...then we filled it with water (with blue food colouring). The girls were intrigued - I did not show them photos of Venice until after this experiment so they were just enthralled and then very quiet when they looked at the pictures.

We discussed the Alps, the Apennines, the surrounding European countries and Sicily as the girls coloured in their maps. We then located Venice and Pisa.

The girls' Italian flags. We made them out of material - just to be different this time.

We listened and danced to Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Colours of the Italian flag. I face-painted the girls before their gymnastics lessons this afternoon.

The girls' first look at an artist. Leonardo Da Vinci was quite appropriate for our Italian project.

Elodie's Mona Lisa

Lucia's Mona Lisa.

Elodie working on her pic 'n' pin dolphin this evening.

We start a new project on Italy tomorrow...watch this space...

Feast of the Epiphany.

The Magi are filled with awe by what they see; heaven on earth and earth in heaven; man in God and God in man; they see enclosed in a tiny body the One whom the entire world cannot contain

I have been looking after a poorly husband and 3 partied out children so I didn't plan anything for today's feast... maybe next year :)

The girls went to another friend's party yesterday, their second in 2 days. It's a hard life when you're little...

Food time.

Today the children went to a friend's Birthday party. Elodie and Lucia had princess face painting done which threw me a little as they looked too grown up - but they had a lovely time and wore themselves out.

Food time :)

This morning the girls made ice skates with card and paper-clips as a little activity to start the day.

Ice-skates :)

Snow was forecast today so Elodie and Lucia each covered a pinecone in peanut butter and sunflower seeds to hang out for the garden birds. It snowed tiny snowflakes all day but they didn't settle.

Ready for the birds.

Drawing birds looking for food in the winter. The girls each chose a bird from our British Countryside book, drew the bird in pencil and used feathers and googly eyes to finish.

Making playdough:

4 tbsp flour

2 tbsp salt

drop of oil

2 tbsp water

food colouring

Lucia made pink playdough and Elodie made blue.

We had a cooooold walk today - it tried to snow but couldn't quite manage it.

Watching the horses being taken to their stables.

All day long I have had that awful song stuck in my head "back to life, back to reality". It really was back to work today... up early before the little ones after last night's preparations and full speed ahead. The girls were pleased to start again: Elodie asked me the other day when we were going to do some more work. I think we were all ready to get back into routine.

Elodie worked hard on some wintery themed addition and subtraction worksheets.

Elodie, with a little help, completed a winter wordsearch - she found the word 'frost' backwards before I did!

Lucia sorting colours and shapes.

Elodie and Lucia were delighted this morning when they realised they had both coloured in the ice skaters' boots and skirts the same colour. They finished the pictures working together to make "twins". They were full of giggles when they showed me :)

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~Benjamin Franklin

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things. ~John Burroughs

Our first walk of the year. Happy 2008 :)

I saw this on the landing this evening and I had to take a picture!

We have an Italian girl coming to stay for Christmas so I have been busy sorting out mattresses and blankets etc. I took this picture of the girls in their own little world from the top bunk in the girls' bedroom while they were waiting for their bedtime story - Elodie was creating and reading the most beautiful story from the book. It was great to listen to and sweet to watch.

I found most of these workbooks on 'Enchanted Learning'. The girls have been working their way through them over the past few weeks.

Ballet Girl drew this beautiful picture today :)

Elodie has been spending every spare minute at her desk writing cards and wrapping them as presents to be opened on Christmas Day. She has worked so hard and even attaches little name tags on string.

A pile of presents made and wrapped by my Elodie :)

The girls' Christmas books. 'This is the Star' by Joyce Dunbar and Gary Blythe is my absolute favourite.

Elodie has recently been spending her fresh-air breaks deadheading the Hebe. She finally finished today, with a little help from Dom :)

Today the girls made ginger biscuits for their gymnastics teachers. We wrapped them in foil and put them in the stockings Elodie sewed last week.

At the beginning of Advent my girls entered a competition at the library, decorating a Christmas tree which was printed on a large A3 sheet of paper. There were 38 entrants altogether. Today I received a telephone call saying that Lucia had won! She was so chuffed. Elodie was very diappointed. She had worked particularly hard on her picture and was very excited when she handed it in. But it is a good experience for her and after cuddles she agreed that she is very proud of Lucia and that she will try again next time.

I printed out a lovely Nativity Scene for the girls to paint from website I can't remember the name of. We left it to dry and cut it out to make a 3d set...

Lucia informed me this morning that "Elodie is a Christmas Snow White and I am a cow from away in the manger."

Helping Mummy stick it all together.

All glued together and displayed on the mantlepiece :)

The Holy Family.

The mobile we made last week. I attached a Star to it and hung it above our Nativity Scene.

The girls making Christmas puddings out of card, sticky things, glue, ribbon and and googley eyes, after which we stuck magnets on the back and put them on the radiator.

Christmas pudding magnets. Dom's one has all the eyes - her favourite thing to stick. Lucia made the reindeer - she was very proud :)

My amazing husband, along with a million other fantastic things he can do, is great at origami. Here is a spider he made for the girls this week-end :)

THE 14 DAYS OF HOMESCHOOL
(Sing this to the tune of "THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS")

On the first day of home school my neighbor said to me, "Can you home school legally?"

On the second day of home school my neighbor said to me, "Are they socialized, can you home school legally?"

On the third day of home school my neighbor said to me, "Do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you home school legally?"

On the fourth day of home school my neighbor said to me, "What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you home school legally?"

On the fifth day of home school my neighbor said to me, "YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you home school legally?"

On the sixth day of home school my neighbor said to me, "How long will you home school, YOU ARE S0 STRANGE, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you home school legally?"

On the seventh day of home school my neighbor said to me, "Look at what they're missing, how long will you home school, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you home school legally?"

On the eighth day of home school my neighbor said to me, "Why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you home school, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you home school legally?"

On the ninth day of home school my neighbor said to me, "They'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you home school, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you home school legally?"

On the tenth day of home school my neighbor said to me, "What about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you home school, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you home school legally?"

On the eleventh day of home school my neighbor said to me, "I could never do that, what about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Can they go to college, I could never do that, what about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the thirteenth day of homeschool I thoughtfully replied: "They can go to college, yes you can do this, they can have graduation, we don't like the prom, we do it cuz we like it, they are missing nothing, we'll homeschool forever, WE ARE NOT STRANGE!, We give them P.E., and we give them tests, they are socialized, AND WE HOMESCHOOL LEGALLY!

On the fourteenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "How can I get Started, why didn't you tell me, where do I buy curriculum, when is the next conference, WILL PEOPLE THINK WE'RE STRANGE? I think we can do this, if you will help us, can we join P.E. and we'll home school legally."

"Education is the period during which you are being instructed by somebody you do not know, about something you do not want to know."
- G k Chesterton

I didn't even dream it would be so good. But I would never let my children come close to the thing.
- Vladimir Zworykin, agd 92 on his invention, the television

Great spirits have always been violently oppressed by mediocre minds.
- Albert Einstein

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.
- Albert Einstein

I suppose it is because nearly all children go to school nowadays, and have things arranged for them, that they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas.
- Agatha Christie

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
- Thoreau

St. Lucy. December 13th.