Camping at Baldock Mill

We have another few camping trips booked up in the next few weeks before the school kids go back and we start attending a few classes ourselves. 

Caden and Miles have been really enjoying the ABC song and consequently Miles can now sing the whole song correctly, so he knows his alphabet. He now needs to learn to read it, that's the next step. I will be very happy if he is reading his alphabet and a few words like his name by the end of this 'school' year. There is no rush for him, we can celebrate all his little 'Miles' stones' when he reaches them. 

We all went camping at Baldock Mill near Letchworth. This is the cheapest campsite I have stayed at to date at £7 a night for me and the two boys. Pretty amazing price but it was very basic (which I don't mind at all). There was no hot water and you had to take your own rubbish with you. The up sides were that there was a beautiful small lake, a lovely walk to a playground, gorgeous countryside and a little wood nearby. It was safe, enclosed and there was enough space for the kids to run wild a little bit. There was also a small area with two trampolines and a play house that the kids spent a lot of time in. It was very natural, no media/technology played with by the kids and no actual toys, just sticks, running, role play and wrestling. They had a good wholesome time! 

This is our camp. I couldn't face putting the tent up twice in a week so I put up the gazebo instead and the boys and I slept in the car with the seats down. Very, very comfortable I have to say. It got really cold on both nights outside but we were quite toasty in the car. You can lock it from the inside so you are safer than in a tent and with the windows slightly ajar, there is lots of fresh air. We all slept well enough. 

Miles played with lots of his little 'age' mates. He is such a sociable little animal. 

Ang brought glow sticks and balloons for the kids, she was suddenly the most popular person on the campsite. The kids loved the glow sticks. Such a great idea for camping. 

Glow stick wrestling pile up. The older boys there were allowing themselves to be attacked by all the little kids, they all loved it, except the older boys actually! Haha! I think the little ones got a bit rough. 

The boys getting ready for bed the first night, cosy eh! 

Trampolining the next day. Lots of wrestling and harmless play fighting between the kids on there was going on. 

We found a hairy caterpillar and a large frog that was even too big for me to pick up, I am not usually squeamish about these things but I couldn't touch it. 

We took a walk to the little local play area and they all had a good climb. 

We found a load of hazelnut trees on the way to the play area and as we have got into foraging lately we got stuck in and picked loads. I brought the branches down for the kids and they all had a great time picking the nuts off. Then I showed them how to crack them with their molars and which ones are good and which are bad. They all ate them and enjoyed them which is wonderful! 

Here is Caden picking the leaves off his cob nut. 

Back at camp we got all the kids together and collected sticks/stones and found a fantastic load of supplies in the thicket that people had thrown away including a round rusted tub with a hole in, perfect for a campfire. We found bigger logs too, started the fire with cotton wool and hay. It took a couple of goes, the kids loved watching it all kick off and we all sat around it. The kids had been running all over the place but as soon as the fire was lit, everyone came and sat down together, it was lovely. The fire really brings people together like that. 

I made some campfire bread and sausages, Miles loved it! Here he is chilling out!

Caden too....

Our little solar chinese lantern from Wilkos that we are very proud of. 

Cooking and bug modelling

Today Caden made pasta for lunch and Miles made a jam sponge for pudding. 

Here is Caden grating the cheese. I fried up onions, lamb, tomatoes and mushrooms with garlic and herbs and chopped carrots into cubes. Then mixed it with pasta and put it in a dish, with Caden observing. Then Caden sprinkled over the cheese he had grated. 

Miles cracked open two eggs and tidied away the shells. 

He whisked. 

They really enjoyed the meal and ate everything too. Success!

Yum!

We also made some cardboard bugs that their Grandad had brought for them to press out and assemble from a bug facts book. 

Miles chose a beetle and Caden chose a wasp. 

Pirate crazy golf and the open air cinema

We took a family day out recently around MK. The kids were in the trailer and we went all over the AMAZING redway system. I always go on about how good it is but it feels so great every time I go out cycling and discover a new way to get somewhere. 

We stopped at a playground we passed, this one is in Eaglestone. 

Toy Story 2 was on at the Open Air Cinema, organised by The Parks Trust in MK. We had a little picnic and watched it. It is a very impressive set up. The screen is very bright so the glare of the sun didn't affect the picture at all. The sound was a little too loud I thought but there was no problem seeing and hearing the film. The kids really liked it. There were toilet and refreshment facilities too. It was a free event. 

I had got a Groupon deal for the Pirate crazy golf. Caden loves crazy golf so we went along and played this. The fact that there was an octopus with moving tentacles really sealed the deal, it was ideal for the boys. They won, of course. 

Later I cycled over to Caldecotte Lake, hoping to get them to the Fenny Poppers Festival before it shut and look what happened.... They have obviously been having a bit TOO much fun ;) !! I decided not to go to the festival and took them home for a movie night. 

Pottery at MK Arts Centre

We had a pottery workshop booked for both the boys at the MK Arts Centre at Great Linford in Milton Keynes. The children had to make a clay tile from a lump of clay they were given and create their own design for it. 

We found that some of their home educating friends were attending too which was a stroke of luck, the boys were really happy to be doing the workshop with them. 

First the children were given cardboard 'trays' and a sheet of A5 paper. They all took a walk to the nearby pond for inspiration and drew their pictures from the things they could see. 

Caden drew a shark and Miles drew a tornado (!). 

The children had to put on aprons and then they were each given a lump of clay which they had to knead, like bread 

Then they got some flat sticks of approximately the same width and used them to roll the clay to an even thickness. 

Then the parents cut out the clay into a rectangle and they placed them on their card trays with their art work above, ready to transfer the image. An assortment of various interesting tools were supplied and the children got to work recreating their design onto the clay tile. 

The tools were very interesting, they really got the children thinking creatively about how to make patterns, not just with 'drawing'. They pressed, imprinted, scooped and drew.

Caden did a great job of recreating his shark. You can see the image he drew and a very similar image on his clay tile. 

Miles' tornado was really taking shape..... it seemed to be sucking in clay tools...

Caden used a shell to make sea prints for his sea bed. 

Miles' tornado became more and more wacky! The other children found it hilarious!

Caden adding the finishing touches to his tile and Miles' which looks like it should be in a horror movie. 

They really enjoyed the workshop though. After that the children played cowboys and indians on the lawn outside the arts centre. They played really well for ages and we all had a big picnic lunch together. 

Playing Harry Potter spell duals.