April Hols

Quite some time ago I meant to do a post about our activities and outings during our April break.  Somehow this year just seems to be flying by, and I'm not getting on here very often.  Here are some moments....

What happens when escalators are being installed, and I am travelling with Arden and Irving....a mini physics lesson.  We spend quite a bit of time examining the inner structure of the cogs and wheels.

 A beautiful day catching the train across the Swan River.

Skateboarding and scootering our way down to the Swan River.  Followed by some tree climbing for Arden and Irving.

And some reading.

Arden made us some home made gnocchi.

Working on refurbishing a Bart Simpson skateboard.

Arden making hot chocolate with cinnamon topping.

Stool repairs.  We all spent a bit of time working on various repair jobs around the house.

Term 1 Highlights

This year so far, has been very full, and thus I have managed to neglect this page rather badly!  We tend to start the year a bit more slowly and relaxedly, spending a lot of time outdoors and doing activities, and whilst we did this, we didn't spend quite as much time as other years.

Arden flying his balsa wood plane.

Wandering around the Perth Hills.

Foraged some pears!  :)

We started this year with some colour painting, and focusing on what the colour expressed/felt to us.  Everyone came out with different ideas

Yellow finished.

Blue.

Green.

Orange.

Then we progressed onto modelling and drawing shapes.

Spheres.

We've been reading Uncle Tungesten, by Oliver Sacks, as a family this year, and it has led to some interesting spontaneous science.

A well-loved copy of the book!

Experimenting with burning string, to see how the idea of the first filament came about.

There was an attempt to dissolve chalk in vinegar, but during this process (the chalk *didn't* dissolve) we did more research and discovered modern day chalk, is actually gypsum.  Thus the lack of dissolving was explained!

Building out of blocks is always popular here!

Working on prisms.

Trying out a flight simulator.

Irving spotted this mysterious door way at the Perth mint- hard to see in this pic, but there are stairs and no door.  So we wandered in, and had an impromptu history lesson.  Apparently the door used to be the way they brought gold into the building, but eventually they stopped delivering it that way, and they bricked in the door.  Best bit, is that there is still a padlock on the gate!

Moving onto some Chinese calligraphy painting.

A beautiful sunset on a train ride home from the beach.

And some craft- Arden and I have been doing a little crocheting again this term, working on dishcloths.

Plus I finished a quilted skirt for the winter.  I'm looking forward to being toasty warm.

Otherwise Arden and  I have continued to work through our JUMP maths program.  He has taken up journalling in the mornings. Plus our final new section of work for the term was starting on Gilgamesh and learning about Mesopotamia.  We still have a little more to do on that theme.

Gabriel has been doing latin this term, WWI and WWII history studies, English-so far with a focus on grammar, Maths, and Art- currently he is working on 3D modelling using blendr.

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2025

This was around the beginning of Arden's interest in Aviation.  It was the year before I believe that he started attending the Aviation museum's history club for young people, and then that had a flight simulator training club that follow on for those who were 13+.

This is our visit to the Aviation Museum and Bullsbrook, when we first learnt about the Aviation history club.
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Arden using the flight simulator at Edith Cowan University at their Open Day.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2023/08/term-1.html

This year Arden is at TAFE studying a Diploma in Aviation Management.  He has also completed two Cert 3 courses. One in Remote Pilot(drones), and he has volunteered at a local Life Saving club to help monitor the coast using drones (for sharks) and he has completed a Cert 3 in Ground Operations.

Summer Holidays- finally here

In my preferred Summer routine- we take December off, starting just before Arden's birthday, January off and all of February.  Starting back into some routine with paid classes in Feb, but waiting til March, when usually the worst of the hot weather is over, to do some planned learning at home.  This year continued in the same manner, however my one free day to sit and do some at home jobs, and keep up with my hobbies, was filled up visiting a friend in hospital, and thus this blog has been neglected for the beginning of this year.

Finally life is settling back into our usual routine, and I have found some time to update some of our learning this past year.

This year there was an around the City exhibition of decorated dolphins (to raise money for the Children's hospital I believe), so Arden, Irving and I went out to try and see them all.  In the end, we just missed one.

We managed to get out and about to quite a few Fringe and Festival shows this year.  Some of our highlights- we seeing Movin Melvin Brown, and trying tapdancing in his tap class. (I'm planning to get his DVD so we can continue, as it was a lot of fun.  )

Arden and Irving did a pirate adventure in Applecross at the pirate playground, and also in the Perth Cultural centre.  The story telling and role play was a lot of fun for all the kids.

Stopping off at South Perth on the way home.

Arden and I dancing some rockabilly.

Having a bit of fun at the Courtyard Sessions, after dancing.

Walking home after an education session with Noel Nannup, on the story of the land, at Lake Monger. (This was one of my favourite outings at the Festival this year- the whirling dervish performance, White Spirit, was the other).

Hanging out with Willow and Gabriel in Northbridge Piazza with a very fuzzy Totoro, waiting for Princess Mononoke to start, in the Studio Ghibli Festival.

Willow spent quite a bit of time at Fringe this year, doing flyering, and helping to promote shows this year.  She also went to see Club Swizzle with Damien which apparently was very entertaining.  We all loved the Showman's fair area of the Fringe this year, and we spent just a bit too much of our time there eating stroopwaffles.  In the end we loved them so much, that they gave us the recipe and the machine!

Our regular Burn's night event (since living in Scotland) involves whisky for the adults and poetry reading.

A quiet coffee moment with the little people.

Arden and Irving's beading.

Irving and I did some wandering around Daglish, after visiting a shop there, and we found these cute crossing signs.

Skateboarding

A rainy afternoon

So time for a teddy bears' picnic.

Library stop

Visiting Pompeii at Fremantle.  This was the second time that I have seen this exhibition, and the one thing that I missed this time, was the crystals.  Last time I didn't have a proper chance to look through the crystals (and I was hoping to do that this time) but there was very few, except in the dress-ups at the end.

 Some of the sewing projects that I've been working on.

A quilted skirt

Pillowcase for Damien

Transforming my old jeans, into a skirt.

Red velvet skirt for Willow's Christmas present this year.