We've been busy

Just sometimes I decide to record a fraction of what we do in a week to post. I helps me to remember that we actually do a lot all of the time but I rarely record it. So here's a snippet of this weeks productivity in photos. 

Lots and lots of Lego creativity

Making pizzas with paper plates to cut up into fractions

Some painting and creating

And plenty of Minecraft. 

George 1 has also been working on a fascinating lapbook project about Norse Mythology. With the second Thor film available to view we decided to make something of it and found out more about him. I realised that I knew nothing of our northern neighbours and we've found out things that have helped to explain more about not only Thor, but also the How to Train Your Dragon series. We especially enjoyed looking at the similarities between the creation and end of the world myths and our own Christian beliefs. 

This has all taken place in amongst Parkour training, forest school, German practise, friend play dates, a trip to the beach and getting organised for a mini holiday and a new baby! I don't always give us enough credit for how busy we are and it's important for me to remember just how much we're achieving on a daily basis even when it doesn't feel like it. 

Simon Says and other games

One of things I've learned since home educating is just how many learning opportunities there are in every day games. 

Take the simple Simon Says game for example. We often play it to get a bit of rainy day exercise in. It's a fantastic way to channel pent up energy in 3 boisterous boys! Whilst playing I'll drop in maths equations, science questions, compass directions, spellings, anything I can think of. The children love it and will answer questions that they would otherwise think of as a test and refuse to engage with. 

Yesterday we went on a car journey for an hour. In the car we played a game (it must have a name but I don't know what it is) where I would say something like, "I am huge, I'm made of gas, I emit heat, you can't survive on earth without me, the earth spins around me....." and they had to guess what I was. It was fantastic. We described buildings, cities, plants, animals, people, the list was endless and so much fun. 

Another game we've played is story telling. I'll start a story then the next person makes up the next section etc. It's a fantastic way to build story telling skills, use imagination and pass the time on a long car journey. Along with the number plate sentence builder game of course!

We play board games a lot too. They love the '80s Game of Knowledge. One of the questions is 'how many tv channels are there in the UK?' The answer is 4!! It's a very old game but they love it and we can incorporate a bit of history too. They're always amazed by the fact that we only had 4 channels! 

I don't play games with them enough and I need to work on that. I know the value to their education is immense and it takes virtually no time or effort - especially in the car.