Ever had one of those days where you just can't remember what you've done the past week?  Lucky for me the camera keeps tabs on our days.

We had a house guest last week. Flat Stanley arrived in the post from our friend K and so we showed him the sights of Mitcham - ballet classes, lunch at Forest Hill Chase, the very lovely Roundabout Park, and a cultural trip to Albert Park for our weekly gamelan practice.

He also listened in on our Mapping the World and Chemistry lessons and enjoyed hearing R reading her Headsprout stories.

A fairly quiet week altogether, the only diversions being a sleepover with cousin H, celebrating N's 10th birthday and an impressive Mozart concert for P and I.
Quiet weeks are good - we all get a chance to relax and play uninterrupted for hours on end.  Right now they are playing with their new Henry XIII and his wives paper dolls - it's very funny hearing their version of this song!

It's all coming together..

I'm a terrible one for making lesson plans and then not following through.  Take my Aesop's Fables study we started in week 1 for instance.  We didn't get past the third day without tears and everyone seeking refuge in their trusty DS's.  I told myself for the upteenth time to get over it, we're just not curriculum girls.  I put away my painstakingly hand drawn maths problems, and suddenly we were all happy again - free, relaxed, enjoying each other.
Then, suddenly last week I forgot all about that disaster and bought two curriculums.  The girls are really enjoying chemistry, history and art at the moment and these curriculums are based solely on those areas. The first is 'The Elements. Ingredients of the Universe', the second 'Mapping the World with Art'. Both are by Ellen McHenry whose link you will find in the list of links over on the right.
I admit I was nervous about starting these.  We began with the first lesson of MTWWA.  It involved a short reading about the first mapmakers. Then after watching the video of how to draw Mesopotamia we drew it. It was really alot of fun. We then made edible Babylonian cuneiform clay tablets. H's said something about fish and oxen on a heavenly mountain.

 

Throughout the day we practiced drawing the map from memory. H enjoyed it so much that she even drew it the next day on the train.
We continued with Lesson 2 on Friday - reading about Strabo and Eratosthenes, drew the Nile River, and H was able to recall stuff she remembered about Alexandria from reading Horrible Histories books.

The Elements curriculum was just as fun. In addition to that we are learning The Elements song by Tom Lehrer. H can already sing it word perfect, P and I have a long way to go yet!

Our new art teacher was a great success both with students and parents.  She's quiet and kind and allowed the kids to produce some great work with ink, watercolours, native plants and twigs to use instead of brushes.

R's work

H's work

We've been busy this past week, but still found time for Kids Cardio, applying skills learned on Art Academy to paint on enormous canvasses, H teaching R how to paint a sunset, and endless games on The World of Miamiopia (see link on right).

Oh, we also had a great time at niece H's birthday party

A Cave girl and her Cat

..and Opa's birthday too but R was photographer that day so no great pics of that occasion, unless you want to see lots of photos of people's armpits or up R's nose.

Ecky Thump

It does rather look like a giant black pudding doesn't it?

Fortunately it's not.  It's a solar tube.  50ft long.

 

Recently I read a book called "Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry".  It's a good read but I felt sad that there even has to be a book about this issue.  After our morning playing (oops, I mean LEARNING) at the park with the solar tube H asked if she could go to the milkbar on her own. We said yes, she took her pocket money and scootered off on her own.  Fifteen minutes later she was back chewing gum with R.  H was proud of herself because at one point she wanted to turn back, but she made herself go on anyway.  The milkbar lady even undercharged her!

The word 'milestone' comes to mind, but is it?  Should the simple act of walking alone to the shops on a Saturday morning to spend $2 be such a big deal?

I can't believe how happy this makes me:

For the first time ever I have a NEW sewing machine, complete with all the whizzbang stitches and automatic everything!  It took me a while to gather the confidence to even thread this lovely machine, but eventually I did sew a sandwich wrap together and it was magic.  I should have taken a photo of my first project but only thought of that after I SOLD it!! Yes, two fantastic events in one day.
Amazing.
Here's my new friend:

Earlier in the week I busied myself making a pencil roll for niece H's fifth birthday.  It was a pain to sew but turned out ok in the end. I used this pattern.

finished it just before my old machine packed it in!

I hope she likes it.

H and I went orienteering on Wednesday at Westerfold's Park.  It was great fun and tiring at the same time, and we made some new friends too.

R spent the morning with Oma and attended an Intimo party held at a friend's house.  I was told that she particularly enjoyed the grapes and crackers on offer and it made her giggle to see all the lovely 'booby bras'. 

Our week of fun and excitement was marred by the sudden departure of the girls' art teacher.  Apparently she 'had a meltdown' 15 minutes before the class was due to start, and resigned.  We are all mystified as to the real reason why she's left.  The children of course are extremely disappointed.
Here is a picture of the girls before art class:

clowning around in the car

Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to capture the looks of sorrow and dismay when they were told A had left forever.  Must be more diligent next time.