Canberra trip

Yes, I am still alive. I'm a bad blogger... Blame Facebook!

We had a quick trip to Canberra over Xmas to meet up with family. While we were there, we took the opportunity to visit a few places.

The Royal Australian Mint

The 'Holey Dollar'

From blanks to currency

Questacon Science Museum

Steal the jewel without the sensor going off

Balance platform

Simple machines

Tides

Tectonic plates

Making a tsunami

A periodic table wall.

Smoke signals

Museum of Australian Democracy (old Parliament House)

House of Representatives Chamber

Prime Ministers Office until this Parliament House closed in 1988.

Learning about current and former Prime Ministers

In the Speaker's Chair

This was a 'spy hole' from the Prime Minister's secretary's office into the PM's office :)

National Film and Sound Archive

It's housed in the most gorgeous art-deco building!

Being a projectionist

Fractured Heart - Interactive sound and light sculpture based on Goyte's song

Creating sound effects

History of Australian film and music

Homeschooling Monthly Memories - Aug - Oct 2013

Between our trip away and what not, I have been really slack in updating our homeschool learning on the blog. It's been on my to-do list for quite some time!

Scouts 'Curriculum':

Demonstration of smoke filling a house - very graphic.

• Scouts has involved campcraft skills, ropes/knots etc.
• Fire safety night - talk by the Rural Fire Service, and camp cooking.
• Navigation via GPS - they were blindfolded, driven to a location and then in a group had to find their way back to the hall.

Intentional Learning:

Creative Arts

• YouTube videos - editing with Adobe Premiere Pro and Sony Vegas.
• Drama classes
• Classes - this term he has been invited up to the Yr 7 & 8 drama class (he's officially only in Yr 5!)
• They are currently studying Romeo and Juliet in his class.
• Crew for 'Charlotte's Web' - he had many roles including lighting, stage door, runner. 
• Saw 'Rosenkrantz and Guildernstern Are Dead' at the Sydney Theatre Company. 
• Singing lessons & trumpet - he took part in the mid-Year concert his music school puts on (in the music teacher's backyard!).

HSIE

• Australian History

 


• Finished reading "A Waltz for Matilda" by Jackie French
• Went to a talk about researching Irish convicts and another about growing up in the area in the 1950s.
• Began receiving the Inside History magazine.
• Read "The Horse who bit a Bushranger" by Jackie French.
• Trip to WA - visit to New Norcia, the Rabbit Proof fence, Albany Whaling station, Rottnest Island, Fremantle Prison & Roundhouse
  
  
•  Medieval history day with other homeschoolers

• Attended the Maitland Riverlights multicultural festival.
• Made a chinese lantern to float down the river
• Watched national dances and displays such as Indian, Chinese, Aboriginal and Brazilian.

Maths

• He continued using the Mathletics curriculum.
• Learnt about prime numbers.
• Real-life use of Maths in cooking, measuring - he made a b'day cake for me from scratch - chose the recipe, shopped for the ingredients, cooked and decorated from scratch (no packet stuff!) with no assistance.
• Longitude and latitude practice - reading and following the GPS.
• Codes

The b'day cake he made for me with no assistance!

Science & Technology

• Java coding
• Improving Photoshop skills
• Visit to natural formations such as caves, rock arches, rare forests, Pinnacles, Wave Rock
• Dolphin watching, dolphin discovery centre / aquarium,

English

• Read "Tales of Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet"
• Writing stories

PDHPE

• AFL / AFL training (now finished for the year)
• Archery
• Yoga
• Watching "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" series.
• Swimming

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

Homeschoolers Medieval day

We had a great day today. A couple of the homeschool mums had organised a medieval re-enactment and jousting group to present a morning for our homeschooling group. We had a great turnout - with just under 200 people (school-age and up) attend.

We split into 2 groups to begin. Our group firstly learnt about 'The Making of a Knight'. The presenters discussed the various armour and weaponry of the time periods and demonstrated the advantages and shortfalls of each type. We were able to see how heavy much of it was - like the chain mail and graves.

An impressive display of armour...

Testing out the armour with sword and axe!

After about 45 mins, we swapped groups and then learnt about medieval society and customs, including clothing. Some fascinating information. I'm pretty glad I live in modern times :)

Discussion of clothing, purses, writing tablets etc.

At the end they asked who knew how to play trumpet. I volunteered Billy (who was cowering behind me in embarrassment! - hey, it's my job!) and he got to blow the Viking horn!

Following that, we combined back into a single group for a display of equestrian skills including archery, sticking, using a lance, sword etc.

Large and enthusiastic group!

Thanks to the organisers - we had a fun day and learnt lots!

On the way home, we stopped into a shop which I remember from my childhood called The Elephant Shop. It's a treasure trove of gemstones and crystals. We spent a delightful hour wandering the shop, looking at everything and learning about gemstones we'd never heard of! (And *ahem*, we couldn't resist buying some to take home!)

I love these amethyst crystals!

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.