Then we talked about whether we would save the Panda or the bees and the pros and cons of the decision.
We also discussed ways of redirecting meteors if they were heading to earth and whether cloning animals or meat products was a good thing or not. This brought about a further discussion on The impact of the meat industry on the planet as a whole.
Heavy topics of conversation folks!
We tried a few ourselves but the results were disappointing ...fun though. So we looked up if there was a specific way of doing it.
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/07/26/do-dandelions-burn-in-colors.htm
We decided it was fun to try anyway.
The boys tried their hand at Minecraft mod programming. It was a bit tricky to start with but we got set up on a private server and accessed the Tynker Hub. The first mod Owen tried to do didn't work and we faffed around for a bit trying to sort it out. He tried and easier one and that worked brilliantly.
Sam was still working through the Turing lessons but took a break to try the mods coding. He managed two successful ones and set up his server really quickly.
The boys then joined forces and build a TNT cannon. Both had to fiddle about, problem solving issues as they went and although their cannons were made using different materials , they both worked brilliantly.
We then went out to the library, where Owen took out his height in books. Sam has started the skullduggery series , so he only wanted a couple of science reference books. Just as well, it was a joint effort getting Owens haul back to the car!Whilst I was cooking lunch Sam dashed back upstairs to have a go at more coding.
After a quick tea of crackers and sandwiches the boys headed out to their jujitsu class.
The children did a great deal of Minecraft mod coding using Tynker. There were rainbow sheep, pools of gold and copious amounts of fireworks and things that exploded and morphed. They enjoyed changing the coding lessons to customise the mods.
I showed them the Java script tab, which gives you the true layout of their coding, as it would be written in to the game. They recognised it as layout we typed into the server we host. 'But for mods mum'.
Next I put a selection of materials together so we could look at load bearing structures and general engineering concepts etc. They had quite a lot of fun with this. As the boys are visual, kinetic learners, I showed them this website to get them started. Once they each had one under their belts , they had many more ideas of their own.
http://frugalfun4boys.com/2015/06/11/4-engineering-challenges-kids/
Here are a few I managed to photograph.
It was so lovely and sunny when we got up this morning, so I suggested a Nature Scavenger Hunt. Owen looked for a worksheet online over breakfast. Both boys were really up for it ( always a bonus when Owen can struggle to leave the house). Whilst I was printing out sheets, Owen and Sam did a wordsearch.
These are the items they decided to find:
Animal tracks:
Wild flowers
Weeds..lots of laughs blowing dandelion clocks.
A feather..wood pigeon ( also on our list) .
Running water..which we then had to paddle in...
Flying insects..lots of these today. Ladybirds, midges and a Mayfly all spotted.
Sam's favourite tree...we used it to tick off green leaves and bark from our list.
Checking Sam's position on 'butter' .
Owen: it's just a trick of the light Sam ...
We couldn't find any newts or frogs today but we saw a helicopter, which the boys said made it slightly less disappointing...I wrote it on their sheets .
Another lovely day and as it was Blokeys rota day off a trip to the seaside was decided upon. We wanted to take the children to the woods at Formby. They skirt a shore line of dunes and are the home of red squirrels, so off we went.
We wandered as quietly as possible through the 'squirrel walk' .
We did however see...
Lots of dens built in the woods.
This one was a bit damp smelling, hence his worried face.
A funny shaped stump that we thought looked like a bear:
Admired the sculpture
And commented on how hard going it is to walk through sand dunes.
Once in the beach we found many treasures...a sea urchin shell, empty crab shells, razor clams, mussels and worm casts and holes.
We had a paddle in the sea, which was warmer than we expected.
Apparently he's completely stuck....with his sticks of destiny.
Great laughs making up ..ahem..new names for Dad.
We started to head back as Owen was getting very tired and hungry. On the way home we stopped off for a much enjoyed meal , then arrived back at the homestead, tired but very happy.
The next day Owen and Sam are immersed in all things Minecraft, Owen mainly working on live streaming. I go out and meet a friend for coffee and have a stroll around the farmers market for a while.
There's are some beurocratic things going on that are getting me down and I go for a walk after lunch. On returning home I work through paperwork trying to figure out how to find a way forward.
We all sleep in late, I have had a very disturbed night and wake in a lot of pain again. We decide that sitting at home worrying won't help and plan and afternoon out in the sunshine. The boys are quite resistant initially but once there the start to enjoy themselves. We climb to the by top of the Roaches and admire the vista.
We find cave like formations.
Do some parkour.
Sing at the very top
And look across the valley for miles and miles.
Back home we build a fire in the wood stove and all have very healthy appetites after the climbing and fresh air...so they demolish lots of food before bedtime.
No comments:
Post a Comment