gun straight up into the air. he wanted to see how the bullets would fall and was surprised to see that they turned when they peaked and fell back down ‘head first’. He’s been watching slugterra and playing a game on his iPad. he asked me if I’d like a turn and was explaining the lives and fractions at the top of the boss battle. he had a particularly late night as he was waiting for the 12 hours to expire for a treasure chest to open that he’d received from defeating a boss. It was a new slug much to his delight, and he put the game away and went to bed as promised. ne evening we looked for some bread to make toast and found only 2 slices. Alex says he and Daniel will give me a 1/4 of a piece each, leaving them with 3/4 each and me with 1/2. He’s been telling lots of knock knock jokes, however they make no sense! for some reason we came across the ginger bread man. Alex thought he was a shrek character, but I explained that the reason Shrek is so funny is that existing fairy tale characters that most people know are in it. he wanted to read the ginger bread man story, so we did. i told him that we used to read when he was young and he would say the part of the gingerbread man ‘run, run as fast as you can…’.
Out and About
We went for a swim, it’s rare that all 4 of us go together but we had ‘Active April’ passes so we went for free. Alex loved having Vio around and swam with him lots whilst I played with Daniel. Alex loves the water skimmer toy and a boy asked to play with him, to which he agreed. We had a couple more swims where Alex took along his snorkel too.
We went on the train to the city in the morning (heading to ACMI Sunday Funday). I took along some food as kids slow to eat in the mornings. It included bananas and crackers. Alex chose crackers, Daniel banana so i tried to encourage Alex to have the same. I asked why he had to be so difficult and he rightly pointed out that I shouldn’t have offered him the crackers and given him a choice if he wasn’t allowed it! So true. he’s so wise, I don’t know why i was making a fuss and being so unreasonable. 
It’s so ingrained in us that the parent just gets the say, and the child’s feelings are secondary. Sorry my wise little boy! the conversation continued to him realising that he’s missed 2 sessions at home and he asked what 3 x 15 was. but rhetorically, as he wanted to work it out himself. he did this by reasoning that 15 + 15 = 30, 30+15 = 45. I said he didn’t have to do all that for a session! We met up with a friend at ACMI. They watched a barbie youtube clip then the kids played with a stop motion footy game. Inside screenworlds the kids played minecraft briefly, then onto the PS4 games. the fighting one was their favourite and they spent ages on it! We enjoyed a few other parts of the exhibit, including the shadows. on the way out, Daniel watched Debbie Doo sing and dance. Alex hated it! We did the usual lord of the fries and headed to birrarung marr. Alex took good care of Daniel at the busy playground. We ended up at the rocks of course. On the train home the kids were restless. i found their yoyos in my bag so that occupied them for a short time. mind you, I had to ensure no one got hit and nothing got broken!
Daniel has been asking to go on a seesaw and we recalled one being at Keilor Village. So one morning we went out to pick up our veg box, Alex ducked into bakers delight to grab something to eat and then we stopped at park. We were there for literally only 10 minutes! The seesaw desire had been satisfied!
We attended a dinosaur workshop hosted by Fizzics education. There was a lot of sitting and listening. Alex hated it. He came away bored but insisted upon returning. The activity was very basic and over in seconds. Alex looked like he was going to burst with frustration, so we left and played at the playground instead. The kids played with another boy who was 3 and were so kind to him, uttering ‘are you ok?’ everytime he fell. They were very inclusive! Not long later the other kids emerged, Alex reignited his friendship with Arielle after not seeing her for months. With the siblings too, plus Daniel. I was very watchful of Alex around a few of the children present, but we left as we had no water left and there were no water fountains present.
We attended a junior rangers event at royal park about birds and their behaviours. We had a little scavenger hunt booklet given to us to mark off all that we saw. Interestingly Alex stuck close to the rangers – he likes to be close to the information and action! We spotted lots, but the best was a pardalote – an uncommon sighting. They were told a story about Willie Wagtails, played some games and made some nature craft. The kids had wanted their scooters upon arrival, and we came to an agreement that at the end of the session we would have a scoot – that was their idea. So we did!
We went to a ‘garden habitat’ session. I thought the kids would be making stuff as they’ve been very interested in doing so, but unfortunately it was more of an information session! the kids were happy to see their friends though and took some interest in images of garden minibeasts. Especially the gross ones!
We went to the city to watch a comedy show called ‘potty mouth’. The kids laughed lots, and the fart jokes went on for days. Alex really wanted to go on the stage as a volunteer but didn’t get picked. We played ‘I spy’ on the train too and is picking up more letters.
I booked the kids into Scienceplay – I’m curious about it as a number of homeschoolers go to a group. our subject was the moon and it’s surface. The kids really enjoyed the making – it was quite messy. I was a little disappointed in it as we had to take away most of it to complete at home – with incomplete materials!
The weekend had brought lots of rain and i was curious about the Maribyrnong river, so we went there with scooters to check it out. it was pretty high, though the water was no longer covering the crossings. We stayed for a play too.
We had free play at footscray gym, like we do every holidays. Daniel was very keen. The kids enjoyed climbing and jumping, but mostly the swinging! After less than an hour, Daniel declared that he wanted to go home. We paused for a snack and rejoined the others. Alex collided with a girl whilst on the rope – it wasn’t his fault but he looked terrible after it had happened, so worried that he was in trouble. I’m not sure who with though – I hope not me! or I’m failing him. Afterwards we went to a friends for lunch, the kids mostly played minecraft. But they played barbies too!
Socialising
We’ve had the neighbours over. the kids have played football and fighting, they’re even including Daniel! Alex told me later they he had spoken to the older boy about including Daniel as it’s his house and he needs to feel safe and happy there. He told them that Daniel is weaker and more likely to get hurt. I’m very proud of him for doing so! Especially as there is a marked difference in their treatment of him. When Alex told me about this we continued our discussion about how school kids are only used to socialising with kids their own age, even at lunch times. We talked about how he has friends of many ages. He has noticed that lucas and caleb seem to be best friends, but that he has other best friends. He started ranking them using ordinals. I let him know that we can just have friends and that they don’t need to be placed in a list!
On a separate occasion, the younger neighbour came over very purposefully and sat with Alex. he asked him ‘what’s 30+20’. Alex answered 50. The boy exclaimed ‘how did you know that?’ Alex says that he just does – then they talked about some more numbers and headed outside. Vio and I laughed, their family must have said something about going to school to learn things like maths and the kids are testing that idea! this must have played on Alex’s mind (the silliness of it) as he has randomly asked me whilst in the car to give him sums to do. He did some quite tricky ones, though with the bigger numbers over 100 would drop 10. He has such an amazing awareness of numbers.
We had friends over that we haven’t had for ages, and quite honestly it did not go well! Alex and his friend have grown apart. The TV seemed to be the glue that bound them. Unlikely we’ll be doign that again!
Activities
The at home sessions have continued, sometimes reluctantly, but he is very please with his toe taps. He showed Vio, who was very impressed with his progress! Vio changes his session most weeks. he usually has 4 skills to practice. one particular day he asked me what 3/4 of 100 was. i said 75. he replied that he was 75% through – he knows that fractions and percentages are related! they are just a scale!
Wrestling has continued. Alex says he really enjoys it. He did get a knock to the nose, which upset him, but he got back into it after a minute or so. He really loves the sparring and wears a big smile. He seeks partnership with one boy in articular. it seems to be the challenge.
Team training has continued and Alex really likes it and is improving. Daniel plays with the sibling of one of Alex’s teammates. He was running a lot, then played in a pile of dirt!