Thursday 2 July 2009

The weather has really taken it out of us ... way too hot to do any decent, prolonged "sit down" work! That's my excuse anyway!

Maths has continued pretty much as normal. Katie and Ben have completed the first section of their KS3 Maths book and have done the revision test which started off really well but the ticks turned to crosses towards the end! Ben is an enthusiastic reviser, taking his workfile and test paper up to his room to study whereas I'd find Katie's revision on her bedroom floor having not been touched for days!! I've re-tested them, having gone through the original lot of mistakes, but I haven't marked it yet! Thinking of perhaps doing more maths posters as before - that seemed to help drum home a few things. The only down side of the posters is where to put them with the walls already bursting with other posters, current topic work and what-have-you. Thinking perhaps we'll put them all in a large folder style book (similar to the nature one we did) and then just flick through it when needed. Not quite so good though - I think posters, when continually looked at, really aren't great ways to help things to stick.

Both Katie and Ben are mad on Roblox. It's about the only thing they share in common and actually converse nicely when playing the game simultaneously on their PCs. Roblox held a competition recently to design a new promotional video. Katie and Ben put together mini films which were displayed, along with over 500 others, on You Tube. They didn't win, but did receive a special virtual Roblox hat for their online character. It was good practise for them to follow instructions and wonderful to see them encouraging and helping each other to produce good films.

Katie, getting the filming bug, also made some "jumping rat" films for You Tube, where Meg, the rat, is taught to jump higher and higher jumps!

Time flew by and we completely forgot to light a bonfire for Midsummer's eve to burn a mini wicker man as is tradition. Before the eve, we did talk and write about Midsummer though and look at some of the traditions as well as Stonehenge. Ben made a snippet of Henge from potatoes, and Katie made one from clay.
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Ben has been extremely busy with story writing - he's really got the literary bug these days. Not just stories (which are very grown up, I must say), but also projects having researched and typed, with pics, etc., one on aircraft and another on motors. Very impressed, how he's changed in these last four years.

Katie has done more art getting inspiration from the Usborne Art Treasury. She's started to pull all her work together to make a information pack on the various artists she's been following.

We also found this link from another blog and had a go at making mini tin boxes. Katie made some for Father's Day with coins and sweets inside.
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On the riding front Katie's had a few knock backs with cancelled horse shows but is working towards an Eventer Trial to be held at the riding school towards the end of July. From what I understand, this is cross country and showjumping together - hard work! She rode a new horse at the stables this week that's an ex-racer and showjumper. Her instructor was really pleased that Katie had been able to encourage this rather shy and stubborn horse to manage a clear round on the cross-country course; a first apparently. There's lots of training days coming up at the stables too, during the summer hols., which she's hoping to go along to (I can hear the coins (or rather the notes) tinkling out of my purse as I type!).

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