Blast Off! 04/02/2010
Posted by snoozerider in collage, craft.Tags: kids craft
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Another hit from the marvellous Kids Craft Weekly Newsletter (issue 38, found here)
We didn’t have any curling ribbon for the flames so used red ribbon and yellow rickrack. Waif was very pleased with the results as you can see!
Update 31/01/2010
Posted by snoozerider in craft, home education, kids craft.Tags: Aztecs, craft, history, home education, maths
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It’s been a while since my last post on here. It’s not because the boys haven’t been learning anything, it just hasn’t been anything very photogenic!
They have continued to be enthused by Mathletics and Waif is quickly building up some very impressive mental arithmetic skills, while Gman is “Almost Einstein”. They have earned enough credits for a stunning array of different backgrounds, haircuts and accessories for their profiles and are still going strong.
We have been watching some of the Adventures of Young Indiana Jones together which have brought up plenty of topics for discussion and learning – so far, we have covered opera, infidelity, Athens, philosophy, women’s suffrage, the First World War, conscription…
We have also been reading the Horrible Histories book “Angry Aztecs” and will be undertaking some arts and crafts relating to this period. We started off with making some featherwork shields in an Aztec style. Here they are working on their shields:
Birthday Art 11/01/2010
Posted by snoozerider in birthday, home education.Tags: birthday, maths, poem
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The boys have worked together to make me a lovely birthday card this year – designed as a patchwork card with a central applique flower – just up my street, as readers of my sewing blog will know! Gman also wrote this lovely poem inside:
Happy 34th birthday mum
hope you have a lot of fun
you might want to sew all day
or in the bath you’d like to stay
Either way, be assured
With me and Rafe you won’t get bored
Otherwise, we have been easing gently back into our weekday home ed routine, after a Christmas of Lego, Lego and more Lego! The boys are particularly taken with a new online programme we have subscribed to, called Mathletics. As the name suggests,it is a maths website, with some fun added features whereby you can earn credits to “buy” things for your avatar. Gman has been keenly undertaking all sorts of maths activities in order to earn enough credits for a jester’s hat, and Waif is saving up for an animated space background for his character. I am sure the novelty will wear off eventually, but maybe then they will go back to playing with Education City again…
Handmade Card Swap Part 3 21/12/2009
Posted by snoozerider in Christmas, handmade card swap, kids craft.Tags: Chrismtas, craft, handmade card swap
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Well, we have now received all 10 of our handmade card swaps and they are all lovely. It is soooo nice to have a mantelpiece full of homemade cards. In fact, this year we haven’t even put up any non-homemade cards cos they spoil the effect 
. It was good to read about other families and their Christmas traditions, including those in the States, Australia, Canada, South Africa and some Scots living in France. We will also steal some ideas for next year’s cards of course!
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake 09/12/2009
Posted by snoozerider in baking, cakes, chocolate, cooking, gluten free.Tags: baking, cake, chocolate, gluten free, vegan
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Lots of people have asked me for this recipe so here it is:
Ingredients
390g gluten free plain flour
440g brown sugar
6 tbsp cocoa powder
2tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
500ml sweetened soya milk
185ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1. Grease 23cm round deep cake tin, line base. Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas Mk 4
2. Mix together all the dry ingredients. When well mixed, mix in the wet ingredients and beat until there are no lumps
3. Cook for about 40 mins until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
4. When it’s cool, make whatever fancy icing you want for the top or cheat, like I do, and use dairy free chocolate spread!
ENJOY!
Let me know if you make it and you like it, and feel free to share any fancy icing recipes that you make to go on the top 
Ancient Egypt Project 09/12/2009
Posted by snoozerider in home education, kids craft, painting.Tags: Ancient Egypt, home education, kids craft, toys
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The last month or two, we have been “doing” Ancient Egypt. We have:
- made a potato mummy – we cut a vaguely human shape out of a slice of potato, covered it with a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and salt and left for two weeks in a sealed container. The potato shrinks and blackens and goes a bit yucky. You can then wrap it in bandages and voila you have your mummy. If you were really brave you might try this with a chicken . My recommendation would be to use a pretty big potato cos it is surprising how much it shrinks!
Potato Mummy - Before
Potato Mummy - After
- made reed boats from bendy straws
- made and played a game of Senet, making a board from rigid cardboard and counters out of air drying clay
- learned how the Egyptians prepared bodies for mummifcation by playing this game on the BBC History site
- played lots of games of Tutan Loot ‘Em (a fabulous board game made by Orchard Toys)
- made Pharoah’s crowns
- coloured in lots of Egyptian pictures
- painted a life sized (well, Waif sized!) Ancient Egyptian man
Handmade Card Swap Part 2 26/11/2009
Posted by snoozerider in Christmas, handmade card swap, kids craft.add a comment
Here’s some more cards the boys have made. We should have enough for the handmade card swap and some of the family too.
We cut out candle shapes from different coloured paper then made the flames using some gummed paper I discovered lurking in our box of papers. I think they came out really well – a bit funkier than your average Christmas card
Book Sharing Monday – I Dreamt I Was a Dinosaur 23/11/2009
Posted by snoozerider in Book Sharing Monday.Tags: Book Sharing Monday, embroidery
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This is a gorgeous book. Not only does it tell a very readable tale of a boy who dreamt he was a dinosaur, written in a rhythmically repetitive way (perfect for a bedtime story) but the illustrations are totally beautiful. They are all embroidered with felt, sequins, buttons etc so are an absolute joy to look at, especially for stitchy mums and dads and their offspring! We *heart* Barefoot Books.
Handmade Card Swap 18/11/2009
Posted by snoozerider in Christmas, collage, kids craft.Tags: Christmas, handmade card swap, kids craft
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This year, we have decided to join in with the Handmade Card Swap over at Kids Craft Weekly. The idea is that the boys make 10 Christmas cards which we send off to 10 other kids and we should get 10 cards in return. Today has been windy and wintry, so it seemed as good a time as any to get started. My fabric scrap bag is overflowing, so donated some to make some collage Christmas trees. They started out quite tasteful and minimalist… but then out came the glitter
Upcycling a School Uniform 11/11/2009
Posted by snoozerider in Uncategorized.Tags: sewing
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I am thrilled to report that Gman has made his first project on the sewing machine! He made a beanbag using a scrap of fabric rescued from an old school polo shirt. As you can see he is very proud and rightly so Will have him making Morsbags before you know it!
Gman shows off his beanbag!
