Shake it, baby! March 22, 2010

Our Home-Ed group activity this week was great fun – thanks to C for organising it.  I had no idea that ice cream could be made in a bag!

Materials list, per person

• ½ cup of whole milk
• Ice cubes
• 6 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
• Small zip-seal bag
• Large zip-seal bag
• Flavourings such as vanilla essence, cocoa powder, peppermint essence  (optional)
  

  Ice cream in a bag

The milk, sugar and any desired flavourings are placed in the smaller of the two Zip-loc bags.  The larger of the two Zip-loc bags should be roughly half-filled with ice and then the rock salt added. The smaller bag is placed inside the larger one, with both firmly sealed then the bag is smooshed, rolled, shaken and generally agitated for about 5-10 mins after which time, voilà – ice cream!

I made the vegan option of pineapple sorbet, which was just pineapple juice in the smaller bag and exactly the same process.  Easy- peasy and very thirst quenching.

Grow Your Own Potatoes March 22, 2010

I had totally forgotten that I had registered for this scheme until a parcel

Contents of the free growing kit

arrived in the post a few weeks ago.  We received a comprehensive little growing kit (all free of charge) consisting of two varieties of seed potatoes – Rocket and Vales Emerald; 2 x plastic growing sacks; a weather chart and stickers; materials and instructions for making a rain gauge; a sprinkler top to convert a 2 litre pop bottle into a natty watering device and some very comprehensive instructions for the project.

Although we already grow taters at the lottie, the boys were quite excited to have some of their own.

So, we started by chitting the seed potatoes (chitting is the process of placing seed potatoes in a cool, light place to encourage strong sturdy shoots to grow before they are planted in the ground).  We did this by tearing the lid off two egg boxes and standing the potatoes in the bottom section, where the eggs would go.  We then labeled them and stood them on the kitchen windowsill, where they remained for 2 weeks.

The seed potatoes are now planted in the growing sacks and the boys need to record each day’s weather condition on the chart provided, measure the rainfall and water the spuds every 3-4 days.  The weather aspect of this project is good because it will serve as an introduction to a topic on weather I have planned for later in the year.    Also, I’m going to do some extension activities on handling data, making graphs etc.

Registration is now closed for this year’s project but you can register here for 2011.   Also, the site contains some useful activities and lesson  plans.

Cracking Cheeeeeese, Gromit! March 17, 2010

We went to a cheese farm yesterday, which was really interesting and informative.  The farmer began by explaining how they had started producing cheese about five years ago.

Yellowbelly cheeses maturing

At that time, they were selling their milk at a loss and so had to choose between two options – give up farming, or find a way to ‘add value’ to their product.  Thankfully they decided on the latter option and, following the success of their first two varieties, are on the cusp of launching their third cheese.  They already produce a soft, blue cheese called Cote Hill Blue and a soft, waxed cheese called Yellowbelly, which is similar in texture to Edam, but much more flavoursome.

After an illustrated  talk about how cheese is made we donned our fetching hairnets  and went to see the process and store rooms, with cheeses at various stages of maturation.  We then met the cows and watched them being fed.  They were lovely, docile animals.

Chick chick chick chick chicken, lay a little egg for me!

After this it was off to feed the hens and gather some freshly laid eggs, which the kids loved.  It was great to see the excitement on their faces as they reached into the straw lined nest box and pulled out the little ovoid treasures.

We then headed back to see the cows being milked – they are milked twice a day and one cow can produce up to 40 litres of milk!

Some of the Cote Hill crew

After a thorough handwashing session, we went back to taste some cheese, which they had laid out for us with some oatcakes and water biscuits – delicious!

The farmers gave of their time very generously – the visit was free of charge, and they made us feel very welcome.

We bought some cheese and some of the free range eggs we had gathered only hours before.  We had the eggs with toast for tea – the shells were hard and the yolks were a vivid, deep yellow – absolutely delicious!  Later, for supper, hubby and I cracked open a lovely bottle of Merlot to accompany some of the cheese – a perfect end to a pretty perfect day!

Meccano fun March 8, 2010

C spent part of yesterday building a Meccano helicopter.  There is no plan for one in the book that came with his set so he freestyled and used an old motor he had stripped off something else.  Because big bro was off at the cinema with his girlfriend, C asked hubby if he would do some Meccano with him, to which his dad replied ‘Err, yes, of course I will but I can only be your helper’.  This is because hubby, whilst being a genius in his own field, sucks at construction tasks.  So part way in to ‘the build’ hubby came to make a cuppa with a pained look on his face because C was trying to figure out how to most effectively mount the engine on the frame and was asking for input and ideas from his ‘assistant’.  Hmm, in hubby’s own words ‘He ain’t exactly dealing with Isambard Kingdom Brunel here!’  Quite.

Anyway, C got it all figured on his own.  This morning he wanted to measure the speed at which the blades were moving. He knew this would be done in rpm, so we discussed how you could count them without your eyes boggling, because at speed, one blade would look much like another.  So he came up with the idea of marking one of them to make it easier to count.  We put a sticker on the end of one blade and counted each time it returned.  They were moving at 80 rpm.  He was very impressed with this and even more so when he discovered that my washing machine is only 1000rpm.  I’ll have to keep an eye to make sure the motor doesn’t suddenly ‘disappear’!

Isambard Junior in action..

Electronic Wizardry March 5, 2010

Some while ago a friend recommended an electronics course to me as he knew someone who had used it with their children and rated it highly.  I took a look at the website and liked the concept,  and coupled with his recommendation, decided to sign C up for an ‘Electronic Wizard’s Apprenticeship’.

Whilst it isn’t cheap, I would say, thus far, it has been worth every penny.  The confidence and excitement it has created in C is amazing to see.  Firstly, its  such a buzz at that age to receive a parcel through the mail (heck, I still initiate a one-woman Mexican wave when the postie arrive with my Amazon goodies so I know where the kid’s coming from!)  C’s second ‘Wonder Box’ arrived today and he tore the wrapping away in a frenzy before diving into the box to ‘ooh’ and ‘aaah’ over the  components that will form the basis of our next four-weeks worth of electronics.

The first project he did from Wonderbox 1 was making an electrophorus, which we played with all afternoon in the dark, charging it and using it to light  LEDs and the fluorescent tube.

The other exciting aspect of Wonderbox 1 is the introduction to soldering – a new and thrilling realm for a nine year old boy.  He is now the very proud owner of a hand-me-down soldering iron from his big bro and it makes my heart swell to see him so much in his element.

First ever attempt at soldering!

Using the electrophorus to light a fluorescent tube

A Grand Day Out… March 5, 2010

The weather on Tuesday was fab – really spring-like, sunny yet crisp – my very, absolutely most favouritest weather.  I promised the boys that if they got stuck in and did some good work in the morning we could spend the afternoon at the woods (oh yeah, doesn’t that big ol’ juicy carrot look tasty?)  We had a great morning doing French, which they tackled really enthusiastically.

So after lunch off we went to the woods, replete with scooters, football, camera, goalie gloves, juice – the whole kit and kaboodle.  We’d been playing footy for a while when we became aware of a helicopter circling quite low above the treetops.  It was the bright yellow Air Ambulance and we watched as it landed on a large clearing in the woods.  Oooh, some unexpected excitement.  We gathered up our things…no hang on, that isn’t what happened at all.  The boys raced up the hill leaving me to gather up all their chattels and ‘race’ up the hill after them, laden down like the mule in ‘Buckaroo’ ! (Who brought a flaming pickaxe and prospectors pan??)

A small gang of gawpers had already assembled when we got to where the helicopter had landed, at was deemed to be a respectable distance from the scene.   I was soon furnished with the details by one of my fellow onlookers – a lady had been knocked over by an excitable pooch and fallen awkwardly on her knee, injuring it quite badly.  The description of the injury was delivered in a gleefully macabre fashion, accompanied by a rather graphic hand movement which indicated that the bones in her leg were no longer in textbook formation.  So as not to appear too much of a tricoteuse, I hid behind a bulky lady in a beige anorak and took some pictures – muahahaha!

After a while the medical team decided they could stretcher the lady to the land ambulance, which had managed to get quite a good way up the woodland path, so the Air Ambulance was no longer needed.  A couple of likely-looking teenagers went down to talk to the pilot and he started showing them around and even let them sit in the ‘copter.  Woohoo, the boys were there like a shot and I got a great pic of each of them sitting in the cockpit.  What a fab guy – he made their day!  We stayed long enough to watch it eventually take to the skies and waved them off into the blue beyond.

We came home, printed out the pics and looked on their website to find out more about the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, made a donation by text, and did a quick project page about it.  This epitomises one of the aspects of home-ed that I love so much – the freedom to explore and learn tangentially as unexpected opportunities present themselves.

I’m sending some good vibes for the lady with the injured knee!

Celebrate Good Times…C’Mon! March 4, 2010

There has been so much going on of late I can’t even think where to begin.  Birthdays loom large for us over February and March.   J & C turned nine last week.  We seem to have had a constant stream of celebrations – family tea party, party with friends and go-karting as a special birthday treat.

We also went for a day out to York to visit the Jorvik Viking Centre, but made the mistake of going in half-term – D’oh!!  The queue snaked back as far as the eye could see and we didn’t fancy the hour and a half wait for admission.  So we spent the day meandering through the charming streets, the boys spent some birthday money and lingered, marvelling at the street entertainers.  I bought some yummy handmade papers from Shared Earth to make a notebook for A – one of J&C’s home-ed friends.  We also went for a lovely meal at Strada (partially courtesy of Mr Tesco’s Clubcard deal tokens) and everybody returned home happy, without so much as a squabble in the car – truly amazing!

A living statue painted entirely in purple, and why not?

And as the birthday train chugs along to the next station…momentous occasion: our eldest baby turned sweet 16 today.  Hang on…let me say that again ’16!!!’ For someone who still thinks she is 14 this is a pretty awesome and slightly scary realisation.  I won’t bore you with the details of how bloody marvellous he is – but needless to say we are incredibly proud of the man he is growing into – not least of all because he shares my bodacious taste in music and I never get tired of hearing him play guitar – unlike the neighbours, methinks   His brothers made lovely personal gifts for him and helped me to bake his birthday cake this afternoon.

Blimey, for a minute there I thought I’d leapt into an alternative reality where we are actually the Waltons!  (Flashback: who remembers ‘Quantum Leap’?)

And as if all this celebratory joviality, domestic harmony and general ‘spring is in the air’ optimism were not enough – I just bagged me some tickets to see the divine Miss Suzanne Vega – ooooooh yeah!  Happy Days

A couple of poems… February 6, 2010

J tried his hand at some freestyle poetry this week.  I love this poem he came up with – I think he uses some lovely imagery.  I’ve subscribed to ‘Young Writer’ magazine for him, and he can’t wait for his first issue to be delivered.

Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are fine animals

With their long, beautiful spikes

Trotting along the street

Better watch out for bikes

***

Hedgehogs out at night

Looking at the stars

Watching the children perched on the fence

Eating chocolate bars.

By J  – 8 years old

To make it more inclusive, I sat with J while he wrote and he set me a writing task too.  He asked me to write a poem about the rainbow, seven verses long, one for each colour of the rainbow.  This is what I knocked out!  He loved it. He wanted us to carry on through tea time and into the evening.

The Rainbow of Foody Loveliness

Red, the colour of

Juicy berries

Plump strawbs

And shiny cherries.

***

Orange, the colour of

Freshly-squeezed juice

Jaffa cakes, jelly

And tangerine mousse.

***

Yellow, the colour of

Sweet, creamy custard

Dippy egg yolks

And strong English mustard

***

Green, the colour of

Broccoli trees

Crunchy, sour apples

And hot mushy peas

***

Blue, the colour of

Summery skies

Bubblegum slushies

And blueberry pies.

***

Indigo, the colour of

Blackcurrant juice

Plum crumble and cobbler

And rich, Autumn fruits.

***

Violet, the colour of

Sugary treats

Of sherbet and fizzers

And flower-flavoured sweets.

***

No literary prizes for this, but a cute little ditty, non? 

Home-Ed group shenanigans February 6, 2010

We had a fab week at group this week.

It the first week of our street dance sessions.  This is somewhat of a coup as we have managed to secure a trainee dance instructor to come along to our Thursday sessions at the Centre and deliver an hour’s street dance tuition, free of charge!  The kids all really loved it and it was great fun to watch – heck, I might have to join in next week.  It goes to show what can be achieved when you harness the ‘authorities’ and work in conjunction with them rather than butting heads at every given opportunity.  Without a good relationship with Youth Services we would not have the use of such a brilliant centre for our home-ed group, nor would we be able to access things like the street dance tuition.

In addition to street dance we made bean mosaics, which was so therapeutic and great fun.   The results are fab!  We used a selection of dried beans: pinto beans, mung beans, kidney beans, black turtle beans , black-eyed beans and yellow split peas – all different sizes, colours and textures to create our natty artwork.  You make the mosaics by simple applying a thick layer of PVA glue to a piece of corrugated cardboard and away you go.  In order to preserve your creation, once dry, a thin layer of PVA or varnish should be applied over the top to stop the beans from sprouting or going mouldy.

Chicks dig boys who cook! February 5, 2010

This is what I told my boys one afternoon this week, as they helped make the evening meal and some baked treats too.  They love measuring and mixing, folding and beating the cake ingredients.  We made a lemon drizzle cake and a coffee cake (recipes below).

Also, we made pizza dough in the breadmaker and then shaped this into a flatbread on a big baking tray.  We made up some garlic butter with a sprinkle of parsley and daubed this liberally on the flatbread, 20 mins in the oven and it was perfect – far better than anything I have shop-bought.  Tasted fab with the big pan of chilli we made whilst the cakeys were baking in th’oven.  All in all we had a great afternoon and the kids even mucked in with the washing up without too much complaining!

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Ingredients

• 175g butter, softened
• 275g caster sugar
• Finely grated zest 2 unwaxed lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 225g self raising flour
• 100ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Method

1 Preheat oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper. Put the butter, 175g caster sugar and the lemon zest in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy – this is easiest with an electric hand mixer.

2 Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and adding a tablespoon of flour with the last one to help prevent the mixture curdling.

3 Fold in the rest of the flour and turn into the tin. Bake for about 45 minutes until risen and golden and the centre springs back when lightly pressed.

4 As soon as the cake goes in the oven put the rest of the sugar in a bowl with the lemon juice. Leave in a warm place (next to the cooker is ideal) while the cake cooks, stirring occasionally.

5 When the cake is cooked, leave it in the tin and pierce all over with a skewer. Slowly drizzle on the lemon syrup so that it soaks into the hot cake and leave to cool in the tin.

Coffee Pound Cake

Ingredients for the cake

• 250g butter (at room temperature)
• 250g sugar
• 4 eggs
• 250g self raising flour
• 1 tbsp freshly ground coffee
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Icing

• 200g butter
• 250g icing sugar
• 1 tsp freshly made coffee (cooled)

Method

1. Preheat an oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf tin with butter. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat them together until they are light and creamy.

2. Whisk the eggs in one at a time until they are well combined.

3. Gradually add the sieved flour a third at a time, until each third is well incorporated.

4. Finally mix in the coffee and vanilla essence and mix them in well. Evenly spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and place the cake on the centre shelf in the preheated oven.

5. Bake the cake for 45 minutes until it is well risen and firm to touch (to test if it is ready insert a skewer into the centre; it should come out dry). When the cake is cooked, turn it out on a cake rack and leave it to cool.

6. Beat together the butter, icing sugar and coffee to a smooth spreadable icing.  Once the cake has fully cooled, spread the icing over the top of the cake.