This Week: Keeping Going

This week was different. I was fifty on Sunday-yes, half a century and on Monday, we went to my Mother's funeral. A day of rejoicing that she is in Heaven but sadness for our loss. A verse that we sang seem apposite:

'Tis Jesus the First and the Last,

Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;

We'll praise Him for all that is past,

And trust Him for all that's to come.

It all went well and I was pleased that there was no snow. 

Tuesday was a "back to normal" day but we were all rather tired. I guess not an unexpected effect. Sometimes, I'm grateful for a routine so yes, we got English, maths, history and reading aloud done but it wasn't a sparkling day or week. Strangely, I have a post for the Virtual Curriculum Fair ready to go up about Adding Sparkle to Home Education. I think I need that! Still, we have done the basics and sometimes, that has to be enough. Hopefully, in the coming weeks, we can add some of the more interesting items again.

We did manage to do the RSPB Bird Watch and see a green woodpecker in the process. We see, or hear, woodpeckers not infrequently.

The interest in Pompeii has continued with our reading of The Secrets of Vesuvius. Last week, Youngest Son became fascinated with volcanoes so we have been reading about them, making pictures of them and, of course, making model volcanoes with sodium bicarbonate and vinegar. The model has little resemblance to the real thing. The jar in the background has some layered liquids (golden syrup, oil and water) which looked fascinating on the window sill until I knocked them off. Not a great combination to clean off the floor!

Building has kept Youngest Son busy with Duplo (cranes and other vehicles) and meccano (swords and shield) along with making circuits with his Snap Circuits. He has discovered that drinking chocolate and saliva carry electricity although the later is associated with a fizzy tongue!

I was tired so my plans for learning to crochet, blogging often and starting to learn New Testament Greek went to nothing. Hopefully, next week! My elder daughter has given me a book a learning to crochet and another about learning New Testament Greek: I am keen to keep my brain working! As it happened, I just managed a light, fun read: Gervase Phinn's book The School Inspector Calls! The current reading is a potential read aloud for next year: The door in the wall by Margaret de Angeli. There is something about planning months in advance being fun whereas immediate planning is far less interesting!

A few interesting articles:

• Seven different ways to run a children's book group.
• Roman mosaics being rediscovered. 
• Making a cookie map of Antarctica. 

Linked to My Week in Review.

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