Little Star Homeschool

"Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each." Plato

John has started a separate gardening blog on Wordpress. Hopefully it will make things less complicated to have all the gardening stuff in a new blog plus we can see if we like Wordpress. You can take a look here: John the Gardener Its a bit plain at the moment until we get the hang of the style sheets, widgets, etc. so bear with us and keep checking back for improvements!

I hold the small of my back with one hand,
resting the other on the spade I sigh.
My son is five and making mud pies on the path,
I'll have to sweep it later and the washing isn't dry

I've planted rows of vegetables and scattered flower seeds,
my nails are cracked, my back aches and I need to prop the line.
I look at my son who's advanced to castles
and am taken in wonder, he's me
and I am my mother looking bewildered at the mess.

I rub my back and think, have I time for a cuppa?
Before I sweep away his little empire
and take his bare mud caked feet into the bath
and wash the dust from his hair ready for another day.


You may never see another photo like this...

A quick snap before the train arrived. We boarded the train and within two minutes a train announcer told us flash photography was forbidden. It was really weird too being told off like that, made me feel paranoid in a big brother is watching you kind of way.

Heres why, the full article on the London Underground on wikipedia explains.

Photography for personal use is permitted in public areas of the Underground, but the use of tripods and other supports is forbidden as it poses a danger in the often cramped spaces and crowds found underground. Flash photography is also forbidden as it may distract drivers and disrupt fire-detection equipment. For the same reason bright auto-focus assist lights should be switched off or covered when photographing in the Underground. Due to the recent heightened security situation any persons taking photos of any kind on the London underground network are liable to be stopped and questioned by police under anti-terrorism laws, it is vital to speak to the station supervisor before using any photographic equipment. You can contact the LU film unit to purchase a photographic pass. A student permit for a month costs £25.00.

Oops.

Yesterday we hopped on a train to London. Robert wanted to go on the tube and see the lines featured in Underground Ernie Although I have visited London before a trip on the underground was a first for me too.

Our route: Piccadilly Line to Leicester Square. Change to the Northern Line for the Embankment where we had lunch. Back on the tube, Circle line to St James' Park. Circle Line to South Kensington for the Science Museum. Return to St. Pancras via the Circle Line, this time taking the longer route through Paddington to pass through as many different stations as we could.

The first train was very crowded and hot, standing room only. Robert wasn't too happy but the journey was short and quick. The next trains had seats available from time to time and weren't crowded at all. We had fun trying to 'beat' the ticket barriers. Robert's travel on the tube was free so he had to go through the automatic barriers in front of me. I got as close to the barrier as I could, reaching back for the ticket as it popped up. This meant that I invariably got my bottom trapped in the closing barrier as I tried to get through it. Some stations had an attendant to swipe the barrier to let kids through but most didn't. The day rover tickets John and I used were good value for money at £10.50 for both, giving us unlimited travel in Zone 1.

John helped Robert with the escalators, they are faster than those at home and I learned that you have to stand on the right to let people in a hurry overtake. I have never climbed so many stairs before. My legs are still aching as I type.

I've not been at work today so it was time to build Charlie's Rocket as featured on cbeebies Charlie and Lola section and the fantastic Charlie and Lola book Whoops But It Wasn't Me

It took us weeks of collecting cereal boxes and yogurt pots. Its taken all day to make but what a rocket we built.

We used:
3 cereal boxes
7 yogurt pots
4 sparkly pipe cleaners
1 lemonade bottle (500ml)
half a roll of sticky tape
some insulating tape (red)
half a roll of extra wide tin foil
sweet wrappers (assorted colours)
clear cellophane
corrugated card (for the base)
black tissue paper
glitter paint
1 sheet of sticky stars
2 types of glue - PVA and a glue stick
1 silver paper crown left over from xmas
1 picture of Charlie and Lola

Features: Robert added the go-faster stripe and I added the green, red and silver 'flag' stripes on the nose cone. John designed the fins (if he hadn't come in the room at the right moment the rocket wouldn't have had fins at all). I was responsible for the design of the rest of the superstructure. The rocket also features an airlock, two portholes showing Charlie in the top window and Lola in the bottom window. Robert supervised, sticky taped, painted and glued.

And I still managed to top up and aerate the compost bin, dig some compost into the garden and hang 3 loads of washing out.

Now what shall we do tomorrow?



Found this on You Tube. Kenneth Williams finest hour lol.

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