Little Star Homeschool

Robert and I have had a baking day today. We have made lots of yummy food for a picnic on Thursday. In between baking and chores we watched the bees on the London Pride in the garden.

Yesterday we made collages from old magazines on the theme of 'Our House' rather than our actual house I ended up making a picture of where I would like to live. Mine was a cottage by the sea with an abundant garden. Robert's was a composite image made of woods, fabrics and coloured textures with both indoor and outdoor features....and a car of course.

Later we played Microsoft Train Simulator on the PC and tried to get the Flying Scotsman from Settle to Carlisle in one piece.

We spent the evening making paper planes from the Paper Plane Kit that came with todays Guardian newspaper. Designs were contributed by Nick Robinson and Mark Bolitho. Here's one of Nick's designs if you missed todays Guardian, just click the image to see it full size.

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?

Robert's bird, made in Photoimpact.

Robert created this on Ulead PhotoImpact after watching me use it countless times. He built the image up from set shapes coloured with bucket fill and multivision and defraction filters added last. I think its stylish and shows he has a a good eye for colour.

We began construction yesterday and completed our first papier mache project 9pm tonight. Its a hot air ballon built round a balloon and a flower pot. I did most of the gluey messy bit, Robert helped with the painting and decorating the 'basket' with stick on funky foam shapes (his favourite craft material) and John stepped in for the technical bit - threading the string and hanging the balloon. Below is a pic of John with balloon.

Its not been a bad day considering Robert had his 3.5 year check up and jabs, he was so brave he got a sticker of which he is very proud AND a Tigger certificate!

Robert read Kipper's Beach Ball to me before he fell asleep, well when I say read I mean he recited it from memory mostly. Still I was very impressed even if it was a memory feat, those omega oils must be working! He is reading new words every day now, todays memorable word was 'craft'.

Little joke: I was singing 'how much is that doggy' and when i got to the waggly tail bit I asked Robert if he had a waggly tail. He of course said 'no' indignantly. I asked why, expecting him to say it was because he wasn't a doggy. Instead he shouted 'because I've got a bottom'. *sighs*