Another Stop Motion by Owen

How To Make a Dalek

Home School Calling's First Harvest

Pumpkins, Courgettes and Tomatoes were a success. Carrots and spring onions were okay and beetroots, cauliflower were a disaster!

Ferrets, Pets & Home Education

Our lovely pet ferret Red died in June. Red's death was tough for both kids as they had a special relationship with him. We explained what death meant in different cultures but Owen is a non-theist so found it hard to deal with the literal end of Red's life. However, we have two young crazy, bitey ferrets called Foxy and Freddie. The kids are building new bonds with them but have to be extra careful of their fingers!

Electronic Wizard

Owen expressed an interest in the Electronic Wizard course at HESFES. The first kit is due to arrive at the end of September.

It is a Postal Course providing an adventure into the magical world of electronics, starting with the basics, and rapidly building to more advanced practice. It gives kids an insight into the workings behind technology & helping you understand some of the ‘Magic’ that holds our modern world together.

Magic Glue

Pope Benedict Protest March, London 2010 #7 (5515)

Pope Benedict Protest March, London 2010 #7 (5515)
Originally uploaded by Grey Photography

Owen and Anya at the Protest The Pope Demo on 18th September 2010

YouTube - Richard Dawkins at Protest the Pope Rally in London Sept2010

YouTube - Richard Dawkins at Protest the Pope Rally in London Sept2010

Protest The Pope

We are trying to raise our children to be free thinking and to have a healthy cynism to what they are told. We feel this is hard after the four years they have spent at a Church school were we feel their young minds were subject to indoctrination. We are keen to redress this balance and open their minds to other view points.

Therefore, we joined a demonstration of over 12,000 people yesterday to protest against the Pope's visit to London. We marched with a diversity of people including Christians, gays and women all united against the Popes and the Catholic churches values. At the end we listened to Richard Dawkins talk about his cynical view on the Popes visit to the UK.

EGYPTIANS AT THE HORNIMAN

History starts with the Ancient Egyptians. Our first lesson includes a trip to the Horiman Museum with other Home Educated children. We were allowed to handles real object from Ancient Egypt which were 2000 - 5000 years old. The objects included a piece of a sarcophagus (tomb), mummified bird, mummy's mask, hieroglyphics written in papurus paper. The handling of these object was a really good methods of engaging my kinesthetic learners. The question and answer session proved to much for Owen who has almost no ability to learn though purely auditory methods.

YouTube - Lego Police

YouTube - Lego Police

Owen loves making Stop Motions Films. This kind of hand on learning is great for his kinesthetic learning needs.

Coke Expolosion

Method: Put one packet of mint Mentos (must be Menthos) into a large bottle of Cola. Stand back and watch the explosion. The mints make the carbon dioxide suddenly escape from the cola. We also compared the same reaction with diet cola, lemonade and sparkling water.

Home Made Slime

Homemade Slime Recipe

Borax
White Glue
Water
Food Coloring (optional)
Ziploc bag

1. Borax is available in the laundry section of your local grocery shop. Take a cup of water and add to it 1 Tbs. of borax (approx 4% solution). Stir until completely dissolved.
2. Make a 50% water 50% white glue solution (eg PVA but not washable kind). Take 1/4 cup of each and mix thoroughly.
3. In a ziploc bag, add equal parts of the borax solution to equal parts of the glue solution. 1/2 cup of each will make a cup of slime.
4. Add a couple drops of food coloring.
5. Seal bag and knead the mixture.
6. Dig in and have fun. Remember to wash your hands after playing.
7. Keep your slime in the sealed bag in the refrigerator when not playing with it to keep it longer. Unfortunately it may eventually dry out or grow mold. Just throw it out and start again!

Explanation:
The borax is acting as the crosslinking agent or "connector" for the glue (polyvinyl acetate) molecules. Once the glue molecules join together to form even larger molecules called polymers, you get a thickened gel very similar to slime. If you've tried this recipe (formula) before using blue starch (instead of the borax) with mixed results, you won't be disappointed with this one. Works everytime! If you have access to a chemical supply house, try a 4% solution of polyvinyl alcohol instead of the glue for a less rubbery polymer and one that is transparent showing off the color better.