Bygones Visit

We spent a fabulous couple of hours with wonderful friends from our home-ed group this morning.  We actually arrived on time, despite last minute hitches with the tinsel on our hats :)

I had been looking forward to this visit for a long while.  I've never been to Bygones before.  It's one of those places that has intrigued me greatly, but I've never quite walked through the doors.  Well I have only lived in these 'ere parts for around 20 years you know.... *sigh*

If you have ever driven or walked passed Bygones in Torquay and wondered what it was like, I'm going to give you a nudge and tell you to visit.  It's amazing!  From the outside, the frontage is small, and I admit that I thought it probably wasn't worth a look as it appears to be a little, erm, how shall I put it, erm, pokey perhaps?  It's a huge surprise when you walk downstairs and find yourself wandering around a cobbled street full of Victorian charm.

The Old Forge...

The Sweet Shop...

The Chemist...

The General Store...

The Post Office...

and The Toy Shop...

to name but a few.

The whole place is bursting at the seams with history. Old food packaging and advertising are crammed almost everywhere you look.

Upstairs is filled with exhibits of various rooms based around the Victorian theme. We loved the Kitchen...

and the Parlour (complete with Harry style cat in situ)...

and the Bathroom - complete with newspaper in place of loo roll...

Many of the children enjoyed dressing up...

and most listened intently as they were "taught"...

There were dolls houses and toys to be admired...

old cameras to read about, and a rather gruesome looking dentistry display.

Callum liked the mini displays too, such as this Christmas scene...

and most of the children adored the huge - 28 foot sort of huge - model railway display. I'm not usually a fan of that sort of thing, but even I found myself rather transfixed with this one as I tried to take in all the detail (the photo doesn't even begin to show it in all its splendour).

Now, if that doesn't make you want to dash out and visit the place, just do one thing - next time you are passing, pop in and browse around the shop (it's free to look!)  The replica Ration Books and newspapers are a real delight to see, and the whole shop is filled to the brim with old fashioned loveliness. We are going to go and stock up on various bits and pieces for our project work :)

Killerton House Visit

Stain Glass Window in the Bear Hut

Today we headed off to Killerton House with a local Home-Ed group.  I love saying "a" local HE group, as it means that there is more than one and that makes me happy :)

If you have followed the link, you will already know that Killerton is a National Trust property.  It's a gorgeous place, the grounds are just beautiful, and there are some interesting stories linked to it - including the much loved by the children "Bear Hut" - where a pet bear was kept at one time.  There were around 40 of us in all, adults and children - age ranging from 0 (dear Taisia) through to 15 years (dear Chelsea).

The inside of the house was prepared for Christmas.  Each room had been decorated to show Christmas through the ages, it was interesting to see (and hear about) the changes taking place as we wandered around. The guides were very helpful and friendly, and we talked with them about everything from visiting Peacocks called Priscilla, through to pre-Christmas Tree days.

*** I do apologise for the quality of the photos - they were taken indoors without a flash, and the costumes were behind glass.  With limited set-up time, quality photos were a no-no! ***





and who can not help but to fall in love with a bit o' bling...

The children were able to tinker on the rather grand piano - I won't say play the piano, and I don't want to offend anyone by saying murdering - but I think you know what I'm saying ;)

Killerton is hosting a fashion exhibition at the moment, so we headed on up the stairs for a sneaky peek. Wow, some of clothing was just beautiful. Take a look at this corset from around 1890...

and the stunning formal gown and court suit dating from around 1770...

The children were able to try on a few bits and pieces from various era's, which the girls in particular appeared to love (Joseph tried on a Top Hat and now wants one of his own.)

Tiegan playing at being "a lady"

I fell in love with this roof window as seen from the stairway, I don't know why - it just tickled my fancy!

The weather was very kind to us - chilly but not freezing, dry, with no wind to speak of. It enables us to hang around and enjoy views such as this...

and the children (big and little) could play and cement friendships...

How blessed are we to have such an amazing Home-ed network, with wonderful people involved, great organisers, and fabulous friends.

Happy Sunday :)

I don't have a great deal to report.  Our Sunday wasn't exactly filled with any great excitement or interest.  It was just a normal, mundane day.  We started off with a quick visit and snoop around to the local car boot sale.  No such bargains as last week I'm afraid, so a bit of a waste of time.  Still, I do love that early morning walk, when the day hasn't quite woken up fully, and there are many people still resting their weary heads.

We headed for home, and I cleaned and tidied (but how long will it stay that way???)  the kids' room downstairs, put Oscar (rabbit) out in his run on the lawn, and came in to rest. Imagine my surprise when I foud chelsea had tidied her bedroom and got the workbooks out.

Yes, that's her on a SUNDAY morning - ???

The rest of the day was spent playing outside, using the laptops, shopping at the supermarket (too busy, never again!), and discussing solutions to our one car family problem.  Husband needs the car to get to his work.  It's a two bus journey and because the journey doesn't fit nicely into one zone - it would cost £22 a week on bus fares.  Considering it's costing around £15 in petrol for the car per week, and well, bus travel isn't exactly cost effective is it?  But then, for me to go anywhere here with the children on the bus costs a fortune - just 15 minutes in either direction and they ask for almost £12.  Oh what to do, what to do, what to do?

My lovely, gorgeous, fabulous husband's suggestion?  He will buy a little moped for going to work on.  At £15 a year to tax, cheap to insure, and petrol thirst kept to a minimum, it's a fabulous solution - freeing me up to galavant around in the car with the children to our hearts content.  No more missing out on the Home-Ed trips.  No more feeling guilty as friends can only visit our house as we can't afford to pay the bus fare to theirs, no more cabin fever!

So the hunt is on for a cheapie little reliable moped :)

What else did we do - erm, oh we watched a recorded episode of Clash of the Dinosaurs.  Callum really loves that program and asks if it's on daily.  I'm not wholly convinced by the scientific explanations - lots seem to be based on guesswork and possibilities - but if it keeps the little man entertained (and the graphics and computer generated footage fascinates the rest of us), I'm more than happy.

So there you go, a rather lack lustre and mundane Sunday, but I still thought I would share it with you as a snippet of view into my life :)

Getting back into the groove...

We seem to have been rather fumbling along recently, almost like headless chickens not knowing which direction we are taking. There have been so many appointments to attend and meetings to arrange, that many of our days seem to have been disrupted by one thing or another.
Gradually, it's easing now and I feel we are ready to get back into our usual routine.
As a home-educator, I'm often asked what sort of home-edders we are and just what is our daily routine. Such questions always make me reflect on our lifestyle, and I find them a little awkward to answer. I don't really think we fit into any sort of "box". We tend to float between so-called "methods", and and go along with whatever feels right at the time. I do try to let the children lead as much as possible. I much prefer to give them free-reign of the topics they choose and generally just facilitate learning wherever possible. This, for me, includes helping the children to find relevant books, websites, places to visit, maybe craft ideas, and possibly people to question or converse with.
I do find that I have to encourage a little "work" time. If totally left to their own devices, they would prefer to spend the day skipping between the Wii, Playstation and Laptop. This would be ok if occasional, but it would be a daily routine - believe me, I've tried it. I wouldn't mind if the Laptop use was for "education" purposes, but there are only so many occasions that I feel comfortable with Joseph watching various wrestling videos on YouTube, or the girls making various outfits for a fashion website. Both would be fine if mixed with other activities, but they often spend hour after hour on the same sites doing the same thing. I'm sure it deems little educational value in the great scheme that is life.

So, how I do go about planning this "routine". Well, we sit together and discuss things. We talk about the topics the children want to study, the projects they wish to do as individuals and those they wish us to do as a family. These plans are written down, but are subject to change often when a new subject interest is found. Maybe something they see on the television, or read on the internet or in a newspaper, will spark a whole new curiosity.

Our latest planning discussion has led to Chelsea and Tiegan deciding to set up a folder each, which can be added to over time. For Chelsea, the theme is "Famous People, Past and Present". Tiegan has chosen to have an "Animals and Nature" file. Today, Tiegan has been researching hedgehogs, deciding this will be her first entry. Other themes that the children wish to cover (or continue with) include The Cold War (Chelsea), World Wars 1 and 2 (Joseph), Human Body (Tiegan and Chelsea), and Plants (Tiegan). I can always guarantee to be surprised by one of the children and their choices, and this time around it was dear Tiegan. She (with much enthusiasm) declared that she wanted to study Spiders - and in particular the Black Widow Spider. This interest has been sparked by an old book that I bought a few years ago from a charity shop. Tiegan has been reading the book almost daily with great relish, and it has even become her night time reading book during the past week. Children are just fascinating aren't they?

One thing that I always have encouraged in the household is a love of books and reading. We are regular users of our local library, and often request books from further afield when necessary. Our house has many bookshelves in various rooms, and I'm an avid visitor to charity shops. One discovery I have just made is the Oxfam book shop in town and I love it. I find it very hard to resist a visit when we pass. The books are reasonably priced, in excellent condition, and laid out immaculately in subject order. Very handy for browsing, particularly with children in tow :o) I try to make a point of reading to or with the children each day. Each child chooses a chapter book to read, and take turns to read a chapter per day. We also have a family chapter book which I read aloud. Tiegan is still an Enid Blyton addict...

Whilst Chelsea is very much a Twilight fan at the moment...



Joseph has chosen to read Eyetooth, by Frank Rodgers.



One thing that I like about the children being at home is the amount of freedom we have as a family. There were many days during the summer months when we were able to go out and about and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful weather (yes, we did have a few days of sunshine, honest!) I have often thought that childhood should be all about such freedom, and it was only confirmed as I sat watching the children on the beach or on the moors. I adored being a witness to their role-play games, playing chase, or making a new discovery of interest, seeing their smiling faces and listening to their shrieks and giggles. The children didn't have a care in the world during those times, their happiness and love of life just shone through, and it was added reassurance (if any was deemed necessary) that home-education is the right choice for our family unit.

Finishing off with a few random photos...

Still bubble blowing...



Torquay Harbourside...

Love...

Hello...

Postbridge on Dartmoor.

Torquay.