Monday's activities

Mondays are currently the only days we have definitive "stuff" planned.

We are still deschooling, and I still have 2 weeks left of my OU module, so I am deliberately not commiting to anything other than our weekly gymnastics session. Perhaps next month we may start to explore other local groups, and go on trips out, but at the moment I am keeping our commitments low.

This morning was a little quiet at gym. Two families who usually attend were struck down with lurgies, and some others have been progressed up to the intermediate group. The sprogits are making good progress. We have only been attending regularly for 4 weeks but already they are forming better bridges, handstands and forward rolls. Tiny Clanger is a little young to follow instruction yet, but enjoys playing in the foam pit and bouncing on the trampoline.

Afterwards we visited the fishmongers, the butchers, the supermarket for some fresh fruit/veg and then we went to Wilkinsons and bought some crafty bits. This was definitely the highlight of the day.

Tada! Crafty bits! :)

Not really sure why it's sideways? It wasn't when I uploaded it from the camera... and I can't work out to how to rotate it left.

Pens are bread and butter staples in our house, as I'm sure they are in many homes where the creative fairies visit. I also restocked our supplies of sparkly gems, beads and buttons. Despite recycling these as much as possible they still diminish over time. Finally, I bought some Hama bead sets. I used to play with these as a child - they bring back happy memories of building butterflies and patterns to be decorations and coasters (and also of me chewing them? Not sure what that's about...! I used to have a stash of them next to my bed and chew a couple into mangled oblivion before going to sleep!). I've put them away for one of those inevitable rainy days.

Upon our arrival home, Small Clanger went directly outside to fetch his bike and rode up and down our culdesac. Clearly the pent up energy from last week's rain was not sufficiently disappated by attending gym this morning. He then watered all our plants with water from the water butt and drew a "map" on the drain access cover with water. Meanwhile the girls played upstairs.

Then they all decided to create some "food" with playdough. We were given a celebration collection of 50 tubs of variously coloured playdough a few years back. Most of them have now progressed into that non-descript browny/grey/black colour that playdough turns when it is mushed together. Still, they managed to make some platefuls of rolls, buns, cookies and a huge mess all over the dining room, and have a long discussion about the texture of dough and how it was different to the clothes they were wearing and the PVC stuff the tablecloth is made from.

I love how they learn collaboratively without much guidance from me. It really makes me certain that this is the right choice for us.