Neurodiversity!

Apart from the absence of hyperfocus, now a well known possibility in ADHD, this is a very interesting video.

Of course these labels are attempts to understand and categorise behaviours that may not stem from the same causes and may indeed be better understood in a completely different way but they are a better understanding than naughty lazy and rude.

A virtual friend of some years has a very interesting blog about autism, 'What is Autism Anyway", she brings her experience to the discussion of the labelling and naming involved and the sources of our assumptions and categories.  These cautions will apply to all neurodiversities, ADHD included.

And from the comments, and so true, one thing both have in common is anxiety.

This one is informative too, the answer to the first question is so spot on, but the doctor's humility and understanding are not always present.

A lovely day at Moira Furnace with a talk about Victorian laundry day and a tour of the furnace.  It was nicely balanced and kept the little ones attention without patronising the teen!

A picnic followed and when I just couldn't tolerate the hot then cold weather any longer Beth found a friend to take her home and I came back to a lovely refreshing hot bath.

International Freedom in Education Day and why Home Education works for us

As I my time is being gobbled up at the moment trying to sort out the catastrophic result of trusting the authorities with the education of one of my children I have decided to celebrate International Freedom in Education Day with a picture blog, always a more natural story telling medium to me.  And for the same reason this post will be my totally belated contribution the the blog carnival over at Jax's  about home education and why people chose it.

I hope these pictures will show the freedom and happiness home education has provided for one  little girl. A little girl who was so unhappy in school that she was able to talk, for the first time in many months, without ranting and without pause for an hour about all the reasons school was illogical and hypocritical and was not supporting her learning or her mental health.  A little girl who did not allow a second to pass between the first realisation that home education was a possibility and and her passionate exhortation to be allowed to leave the school that had become a place of torture for her. A child who for a long time had been too stressed and exhausted to learn at school or at home.  A little girl who was at the time beside herself with anguish, confusion, rage, betrayal and despair but in that moment took back control of her own future and shifted it onto a profoundly enabling and empowering path that changed our perception of many things we had taken for granted for ever!

to be completed

Clay Modelling

There has been some fun being had here lately with some excellent air hardening clay obtained for a bargain price at the request of DS1 at the beginning of the summer.

All this creativity doesn’t do much for the state of the kitchen table though!

A Birthday and some help with the garden

How hard it is just to post a picture and maybe a sentence, that is what I promised myself I would do about a week ago, so here we go, better late than never.

One of dd's babies (very important to call them this) had a birthday yesterday and we were lucky that we had a lovely local home educator helping with the garden and his daughter came with him.

So she had help to make Sam's cake and I had help with the jungle that the garden has become following a year of neglect.

{this moment}

Can't believe I have posted nothing but these for three weeks, I have lots of posts to catch up on but can't seem to find the time.  Does anyone have a strategy or method for blogging super efficiently?

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Inspiration from Amanda at SouleMama

Hesfes

Just got to get my house and garden ready for visitors before then, no mean task! Wish me luck.

Swimming

Followed by grass sculpture.

Rubbish

Was the subject of Wildlife and Wellies this Friday

The pleasure this big pile of rubbish brought to some of the young boys was a joy to behold  : )

The different treatment of rubbish can include composting the waste fruit and veg

Lining up for the sort the rubbish race

Wonder if my compost bin looks like this inside, somehow I doubt it, where are all the slugs?

Using compost to plant sunflower seeds plus handing out seeds for gorilla planting

More info and goodies here

Making Easter Eggs

Melting the chocolate chips.

Close up.

Tempering the chocolate, a lovely messy and seemingly essential stage.  There are lots of videos on Youtube telling you how to temper chocolate, the trouble is they all seem to suggest a slightly different way.  We melted the chocolate on a bain marie until it was about 100 - 120 degrees Fahrenheit, not easy with a thermometer that starts at 130.  We then took it of the heat and added more chocolate as suggested in some of the videos, something about adding chocolate with the correct links between the fat molecules then all the melted chocolate will follow suite.  We also tipped it onto our granite chopping board and sort of squeegeed it about, as shown in other videos.  The chocolate mostly met the tests of proper tempering and is shiny and came easily out of the moulds.  We will find out tomorrow if it has a nice crisp crack.

Lots of little eggs to be stuck together and sealed inside the big eggs.

This shows the difference between properly tempered chocolate and not.  The powdery suface shows that the tempering hasn't worked properly, this was when we didn't use the marble slab.

The final product, a bit messy because a 12 year old was involved and a dyspraxic adult.

All wrapped up and ready to go.

Sorry for the very grainy photos, I have a bounce flash but keep forgetting to use it.  Hopefully get some better photos of the eggs tomorrow.