Today we started with Poppy Cat. I’m a Poppy Cat blogger, and earlier this year (disgracefully earlier this year) we were sent some of the new magazines to review, along with a DVD of episodes.
I have to say that Poppy is a big hit with both the little children, possibly even more so with Tigerboy than Smallest. He is often to be found carrying a small Poppy toy around with him, and it’s probably his second TV request after Thomas. (Come on. It’s Thomas.) Smallest was thrilled today when I brought out the third magazine – I’m not quite sure how she didn’t manage to get her hands on it at the time they arrived, but she didn’t, and I’m very glad.
So table time today consisted of reading the magazine, doing the workbook, and planning the rest of the activities. I should have read ahead – there are a couple of things we needed that I didn’t have, like paper plates, and ready to roll puff pastry. However, this does mean that our activities for the next couple of days are sorted out – apparently we’re making dreamcatchers, learning the poem that goes with them and baking cinnamon heart. Watch out for the pictures on instagram 😉
This is a way I like to do table activities with the younger ones, using magazines and so on rather than workbooks. You often get many of the same types of activities, number recognition, words, writing, drawing, pencil control and so on, but it’s much less in your face than a book that says on it early writing skills or whatever. And usually more fun, which means more of it gets done. I do need to find her some left handed scissors so she can start doing her own cutting. She struggles a lot with normal scissors.
Once we were done with table activities (I may or may not go on referring to table time) we relocated to the garden, which was gloriously sunny. We decided that the caterpillars we’d been watching in a pot could go back onto the flower bed – they’ve been having fresh leaves twice daily, but I was still concerned that the conditions wouldn’t be right for them to pupate. I’m rather worried that the whole bunch of them (7 at last count) on the flower bed have left it too late, but I’ve still got my fingers crossed we’ll see pupating, although from the research I’ve just done, they won’t become butterflies until next year. Hm. A bit of managing expectations going to be required there. Also, given I couldn’t find any caterpillars this evening, wondering if they’ve all legged it to find somewhere to pupate. Bother if so.
Note to self, do your research earlier in the project next time.
I’ve found watching the caterpillars, both in the pot and on the plants to be utterly fascinating. I hadn’t realised that we’d seen a moult – will have to see if I can find the leaves with those pieces on. And maybe encourage Smallest to do a lifecycle drawing.
All in all, I’m learning at least as much from this home education as she is 😉
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