2022 part Two

We had a bit of a rubik's craze here early last year, which saw Irving in particular taken by the 3x3 and the 4x4 cube. There was lots of watching youtube and practising the algorithm until, he went from the first more basic cube to the larger one. It also happened that there was a speed cubing event in the Fringe, so we had to go to that! They were astonishingly fast to watch, and seemed a little unnatural.

Irving decided to cut all his hair short, and donate it.

 

Off on the wheels- new rollerskates, and a shorter hairstyle.

  

Working on some maths- creating prisms and NAPLAN. This was the first time we've done NAPLAN in the family. Willow did OLNA, Gabriel didn't do any tests. It was a useful exercise in the experience of doing a test, for Arden, and I think reassured him, that his education is working! Personally I found it amusing that I was allowed to run the test. Historically that would not have been ok.

 

Learning about making ink, using coffee, berries and candle black.

Reading-Norse Mythology with Irving, and Frankenstein, with Arden.

Norse Mythology

Frankenstein

Bread making from our German Baking book. 

mohn brotchen.

Getting the fire going and baking damper on the winter solstice in the embers. 

Off ten pin bowling for Irving's birthday.

2022 Part One

 So at the end of 2021 my PC died and so did my attempts to keep this blog up to date. Since I now have a new PC and I was thinking about blogging again, I thought with the new year I would start with a recap of 2022.

For quite some time we have taken the beginning of the year slowly, avoiding any structured work until late February/ beginning of March and we continued in this style. Taking the Summer to swim, visit the library and celebrate 5/6 of our birthdays! By March we started to ease into some more structured activities, and as usual we began with some geometry and painting and reading.

Arden and I started the year reading about Shakespeare, by Bill Bryson, and reading the first section of "Tragedy and Hope" by Carroll Quigley for History.

    

Meanwhile I was working on re-upholstering a circa 1940's sofa we had found in the hard waste, which at times was being delayed due to comfort!

Arden and Irving both did some weaving for their first craft project. Irving wove a small rug out of wool, and then did a second version from embroidery thread. Arden worked on a band on the inklette loom.

Irving working on his woollen rug.

Irving trying out embroidery thread

Arden's inklette loom work.

We all worked together on a domestika illustration course- which we have been rather slow completing! 

Arden's work.

Irving's work.

My work.

As usual we started the year with watercolour painting- this time we did lots of coloured themes and worked on a flowing colour wheel.

Setting up to paint.

Working on colour wheels.

We've been having some regular bird visitors to our place, and Irving decided he had had enough- Our residence was declared closed!

Arden got into "The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy" this past year, I've been gradually getting through this excellent book of celebrity interviews from the 60s' "Limelighters" by Oriana Fallaci that was a hard waste find. "Covid-19: The Great Reset" was my first foray into reading the World Economic Forums take on our future, and finally we read "The Never-Ending Story" by Michael Ende together (so much better than the movie IMO).

Term 2....

This year keeps on rushing on, and I keep meaning to post more regularly on here, though we just seem to have a constant flow of activities and interests going on that these days journalling our learning on here is not the priority it once was.  Particularly as I now have a sense of understanding and confidence in where a home education journey leads.

And so here are some highlights from our second term this year.

Making a ladder for a fairy house.

Runes from the Viking exhibition at the Maritime museum.

Working on watercolours, with a particular focus on mixing greens.

WASO concert.

Learning to rollerskate.

A favourite read around here- George MacDonald's at the back of the North Wind.

 

 More watercolours- this time exploring Arden and I were exploring red, whilst Irving did his own thing.

Working on geometry.

Woodwork.

Pyjamas for Arden.

Amazing autobiography on life in the North Territory.  "We of the Never Never".

ROKR clock project.

Dying with tumeric and repairing a vintage dress.  Experimenting with mordants and getting various shades of yellow from the tumeric.

The old entrance to the Subiaco oval.