I've not posted since the Christmas holidays. It's simply been too busy. This seems paradoxical, as we've had extended periods of being snowed in, but at that point we had nothing much to report. Since the thaw, we've probably gone a bit overboard with activity to make up for the prolonged Christmas veg-out.
The new year's seen lots of new ventures in the local home education scene: board games clubs; drawing classes; French groups; a proposed teen club. And DD has joined both the young archaeologists' club and a creative writing group that has been going some time. On top of her musical activities every weekend. She's certainly not short of opportunities to socialize.
Also, we spent 3 days in the company of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. The Holmes Science lectures at Newcastle University are held annually for children aged 10-14. But I think this is the first year that the lectures' organizers cottoned on to using their namesake as a dramatic device to impart all manner of scientific information. It was very funny - Holmes keeps turning up at Watson's surgery complaining of various symptoms. We're then taken through the science of ECGs, brain scans, radiography, and other medical tests. Of course, Holmes' symptoms are discovered to be down to his rather degenerate lifestyle (pipe-smoking, cocaine snorting and hip-flask swigging).
Once again, home educators came out very well in the quiz at the end of the lectures. Last year, Dd came joint second and her home educated friend won. This year, another home educated boy came joint second and Dd won. The quiz was only a bit of fun and it wasn't a question of being competitive: it was simply nice to see a handful of HE kids do well in a sea of uniformed children. A little vindication of our choice when so many in authority seem to erroneously believe that home educated children might "fall behind". As if 'lifelong learning' is a race, in any case!
