Summer Learning

This summer seems to to running away with learning, a 93rd birthday and of course, wedding preparations. Anyway, this is mainly about learning although life and learning are inextricably mixed.

Morning Time

Currently, morning time consists of

• prayer
• learning Psalm 119 v1-8
• Training Hearts: Teaching Minds: Family Devotions on the Shorter Catechism
• a hymn from our church hymnbook. This half term, we are singing a different adaptation from Psalm 119 each week. 
• God's Smuggler. Prior to this, we read Natasha Vins' autobiography Children of the Storm
• a double page spread from the Usborne Introduction to the Second World War.

On a rotating basis, we read from the children's book club books (The Endless Steppe and The Treasure Seekers), a book about bridges (Who built that? Bridges) and songs from The Pirates of  Penzance. 

Science has involved several components:

• Mystery Science
• a science theme at our local home education group. As part of this we had a mushroom kit from Grow Wild. 
  
• a series of lifecycle days at the home of another home educator. We came home from one session with frog spawn and were able to watch our spawn turn into tadpoles and finally, much more slowly than everyone else's, into frogs. The frogs have now been released.
  
  
  
  We now have caterpillars which are proving less stressful than tadpoles!
• a hedgehog detector from the London Wildlife Trust. Sadly, we haven't spotted any hedgehogs yet.

History has been about the Second World War. I have already written about the resources that we have used.

Youngest Son has finished Dancing Bears! We have been working through this series for a looong time. There have been some interludes, particularly a long one a couple of summers ago with Nessy.  I would recommend Dancing Bears for a child who needs a second line phonics programmes. The stories are rather wacky and we gave up on them near the end of book B but by this stage it is easy to substitute with other books.

Maths

Youngest Son also finished his Galore Park Junior maths book 2 early so has now started on book 3. His daily maths is divided into two or three sections.

• Schofield and Sims mental maths. This is independent work.
• Galore Park- this is his main text and I use this to guide me teaching new work and the exercises to practise what he has just learned.
• If time, either Prodigy maths free programme or a maths game either a download from somewhere like Nrich maths or Trilemma, fraction dominoes or the fraction pizza game. Sum Swamp is much loved but I don't think it contributes to his learning anymore!

Younger Daughter uses Schofield and Sims Understanding Maths series and is currently working through the Stats and Multiplication and Division books. She does a bit from each every day.

Of course, summer has to involve Sports Day. We went to the East London Christian Home Educators' event by the Thames Barrier. Over 120 children took part and it was lovely to meet friends old and new. 

This term, I am especially glad for strength for each day and God's all sufficient grace.

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Free days out in London

Recently, I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of a long summer holiday which we plan to spend mainly in London. Looking back, I realise that there are so many London based activities so I plan, partly for my own benefit, to post about activities in London. The first post is about free days out  and I hope to follow this by posts about cheap activities in London, other London activities and ways of reducing the cost and last, a post about reducing ancillary expenses such as travel and food.

These are activities that we have done but please comment with other recommendations.

• Parks-London has so many parks and they are free. Some are more child friendly than others. I know the South London parks better than those in the North but feel free to make other recommendations. Particular favourites are Coram Gardens (central), Princess Diana Memorial Park (central),  St James' Park (central-the playground is quite small and can get very busy), Dulwich (South), Battersea (South-parking is very expensive best to go on public transport), Danson (South-boating lake),Ladywell Fields (has a zip wire). 
  
• Adventure playgrounds. There are a few around including Peckham Rye. Adventure playgrounds tend to have odd opening hours so do check first: we have been caught out!
• Museums-some of the largest museums are free. In some ways, though, they can be a bit uncomfortably full in school holidays. We have found that this particularly applies to the Science Museum. Other free museums include the Victoria and Albert, the British Museum (look out for their children's Gallery Backpacks. These are only available in school holidays and at weekends.), The Natural History Museum, the Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the Imperial War Museum
  
  and the much smaller Horniman Museum in South London.
• Art Galleries. Some of the major galleries are free: The National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate and the Tate Modern.
• Other Green spaces. Wild London manages many spaces including the enormous Walthamstow Wetlands
  
  and the tiny Centre for Wildlife Gardening.
• Swimming. Southwark and Tower Hamlets have free swimming on certain days of the week for residents. It is necessary to register. Hackney under 18s can swim free.
• The Thames path-a great place to spend a day and free.
• Central London-it is easy to put together a day touring the sights. This could include climbing on the lions in Trafalgar Square, changing of the guard, seeing Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. Alternatively,if your children are older, then going round the famous shops is an amazing experience-just make sure that the children know that you won't be buying everything you see! Fortnum and Mason and Liberty are particular favourites. 
  

Please comment with any free activities for children that you recommend in London.

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