Pukka Herbs

These are some of my favourite teas so I would love to do their distance learning course Introduction to Ayurveda. I'm very interested in Western Herbalism, Ayurvedic medicine and TCM but wouldn't want to be a practitioner of medicine as such. I'm quite happy to be a Reflexologist but do like extra skills so the Pukka course is something to consider for CPD.

Maths legs

Springy and I have been doing lots of conversational learning over the past few days. One of the things we discussed is how we're related to chimpanzees and orang utans (she did the asking). It started with "Mummy, did I used to be an orang utan?". It's not easy explaining evolutionary theory to a 7-year old but I think I answered her question without getting too technical and too over her head (and mine). I asked her about rats and mice - are they similar but not exactly the same? She responded in the affirmative and then we talked about whether she looks exactly like grandpa and grandma or her very tall uncle - no. We talked about going back and back and how if lots of tall people got married and had children they would more likely have tall ones and so on. She grasped it and understood that somewhere in the distant past, there were some creatures that were related to us and also related to chimpanzees but were not exactly like us.



My mother upset me today because she did her view on home education having asked what we did today. She really is unable to think outside her little box on school-based learning and thinks Springy should be in a school in order to have a "normal education". I then got told how when we were visiting, she had noticed that Springy is not able to read properly! I was then told how another child she knows reads "yellow books" at school - naturally my mother was not able to name the particular reading scheme which might have put it into context. Springy reads, fluently, and best of all enjoys reading. We still do story time together and at the moment this is Enid Blyton's The Wishing Wand.



We did some maths later this evening. We were playing with some of her toy animals and I just started to ask about their legs. It was really good fun asking Springy questions like "If you have 4 cats how many legs all together?" and "If there is a guineapig and a spider and then you stand near them, how many legs all together?". She looks up as she's working it all out - we did mental arithmetic in division, multiplication, subtraction and addition. She's still getting a few answers wrong but it doesn't matter and what's even better is she doesn't want me to stop asking her more questions because she likes doing problem solving and we have a giggle thinking of all the creatures going to and fro.

Reflexology

I love reflexology. It is a complete passion to me now and I love helping people through holistic therapies. I'm still not charging for any of my reflexology treatments but once I am covered by all the FHT insurance requirements I will be raring to go (a) because I need to look after my family more and (b) because I want to undertake further training to ensure that I can deliver the best reflexology that I am capable of delivering and (c) I love reflexology. :)

You and Your Child site

http://www.youandyourchildshealth.org/resources.html

This looks very interesting to read around.

Window Stars

Here is a link which is useful to make a window star (from our waxed square papers). We made a lovely 5-pointed star as a Christmas decoration which we stuck on the window and this will make another but smaller one:

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/recmath/Star6Exact1.HTM

School at Home - structure

I've started "school" with my daughter now. I never thought I would do "school" at home but she's 7, will be 8 springs old in the Spring and I've felt a change come over her and also me. I feel she needs some kind of herding (gentle) and that if I don't give boundaries and places to head towards, she's going to lose out. We're only doing a couple of formal hours in the morning but I feel that she needs that skill of being able to sit down and focus, otherwise she will just flit through life in a whirlwind of chaos. I think that chaos can be very creative but it's a bit like breathing in and out (as per Waldorf) - just as the kindergarten children need to breathe in and out with their physical bodies, I feel as if my Class One child, now needs to breathe in and out with her love of learning and sitting down at the table and learning in a particular way is part of this (I confess that I have been using workbooks recently as well as other resources - Letts ones which are about a wizard and frogs - great fun).

With a different child I may not need to approach things in the same way (for instance my younger self would have quite happily sat at a desk for hours - school was a very strange place to me and change was a struggle). However, with my daughter, she loves to dance, forgets things and I feel at times like I am living with a butterfly on a spring day. If I don't focus her on the blossoms of knowledge she will be lifted by the breeze elsewhere so for at least 3 days of the week in the mornings we stick to a desk-style of learning.

I love the Steiner "Education towards Freedom" motto and I'm also understanding that developing will and focus can give you freedom because it's that inner self that is just as important as the outer self.

I baked a cake today where I wasn't focused properly. It went terribly wrong (just by adding 1 extra cup of flour). Education is about self discipline and trust too.

....

This morning, Springy managed her 2 Times Tables really well through memory. I've made her an A4 poster for her bedroom door and asked her to read it once in the morning and once in the evening and to say the 2 times tables out loud. She also has the 1 Times Table on her door.

Tonight we went outside and looked up outside. The sky is beautiful - it's very cold and there are no clouds and all you can see are the constellations and the planets. We saw Sirius twinkling so brightly and Venus and Orion, and Cassiopea and the Seven Sisters (pleaides). It makes you want to have magical abilities to fly.

Beavers and Brownies

Springy is getting excited because not only will she be in Beaver Scouts this year, but also she will become a Brownie.

We're still looking for a dance class but at least Springy can go swimming still. We wanted to join a Tai Chi class but then it got cancelled.

Today we did some bean bag games, played the recorder a little, had a story (from Enki) and I have the January Earthschooling curriculum which I'm working through in terms of finding what we need. We did a little bit of maths with the glass beads from Noble Knights and Springy has been asked to learn her 2 times table not just from memory but from reading it too (I've done a little print off with it on and a few poems and stuck it on her door).

Our hens got cleaned out today (it's very easy having a lino floor underneath their sawdust) and had a little bit of time out in the garden (then it started to rain again which they dislike).