Homeschooling ...on holidays !

oh dear the teacher and the principle were caught having a snog !!!! Dont worry we got a real lecture off the kids of the "yuck thats gross" variety :o)

Yes its true...us Homeschooling parents can and do find lessons ANYWHERE :o) even on holidays !!! But oh how enjoyable were those lessons ... skerries, Co.Dublin , our weeklong holiday was full to the brim of self-made lessons...we found them everywhere ! The windmills , St.Patricks Goat (the legend) , sand sculptures , messages in bottles...and thats only just the beginning ! We`ve brought home crab shells , shell shells , and reams of art lessons and history lessons to be gotten through after visiting the mills , (they range in age from 300-1000 years old!)...also...a lesson in forensics...we found (what appears) to be a human bone (spine) on the beach on the last day ! At present the Gaurds (police) in Skerries are dealing with it...we`ll keep you posted !!!!! Meanwhile heres just a taster of Homeschool on Holidays :0)

Vikings and Air-dry clay...

Today Nora took the kids at our house for art/history class...(pics by Sean)...we had studied how the Vikings learned from the Christians to make well ,headstones for want of a better work , and the girls used air-dry clay to make their own stones and to decorate them using ordinary kitchen untensils , (no sharpies as Daisy was involved) , so they drew patterns and runes, etc , when the clay "stones" dry they will use acrylics to paint in the details , pictures to come... then the girls made "shields" for the viking ship we are decorating and using as well as the written work , to display their art etc for this project...even Daisy , again had to get in on it , and why not ? Never too early :0)

So a big well done girls ,and a big thankyou to Nora for taking the class for me...and to Sean for the pics and un-ending supply of tea !

Finish the picture !

Heres a great and fun art lesson, especially for a rainy evening ! And its good for both the kids imaginations and the enviroment, as you use pictures from old magazines, catalogues, etc. Basically , cut out a piece of a picture from your magazine, let the older kids do this themselves of course ! Using a stick glue , place the picture on some blank paper...now the fun bit, get the kids to "finish" the picture !!!! Here are two of Aideens , she choose a half of a face and a part of a baby gorilla...I`m sorry the photos dont really do her finished pictures any justice the light was`nt great...but you get the idea...have fun trying :0)

Pinwheels for Peace 2009

well, can you believe it ? A whole year has passed since "Scoil Dai" took part in the worldwide "Pinwheels for Peace" project...again to take place on 21st September of this year...already we are labeling and mailing the pinwheels for our worldwide family and friends to decorate , so look out for a postbox near you :0) If you still havent received your pinwheel from us by the 14th September be sure to email us and we`ll get another out in the post to you asap ! Most for the USA have been sent , so should be with you soon ! Also ,look out for us on the official http://www.pinwheelsforpeace.com/ site ! Go to "location" ,find Ireland on the map and click...there we are !!!! We are hoping to organise a peace day in the homeschool where friends, etc can pop in and colour and make their own pinwheels, and watch out for us around the town on the 21st September ,when we`ll be "planting" pinwheels and handing them out ,just like last year...most importantly heres to peace , for all of us xx

Water play...

Was their ever a child I wonder that did`nt like "slopping" on a sunny day in a basin full of water ??? Daisy adores this game...and little does this know that this seemingly simple activity is actually causing her little brain cells to , well , learn ! You dont need a fancy set-up fpr water and sand play, a basin will do for both just fine...then sit back and enjoy the fun...dont forget the camera !

Fashion designer in the making !

well here it is...the skirt Aideen designed...I knitted the top piece and helped her sew the fiddley bits but other than that the design and modelling is done by Aideen...a team effort ! But she is rather proud and I have to admit I am too, I think its a great effort...Dee what do you think, you need a fashion designer ??? She is wearing it to a party on Sat :)

Daisy...after a hard days playing in the sun with Aideen, and HS pals Sadhbh and Caoimhe fell asleep , literallt hanging off Aideens lap...it was SO funny , we were all in knots...bless... nothing like fresh air and fun and learning to aid with a good nights sleep !

And Aideen recycled our old plastic bunting flags into Buddist-type prayer flags...she wrote "give thanks" (as we both felt this would cover every possible religion and so not offend any of our friends of many faiths) ...so the old-new buddist prayer flags are hanging back up in the garden for everyone to enjoy :)

Homemade postcards & Daisys first collage

Today being the August Bank holiday, the girls got down to some cutting and sticking :0) Aideen is running low on postcards so she decided to make some with old pictures from Calenders ,magazines, etc...very simple but they are effective ! You simply get old pictures , or even hand-drawn pictures , whatever you have lying around, some cardboard , you can use old cereal boxes , but I`ve used up our stock, so we used some old index cards...then the only limit is your imagination and the amount of pritt-stick you have :0) When they are made , simply draw a line down the middle of the "back" of the postcard...and they are ready to use !

Daisy was very happy with herself today , drawing and sticking...heres her very first "collage", not bad eh ?

Homeschool ID pics time...

Ah that time of year again, where we renew our Homeschool ID cards ,and I DONT like having my pic taken...however Nora was on hand with some "makeup" and a brush...so they got taken and I dont actually look THAT anemic in the pic...thanks Nora ! Also the girls spent ages coluring in and playing and ...well being happy HS kids while the adults drank gallons of tea and talked...lots of fun things to organise over the next while...so DO watch this space :0)