Northumbria Water and stuff...

Well, what have we done today?

Miles went to his group this morning. He is coming round to it but still hates it when it's very noisy - as it can often be with numerous small children and a piano in a small enclosed space! He much prefers having friends round to play and going to other people's homes to play, and I can understand that. Not everyone is comfortable in groups.

After lunch a lady from Northumbria Water came to talk to the 7 - 11 age group of our local home ed community about the water cycle and a little bit about treatment works. I had organised the talk and have to say it was quite stress free. They didn't charge for coming out so I just had to sort out room hire - which is quite straight forward since we have a special hall for our use. There's a huge difference between organising a trip/talk where it's free and folks can just turn up as compared with places where they need precise numbers and you have to chase folks for money.

The talk was fine. The lady was very good in comparison to the man we saw at the recycling centre a few weeks ago. I still came away querying whether she had imparted any information that I could not have done quite simply at home. I don't mean that in an awful way. She was good. I just think perhaps that if I come to organise further home ed trips/talks I might try to make sure it's something I can't offer myself. For example, I didn't have enough information to be able to teach Hermione about the history of Durham Cathedral and answer all of her questions - therefore it was great to go and have an education officer tell us all about it. Just as I had to turn to a bee keeper when I wanted to show her a bee hive. I'm going to ponder this.

Perhaps I'm just pondering because after watching this over the past few days the lady had a hard act to follow *grin*.



This evening I have read this book which a friend brought along for Hermione today. She knows that Hermione loves this series so snapped up a couple when she saw then in a charity shop. I read it first in case there were any grizzly bits but it's fine. Sobering thoughts but no gratuitous details if you know what I mean. It has taught me a lot about the FANY.



While I was reading Nana made these two necklaces below. The first is beaded felt and the second is crocheted wire. She's clever isn't she?

 

 

On a local home ed list someone posted about an article she had read in her local newspaper. Here is part of it.

"It's about time someone took charge and reminded pupils that they are not at school to be individual people or to think for themselves. For too long .. students have been allowed a level of creative independence and radical thought that has no place in society. At school they should be taught to fit into the societal structure that made learning institutions formidable places and turned out young adults who firmly knew their place and did not challenge authority ..."

Unbelievable eh?