Homeschooling monthly memories - July 2013

This feels like the geocaching edition of our homeschool post :) It's formed a big part of our life in June and has resulted in lots of cool learning.

Scouts 'Curriculum':

• Scouts has involved campcraft skills, ropes/knots etc.

Intentional Learning:

Creative Arts

• Finished editing the Zombie movie and made a DVD cover for it.
• Drama classes.
• Singing lessons & started learning trumpet as well. (Oh my aching ears!)

HSIE

• Australian History

• We're reading "A Waltz for Matilda" by Jackie French 
• Our geocaching has taken us to a lot of historical places around the area including:

This 'tempietto' is a water-fountain built as a monument to West Maitland's first mayor, Richard Alexander Young

A monument to the dairy farmers of the area.

Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle, and gravestones dating back to the early European settlers in the area.

The graveyard at Cathedral Park is one of the earliest burial grounds in Australia and was featured on Tony Robinson's Time Walks around Newcastle.

Rose Cottage, Newcastle's oldest surviving building.

A lane-way in Maitland, decorated with a mural of the history of the area - but also the site of a public hanging - yep, our history is covering everything!

A local barn decorated with an historical advertisement for the wonder-cure of the time.

Maths

• He continued using the Mathletics curriculum.
• Real-life use of Maths in cooking, measuring
• Coding puzzles 
• Longitude and latitude practice - reading and following the GPS
  

Science & Technology

• Java coding
• Photoshop
• Researched different operating systems and set up Ubuntu Linux to trial

English

• Watched the "Animated Tales of Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream"
• Learning about definite / indefinite articles

PDHPE

• AFL / AFL training
• Archery

Italian

• Back to Italian class

As well as plenty of time spent hanging out with friends and family.

Peter Pan

Some photos that my niece took of the Peter Pan production.  It went fantastically well - a few dramas behind the scenes some nights, but apparently they weren't noticed by the audience.  I was so privileged to be a part of it in a crew capacity - the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is staggering!

The play was set in the grounds of the historic Tocal Homestead - you could go early and picnic on the lawn.

The front verandah became the Darling's nursery

Jealous Tinkerbell!

'Flying' away - amazing puppetry

The Lost Boys of Neverland

Villainous Captain Hook

Oh no, the Wendy-bird has been shot!

Billy (in the furry orange vest) was Curly - one of the Lost Boys

The Mermaid's Lagoon (with the Neverbird in the background)

Michael, John and Wendy with the Lost Boys

Peter Pan scares pirates Smee and Starkey while they are kidnapping Tiger Lily

A cunning plan by Hook

Interrupted by Peter Pan

Lost Boys beg Peter to let them go and live with the Darlings

Tink dying - 'Children of the world, if you believe in fairies, clap your hands!'

Hook tries to recruit John as a pirate about the ship

The Pirate ship & mermaids

Startled pirates

Starkey walks the plank

Listening for the Cock-a-doodle-do

'It's Hook or me this time'

Tink, Peter & Narrators

Impromptu cast photo after closing night - there were about 60 people in the cast ranging from 5yo - adults.

Stage Combat workshop

Billy took part in a 6hr Stage Combat workshop today with Blake Wells from the Sydney Stage Combat school.  From the reports I've heard back, they did things like fake slapping, punching, pushing etc and they got to do the really cool stuff (in my opinion lol) and learn some basic sword skills :)

It looked like a great day - he really enjoyed it.  Thanks to Blake and Upstage Youth Theatre for organising it. 

Wind in the Willows Pt 3

Last lot, I promise!  The play is over - it all went spectacularly well :)  They have an after cast party next weekend.

 

 

 

Wind in the Willows Pt 2

Some more photos: