Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - 7

The Homeschool Mother's Journal
In my life this week:
See, I told you it was "time" and so I have embarked on a bit of a "get fit" campaign, with the wonderful assistance of my iPhone, Runkeeper and C25K. I've never been a runner, but I'm keen to tackle the City to Surf this year and so the Couch to 5KM website and app is the way I'm going to get there. I'm keen to get off the couch and I definitely have found my calf muscles!


Oh, and more rain inside...






In our homeschool this week:
After recovering from our illness and Bridge Climb last week, we have been on "go slow" in school. Here in NSW, Oz, it's the last week of Term 1 and so we started our "holidays" a bit early. 


Lots of reading (the kids and me). They are particularly enjoying the graphic novel versions of Agatha Christie and Video Boy has revisited Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series by the amazing Douglas Adams. Wombat Girl is a board game nut and so we succumbed to her plaintive  pleas to "play a game!".


We have had a fabulous week of documentaries - see my post on the Secret Life of Chaos. We also loved How the Earth Made Us (also known as How the Earth Changed History). We watched the Human Planet episode which Wombat Girl found a bit confronting - so much damage to animals, exploitation of resources, destruction of ecosystems! But we had a great discussion about what we as individuals, as families and as future employees or business people can do about these issues.



We also thoroughly enjoyed the Lost Thing - a 15 minute animated short film, based on Australia's Shaun Tan's book of the same name. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Short and I was in tears. Truly a piece of art. It is currently available for viewing on ABC iview  and also on iTunes for purchase.


Later in the week we got out the watercolours, pens, pencils and textas and did some drawing - some inspired by our viewing and listened to Glacier Bay and Winter into Spring - very relaxing and inspiring.


Places we're going and people we're seeing:
Just the usual this week - gymnastics and tennis. I managed to have coffee with a work colleague after work, which was quite enjoyable. Also visited my mum (who lives in the same town) and had dinner, which we hadn't done in ages.


My favourite thing this week:


What's working for us:
Having the time to explore art, music, literature, science - all with passion, discussion and meaning.


Homeschool questions/thoughts I have:
We never stop learning, even when we have a "break" from formal bookwork.


Photo/video/link to share:


 


7 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great week besides it raining in your home. Hope you can get that fixed.

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  2. Crisc, we now have a pile of colourbond steel in our front yard, but you guessed it...it's raining and they can't put it on!

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  3. Looks like a good week. Rain..Rain...go away:)

    Hope things get fixed.

    Hopping over from HSMJ.
    REnita
    www.krazykuehnerdays.com

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  4. Rain aside, i LOVED LOVE LOVED your "What's working for us" section!

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  5. I LOVE the Hitchiker's series. Awesome choice.

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  6. My 15YO boy revisits Hitchikers regularly!

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  7. In the words of Supertramp "its raining again". My roof is still leaking. Sigh. Misty - thanks! It's one (of many) of the joys of homeschooling. I love Hitchhikers too (not so much the movie...).

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