More foggy adventures

We're all still enjoying Plants vs Zombies, but have eased off a little since Tuesday's all day session.  Yesterday was our home ed co-op, and Joelle had organised some group games with a community/cooperative vibe.  Some of the games, like rats tail and what's the time Mr Wolf, were a big hit with Fred and Betsy.  A couple of the games weren't their cup of tea.  Overall they really enjoyed it.

Today (after some essential time on Plants vs Zombies) we met up with some families at the Ashridge Estate.  As we drove closer it became foggier and foggier, to all of our delight!  We found our friends in the murk, and went for a walk in the muddy woodland.  The kids climbed on fallen tree trunks and stomped though gloopy muddy puddles.  There is something wonderful about being in the fog.

It was very cold.  Betsy was toasty warm, wearing her merino wool leggings and long sleeved vest under her clothes.  Freddie doesn't seem to feel the cold.  Meg got pretty miserable, saying her foot hurt.  I carried her most of the way in the wrap, but she was still unhappy.  She was much happier after a sleep on the way home.
Friday tomorrow, with nothing more energetic planned than a visit to the library.  Then it's my birthday weekend #1!  I'm 40 on Monday, and dragging out the celebrations for as long as possible :-)

New group, and some seasonal crafting

Eric has settled in nicely.  So far we have discovered him playing with Meg's train set, and hanging happily from the lampshade.

We went to a new home ed group today.  It's not far from us (relatively speaking) and we can drive there in 25 minutes. There were around 5 or 6 families, with kids from 18 months to 11. Natalie, the mum we've met up with at the zoo, has organised it.  There was playdough, pasta threading, table football, board games, Playmobil stuff, cool big toys like action man and robots and motorbikes.  A lovely set up.

Freddie got on really well with one of the girls there.  We'd brought the Nexus with us (Rob has a new one so the old one is mine yay!), in case Freddie or Betsy felt shy and wanted to play with it to help 'warm up'.  This really worked and was just what Freddie needed to feel comfortable.  The girl came over to see what he was doing, and they sat together for a while chatting and playing.

He didn't get on so well with another child, who has autism.  They've played together a few times before and it's been fine, but today there was a problem and Freddie said he never wants to see him again in his life.  We talked about it after we left, and I suggested that as this was the first time he'd found the boy difficult maybe we could give it another try.  I said that if he felt upset or overwhelmed by him, we would leave straight away.  He said this was a good idea - hopefully this will work if there is a problem.
On the way home Betsy noticed the sun was going down in the sky - it was only 3.30pm.  We chatted about the earth facing away from the sun in the winter, and towards the sun in the summer.  I told them about Norway, and how it is dark in the winter and light in the summer.  Betsy was very surprised to hear that Australians can have a sunny barbecue on Christmas Day!  We have so many conversations like this in the car.
We have started some seasonal crafting.  Betsy and I made a red bell from shiny wrapping paper.

Meg used the offcuts to make a picture.  She loves glue, and was eating the glue stick.  Yeugh!

Freddie made a get well soon/Christmas card for a 2 year old neighbour who has chicken pox.

The girls made snowmen this afternoon.  They used a craft foam kit with stickers to add the snowman details.  I have one for Freddie, I'm not sure if he'll get around to doing or not.

Another day at home

Meg's still unwell (worse today, back on the inhalers) so we had another day at home.  

Betsy had a marathon sleep and didn't get up until 11.30, so Freddie and I watched White Fang.  What a great film!  While we watched we chatted about the wild west, gold mining, animal cruelty and dog fighting, Native Americans, pioneers, wolves howling at the moon.

Later, I got Rob's childhood train set out.  Meg looked slightly interested, but in the end sat near the track holding a train and looking sorry for herself.

The Hexbugs came out for the first time in a while.  I need to buy a job lot of batteries for them.

Freddie got the microscope out.  I tried to get a drop of blood for him to look at, but despite me jabbing a pin in my finger a dozen times I didn't get any!

Games came into their own today, though to be fair they usually do here.  Betsy played World Of Zoo on the Wii.  They've unlocked all the animals now.  Freddie continued with Dragon Vale when Rob got home, as he has the Nexus during the day.

I need to plan another home day tomorrow.  Umm, painting, marble run, make a birthday card for my mum....I need inspiration!  Off to pinterest I go....

To the zoo (again)

We met up with a home edding family at the zoo again today.  It was a wet day, so the zoo was pretty quiet.  We hung out at the play centre for a couple of hours before heading over to the Discovery Centre.  We had it almost entirely to ourselves.

The boa constrictor was more active than usual, unfurling itself to show us how long it is.  It was following the kids fingers on the glass, and actually knocked its head on the glass.  It was a bit intimidating!

Meg liked looking at the turtles, and we saw a green anaconda, the crocodiles and lots of butterflies   The leaf cutter ant colony has gone though, which is a shame.

When we got to the activity at the end, there was a chameleon to look at, and the keeper to answer our questions.  The chameleon was 6 months old, and the egg she'd hatched out of was tiny.

I'm very excited - when we got home the blacklight had arrived!  The batteries are charging now so we can have lots of UV fun tomorrow evening.

Pumpkins, fish and lizards

Halloween has been and gone.  Lots of fun was had going trick-or-treating, and opening the door to other trick-or-treaters.  Betsy was very sad when it was all over.  I'm feeling a bit at sea.  Betsy's birthday, and Halloween, have provided me with a focus and now I'm wondering what we can do.
I'm finding everyone's needs and desires difficult to meet.  Betsy builds something, Meg knocks it down.  Freddie feels bored.  Betsy is happy to do lots of craft, Freddie isn't.  Suggestions of places to go are frequently turned down.  I feel like we're on the edge of working out what will work better, but I'm missing opportunities to actually do it.  Freddie has outgrown many of his toys - or rather he still likes them but wants new things to liven them up - and I haven't kept up.  We spent a lot on the Skylanders game in October, and there wasn't enough left to buy other things.  It's difficult.  
Anyway.  Today.  Freddie and Jarvis were invited to a friend's birthday party.  Luckily, Jarvis's mum was busy so I took them both, which meant Freddie had a friend to walk in with.  It was an animal handling party.  The kids held or stroked giant land snails, a tortoise, two corn snakes, a degu, a skunk, a bearded dragon.  And there was a tarantula to look at too!
It was great.  I chatted to the woman who was running it, and I'm going to see if our home ed group would like to book an hour with her.
Later, the kids decided to smash the pumpkins.

Meg watched and ate ice cream (even though it was freezing!).

Freddie and Betsy asked to go fishing with their home made fishing rods (sticks, string, paperclips for hooks).  We took bread for bait.  The sun came out and it turned in to the most glorious cold autumn afternoon.

Quick, quick, slow

We've had a couple of busy days, making the most of the sunny weather.  
We went to a park in Watford, that has a lovely playground next to three big paddling pools.  The kids absolutely and totally loved it!  Freddie is rarely happier than when he's playing in water.  We splashed, picnicked and played.  I forgot my phone so missed many excellent photo opportunities *sigh*
The next day we met up with some of our home ed group at a fruit picking farm.  It wasn't so sunny, and the sky was dark and threatening on one side of us, sunny on the other.  Sorry about the mismatched font sizes, I was playing about with a photo editing website (and not doing it terribly well!)

After playing some football and hide and seek, and a picnic, we went to pick some strawberries.

From there we went to the Thames, to  a spot that's perfect for paddling.  

Freddie stayed in the river for 3 hours.  He wanted to stay in longer, but our journey home was quite long and the girls were getting tired and hungry!  We'll go back to that spot again, it really was perfect.
We had a really lovely, busy couple of days, and I was totally knackered today.  The kids were ready for a slower paced day too.  Freddie played on the Wii, we went to the pet shop and looked at the fish and the furry pets for sale. 
After lunch we made a volcano using (way too sloppy) salt dough and a plastic bottle.  

After we'd exhausted our supply of bicarbonate of soda and vinegar, the kids did some playdough and plastacine modelling.

Freddie made a plastacine snail and Betsy made a playdough pig.  They were so cool!