How we homeschooled today #36
Cowboys, corncockles, Scrabble
Independent reading: Daisy and the Trouble with Life, and more Norse Myths
After breakfast I put the Jolly Phonics writing books on the table and… the children ran outside to play in the garden. But they did eventually return and each did a page. My son then did an activity in his Adding and Subtracting workbook. My daughter wasn’t in the mood and I decided not to push it.
See what I did there? A corncockle has come into flower on our patio. These used to be very common in Britain but with industrialised farming they are now very rare. I discovered that archaeobotanists search for corncockle seeds in ancient collections of stable sweepings, farmyard junk etc, to date when grain began to be imported to Britain, because corncockle is not in fact one of our native plants. Before the Roman invasion, there are very few corncockle seeds. Post-invasion, there are lots, so we know the Romans brought grain and that it was then traded between Britain and mainland Europe. I told all this to the children and they… really couldn’t have cared less. But I hope you enjoyed it.
We played Risk Junior, and then my son’s latest instalment of his Mysteries in Time history subscription arrived, all about the Wild West. We have spent much of the day since going through the story and magazine, wearing handkerchiefs round our necks and hats on our heads, and saying ‘Howdy pardner’. I showed them the trailer for Fievel Goes West, thinking it would be a delightful afternoon activity and give me some time off, and they… didn’t want to watch it. What is wrong with the modern child?!
Multiplication by Heart. Everyone was hot and tired and it was hard work.
My son then read to himself from a book about Pompeii, and my daughter and I played Scrabble. Scrabble is my favourite game ever, and I can’t believe I got to play it all afternoon with a willing child, and call it education. Spelling! Vocab! Addition! Multiplication! It was joyful. (In the UK, save money and the planet by buying secondhand here.)
A friend came over and the children all lounged around together listening to Greeking Out (about China today).
Bedtime stories and reading in bed: the Mysteries in Time story (for the second time today) and other stories from previous instalments.
Thank you for reading and have a great weekend! Next week we have another special guest edition of How We Homeschooled Today. If you’re not already subscribed, sign up now to make sure you don’t miss it. It’s free!
