Growing Up and Facing Fears

I am super proud that in the last few days my kiddoes have surprised me by making in roads into facing two of the Nicholls' chillun's biggest fears...well E3 doesn't really fear anything much so he wasn't so surprising.

O7 and C5 went biscuiting withe daddy today at Lake Karapiro...and both LOVED it. E was happy to go for lots of rides in the boat and went for a wee biscuit paddle in the shallows. Now we just need to get the heads under the water more frequently without screaming and we'll really be on the way.

They must have been spurred on by their fear gfacing last weekend when all four of the rascals willingly patted uncle D and Aunty L's doggies...not just any wussy little things but two fully grown Bull Mastiffs and bouncy Golden Lab.

Random Thoughts

I was at a children's event with the kids two weeks back and it hit me...the whole thing was about control.

The kids were playing ball games in the hall, and everytime they changed the rules or were spontaneous or inventive they were subtly and not so subtly brought back into the "game". Then they had to sit in age groups and were praised for sitting so quietly and still, and then they had to walk in lines to another room for another activity. Once again, praise was given for being "so quiet and good". Prizes were given to the kids who sat up nicely and answered the questions with succint and desirable answers. Then it was craft time, which was well planned and lovingly organised...but everything was precut and pre painted and the kids just had to stick on the odd bit of fluff or googly eyes.

Afterwards I got chatting with another mum who began with, "You are the lady that homeschools eh". Turns out she is thinking of pulling her 5 year old out of school...and the reason?
"ECE is about the child, school is all about the system".

Touche.




Books I have read this week and recommend:

All This and a Bookshop Too - autobiography by Dorothy Butler
Adventures of the little Wooden Horse - Ursula Moray Williams
Tashi (beginning chapter books) - Anna Feinberg
Green Knowe books
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznik
Beatrix Potter - A Life in Nature - Linda Lear
Food INC - companion guide to the movie - series of essays - some better than others




Where do 17 year old boys who work at McDonalds part time get enough $$ to buy noisy turbo cars and then waste all their petrol revving them outside my bedroom window???




What is up with the weather???? Last week I was seriously thinking of putting the fire on and this week there is a freakin' heatwave.



A- final grade for History of the World. Learnt heaps...shouldn't care about the grade but I do...



Almost got the 2010 ch-ch-ch-ch-changes sorted...watch this space...nothing startling really.