Boss R and the kids brought in the milkers this evening so there will be fresh milk on offer for all in the morning ... and maybe scones with fresh cream or pikelets with jam and fresh cream for smoko.
(ok so my order is in)
Monday, 30 April 2012
Rain ... again
We've had rain ... again.
This time it put a bit of a dampener on a fair few plans like the kid's cluster on Friday ... cancelled, like the show I was going to down home ... flights and buses had to be cancelled, like the mustering and fencing that needs done ... cancelled for the foreseeable future, like the mail run ... cancelled until further notice. There were a few frowns and people not in the best of moods around the place but with rainy weather keeping all inside we kinda did school anyway, well we did this ...
This time it put a bit of a dampener on a fair few plans like the kid's cluster on Friday ... cancelled, like the show I was going to down home ... flights and buses had to be cancelled, like the mustering and fencing that needs done ... cancelled for the foreseeable future, like the mail run ... cancelled until further notice. There were a few frowns and people not in the best of moods around the place but with rainy weather keeping all inside we kinda did school anyway, well we did this ...
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| playing playdough |
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| playing time snap ... hmm bit too much like schoolwork that one |
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| building towers |
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| playing number games ... no hang on that was school work. |
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| playing trains |
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| doing some school work ... woops we did actually do a bit of that. |
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| Making playdough cup cakes |
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| while outside it looked like this |
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| bit wet |
1000 Scans Later
As I sit here scanning what feels like 1000 send in sheets into the computer, I wonder where Distance Ed will go in the future. Just last year we still filled in books and used 'snail mail' to get the kid's written work into school and now we scan and email their sheets. Some students even do them straight onto the pdfs provided on the kid's 'misticks'. 'Mistick', who would have ever thought that would become a regular part of children's vocabulary and it isn't even correctly spelt.
Mr Year 1 has completed a photostory about how he has changed, I have two in year 4 surveying their class and other school members by email and a girl in year 7 who has made a wiki and uploads her work onto blackboard. All of this was foreign and to us and is now considered normal. Technology (and it's terms) are something kids are growing up knowing all about and they aren't scared of using it.
Technology or not children still need to learn to add and take away, they need to learn their times tables, how to spell and about nouns. As someone I know said recently 'technology is only a tool' and that is what it is in Distance Ed, a tool to teach the children the concepts they need to learn. There is however always a place for the good old MAB, pencil and paper, blackboard or whiteboard, counters and walls of words because despite the age of these tools they still do the job very nicely indeed.
So about1000 20 scanned sheets later I'll leave you with a couple of photos from the schoolroom.
Mr Year 1 has completed a photostory about how he has changed, I have two in year 4 surveying their class and other school members by email and a girl in year 7 who has made a wiki and uploads her work onto blackboard. All of this was foreign and to us and is now considered normal. Technology (and it's terms) are something kids are growing up knowing all about and they aren't scared of using it.
A favourite and completely acceptable saying in our schoolroom is 'Google it' ... "hang on I'll Google it" ... "can I Google it?"
Technology or not children still need to learn to add and take away, they need to learn their times tables, how to spell and about nouns. As someone I know said recently 'technology is only a tool' and that is what it is in Distance Ed, a tool to teach the children the concepts they need to learn. There is however always a place for the good old MAB, pencil and paper, blackboard or whiteboard, counters and walls of words because despite the age of these tools they still do the job very nicely indeed.
So about
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| Mr Yr 1 writing about the jet stream he just saw in the sky. Sometimes taking writing outside can make all the difference. |
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| Out MABs and 3D shapes are anything from castles to rocket ships for some. |
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| But for others they are a great way of learning place value giving a physical thing to touch and count. |
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Playdough Cooking
Just a bit of proof of the fun you can have with playdough, the places it can take you, the things that you can do with it, the food it can be. Imaginative play is a wonderful thing and flour, cream of tartar, oil, water and a bit fo food colouring mixed together into a squishy lump can be a great tool for it.
Mr E (yr1) Mr T (3)
"Pizza! Magnifica!"
"That's what chefs say you know" he says as he tosses his flattened piece of red playdough in the air.
"Oink, oink, baby piggy"
"Not this is not for pigs!" :(
"Pizza! Magnifico!"
"I'm having pizza for lunch you know" real pizza? "Yes"
"Let's cut it up for everyone" what shape are your pieces of pizza? "Triangles"
"I'm Mr cookie maker, I'm Mr cookie maker" he sings to himself
"Look I made-a cookie"
"Yum! munch, munch munch"
"Two cookies"
"That's a double cookie"
"That's his tail"
"Its a wiggle worm"
"I'm gonna make a wiggle worm again"
"What's that, a carrot?"
"No its a sausage"
"Ah look there's a wiggle worm in his kitchen"
"Ooo it ate the knife"
"No it didn't"
"Look he's cutting up the wiggle worm, he's cutting up the Mum, next it will be Dad"
"He's hiding his place"
"I'm gonna make a spider" in a scary voice
"Ew I hate spiders"
"I'm gonna make a bad spider" in deep scary voice
"Did I hear someone was making a bad spider?"
"Just good for my spider smush"
Mr E (yr1) Mr T (3)
"Pizza! Magnifica!"
"That's what chefs say you know" he says as he tosses his flattened piece of red playdough in the air.
"Oink, oink, baby piggy"
"Pizza! Magnifico!"
"I'm having pizza for lunch you know" real pizza? "Yes"
"Let's cut it up for everyone" what shape are your pieces of pizza? "Triangles"
...
"I'm Mr cookie maker, I'm Mr cookie maker" he sings to himself
"Look I made-a cookie"
"Yum! munch, munch munch"
"Two cookies"
"That's a double cookie"
...
"That's his tail"
"Its a wiggle worm"
"I'm gonna make a wiggle worm again"
"What's that, a carrot?"
"No its a sausage"
"Ah look there's a wiggle worm in his kitchen"
"Ooo it ate the knife"
"No it didn't"
"Look he's cutting up the wiggle worm, he's cutting up the Mum, next it will be Dad"
"He's hiding his place"
...
"I'm gonna make a spider" in a scary voice
"Ew I hate spiders"
"I'm gonna make a bad spider" in deep scary voice
"Did I hear someone was making a bad spider?"
"Just good for my spider smush"
Quarters: Grand Tour
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| Schoolroom/ quarters from the back |
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| Schoolroom/ quarters building .... not to scale |
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| Front fence ... going to be pailing |
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Front veranda
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| View from the back veranda |
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| Back fence |
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| Living area |
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| Kitchen ... I now have another cupboard in the back righthand corner |
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| Bathroom ... toilet is behind the wall to the left |
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| Bedroom |
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Grown Up
"Miss Anne you play trains with me? You be a kid and then later you grow up and be Miss Anne again"
And being unable to resist a plea like that I did.
Monday, 16 April 2012
Helping Hands
Sometimes it is hard to admit you need help. Well I know it is for me. I have found the start of this year particularly challenging juggling four children of which two are no longer independent with the new work expectations and another requires nearly one on one attention as he is in yr 1 (only to be expected).
After being away for the last two weeks of 1st term and the two Mums doing school I seem to have found myself some helping hands, very persistent ones who assure me that while they are happy with what I have been doing they have no idea how I did it and have rostered themselves on as schoolroom helpers on alternate days. I have to say though that our first day back was a cruise, stress free and fun. I even had nothing to do at points in time.
We will have to work out a routine to fit in the new helping hands and to keep the day running smoothly and so I don't end up with nothing much to do. The help was wonderful I have to say. Why didn't I ask for it earlier. It is ok to need help.
It is good to be easing back into my term time routine (ok, so jumping straight in with both feet) but after travelling, a lot of sorting and cleaning, getting back onto my bike and school today I am finding weariness has pounced on me while I have been sitting still. No wonder so many kids fall asleep at the dinner table.
After being away for the last two weeks of 1st term and the two Mums doing school I seem to have found myself some helping hands, very persistent ones who assure me that while they are happy with what I have been doing they have no idea how I did it and have rostered themselves on as schoolroom helpers on alternate days. I have to say though that our first day back was a cruise, stress free and fun. I even had nothing to do at points in time.
We will have to work out a routine to fit in the new helping hands and to keep the day running smoothly and so I don't end up with nothing much to do. The help was wonderful I have to say. Why didn't I ask for it earlier. It is ok to need help.
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| 'Elephants' in the schoolroom ... what a zoo! |
It is good to be easing back into my term time routine (ok, so jumping straight in with both feet) but after travelling, a lot of sorting and cleaning, getting back onto my bike and school today I am finding weariness has pounced on me while I have been sitting still. No wonder so many kids fall asleep at the dinner table.
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Hi Ho, Hi Ho ...
... its back to work I go.
Today has been my first day back at the station in about a month and a busy day it has been. I think I am now ready for school tomorrow and am up to date on the house work front YAY!
I got back last night and I have to say that after a month away I kinda forgot about the holes in the road either that or there are new ones. When driving dirt roads even though it is travelling a road less travelled it is always wiser to follow the tracks of those that have been before.
The trip back was very interesting (good thing cause I needed something other than matchsticks to keep my eyes open) with the sighting of many stubborn cows unwilling to give up their patch of road, a few roos one of which may have made contact with my car and is now probably limping around rubbing its rump, two dingos, many birds, wattle coming into flower and a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately there were those few holes and cracks in the road that I didn't see until too late resulting in a bit rougher than needed trip ... sorry car, sorry head. I did however remember some of the major ones which I am glad to inform you have not moved location.
Today has been my first day back at the station in about a month and a busy day it has been. I think I am now ready for school tomorrow and am up to date on the house work front YAY!
I got back last night and I have to say that after a month away I kinda forgot about the holes in the road either that or there are new ones. When driving dirt roads even though it is travelling a road less travelled it is always wiser to follow the tracks of those that have been before.
The trip back was very interesting (good thing cause I needed something other than matchsticks to keep my eyes open) with the sighting of many stubborn cows unwilling to give up their patch of road, a few roos one of which may have made contact with my car and is now probably limping around rubbing its rump, two dingos, many birds, wattle coming into flower and a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately there were those few holes and cracks in the road that I didn't see until too late resulting in a bit rougher than needed trip ... sorry car, sorry head. I did however remember some of the major ones which I am glad to inform you have not moved location.
Thursday, 12 April 2012
Early Morning
I knew I was special when the lovely Mr Sparky called me up at 5:30am one morning last week just to chat. He was nice enough to wait til then even though he had been awake for hours, I was informed. Ever heard of a sleep in? LOL
At least I got to see a beautiful but nippy sunrise.
At least I got to see a beautiful but nippy sunrise.
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