What a crazy couple of weeks we have had here. We’ve finally settled into the house we’ll be based in for a year. It’s very pleasant here – the climate, the people, the environment – tick, tick, tick… but after spending over a decade of our lives making New Zealand our home, we don’t have […]
learning
Write to Read iPad App – Perfect for recording those special memories
I was delighted to be asked to review a ground-breaking new iPad app, which has just launched on the App Store in the UK, called WriteReader. It is aimed at 3 to 10 year olds (and I have three children in that age bracket!). My children are absolute technology lovers, which I am okay with […]
Chasing Gold | Kawarau Gorge Mining Centre
The Goldfields Mining Centre, located on the banks of the spectacular Kawarau Gorge, treated us to a fascinating morning of history. We stepped back in time and walked paths to mine shafts and tunnels, where the land had been laid bare by ground slicing, and through the old Chinese Village. We learned about the life […]
Things I’m Loving – Technology & Nature
This week, we’ve embraced both technology and nature in our learning and play. There has been plenty to love in the mix… ⤠Nature putting on a show, a stone’s throw from Wellington city, with Stingrays in the lagoon on the waterfront…. ⤠Technology keeping Shakespeare in vogue and making it all the easier to […]
The Christmas tree(S) are up & peace has been restored.
I blame the shops for having decorations up from beginning of November. By the end of November my children are dragging the decorations from beneath the stairs in readiness for the 1st December. The first day of our Kiwi summer now coincides with ‘tree up’ day in our house. With the 1st December falling on […]
Miss 2 on a crazy learning curve
Miss 2, going on 3 (in February), is having one of those developmental leaps that all parents are familiar with. It’s a fun time (and very busy) stage, but glorious to be a part of her daily discoveries and learning. She’s singing her alphabet, recognising letters, shapes, all her colours and numbers and counting objects […]
Sunshine Wednesday & I’ve only stepped outside to shoot a rocket!
It’s nearly 10.30am and I haven’t had a coffee. The first two hours of my day were a whirlwind of lego building adventures with Miss 2 – Alice – block tower building, a rescue mission on the stairs from a lava flow, a shooting sock and a pile of leaves (Grandma and Granddad in England […]
Schooling & Unschooling: Our Week
A snapshot of our week, with one daughter at private school (her choice, our expense!), one being unschooled (her choice, our suffering/joy!), one toddler undertaking experiments in life under her own steam at home! In my life this week… I’ve had a rotten cold and the overwhelming feeling of tiredness and body cramps that comes […]
I hope she’s not thinking about me as much as I am about her
My beautiful, free spirited, energetic, bright young Sophie. I love you with all my heart, as I do Charlotte and Alice. You probably won’t understand the depth of my love for you until you are much, much older. But a parent will do anything for their child’s happiness. When you started school at the beginning […]
Things We’re Loving…
⤠Loving the satisfaction of home baking. I was craving a biscuit, but didn’t have any to hand. I did have a couple of cups of flour, butter, an egg, sugar and a dash of vanilla essence… half an hour later… yummy biscuits with my cuppa! And once the baking bug has bitten, the hot […]
The Loveliness of Nature to Nurture
As I strolled through Zealandia with Alice this morning, I reminisced on the pre-school days when I used to bring Charlotte and Sophie to explore. I watched their little sister noticing words for the first time and so eager to learn in nature’s beautiful surrounds. Nature really is the best place to nurture. And as […]
Manic madness
The sun greeted Wellington for a change yesterday morning and pre-made plans to meet some girl-friends at the pool were laid to one side as the sun was just too good to miss. Just as well we grabbed the chance to enjoy it, since today is like a throw back to winter. As I write […]
School too easy?
UPDATE: Date Posted: Thu, 04 Dec 2008 Quick update – had a great meeting with our Charli’s teacher and it’s just so great to keep the lines of communication open and nip little problems in the bud before they escalate. We are so happy with the support the school is giving us. They really are […]
Learning through play, bring it on! 