Did you miss me? I didn’t get a chance to write last week as Jessy refused to go to Cubs. I think this was due to the excellent Home Ed trip we went on. It was very busy on a boiling hot day with lots of information to take in and things to try, so I think he was too frazzled! We went to Turton Tower and learned about the Tudors with some hands on workshops.
The front entrance of Turton Tower.
What remains of the actual tower.
In our first workshop we learned about house construction Tudor style and the kids had a chance to try wattle and daub. Jessy wasn’t ready to join in yet but I could tell he was interested. Next, we went indoors for the one Jessy was looking forward to – Tudor style sweet making!
Jessy’s rolled ball of sugar and rosewater paste, ready to be pressed into a mould.
They made shapes by pressing the paste into wooden moulds and then dipped them in cinnamon and allowed them to dry and harden. Jessy made a Tudor Rose. Next, we moved onto a workshop about weapons by a vibrant animated man who was loudly enthusiastic about his knowledge!
Trying on armour.
Lifting the heavy gun.
Finally we got involved with outdoor cooking as it would have been done for troops of soldiers. The kids got involved with making a mixture of dried fruits and nuts which were threaded, wound onto a spit, covered with batter and roasted over an open fire. It looked delicious, but sadly we weren’t allowed to eat any.
Learning how to thread the fruit and nuts.
Jessy concentrating hard on the threading task.
Stew in the pot and the fruit and batter mix roasting on a spit.
Finally, our whole group came together (there were about 80 of us!) to watch an archery and shooting display. The children were all shocked at how loud the gun shot was.
The archer retrieves his arrows and everyone waits for the gun shot display.
It was a lovely day out and we’ve decided we’d like to go back to have a tour of the house and explore the grounds more.
Apart from this trip, the pace of life has felt slow. We’ve enjoyed more Japanese study on Language Nut and Nihongo Master. Jessy is getting confident with his favourite vocab section. We finished watching all the Harry Potter films. I bought CDs of the RiddleTM songs that we love. Teenage twins created a great collection of Harry Potter inspired songs which are very catchy and great to sing along to. We have been compulsively listening to them and now know most of the lyrics off by heart. Our neighbours probably do too! Jessy likes to look them up online to learn them faster.
Jessy often leaves things for a long time before showing an interest in them. This week we’ve enjoyed two of the gifts he was given for his birthday in February. We’ve been reading ‘Bad Kids’ which is very similar to Horrible Histories and Jessy has enjoyed taunting me with his new knowledge of vile punishments throughout history! He also built his Mini Titanic kit completely on his own. He’s enjoyed taking it apart and rebuilding it again so many times I’ve lost count!
The insides of the Titanic.
The Titanic sails again!
Anais came round to play on Sunday. She’s got back into Pokemon, so we all got creative and imagined new Pokemon.
Pokemon by Anais.
Jessy’s Pokemon.
My Pokemon designs.
I’d definitely say that we haven’t been as busy lately as usual. There has been less activity. However, I realised today that we’re thinking about and working on other things. I’ll write a separate blog about that I think, and keep this one about what we’ve been up to. Watch this space!
Pinklucy's Adventures in Autonomous Education amongst other things. 