ten pin bowling

Tonight Mum, Fish and I went ten pin bowling and I scored 137. maybe my best score.

Fable

On Fable today I guarded a trader from a town to a farm. Along the road I fended off wasps and bandits.

Learning from Xrefer brainteaser

Mum receives the Xrefer brainteaser via feed from Peter Scott's library blog - so from time to time we research those questions she can't answer.

Like today:

Based on the example of the Forth Bridge (or Forth Rail Bridge, or Firth of Forth Bridge) (specifically from the answer it is meant the rail rather than the road bridge), a bridge that consists of two outer spans that project towards one another and support a suspended central span is a cantilever bridge.

Reading along the way that there is apparently a colloquial expression " Painting the Forth Bridge" referring to a never-ending task, we were reminded of Sisyphus, one of the characters we met in the underworld through a library book of Greek myths borrowed on a tangent from curiosity about minotaurs.

Games night: Secret Sound

At the inaugural games night with the Js, Secret Sound quickly required variation of the rules to cater for the universal desire to help the guesser guess correctly - probably because we had a 6 and 8 year old participating. It was also very slow in the original format, and difficult to track the timer with everyone more interested in how the clue-ing was happening.

Carpet Bowls & Wookieepedia

Cricket somehow developed an interest in lawn bowls after watching a few ends on TV, playing his own modified lounge-room version for several days. When I called a local bowls club for information about junior competitions the secretary offered to teach the boys carpet bowls during the winter.

We're now weekly regulars, although today we discovered a tournament in progress using the whole field, so instead we trouped (with two of the Js) to Black Hill. An hour or so of exploring made us all thirsty and quite pooped, so we followed up with an afternoon of Lego and Star Wars (Episode 6). Actually they watched & played while I surfed at the Carnival of the Infosociences, coincidentally stumbling across the Wookieepedia.

Recently, while so desperate for reading material that I read Cricket's Star Wars Jedi Apprentice books (we're waiting for #5 Defenders of the dead which appears to have been in transit from Administration to Clunes for almost a month), I began to wonder just how all the writers and game makers keep the stories and characters consistent. Maybe they don't always, but I look forward to exploring Wookiepedia to learn more.

Fun with GUF

A date to see the Lion King was full of other pleasures and adventures:

• Riding one of the new trains to town;
• Battling claustrophobia seeking the surface through Melbourne Central;
• Exploring the State Library (from the shades of Planet of the Apes to the Chess room);
• Fish leaping at the Velcro wall in an oversize velcro suit - definitely wish I'd had a camera;
• Fantasising at MindGames - must remember Fish would like a lava lamp;
• Lunching at Maccas; and
• Viewing the city from the Rialto observation deck.

We're not sure how to review the Lion King. (and thankfully we don't need to when such as John Shand saw and heard it similarly to us) While Fish and Cricket were impressed with the opening scenes, particularly the mass gatherings, they lost interest through the middle. However GUF and I were both awestruck by Buyisili Zama's vocal performance. Indeed, that was THE highlight for me, yet I can't describe it. As I don't even know whether the African chants had lyrics, let alone how they might translate, it could only be the sounds that reached in to my chest and played my emotions as if they were harp strings. I cried with no idea why, because the story moments themselves aren't that heart-rending.

Titanic

In the car (as usual) Cricket asked how many people survived the sinking of the Titanic - and whether the ice was unusually far south for it to have happened.

We went to Encyclopedia Titanica for answers

Making friends with Black Cockatoos and a King Parrot

Cricket and Mum enjoyed the close company of Black Cockatoos at Ballarat Bird World.  We are grateful to whoever it was in Parents Without Partners who suggested the excursion because we have never been so up close and personal with so many lovely birds.

In the walk through aviary a King Parrot took a liking to cricket, grooming his coat. 

We'd love to go there again - maybe by then we'll have a digital camera to capture such pleasant memories.

Indoor Cricket

Cricket's team "Hot Shots" was only just beaten this week, but I was thrilled to see Cricket's 6, and an excellent four over partnership. Major League Indoor Sports (where they play) don't appear to have a website, but in looking for one I was surprised to learn and hope to remember that as RACV members we can save on mini-golf, snooker and ten pin.

Jedi Apprentice

Cricket introduced me to the Jedi Apprentice series. We're waiting for #5 to come back into the library. I've been impressed with Jude Watson's descriptions of Obi Wan's personal development and Jedi principles and philosophies.

Gymnastics

>> insert, if we ever get a digital camera: Fish at gymnastics <<
>> or, if we ever find a scanner: his performance as a baby <<
Fish is having such fun at the Ballarat Aquatic Centre gymnastics program we can at least link to their online window.

Medieval Birthday Madness

Cricket & Fish have been holidaying with their dad so I was very pleased to hear Sir Lucas would be celebrating his birthday at Kryal Castle. When I arrived Fish's shoes, socks and feet were soaked from the puddles in the maze. Fish later showed "sufficient skill with the bow to be of service in protecting King and Country" and was "made an honourary member of the Castle Guard". He is now a Castle Archer.

I couldn't keep up with Cricket, so I took in the Full Flight Birds of Prey display: meeting a peregrine falcon, owls and eagles.

Other home educators ... 1

Someone new joined the autonomous education network at mc2, and diving into the web from his blog (Living in a Deschooling Madhouse) I surfed to Diary of Home Education Nobody. Entry 001 triggered my own awareness of the challenge to provide evidence of Cricket's & Fish's learning. I don't actually 'have' to provide evidence to anyone just now, so the challenge is partly seeing it for myself. I don't want to spoil the boys' enjoyment of their life-learning, so why do I ask them to write about it?

• At the very least, says one of my justifications, some brief note by which they can practice handwriting.
• In the process may be practice at generating written words from thoughts (I'd be content with personal spelling)
• Habits can be helpful: and I am thinking that this kind of writing can help them develop habits of:
  
• reflection on performance/development/process
  
• documenting either objective data of their exploration (like Daniel does in Star Gate) or
  
• deliberate thinking (I'm thinking of showing them deBono's CoRT or at least starting with PMI or Thinking hats)
  
• sometimes writing can help reinforce learning
• Maybe it will help them become aware of what they are learning so that when asked they can answer with more than "I've been playing the computer and watching DVDs"
  
• I feel a need for some sort of documentation, and I don't want to spend my days following them around with notepad and pen.
  

Still, I need to keep requirement to a minimum (to be consistent with my philosophy of autonomy) ... yet I am the guide so maybe for now I need to focus on:

• pointing out the use and practice of various forms of documentation in their areas of interest
• finding reasons that have meaning to them.
  

Popeyed Fish

The Js visited yesterday, buzzing excitedly about the show at the Begonia Festival. J1 insisted we "come see" PopEyed - some sort of balancing act.

Fish loved their show so much we went back to see it again yesterday, and then again today. I have to admit my own hands hurt from clapping.

While PopEyed's website will give you an idea of their acrobatics, it can't convey the cleverness of the "Russian" theme they use to tie some fun family comedy to the the eye-popping balancing.

Ambushed

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/rowntree1.html

Ballaarat Astronomical Society

Cricket, Fish, Oma and Mum joined the Ballaarat Astronomical Society tonight, intending to return frequently to the Ballaarat Observatory . What a thrill to see Saturn for real.

M.A.S.H.

New Year's Day spent watching fifth season of M.A.S.H. Cricket's New Year gift, followed by Fish's: Stuart Little collection. Cricket commented that one of the scout leaders in Stuart Little 3 hadn't been a very good example of honourable behaviour.

Licola 2006

Darn. Cricket's first game back for 2006 is on 28th January - smack bang in the middle of our annual home educators camp. We'll be sorry to miss it this year, but not sorry enough to do the 5 hour drive for half the camp!

QuadrapopTree: Science Lists and Sites for Teens

Hey boys, the science links offered by Quadrapop could lead to interesting things... like BBC Science & Nature where you can meet the goat bred to spin spider silk.

reading and writing

Today, I built, wrote and read five new words: log, bat, fizz, red, sum. Mum dictated the spelling of a word I chose: NAQUADAH. Naquadah is a rare resource that is on the tv show Star Gate. Now because I have worked so hard I am going to play Cricket's Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic game.