Back on Track

Benedict is now finally virus free so we have once more begun incorporating home school into our daily doings.  Yesterday we took a long overdue visit to the library and came home with twenty books a piece, these should keep us busy during the forthcoming week.  Pip in particular was taken with a book called Rosie's Walk and she cannot bear to be parted from it:

Settling down to read.

Reading to Benedict.
Benedict chose some interesting adventure stories and I found on his behalf a "Boys Book of High Jinks and Adventures"  and a variety of eco/ sustainable living books aimed at children.  I'm hoping one or two of the projects therein will inspire him.  His must have reads at the moment however  are the Tin Tin books by Hergé.  He is very fortunate to have inherited a selection from his big sister Sara and he is also watching a boxed DVD set on loan from our dear friend Beatrice.
We have also finally finished our thankfulness tree.  I'm very pleased with the result and Benedict had the brain wave of adding the sun, sky and the grass, it really brings the whole image to life and is truly a joy to see.

Benedict adding his thankfulness message.

Our messages read as follows:
Mummy is thankful for the gift of faith and God's mercy and forgiveness.
Daddy is thankful for blessings too immeasurable to count and for family.
Benedict is thankful for Pip and for his friends.
Pip is thankful for Benedict and Boo Milk!
Today Benedict worked on his weekly spellings using the Rummikub tiles as a visual aid.  We then took a walk to the local co-op and amongst other things Benedict purchased two small chocolate bars, one for him and the other for Pip.  We have decided to keep Maths activities as concrete as possible and shopping for one's own goods is most definitely tangible, especially when you get to eat the goodies later on!!
After lunch we looked at the receipt from the chocolate bars and using 50 one pence pieces as our math manipulative we double checked to make sure the correct change had been given.  Using the 100 number grid we placed a penny on each square to reinforce place value and counting practise.  We then talked about the fact that, 100 penny coins is equal to one single one pound coin.  Benedict checked the weight of both groups and concluded that, it was better for the pocket linings to hold a one pound coin as opposed to one hundred penny coins!  We also talked about buying items with penny coins and the difficulty it imposes the bigger the value of the purchases.

One hundred pennies on the number grid.
Using a similar principle we placed our two pence coins on even numbers and counted in twos as we went.  This activity enabled us to recap on our odds and evens lesson which had first been introduced prior to Benedict becoming ill.

Counting in twos and even numbers.
Other events that have occurred these past days are discussions about:  Electric Shocks and Static Electricity, Why do security guards wear crash helmets?  What to do when a bus breaks down and Do pigeons get neck ache?!!  Benedict also commented about his latest Tin Tin read entitled The Crab with The Golden Claws - the story was based around the smuggling of Opium.  He decided that, he did not like the topic of drugs but I was able to explain that, in years gone by opium was used for medicinal purposes for general aches and pains.  Like all things when used in controlled circumstances and for the right reasons, these medicines have there use.  Amazing to think that such a topic would appear in a children's series of writings.  I did Google Tin Tin and in the general knowledge section it did hint that, Tin Tin's character was exposed to darker adventures as the series progressed.
Our copy work today was the poem/hymn:

Come, you thankful people, come,

Raise the song of Harvest-home:

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin.

God our Maker, does provide

for our wants to be supplied;

Come to God's own Temple, come;

Raise the song of Harvest-home.

                H. Alford.

Vegetable and bean stew with cheese and chilli dumplings.

Stew base is onions, carrots, courgette and pepper sauteed in oil until soft.  Then add one jar of passata sauce and a vegetable stock cube in a little boiled water.  Mix well.  After twenty minutes further cooking time add a drained tin of pinto beans and mix again.

Dumpling mix is 100 grammes flour, 50 grammes of vegetable suet, salt and pepper, pinch of chilli flakes and 100 grammes of grated Parmesan cheese.  Mix well and then bind with a little water.  Roll small pieces of the dough into ball shapes and place on top of the stew.  Cook for a further twenty minutes.

Eve's pudding.

Stewed apple base, unable to give quantities as we are over run with apple sauce mix at the moment!

Topping is 125 grammes flour, 50 grammes sugar, 50 grammes butter/margarine, 2 eggs and vanilla essence.  Mix all the ingredients well.

Butter an ovenproof dish and line with the apple sauce mix and topped by the sponge topping.  Bake in a 180C oven for approximately twenty minutes or until the sponge is golden in colour.  Serve with custard, ice cream or cream.

All in all a good start to the week and long may it continue!