HOME MADE QUEEN ELSA FROZEN CASTLE

Recently, I've been encouraging my two younger children to use their imagination and reinvent their toys, many of which are never used!

We certainly don't need the latest themed toys and I'm not going to buy them all.
So as we took the Christmas decorations off the tree we created Queen Elsa's castle...

Bye bye Barbie's dream house.

Hello Frozen castle.

 Queen Elsa's bedroom,

 We used silver tinsel and snowflakes.

 And guess what?

Rosanna still doesn't play with it, but she had great fun creatively making it and it's not cost us an extra penny.

Word Garlands

 

 When I was I child I didn't enjoy going into the Imperial Market in Rotherham. In the middle of the building was an antiques stall, presided over by an old stern looking lady with jet black hair and her scarey looking dolls.

 But that terror has gone now, so come inside!

 The old antique shop is still there.

 

 But now it's a vintage craft centre -The Button Tin.

Everywhere you look there are amazing decorations.

 We went to a workshop to make 'Word Garlands'.

 

 To make a word garland, first chose a story.

Then write down three words from the story onto strips of paper.

 

 Chose some material.

Using the paper strip as a template, cut out a fabric strip.

 Write on one of your chosen words onto the strip of fabric.

 Can you guess which story Reuben's words came from?

 Repeat the process with co-ordinating fabric.

 Jemima chose a spotty-pink-strawberry theme.

Once you have made and written on the three strips of fabric,
embroider over the words.

Finally cut out some more strips of fabric, 

to hang between the words and complete the garland.

Ribbon can also be cut to length and used similarly to fill out the garland.

Gemma from the button tin finished off the garlands for us

by sewing the pieces together.

 The finished Gruffalo garland.

 Rosanna's Sleeping Beauty garland.

 For this we used a mixture of fabric and ribbon strips.

Our word birds are also on display.

If you like these ideas, you might also like story in a jar.

Inspiring education

We will soon have completed our fourth year of home education. When we began Geoff worked part time and was around for parts, and sometimes all of the day. December 2009, he began aPhD full time, which meant home education changed alot for us. It is more difficult not having two adults, but I have the car all of the time. So now I can book in advance on to events and we can attend weekly groups more easily.
Geoff still plays an active role in the children's education. He has a different approach to me. He starts projects, and he's so enthusiastic and interested that the kids just naturally join in.
I've included a few of the things Geoff does with the children.
His big passion are the chickens. Geoff and the girls are often in the big garden until late, looking after and pampering the chickens.
All the eggs are measured, dated and recorded. Mima is really into this too!
All the data is fed into a graph and the exact price per egg is calculated!
Shape analysis of the eggs!!!
If you want to find out more about our chickens and Geoff's calculations, take a look at his egg blog:

http://blogeggblog.blogspot.com/

When we are out walking, he points loads of stuff out, trees, birds, etc without questioning or making a point.
In Norfolk, he started pointing out bits of the old world war 2 camp, he didn't ask the children to join in, but they were interested in and so wanted to know more.
Clearing out the dirt from the old bike racks.
No electricity, we were all amazed how fine Geoff cut the veg!
Repairing the greenhouse glass.
Scouring the market for finest cabbage for the chickens!
Making a chicken feeder.