Posted by Sarah on July 19, 2010

We are calling today the first day of term 3 although all this really means is that we are back doing regular maths sheets. Learning didn’t stop through the holidays but it evolved a little to be more spontaneous and involved a lot more excursions than we usually fit into a week. The kids are happy to be back to a more structured routine especially Eli who spent the whole three weeks asking if we were going to do Maths today.

Today we have:

• * Sang the Beep Beep Fire Alarm Song
• * Watched a video of fire fighters putting out a house fire
• * English –A, Excel basic skills year 3 English workbook chapter 1 writing a recount.
•               – E, Reading Eggs  level 2 book 8 ( I haven’t used these before I just grabbed them in the book shop because the kids thought they looked interesting I asked him to do 2 pages and he did 9 when I wasn’t looking so I’m thinking maybe it’s a bit to easy???)
•               – L, Reading Eggs Level 2 book 5 lesson 41
• *Maths   –A Maths U See Beta lesson 4- Rounding to the nearest 10 and estimation
•               – E Maths U See Beta lesson 4- Rounding to the nearest 10 and estimation
•               -L Maths U See Alpha Lesson 4- Basic addition
• * We painted family portraits of our friends to give to their new baby.
• * Quiet reading time
• *I listened to them read, Lani finished another book, Ahhh, looks like I’ll have to go back to the library again.

Posted by Sarah on July 19, 2010

We got to chat with the Fire Brigade and clamber all over a real fire engine. Oh how thrilling life can be at times. An engine and it’s crew visited a local shopping centre to raise fire safety awareness just like the police did the other day.

Actually it was really interesting observing the outpouring of love that all the kids had for the Fire Men as apposed to the reverent silence that they held the police officers in. The police were approached by all the kids on the day quietly and asked solemn questions. However on the day the fire truck turned up kids were exploding out of their cars, their frazzled mothers desperately calling after them to the mind the cars as the pelted across the car park glowing eyes and gleaming faces announcing “My heroes are here.”

I think the difference may be that even though we like to think of these little ones as innocent, they know full well that they sin too. Yes we teach them that police are there to keep them safe and protect the community from harm but deep in their minds, just like in the minds of us all, they know that these are the guys that search for the wrong in the world.

One of Glenn’s favourite authors David Eddings puts it this way

No man is so entirely guiltless in his own soul that the sudden appearance of a few thousand police does not give him a qualm or two.

Or it may have just been that we know how to show off to the Fire guys. Eli didn’t stop talking the whole time we were there. He waltzed straight up to the first guy he saw and announced that he had learnt all about fire safety. Much to my relief he was thoroughly impressed by their knowledge. He quizzed them on everything he could think of off the top of his head and the only thing he had to remind them about was covering their faces when doing Stop Drop and Roll to get the fire off your clothes. I kept apologising to the poor guy because they wouldn’t stop jabbering on about every thing that they knew, but he didn’t seem to mind and even listened patiently to an impromptu performance of Beep Beep Smoke Alarm that they learnt from Brigade Kids.

Eli insisted that Sabrina would be upset if she didn’t have a turn in the truck. He was probably right she was very proud of herself up there with her big brother.

Posted by Sarah on July 15, 2010

Guess what we are studying at the moment?

The kids and I visited a police display at a local shopping centre. To be honest I found it a little disappointing and not really worthy of the massive add in the paper. The two police officers just stood there and expected the kids to just chat to them which proved a little intimidating, they had nothing prepared to say. However the kids have jabbered excitable about it since. They got to sit in the car, listen to the police radio (Lani was the first kid in and turned it on) and got their fingers printed. We watched a forensic episode of Scope on TV so it was quite thrilling to take part in something we had watched on the screen.

You should had seen the officer jump forward when Sabi did this, I think she was near the siren button.

Non of the kids were brave enough to ask anything so we went off to have doughnuts. On the way back to the car the sugar induced bravery must have kicked in because they wanted to go back. In the end we had a very lengthy conversation with the female police officer about all her belt attachments. The kids liked the hand cuffs and the bullets but the thing that Eli talked about most was the extendable baton because it was just like his Light Saber.

As part of this topic we have been spending a lot of time at Brigade kids and all the kids have had fun with the Triple Zero Challenge. Its a really great site for kids to learn about the emergency services and general safety. We have learnt a lot and now know we need to memorise the addresses of all of the houses that we visit often not just our own because emergencies can happen anywhere.

Posted by Sarah on July 13, 2010

I am eating lunch and the children are planning their futures. So far it goes a little like this.

Lilly:” I never want to grow up”

Me:”oh why there are lots of good things about being grown up”

Alanah: (dripping with sarcasm) Yeah like you can have your stomach ripped open and a needle stuck in your back” (she recently over heard a conversation involving the word Caesarean section. I tried to be as delicate as I could in the description focusing on the joy of finally getting to meet your baby and how thankful we should be that modern medicine saves lives but apparently all she took away from the conversation was the cutting and jabbing bits)

I just roll my eyes at her, I’m trying to get in as many eye rolls as I can before the teenage years turn up.

Alanah: “When I have a baby he’s going to be called John, Eli’s favourite name”

Me: “Well that’s not fare if it’s Eli’s favourite name wont he want to call his son John”

Eli: “That’s ok I’ll just call my baby John too.”

Lilly: “My baby’s name is John” (said like it was something totally new to the conversation)

Me: “Well that will make it easy for me. When I have my grandchildren around for Lunch I can just call out JOHNSSSSSS foods up. ( Totally ham up the acting here, cup hands around mouth, lean back as I draw out the call then put hands out to fend of the hordes of invisible Johns)

Peals of hysterical laughter ensue, I so rock the stand up stage in this house!

Finally Lilly manages to get enough oxygen in her lungs to speak (yes I know so surprising that Lilly spoke first..a hum.)

Lilly: “ Noooo you’ll have to call come in John S, John K and John J”

Me: “Oh do you two girls already know who you are marrying then”

Lilly: “What????”

Me: “Well when a woman gets married she takes her husbands last name that’s why all your babies would have different letters, so who is Mr J then??”

Lilly: “Eww no that’s just the baby’s name like John Jay Kay Ess Ell Emm……” ( I so love that they want babies but the thought of kissing boys is still yuck to them)

Alanah: “Actually my baby is going to be called Wendy”

Lilly: “OH OH Oh and mine is TINCKER BELLL!!!”

Eli: YES and my other baby is called CAPTAIN HOOK!!!!”

And suddenly I’m Grandmother to a fairytale.

That is what I love about my kitchen, the conversations.

Find out what other people love by popping over to Hello Owls.

Posted by Sarah on July 11, 2010

I love going to little kids birthday parties. They don’t hold back on the emotions like we adults have learnt to do over the years and it’s just hysterical to see them overloaded on sugar and emotions. Only I didn’t get to go this time because I have a stupid virus, Blarrh. I also missed out on going to the chocolate cafe how cruel is that.

Anyhoo, I made the little girl a crown with her letter on it because her Mummy said she liked dress ups and sparkly things. I hope she liked it according to my family who are all not sick and got to go to the party she wore it so that’s a good sign.

I also made her a rainbow kitty cat because the little crown didn’t seem like all that much when I had finished it. I hope he’s not to weird looking I made him up as I went along.

The lovely thing about the day was that the parents of the birthday girl took all our kids for the rest of the afternoon which was nice for Glenn, I didn’t really notice because I was asleep from 9:30 am till 2:30 pm. Then because apparently a birthday party and unexpected afternoon guests wasn’t enough stress for them they offered to have the kids over night. So Lilly and Eli went to their first not Grandma’s house sleep over and I was too woozy with flu medication to even panic about it, much. So just before I let my porridge filled head collapse onto the lounge chair to watch House make other sick people feel worse I would like to say a Huge Happy Birthday and Thank You Very Much to my friends, don’t I have cool friends?