Blue Sky Thinking On A Grey Day

This morning we abandoned our nature walk as the rain was pouring steadily and heavily.  Pip and Benedict busied themselves with den making and soon it was time to take Sara to Myerscough College to hand in her bursary application.  Whilst they were away, I caught up with some sorting and planning for our learning activities this forthcoming week.  Here they are in the den area:

 Crazy Dudes!

We tackled our regular round of numeracy and literacy this afternoon. Benedict was visibly tired and blood sugars were a little unsteady, but despite this he soldiered on and we completed our target list in just over an hour and a half.

Our visual representation of the five times table using the Montessori ten and five bead bars.  Benedict finds it hard at times to grasp a pattern if spoken in rhythm or displayed in written format, so the beads are another valuable tool in depicting the required formation.

After shared reading and snack time, we worked on mini art project using  glue, salt and water colour paint.  We borrowed the idea from this talented mum: 

  http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2011/09/salt-and-glue-watercolor-paintings.html

and then worked in today's feast of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  Here are Benedict and Pip working on their creations:

 Benedict working on the blue stripe in her Sari head dress.

 Pip making glue splodges.

 Pip's finished salt picture.

This evening Benedict has been working on a self orientated learning programme.  It all began last night when he was drawing a variety of musical instruments and talked about "being in a band", and how that would be difficult since his close friends were at school.  I told him about a band called "The Gorillaz" who are a group of non public - performing musicians and  are  represented by four cartoon characters. We watched some of their you tube videos and then Dad found the video to "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles and "Brick in The Wall" by Pink Floyd.  As a result Benedict has named the band, produced tickets using Microsoft Word with help from Dad and his next task is to find a suitable soundtrack for his video.  It is so good to see the cogs of enthusiasm whirring and clanging!