Quick Update

Just a quick update this week, there aren't any pictures as I've been knocked down with flu since Friday.
We went to the cinema to see the Harry Potter film on Thursday evening. We had been advised to queue for an hour beforehand to secure our seats and it was busy but not full so we could have turned up 10 minutes before in the end! We really enjoyed the film but didn't think it was the best one.
As I said in my last post, we are focusing on maths throughout the summer and Cameron is really progressing with everything he tries. Over the last few weeks he's been flicking ahead in the workbook and got quite upset about seeing multiplication signs. He was panicking about it being too complicated. I think he might have inherited the perfectionism gene from me - he wants to do the work, but only if he gets it all right. I knew that he had the knowledge and ability to do it, it was just daunting for him to see it written down. This morning we decided to tackle it head on and Cameron excelled. After half an hour of talking and looking at times tables and number patterns he was answering questions using the 2, 5 and 10 times tables and using the "correct terminology" whilst he was working it out! He was so pleased with himself for grasping the concept quickly and getting everything right. Of course now he's looking forward and seeing the division signs so I expect that's what we'll be tackling next week.
Cameron discovered the Shidonni World game via the Primary Games website and is absolutely obsessed with it. He has created characters which then come to life, food for them, backgrounds etc. and then he gets awards for pet care and other things and also has a daily mission to do. We haven't upgraded to the pro version yet but I think we might soon as it's pretty cheap and there are so many more options.
Not much else to report really - Cameron is continuing with his reading for the library reading scheme plus reading anything Beano-ish that he can get his hands on. He's really into menacing and is always pulling pranks and trying out tactics to confuse me!!
We have got back into the habit of writing each other letters which is really sweet. Cameron wrote me some really lovely things whilst I was feeling horrid with the flu and cheered me right up! We are also including little things that I'd forgotten about from my childhood like tick boxes at the end of letters - too cute for words!

Wii Fun and an Update

We are having a good week.
We blew our summer budget on a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit which has been a really big hit with us both. Cameron is particularly into boxing, jogging and bowling as well as a Ben 10 game we bought with it. This is the first games console we've had in years and the first that we've really got the hang of. There is quite a bit of healthy competition in the house for getting first place in the games and activities! Much to my surprise Cameron switches off after about an hour of his own accord too - I thought I'd have to be dragging him away to get anything else done.

With the curriculum work we are focusing mainly on Maths throughout the summer. Cameron is anxious about moving on to multiplication so we are going to spend some time on that. He has all the understanding he needs, it's just confusing him seeing it written down and all the jargon that goes with it.
He is also enjoying getting ahead of the timetable on other subjects.

Cameron signed up to the library Summer reading scheme Quest Seekers, on Saturday and has read his first two books. He's motivated by the medal this year as he has quite a collection of these going now - I think this will be his 5th.
After we signed up at the library we found out there was a medieval day going on at the local museum so we went along there and did some stained glass painting, made a shield, looked around the museum again and listened to a fascinating and gruesome talk on medieval medicine/health care.

We've been experimenting with Tux Paint which Cameron has taken to like a duck to water. Here he is with his picture of Super Baby Tom.

Cameron decided to bake again with his family worker (L) this week. Victoria Scones were his cake of choice although he made L do the rubbing in part because he doesn't like the texture! Next week I think they are going to go to the park.

We visited Grandma and Grandad on Sunday for the first time in ages as they've been away. Cameron did some jobs at their house to earn some pocket money and bought himself a Ben 10 action figure.

The Summer holidays always seem to bring some drama with the kids in the back street and this year it has started early. Cameron has been playing out in the back street (with the notorious group of children that I moan about every school holiday). So far this week he has come back with a grazed hand, a big, bleeding bump on his head and a graze all down his arm. Last night the group decided to have an initiation thing for their "street gang" and trapped Cameron and threw rocks at him. These kids continue to knock on the door all sweetness and light after each incident and ask if Cameron wants to play out and every time Cameron trusts and goes out to play! I really hope it doesn't get to the point it did last year.

Today we are getting on with some weaving and more Tux Paint and maths. Tonight we are going to see the new Harry Potter film. We've booked seats but been told to come an hour before the showing time to queue!

Last week of term

We have been out and about enjoying the last week of the school term before the hoards descend everywhere for what seems like a ridiculously long Summer holiday this year.

We've had friends over, taken full advantage of the quiet parks, been to the library, the market, the cinema, bowling with the disability support group and much much more.

We finally got a fish bowl for Super Fisher, the fish Cameron won at the gala (who has been swimming around a baking bowl for the last month!), and we also bought him a friend who has been named Little Fin.

Last Saturday we had a barbecue up at the allotment which was a lot of fun!

Cameron and I are experimenting with spending some time apart once a week. I feel extremely guilty about taking time out for myself but I do realise that I'm more refreshed and enthusiastic when I return so it will probably get easier as we go on. Last week was my first break (as in time to myself) since February and it felt very alien. I went out into town and spent all my money on vintage Beano annuals for Cameron and I later found out that I wasn't the only one clock watching until it was over!
I've joined a community weight loss challenge that I'm attending in my (now) spare time. It took a lot of guts to join but I'm really enjoying it and am meeting new people. Hopefully I'll achieve something for myself at the end of it.

Cameron gets to spend his time away from me with a family worker who is a lot of fun. He taught her how to bake banana bread last week!

Not much else to report from this week really. Cameron is continuing steadily with his curriculum work. He's back into Doctor Who and still into comics, particularly the Beano and he's enjoying some vintage Whizzer and Chips ones too.

A Day at the Farm

Today we visited this farm. We had a really fantastic time!


Feeding the chickens turned out to be quite difficult because of this very dominant cockerel that stalked us up and down the fenced area!


The staff working the petting area were really great with Cameron. He wasn't ready to hold any animals so they helped him get a closer look. These baby rabbits were so cute!


Hay bale area with tunnels, swings and climbing


Park with a zip wire swing. Do I dare let go?


Here goes...


Finishing off with slides and ball pool in Farmer James' play barn

We had lunch in the cafe then headed to a HE group which wasn't quite as successful as the farm trip but still a really great day.

Another Brilliant Day

We had such a good day today, it feels like we have got back into our swing of things now.
This morning Cameron did his maths and singing then we dug up some more potatoes.




These ones were just supermarket potatoes that sprouted before we had chance to use them up so we planted them out on Good Friday. Cameron counted 40.


He spent the rest of his morning reacquainting himself with the Doctor Who website as his interests in the programme have been renewed.
After lunch we tried out this weaving frame. I made a piece that turned out a bit curved so I felted it and now it's a little bowl that we are going to use to keep acorns etc. on the nature table in Autumn. That was my first go at felting (harder than it looks!) and was on my 101 things list. Here it is drying upside down.


Speaking of 101 things, another of my list items was to make carrot cake. Cameron was keen to get stuck in with this, even though he was weaving at the same time! We used a recipe from here which made a much larger cake than I was expecting!


We danced around to some music while we baked (Cameron's choice - RHCP). Cameron wasn't too taken with the idea of cream cheese icing but liked it in the end.


More weaving after that with some telly time and some time playing with Doctor Who action figures that haven't been touched for a good 5 months!
No arguments, lots of smiles and tickling, laughing and chatting, productive day - excellent!

Bark the Dog

This morning we popped along to a local festival. They had stalls ranging from rag ruggers, dry stone wall builders, tractors, spinners and weavers through to fairground rides and more.

We spent some time chatting to a guy from a local rat society and petting his little white rats. They were quite cute. We also saw some birds of prey. There was the opportunity to pet the owls but we couldn't get close enough as it was crowded.

Cameron had a go at a game, trying to throw a ball into a milk churn to win prizes. He had his heart set on a big stuffed dog toy and was really disappointed to go away without it.

We wandered around the rest of the festival and on our way back through town Cameron wanted to have another go at winning the dog. He tried really hard and the woman gave him a few free goes but he didn't quite manage it. In the end he negotiated an advance on his pocket money so that he could buy the dog!

It is a cute dog. Cameron named him Bark and they got a lot of attention walking around the farmers market!

Cameron and Bark chose rabbit pies for their lunches at the farmers market and when we got home Cameron helped me finger knit a lead for Bark (finger knitting on my list of 101 things). Cameron also made him a bed and got him bowls for food and water.

I have a feeling that Bark is going to be very well cared for.

Awesome Day at the NMM

Lately, as part of Cameron's curriculum work, we've been learning about Egyptian mummies, pharaohs, pyramids etc. and Cameron's interest has really been hooked so today we went to the National Media Museum and watched the new IMAX film Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs.
We got there early so we had a look at some of the exhibitions in the museum paying particular attention to the animation one.
Here's a blurry pic of Cameron with the Wallace and Gromit museum set for The Wrong Trousers


Unfortunately most of the other things we wanted to see where sectioned off for pre-booked groups doing educational workshops.

The museum was heaving - I had forgotten that school trips are often in the last few weeks of term. We both did really well though, it wasn't an issue other than not being able to get in to some areas and having to be a bit more patient than we're used to ;o).


The film itself was absolutely incredible! I really recommend it. We felt like we got first hand experience of the inside of tombs and there were a lot of gory close-up bits of real mummies which is just the sort of thing Cameron likes at the moment!

We have a few ideas of things we'd like to do to supplement the curriculum work on Egyptian mummies in the next few weeks. We are going to look at some hieroglyphics and then we might even have a go at mummifying a chicken!

Cluefinders

The last couple of afternoons we have been having a really great time with a Cluefinders adventure CD-ROM (similar to this one but works on vista) that came with the curriculum box.

This is the first game of it's kind that Cameron has really got into and he worked out the majority of the puzzles himself without help. We completed it this afternoon and Cameron was really chuffed with himself.

I'm interested in finding something similar as he took to it so much but am not having much luck finding ones that will work on Vista.