So what do we do all day?!

We've been officially home schooling for almost two months now. I have been overwhelmed by the support that friends and family have given us; from offers to show the girls different learning experiences to sharing knowledge and welcoming us into the HE fold.

Adults are often keen to know what we get up to and how the children will ever learn anything if they are not at school, although often they won't ask out of embarrassment. School children are just as curious to know what we get up to and it's refreshing to be asked out-right what it is we have been doing. A few days ago I found it wonderful to be asked by a neighbour's  10 year old daughter a barrage of intelligent questions about home schooling whilst we were in the park, and I thought I'd share some of the answers with you all:

1) Do they have to do tests?

No. Only if they want to or if I want to see if they have learnt anything.

2) Do they have to follow the National Curriculum?

No. The National Curriculum only applies to children in school. It is up to to us to decide what a "suitable education" is, as long as it is relevant to the children's age and to modern day life, the world is our oyster!

3) Do you have to be a qualified teacher?

No. You simply need the desire to help your child to learn. What is required is time, commitment and resourcefulness.

4) How do you know what level they are at?

We find a wealth of information on the internet and can easily level the children with resources such as online tutoring programmes, numeracy and literacy tests, work books etc.

5) Will the children ever go back to school?

Maybe. We have committed for this year and we will take each year as it comes. Time will tell!


So, with these questions out of the way, what have we been up to?!

Oh my goodness we have been busy!

We have learnt how to make notebook gifts with Willowlane Designs, watching the lunar eclipse (at 3am!), visiting Cornwall, learning about jelly fish, visiting the opera, finding out about the Stuarts, learning about business, climbing walls, cycling, walking, pond dipping, sailing, visiting castles, building, questioning, singing in our community choir (Nidus Choir)....

Did I mention we've been busy?!

We've been reading, writing, baking, visiting our allotment, digging, harvesting, cooking, laughing, praying, playing, watching, learning, quizzing, investigating, shouting, whispering, making new friends, keeping old friends, celebrating birthdays, Harvest Festival, trying yoga, observing marine wildlife, learning about skeletons, Greek mythology, playing piano, coding, hiking, dancing, sewing, picnicing ... not to mention learning some Maths, English, Geography, History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Music and I.T along the way!

So we seem to be finding our feet! The DIY is coming to an end for the time being (until the next moment of madness ha ha) and Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas are looming. The weather is changing, the jumpers are out and (occasionally) the heating is on. Am I really mean that I have a hot water bottle and the children don't? Surely they have a better circulatory system than little old me... and they do have blankets on their beds? I do feel a little guilty though.

:-) Georgie :-)

What to do with Rose Hips?

It's been a busy couple of weeks.  Since my last post the Yarrow Soup was a complete success, and now I know what I am looking for, I really didn't need to go so far as up the nearest mountain to find this once elusive plant.  I am spotting the stuff literally EVERYWHERE.  Free Food is out there people you just need to know what you are looking for! She says, stating the obvious.

With this in mind Georgie, Lauren and I have become foraging queens!  Albeit blackberries (we know they're safe) but, all mushrooms look the same so that's a minefield.  My next challenge was in the pipeline.  My first idea was to go through the book 'All Good Things Around Us' recipe by recipe, but as the book is seasonal this was proving difficult.   Therefore, I decided to stick with seasonality and pick some Rose Hips at least they were in season.  Now, when I was a child, these pesky little blighters were usually opened up and the pips chucked down someones T-Shirt, all in the name of good fun, unless of course you were on the receiving end (believe me, that ain't much fun!)  But who knew there were so many possibilities!  Rose Hip Syrup, Rose Hip Soup?!! Rose Hip Jam and even a recipe from 1671 (in the book) for 'A Tarte of Rose Hips'  don't fancy that one much, probably picking pips out of your mouth for the next two years...that recipe is for another day. 

I chose to make wine.  And as Benjamin Franklin said 'Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.'  How can you argue with that?!

From this...

After an hour of picking, and the added bonus of finding a football, I became the proud forager of about 500g of beautiful orangey red Rose Hips.  Then I checked the recipe - yes I did it again.  The No 1 rule of making anything - READ THE BLOODY RECIPE!!!!!!  I needed a kilo.

...To this!

You may've guessed it... I made it up.  I chucked a load of wild plums in the mix, which I had previously foraged and horsed in the freezer, not knowing what the hell to do with them.  And I still have about 2kg of the damn things left.  Still, I lobbed all the ingredients in a bucket and put the lid on top.  I have had to stir that crusty bucket everyday for two weeks.  But today was the day was the day of the great decanting.  After using pretty much every colander and saucepan I owned, I finally got the pink/orange liquid in the bottle and have put it away to do its thing. 

The last lot of wine I made was, in my usual style, a complete disaster.  It had this sort of manky film floating on the top, so that vintage was reserved for the fine sewerage system of Great Britain. 

Its going to be a good couple of weeks until its ready, so hopefully there will be Rosé all around this Christmas!  Such fun! Til next time kids...

Love Melissa x

Madness at home.... and how to cope (sort of!)

Where to start? At the beginning I suppose. This month has been pretty hectic as our homeschooling begins in earnest and, not being shy of a challenge or two, I start some DIY. I think I might be a little mad after all - I mean what was I thinking starting a new DIY project at a time like this?! Oh. I know, I wasn't thinking... I was a little cross at the time and thought it was an ideal time to release some tension and strip the wallpaper up the stairs and landing. Well it did help release the tension but now I have to live with the consequences. Yes. I confess our house has turned into a bomb site as bookshelves and filing cabinets had to be moved and dumped temporarily in our bedrooms. I am falling over myself every bed time and pray I do not need the loo in the night in case I risk my life stumbling through the dark to reach the bathroom. Not to mention the lego, dolls, puzzles that seem to multiply and disperse throughout the house each day. Ha. So far I am alive and I thank God for that!

As we start our adventure learning from home it has come to my notice that as usual the stereotypical British are actually quite polite. I was not sure how people were going to react to our decision to homeschool. It feels a bit like 'coming out' to our schooling friends but, as a testament to them they have all been rather smashing. Lot's of "Oh that's amazing, good for you!" and "So how's it going, you're so brave!" comments. In truth I don't know how to reply to these well meaning questions. Do I tell them the house is in chaos and the children take it in turns to have melt-downs every few hours on some days or, in true British style do I put on my best smile and tell them it's going GREAT, we're having SO much fun and the girls are loving every MINUTE of it. In truth the real answer is somewhere in the middle. We are still finding our feet. Some days are fan-dabulous and some are a test to my patience to say the least.

September Fun!

We have so far had a 'few' mishaps that might amuse you. I am keen for the girls to find some other local HE children to play with and have found some groups to meet up with weekly. All seemed well, I checked the address and time they were meeting on Facebook, set the sat nav on the phone and away we went with high expectations of fun and laughter. What we found was an empty building with a lone care-taker painting inside. Apparently they meet on Fridays now. Ha.

I am also meeting new people and have so far embarrassed myself by mentioning that we were looking for some 'normal non-hippy' people (cringe....dig...dig...) to be friends with to a lovely lady that I then noticed was dressed rather hippy-like now you come to mention it. Oh God what a nightmare - I'm good at putting my foot it it like that! Bless her, she paused and replied that you had to be a little 'out there' to even consider HE. Well I can't fault her on that. Crazy is as crazy does and all that. Sorry Emily you are lovely!

On a P.E / nature bike ride darling daughter number two had her very own mishap - by cycling herself and the bike into the canal. Not a happy girl! I was soooo good and did not laugh - even though pretty in pink and dripping in pond weed is quite an amusing look! The walk home wailing was not so fun though. Hey ho at least there were no accident forms to fill out!

So, how to cope with madness at home? Keep a sense of humour and remember what's important in life. That's it!

     :-)

xxx Georgie xxx

Yarrow - Challenge #1

So it's been a while... what with holidays, him upstairs' birthday, baby showers school holidays and the British weather living up to its damp name this summer I've barely had time to think, let alone write anything down.

However, thankful for a break in the weather I have been on my first forage for the ever elusive Yarrow, as part of the challenge I set myself earlier this month.  Getting Georgie on board was the easy bit.  Getting the slugs together we trundled up Blaen Brân in search of the little green plant.

Pickings were slim on the first leg of our journey, I am pretty sure that Georgie wiped the place clear of the stuff for her Yarrow antiseptic balm!  But we pressed on a  little further hit the jackpot!!!  The recipe stated 1 colander full.  This in itself was questionable.  How big is a colander?  You can get small ones and absolutely gigantic ones, so being true to myself, I guessed.

After harvesting the questionable 'colander' full, we continued to wander on up the mountain, crossing streams, walking through the forests.  I found myself asking why I don't come here more often.  I mean its practically on my doorstep.  The abundance of life, the greenery, the flora and fauna are all around, plus the children get to be in the 'great outdoors' running around pointing out various mushrooms that they shouldn't touch, climbing trees, getting throughly wet in streams and so on.

Please - if you don't have a go at the recipe, please take time out to visit this overlooked part of Wales and if you don't...do that take the time to visit the countryside, you may be surprised what you will find!

 So back at home I am on my first recipe from the book 'All Good Things Around Us' (published in 1982).  Yarrow Soup is the first.  Apparently, after reading the excerpt about Yarrow, a witch was tried in the 17th Century for using it in her 'incantations' for yarrow was thought to be under the influence of the devil!  And, among other superstitions yarrow could conjure the visions of a future sweetheart!

As this is the 21st century I think I'll stick with soup...

Yarrow Soup   Serves 4


1 colander yarrow leaves
1oz  butter
1 onion (chopped)
1 tbsp flour
1 pint of stock
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 pint of milk
nutmeg (optional - because nutmeg is rank)

Wash the yarrow leaves, place in a saucepan with just enough water to cover the bottom and cook gently for about 10 minutes (kind of like cooking cabbage or spinach) Drain and set aside.  Melt the butter and cook the chopped onions until soft.  Add the flour and make a roux with the onions and butter, gradually add the stock until thickened.  Add the yarrow leaves and seasoning and cook gently for 15 minutes.  Blitz with a hand processor of pass through a sieve.  Preheat the milk then add to the soup.  you can add the dreaded nutmeg just before serving, if that is your thing.

 To be honest, I had very low expectations of this soup being any good, especially as it was made with a bunch of weed leaves found growing on the side of the mountain.

The finished soup!

But lo and behold, it tasted really, really, really nice!!!!!  A triumph in fact!!!  So much so I will make it again very soon.  Can't really describe the taste, but a sort of cross between spinach and a very mild fennel flavour.  Bet it would make a good sauce with fish...

Onto the next recipe!  Love Melissa x

How to make a rocket with the kids - easy and fun!

Too exciting to stand still!

Hellooo my lovelies! It's been a while I know, but the summer holidays is in full swing and we have all been busy learning, socializing and playing. Last week was manic as the weather (for once) has been good here in sunny Wales and needless to say we just HAD to make the most of it - you never know when the sun will return here - it could be in another 10 months after all!

One of the highlights of the week has been a fab online live webinar by Aurora Lipper on Rocketry and Spaceflight. It was just brilliant seeing the girls so excited about science (mind you, who doesn't have a little thrill when making a rocket; if you don't, there's clearly something wrong with you ha ha).

Gripping stuff, rocketry :-)

Right so, here is what you will need to have some fun making your own rocket:

Materials

1 x goggles or sunglasses
1 x box of alka-seltza (or generic brand)
1 x bottle of water
1 x empty camera film cassette with lid (NOT the black ones, I'll explain later)
Optional - a toy car, masking tape

Method

First go outside - this won't be pretty on your computer or laptop!

1) Put your goggles on.
2) Pour a bit of water into the film canister.
3) Add the alka-seltza tablet to the container and quickly snap the lid on tightly.
4) Turn the pot upside down and stand back!

5) If you are quick enough you can get 2 or 3 goes out of each tablet.
6) Try taping the canister to a matchbox car and see what happens.
7) Or, tape 3 canisters together to make a rocket like the Delta IV Heavy Rocket!

The opportunities are endless...... I hope you have some fun, I know we definitely did. Of course, we got the wrong kind of canister initially, which caused a bit of an anti-climax as the only thing that happened was a slight hiss from the pot. Luckily for us darling hubby was around to come up with a plan so we ended up using a tin whistle wrapper/pot/thingy which worked just as well. In the webinar the girls were encouraged to find out if adding different amounts of water would change how high the rocket went which you could try too...

If you are interested in Aurora's science curriculum you can buy it at www.superchargedscience.com.

Let me know how you get on!

Georgie xx

Holiday and a new challenge

Freshwater East (View from Garden)

I've been busy... and lazy, there are the two main reasons I haven't written in a while.  Well, we did go on our Summer holiday to the glorious Pembroke for a week, so that's a really good excuse in my book.  My Aunt has a bungalow very near the lovely beach at Freshwater East and I've have to add, its my most favourite place in the whole world.  We didn't go to any theme parks, or castles, or parks.  We had a good old fashioned holiday.  Picnics on the beach, lots of walking, rock pooling and even campfire cook out.  The children have made memories, without spending a penny and I don't feel they missed out in any way, shape or form.

Lots of Bullaces!

Still, that is a distant memory, as holidays generally seem to be a week after coming home.  Since being home, I have sat in post-holiday blues, washed the same load of washing 3 times and decided to get my act together to write about something!  During the last two days,  I have made a successful batch of home-made bagels, knocked up a 7-a-day Curry for the slugs, picked some fennel from Bullaces (wild plums) and picked up the new kitten!
my allotment for tea, picked 2kg of

I think my 7-a-day Curry was a success with the slugs, and I completely made it up so here is the recipe:


7-a-day Curry

1 Sweet Potato
1 Onion
1 Carrot
1 Small Courgette
1/2 Pepper (any colour)
Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
Handful of Peas
Good Handful of spinach/some frozen Spinach
100ml or so of Coconut milk (optional)
1 tsp Curry Powder (or more if the slugs like it more spicy)
oil

Chop all the vegetables, except the spinach and peas, to approximately the same size, small cubes is

ideal.  Wop the lot in the pan with a drop of oil.  Fry for 5 or so minutes on  a low to medium heat.  Add the curry powder and cook for about a minute - stirring.  Chuck in the contents of the tinned tomatoes with about half a can full of water along with the coconut milk, if using.  Bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender.  Add the peas and spinach.  Serve with some plain boiled rice. 

I served the leftover curry in a bowl of tomato soup for the slugs the next day, Georgie's two weren't impressed, bits in soup seems to be sacrilege!  My two ate the lot, in fact Ava inhaled hers.

After our little Bullace foraging effort, I was given a book by my mum and dad called 'All the good things around us' and it is totally fantastic!  Its a collection of old recipes using over 90 wild plants and herbs.  I am not sure that this book is still in print, but Richard Mabey's book (here) is also excellent, especially for first time foragers...So I am going to challenge myself to try and have a go at the recipes in this book and hopefully learn something along the way!  Yarrow is the first chapter in the book, so watch this space!

So excited :)

Love Melissa x

Origami anyone?!

So how are the summer holidays going with you? We have been busy – so far we have spent a week in sunny Cornwall staying at my parent’s house while they are on a fabulous cruise to Iceland enjoying the beaches and looking after their dog, Flora.

 Since we have come home almost everybody has had a sickness bug – nice. It has put a bit of a dampener on things. I don’t know about you, but I get really paranoid when everyone around you is ill. I have forgotten how many times I have washed my hands today. Oh, and the house is looking quite sparkly as I can’t seem to stop cleaning.

It seemed like a great idea to look after Flora at the time I offered. We have two dogs already, what’s one more? She is a good dog; not used to cats, but as I said gaily to my mother whilst cheering her off on her hols “we’ll just tell her NO! And she’ll soon get used to Willow (our precious cat)”. Yeah, right. Maybe I was wrong to be quite so optimistic....

Since ‘darling’ Flora has arrived she has:

1.      Howled all of the first night in our kitchen until I finally broke at 2.34am and brought her and her beanbag upstairs and next to our bed. (This has severely upset Willow, who cannot stand the sight of her and upstairs is usually her domain)....

2.      Howled every time I have gone upstairs and left her downstairs.... this first happened while I was putting Xavier in his cot for the afternoon nap. I festered with fury whilst seeming calm and sublime reading in my wonderful rocking chair then, once he was asleep she felt the sharp side of my tongue I can tell you.....

3.      Taken food out of my own hand (the cheek!) and considers anyone else’s food as fair game, yet steadfastly refuses to eat her own food....

4.      Decided that despite continuous rewards for coming when called, she will only come back when when SHE feels like it, not when I call her. Cav has refused to walk her at all as she won’t listen to him even a tiny bit.

So... the count-down is on. The parents arrive back in the UK today and are collecting the dog at the weekend. THANK THE LORD.

I love Flora really. Just in her own home and not mine. Sorry Mum.

Moving on, Tillianne and I have been busy making origami bookmarks, butterflies and dragons. Our plan is to sell them at a local craft fair.We have never done it before and it was really fun. Next time I will buy pretty origami paper like this but for our first attempts plain paper is fine.

You can find the instructions on how to make the heart bookmarks here.

Next we moved on to making a butterfly. The instructions we used were from here. This was exhausting but we were happy with the results in the end:

The final piece de la resistance was our dragon –what a nightmare! We had to take a break in the middle because we got mind freeze. If you fancy having a go you can find the tutorial here. Remember to persevere J

We may need some practice but there is definitely potential!

Have I mentioned that the ‘lottie is coming on nicely? We are currently having a daily supply of lettuce, rocket, radishes, cumbers, peas, courgettes, gem squash, tomatoes and French beans. Feeling happy!

Weed on my lovelies, speak soon

Georgie xxx