Little Star Homeschool

I've just received an email from Early Learning Centre - they are running their book amnesty scheme again.

Last January, ELC launched their Book Amnesty appeal across all stores, which resulted in over 120,000 used books being redistributed to children who needed them. They're running the appeal again until the end of January 2008. It couldn't be simpler to join in:

Take up to 10 books your children no longer read to your local store. You will get a 20% OFF voucher to spend with ELC in February.

Time to have a tidy out.

I've been to-ing and fro-ing between home, work and mum's for the last few days and trying to Christmas shop in-between. We posted Harry's present yesterday, just catching the last posting day for parcels. Mum is much better, she had a visit from a physiotherapist who helped her shower and change her clothes and being the uber-organised person she is got comfy with the phone on one side and pen and paper on the other and booked meals-on-wheels for herself. My eldest sister has come up from Northamptonshire this weekend to visit her and swap pressies.

When I got in from work yesterday John had a message for me. My mum had slipped on some wet leaves, fallen and broken her arm. Its in the same place as one of my customers broke hers last winter, so I know what to expect at least. Its at the top of her left arm so can only rest in a sling - no pot. We will visit her tomorrow and see what we can do to help. I am one of five, four of whom live locally so she isn't short of lifts in cars and people to do shopping. I have spoken to her on the phone and she sounds okay but I am still worried. This is my invincible, strong mother who has suddenly become frail and old overnight.

I've ordered some sequins, we are running low on crafty its and bits. Stars and snowflakes to make Christmas cards and tree decorations. Sunday's Observer had a free Christmas crafts supplement with extracts from Big Book of Christmas Things to Make and Do Collection.

Yesterday John got out the gloss and emulsion and smartened up the bay window before we put up the Christmas tree. Now the paintwork in the rest of the room looks scruffy...and the other rooms....and....

We have been watching BBC 2's Earth: The Power of the Planet tonight's episode featuring glaciers. After watching the programme almost to the end Robert declared "it wasn't as good as the last one because they didn't set fire to the ice."

Bedtime and as usual Robert's mind is racing. "I know how electricity works, mummy" he sits bolt upright, wide-eyed and takes a deep breath which always precedes an explanation. "Plugs have metal pins and they have wires that attach to them. The thing you put the plug into has metal inside it and metal conducts electricity. That also has wires in it going to the metal."

I then said he was quite right and that was a circuit. He then continued with a brief synopsis of how electricity flows (current) and potential difference (voltage.)

All that from a set of magnets.

Robert ran into the museum, took one look at the dinosaur in the lobby and said "that's a Diplodocus" and went to the map. Pointing at the red zone he informed us he wanted to see volcanos in the red zone on the second floor. He meticulously worked his way through the zone studying rocks and how magma is released from the earth's core.

After a picnic lunch he said he needed to visit the Science Museum again, they have a better shop.


We had some spare time before our train home to ride the underground, stopping off at Covent Garden we walked to Leicester Square. Then back to St. Pancras to see the Eurostar.

Uncle Robert enjoyed seeing his little nephew. He kept us all on our toes, its suprising how things change as kids grow older, so many little bits and bobs from Robert's games had to be removed from the floor before we could let Harry run about.

I phoned my mum the other day to arrange a meet up in town and whilst we were chatting she mentioned a theory my brother in law has been expounding and claiming as his own.

The temperature of Heaven can be rather accurately computed. Our authority is Isaiah 30:26,

"Moreover, the light of the Moon shall
be as the light of the Sun and the light
of the Sun shall be sevenfold, as the
light of seven days."

Thus Heaven receives from the Moon as much radiation as we do from the Sun, and in addition 7*7 (49) times as much as the Earth does from the Sun, or 50 times in all. The light we receive from the Moon is one 1/10,000 of the light we receive from the Sun, so we can ignore that ... The radiation falling on Heaven will heat it to the point where i.e., Heaven loses 50 times as much heat as the Earth by radiation. Using the Stefan-Boltzmann law for radiation, (H/E) temperature of the earth (-300K), gives H as 798K (525C). The exact temperature of Hell cannot be computed ...

[However] Revelations 21:8 says

"But the fearful, and unbelieving ... shall
have their part in the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone."

A lake of molten brimstone means that its temperature must be at or below the boiling point, 444.6C. We have, then, that Heaven, at 525C is hotter than Hell at 445C.

A quick Google and I find his theory is common knowledge and bearing in mind my mum is 81 and has no access to the world wide web I think it unfair to preach as fact something which is obviously meant as a joke. I also find it remarkable anyone would not see that this is a joke of some kind even if it is in very poor taste.

Its Christians like my brother in law who reinforce my belief that churches only encourage ignorance.

In geometry the net of a polyhedron is an arrangement of edge-joined polygons in the plane which can be folded (along edges) to become the faces of the polyhedron. Polyhedral nets are a useful aid to the study of polyhedra and solid geometry in general, as they allow for models of polyhedra to be constructed from material such as thin cardboard. Source Wikipedia

This morning we have been turning these printouts into 3D models and talking about shapes and their relationships. We looked at a screenshot from a PS2 game and tracked down the 3D shapes that make up animals, people and buildings. The models are simply made from printer paper but would be improved if the flat sheets were stuck onto thin card before being cut out. So the models in the photo are prototypes.

Robert would also like to colour the panels and add patterns on PhotoImpact before constructing the polyhedron on the next set we make.

Saturday night I fell into bed at 1.30am after diligently cleaning out all my email inboxes, I have 4 major email accounts some of which receive forwarding from other addresses. I was just nodding off at 2am when Robert shouted me. It would be another 3 hours before I could rest my eyes again. He had a stomach bug which inevitably involved 2 bed changes and much to-ing and fro-ing between bedroom and bathroom. If I had known I wouldn't have risked a late night and would have got my head down by a sensible 10pm. Anyway at 5am Robert's stomach abated and we slept til 8am when we did a rerun. Every sip of water recoiled..."I've got springs in my tummy" he wailed. Sunday morning passed by in a blur, Sunday afternoon I had to go in to work and John took over the nursing. I got home just after 7pm to find the "springs" had recoiled all over John. This morning Robert woke feeling much better. I've spent most of today washing and ironing bedding. Now I know why my mum kept so many old sheets and pillowcases "just in case" its a good thing she got me to do the same.

I popped into town with Robert this afternoon so he could stretch his legs and get some fresh air. Also we just had to fetch Charlie and Lola 8 which was released today. Now bearing in mind the backdrop of the last day and two nights in which I have barely left Robert's side as he has been cuddled in my arms. I literally came to a stop in the middle of the street my eyes fixed on a young mother who was resolutely ignoring her son thrashing about in his pushchair and crying his eyes out. I gave her one of those looks, you know the kind that says..."well aren't you going to DO something?" but she glanced back with hollow eyes, there really was nobody home.

BTW Sunday was my 18th wedding anniversary. We married at 11 am on the 11th day of the 11th month. I like serendipitous stuff like that.

Robert has been busy the past few days...24 CD Roms came through the post from a Daily Mail offer. He has encyclopedias, quizes and atlases and best of all a new copy of World Explorer because his old one got scratched.

He also received his set of Horrible Geography books from the Daily Telegraph. We collected the Horrible Science set on holiday - WHSmith was only a short walk from our flat.

Then today we got an email from the editor of CBeebies Weekly asking for our address so they can send Robert a goody bag for having his photo published in the magazine. We sent in a pic of him holding Number Zero from our set of felt NumberJacks.

Lisa rang to put off her usual November visit until December - just after Christmas...a little longer to wait to see Harry again.

We did the usual Jack O Lantern carving today and made small carrot cakes with halloweeny orange icing.

Spotted a wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) flitting about on the garden yesterday. This is the first time we have seen one on our patch. Our conifers do attract the birds because they harbour many different kinds of insect. We have seen plenty of sparrows and blackbirds this year and Robert was hoping to see a robin on the garden but no luck so far.

Tuesday we went stick collecting, picking up fallen branches to paint. Some looked like animals - a giraffe, snake, horse - and some didn't. That was after we wrapped up Harry's birthday present and got that sent off. I don't think he will get it by today though 'cos of the postal strikes. Robert chose this Activity Tunnel for Harry. Tuesday night Robert fell to sleep listening to the CD that comes with Poetry Speaks to Children one of his favourite books nowadays. Yesterday, after getting the Tesco shop done, we visited Queen's Park. Robert busied himself making friends.

We are back from our annual holiday, this year we headed for the seaside. Paignton was chosen for its wide choice of clean beaches and visitor attractions. Although the train journey was a little arduous at five and a half hours due to Chesterfield station being closed for track maintenance, it was well worth it once we arrived.

The sun shone and the air was warm. I had heard about Torbay's micro climate but it was a remarkable experience to feel the rise in temperature.

Everything in paignton was ideally located, buses run frequently and on time connecting with other services perfectly. We hopped on two different steam trains, one from paignton to Kingswear with a ferry trip to dartmouth and the other train took us from Totnes to Buckfastleigh in order to visit Buckfast Abbey by a short vintage bus ride.

We visited Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts in Torquay. I was a bit put out at the joint entrance fee just to see the penguins at Living Coasts but John found a shop dedicated to Agatha Christie while we were in Torquay so that made the excursion more worthwhile.

We want to go back again to Paignton next year to see everything we missed because one week isn't long enough.

Any Sunday morning peace and quiet was shattered this weekend when the workman came to fix our leaking bay window roof. It needed re-felting. Robert watched through the bedroom window directly above the bay.

Today he's been drawing and making his own jigsaws from paper plates.

Yesterday he spotted this:

If you look at the numbers 1234567890 you will see the numbers 12 34 56 78 and 90

12 + 22 = 34
34 + 22 = 56
56 + 22 = 78

but 78 + 12 = 90

How strange.

We've made Numberjack One and Zero from felt, quite easy to make using printouts from cbeebies as patterns, some stuffing, stick on googly eyes and embroidery thread for the mouth.

We are making one a day. Robert also wants to know if we can make the other characters - the Problem Blob, Shape Japer and the Puzzler. So once I have figured out how to make a felt ball....

I still haven't had a cigarette since July 1st, so its 27 days smoke free for me *hurrah*

Not much happening here apart from more rain. We try to get out between downpours but its beginning to feel fultile. So we bake and knit and study maths and english, play computer games and look out of the window. I've paid for our annual holiday. We're going to Paignton this year, so far reports are good from friends who have been there already, shirt sleeve weather apparently. Fingers crossed then.

Not much else to report, I've quit smoking...now there's a thing. Well I work in a pub and since the smoking ban I haven't smoked. I always blamed my work environment for my habit, having attempted to quit several times before and failed. So now its been 21 days and I don't feel bad at all. Its a bit quiet at work though. What with the ban and all this rain.