tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71621055194812474422024-02-01T22:17:01.697-08:00GracieschoolNewsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-81397100791657916232017-04-13T15:07:00.001-07:002017-04-13T15:07:05.315-07:00Star Wars Identities and Hyde Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">We took a trip to the Star Wars Identities exhibit at the O2 this week and it was AMAZING.</span></div>
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Really educational as well as just having loads of awesome Star Wars memorabilia.<br />
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The kids were shocked by how small the ships were and couldn't believe that the real Millennium Falcon was not much bigger than the Lego one.<br />
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The exhibit walks you through the lives of Anakin and Luke Sky-Walker, explaining how their identities were shaped by things like genetics, culture, parenting, beliefs and values, peer influence and more.<br />
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It also allows you to create your own character as you go.<br />
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It was really well done and definitely worth a visit if you are in London.<br />
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There's also a Nissan <strike>advertisement</strike> 'innovation centre' that we stopped for a play in. The kids loved the Virtual reality station and doing a quiz about the cars.<br />
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After that we went to the Diana Memorial for a play (it was a beautiful day) and got some juices from a market on Queensway.<br />
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All in all a really fun day out.<br />
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-16154315560959477462017-01-27T13:09:00.001-08:002017-01-27T13:09:20.151-08:00Mystery of History<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm not sure how many other people are using the <a href="http://www.themysteryofhistory.com/">Mystery of History curriculum</a>, but I really love it. It's a great way to piece together world history (so much of what I covered at school focused solely on the UK!) and covers a wide range of other topics in a chronological way.<br />
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The only problem I have had with it is that it's sooooo expensive. I mean, it's fine if you live in the US, but shipping to the UK nearly doubles the price of the curriculum, especially if you get charged import tax by customs (yes, even though it was marked educational resources, they decided to charge me anyway).<br />
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So I was super excited when I found out you can get <a href="http://amzn.to/2k1gqI2">volumes I and II on kindle</a>!! Not only that, but there appears to be some kind of promotion on, because despite each quarter of volume II being listed as £6.34, when I bought it I was only charged £1.06! Not only that, but I had promotional credit from my prime account, so I all of volume two on my kindle for FREE.<br />
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Pretty sweet deal.<br />
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Sadly it doesn't have volumes three and four, but hopefully they'll be released before we get to them, and with all the money I've saved I'm going to go and download the MP3's so we can listen to volume one for revision in the car. </div>
Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-15917221993305845602016-07-06T13:24:00.001-07:002016-07-06T13:24:29.766-07:00Rainforest Centre<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today we went to the rain forest centre in Newbury. It was amazing and we had a great tour from a lady about all the edible things. From coffee and vanilla to insects, rodents, birds and even turtles!<br />
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The fish were incredible, so big!</div>
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My favourite part was the Sloth.<br />
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We learned about the symbiotic relationship between agouti and the brazil nut tree (google it, it's cool) and how over hunting is causing problems. </div>
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We learned a little about climate and the four different layers of the rainforest, as well as animal adaptations that allow them to live there. </div>
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It's a great centre, with a wide range of work sheets to keep little ones interested. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The children's favourite bird was a curacao called 'Luigi'</td></tr>
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-12959899263342562252016-02-06T13:05:00.000-08:002016-07-06T13:07:41.036-07:00The Giving Project<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We sold our house recently, and as well as using some of the money to purchase our next property, we wanted to give some away.<br />
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Not only that, but we wanted to train Cosmo and Lychee in giving too, by modelling, but also letting them have a go. They've been recieving pocket money on and off for a few years and Cosmo regularly gave a few coins to homeless people. After prayer, we decided to take the money, split it four ways, and give each member of the family a "giving fund" with the only rule being that you must give it away before the end of the year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtX_4DZGdwZ-AD_LjhnAi1nWLax0EL0HzULVYzc86alC1X1Rqd5SsBpJxhbb3GctPMcmdgM0oeW9E8OJ_d87NNTliv07YCOh_IHJ08Rwu8UkLT9IWFHQPSNlYdhs0QC9McpQOGc6jYbQ/s1600/money-pounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtX_4DZGdwZ-AD_LjhnAi1nWLax0EL0HzULVYzc86alC1X1Rqd5SsBpJxhbb3GctPMcmdgM0oeW9E8OJ_d87NNTliv07YCOh_IHJ08Rwu8UkLT9IWFHQPSNlYdhs0QC9McpQOGc6jYbQ/s320/money-pounds.jpg" width="320" /></a>I had images of smiling children who were going to think this was so much fun.</div>
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I was wrong. </div>
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Both children felt completely overwhelmed and the conversation ended with them saying they wouldn't do it. </div>
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Over the next few days it came out that they felt it was too much money, and that they were concerned about giving it away "to the wrong person". </div>
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After much reassurance they have finally accepted that it isn't a test, and there is no right or wrong. We also encouraged them to split it into a monthly or even weekly target to give, rather than worrying about the whole amount. </div>
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I have to admit I did flinch when Cosmo wanted to give £40 to a homeless man, but to his credit, my husband didn't. He went and withdrew the cash so he could do it. </div>
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Everything in me wanted to say "that money would be better used by a charity that supports homeless people" but part of having assured him that there are no mistakes and he is completely in charge, I'm glad I restrained myself from coercing him into making a different decision. </div>
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Training involves trust. </div>
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And maybe education so that he can make informed decisions later; though he may still not make the same choices that I would. </div>
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I'm glad we're doing the project and my children are learning to be generous young. </div>
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We are also using YNAB to track our progress and at the end it will be great to look through and see where all the money went. </div>
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-72414324277127712092015-11-26T03:41:00.001-08:002015-11-26T03:41:55.655-08:00Autumn term<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">This season is always super busy, so I rarely have time to blog, but we have certainly done plenty! </span></div><div><br></div><div>This term the children have been to the west end to see shows twice (most recently "Elf - the musical", which was brilliant, although Cosmo claims he still prefers Phantom of the Opera), spent a day learning to ski and snowboard, had a historical fun day pretending to be pirates with their friends, as well as all the usual activities like parkour, swimming and sports classes. </div><div><br></div><div>Speaking of swimming, Lychee swam five metres with swimming aids last week, and if she can repeat it this week I think she'll be getting her badge. </div><div><br></div><div>We've got up to the Egyptians in our mystery of history curriculum so we made a "daddy mummy" which was a lot of fun. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9d8IV4QIHnrj9_1EzwzRCMFAbh_txmsFfIZvdQMzKSzBuXjmLCBXXLFRS19ty5IzVstw8CTjLYzgKu4vDbDbdg6zKujeK9NxZnW_dg3WizVwgJ5G31jb65z41Ua4R3x34xCKBV83N_M/s640/blogger-image--1150066185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9d8IV4QIHnrj9_1EzwzRCMFAbh_txmsFfIZvdQMzKSzBuXjmLCBXXLFRS19ty5IzVstw8CTjLYzgKu4vDbDbdg6zKujeK9NxZnW_dg3WizVwgJ5G31jb65z41Ua4R3x34xCKBV83N_M/s640/blogger-image--1150066185.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Az9runsyQ-3gjsfRFG9P0SdNfsmDs5Bu7nuvWUVqDJIcBNiV0sRffvzU6YLciWXEMH1tE0f8vEMc-wCV5UIV0-w35uK0kFjDlkSku80hHe1D_cbKnqQlAxKryS2cvXv4bqwYiVl1rw/s640/blogger-image-199715337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Az9runsyQ-3gjsfRFG9P0SdNfsmDs5Bu7nuvWUVqDJIcBNiV0sRffvzU6YLciWXEMH1tE0f8vEMc-wCV5UIV0-w35uK0kFjDlkSku80hHe1D_cbKnqQlAxKryS2cvXv4bqwYiVl1rw/s640/blogger-image-199715337.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We've also bought Cosmo a kindle, which has been brilliant for keeping up with enough books for him to read (we're budgeting about £20/month for him and it's still not nearly enough even at kindle prices!) and lychee is still enjoying weekly trips to the library to max out her card.</div><div><br></div><div>This week they had whiteboard pens out again, which she loves so much.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ_mj1sOH8OVb0z2-QhTdXQX4AU5eDhyYPAARwuA5bffmj5XyJ8TGzhxfh3KeWVWEnW88Ra7lJGfE0lKLlqRxJe9WQ03ybwTcpY7YgmzEevC6FCoSWSsv6xzEUnBOiTSYb-EAcAielio/s640/blogger-image--248703853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ_mj1sOH8OVb0z2-QhTdXQX4AU5eDhyYPAARwuA5bffmj5XyJ8TGzhxfh3KeWVWEnW88Ra7lJGfE0lKLlqRxJe9WQ03ybwTcpY7YgmzEevC6FCoSWSsv6xzEUnBOiTSYb-EAcAielio/s640/blogger-image--248703853.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Although it's obviously very tiring!!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJT5NSAeGTwTcBH8OpNsTf1sqakwXApyCl_XDDWyD6C4cXStprvp9quLJU32V_JohEZoGxZ9iKOv8Tv9HD23IT52mU1jBe69ZOYELN4r5eI4RPZI4KoU_Q7kkdW8L4lbnpJzzIpGG30I/s640/blogger-image--1488996062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJT5NSAeGTwTcBH8OpNsTf1sqakwXApyCl_XDDWyD6C4cXStprvp9quLJU32V_JohEZoGxZ9iKOv8Tv9HD23IT52mU1jBe69ZOYELN4r5eI4RPZI4KoU_Q7kkdW8L4lbnpJzzIpGG30I/s640/blogger-image--1488996062.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Today we're celebrating thanksgiving and tomorrow we will be decorating our house for Christmas (super exciting). </div><div><br></div><div>The children have been playing "mayflower" on the blanket in the living room, pretending there's a crazy storm and throwing themselves off their "ship". </div><div><br></div><div>That's all for now, there's loads more, but I have to go finish making a pumpkin pie before our guests arrive. </div><div><br></div><div>Happy holidays! </div>Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-21189939623228095922015-10-08T01:38:00.001-07:002015-10-08T01:45:16.592-07:00In your image...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This week we've started our <a href="http://gracieschool.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/mystery-of-history.html">mystery of history curriculum</a> again. Lychee is now old enough to join in and get something from it, which makes it a whole lot easier than it was last time around!<br />
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To be honest, we stopped because we moved house and taking our timeline off the wall meant we would have to reconstruct everything we'd done and I couldn't face doing it at the time. Starting again means rebuilding slowly, which is a lot more manageable. </div>
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Today the children are using play doh to create men in their own image... Which quickly descended into creating their own "beasts of the field" and "birds of the air". Cosmo is enjoying it so much more having a sibling to encourage creativity. First time around he wanted to make everything look perfect, exactly like a real person. </div>
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Second time around, with a little encouragement from his sister, he's created a six legged, long necked, mammal that swims and has a number on its back which changes each year to tell you how old it is. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7GiHgMgJteqi71EIOWviOL9_MPAhVAMCImcufg2YXmr3Vu4RT1b1KF9_TwxychJzQtSSHVEo-enKRIituCDszc1ODnzhK0sZb6bhcLIO12JBJsr6yZEL51qxLvZdwspLy9xMaasgGd4/s640/blogger-image--956824282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7GiHgMgJteqi71EIOWviOL9_MPAhVAMCImcufg2YXmr3Vu4RT1b1KF9_TwxychJzQtSSHVEo-enKRIituCDszc1ODnzhK0sZb6bhcLIO12JBJsr6yZEL51qxLvZdwspLy9xMaasgGd4/s640/blogger-image--956824282.jpg" /></a></div>
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I love how they inspire each other and learn from each other in ways that I couldn't teach. </div>
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Family learning is the best! </div>
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-47375949033565323702015-10-01T02:11:00.001-07:002015-10-01T02:11:59.435-07:00Water sports day<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJzEiKIh8BcMpeXKAKz80iUbwWaHPzkTTDh8EJ6on-3QYV2QPtGhEaYJ_ECnOAADg-XrzlVaAAWqE2LJdNTXjS5y0zBjWaHqpk67CZiQj9AYVoqi84w7hqt86QXG-mhUHMb_rWNJAhJg/s640/blogger-image-87101898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJzEiKIh8BcMpeXKAKz80iUbwWaHPzkTTDh8EJ6on-3QYV2QPtGhEaYJ_ECnOAADg-XrzlVaAAWqE2LJdNTXjS5y0zBjWaHqpk67CZiQj9AYVoqi84w7hqt86QXG-mhUHMb_rWNJAhJg/s640/blogger-image-87101898.jpg"></a></div>Cosmo had great fun at Caldecotte lake yesterday, building a raft and then canoeing with his friends from our home ed co-op. Lychee wasn't old enough to go (for insurance purposes) so I had to stay home with her, but some friends kindly sent me pictures. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozbKtyZJ542oX5-KaVUTPcKBGcuZG6Z0upp6loY98KmrwIErnxJupKI-zhtBKFM1X3P0De3jYBBEqeNMpkyXYUNcYUFeYQXvF-_WXZw1p1do_pq7iC3FDGKCU6vkG4cak0jKwWwOoJDM/s640/blogger-image--1097483308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozbKtyZJ542oX5-KaVUTPcKBGcuZG6Z0upp6loY98KmrwIErnxJupKI-zhtBKFM1X3P0De3jYBBEqeNMpkyXYUNcYUFeYQXvF-_WXZw1p1do_pq7iC3FDGKCU6vkG4cak0jKwWwOoJDM/s640/blogger-image--1097483308.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcKcXKZkeCYVZ5Ct4ytgFLFHvHqCoIpMhpklDUD1-7usLQNHj47SULfkwOZv_F9p9oWLvAnBPTFBUj1NAOGt9RlYtGUEJkG8fq498eJXGe_W3nVh1w5Ibx68wWfE_8dRlAs2I8A_fpU0/s640/blogger-image--1579625389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcKcXKZkeCYVZ5Ct4ytgFLFHvHqCoIpMhpklDUD1-7usLQNHj47SULfkwOZv_F9p9oWLvAnBPTFBUj1NAOGt9RlYtGUEJkG8fq498eJXGe_W3nVh1w5Ibx68wWfE_8dRlAs2I8A_fpU0/s640/blogger-image--1579625389.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20RxLWo4qpoxdKBdZ_Jn9Dmw5Z2HZfGXHFgqccNBmab4zqn6ILpdesXeyq5tdY3h-3jXv4a0ELlSVOdAICEcNA5OWiQHFp9X6MDVyVOKUCp-8ARPUhWP9BwvZ5VUqPOlp4mHneRzNQBM/s640/blogger-image--163399524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20RxLWo4qpoxdKBdZ_Jn9Dmw5Z2HZfGXHFgqccNBmab4zqn6ILpdesXeyq5tdY3h-3jXv4a0ELlSVOdAICEcNA5OWiQHFp9X6MDVyVOKUCp-8ARPUhWP9BwvZ5VUqPOlp4mHneRzNQBM/s640/blogger-image--163399524.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-68170868033642418862015-09-28T01:51:00.001-07:002015-09-28T01:51:54.565-07:00Simple thingsWe've been super busy the last few weeks, with surf school, ice skating, swimming lessons, parties and more; sometimes it's really nice just to slow down. <div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A friend brought us a box of wooden counters that a school she works at were throwing out. The children love them. We are spending a morning making pictures whilst we listen to an audiobook. </span><br><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT23__RlxTsHeN5eOSj0kekZz2-FXvTxAn10-uvizDIjaAKzhGOPjNvqL5-X9ZFpNKJElxDXsoJNb470-uUrqDmVWVum0CADx6NyZHNJoLj8JzNHPO-uCQh19pbRBxDWv2krGcjf17jU/s640/blogger-image-381272072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT23__RlxTsHeN5eOSj0kekZz2-FXvTxAn10-uvizDIjaAKzhGOPjNvqL5-X9ZFpNKJElxDXsoJNb470-uUrqDmVWVum0CADx6NyZHNJoLj8JzNHPO-uCQh19pbRBxDWv2krGcjf17jU/s640/blogger-image-381272072.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Cosmo is making a suspension bridge. Lychee is making people. </div><div>They are so happy and chilled out. </div><div>This is the side of home ed that I love most. Just quiet playing together. It's always the simplest toys that bring out the most inventive games and inspire the most creativity. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAvorVfsQDBoKqLkgDy4bMrwtIAisPEgV7qNlCO7ewPEtAe2M2AJLp-TXomGh0qOFfRPTO7E1NILTrKsZBlW91Wc_m6L-UwMaIVja4yvLnCl0XCfvyX_IIaqsAFyRTRcBXu09yW8WNeg/s640/blogger-image-729871757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAvorVfsQDBoKqLkgDy4bMrwtIAisPEgV7qNlCO7ewPEtAe2M2AJLp-TXomGh0qOFfRPTO7E1NILTrKsZBlW91Wc_m6L-UwMaIVja4yvLnCl0XCfvyX_IIaqsAFyRTRcBXu09yW8WNeg/s640/blogger-image-729871757.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div></div>Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-49527064005254853532015-09-14T02:01:00.000-07:002015-09-14T02:01:02.467-07:00Not Back to School trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This week is <a href="http://gracieschool.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/living-in-sukkah.html">Rosh Hashanah</a>, which is the Jewish new year, and generally when we would restart our homeschool after a loooooooong summer break hanging out with daddy. It's a fun day of starting out with fresh curriculum and books; and eating lots of sweet things (we have fruit, yoghurt and honey for lunch!) to remind ourselves of how sweet and good God is.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulAtU6l-ncV9gsUEMpWGx1xk0Lemz1fcriAlf7oi6e_P-CcPTG3BuSQazYikMhh9Lh5UbxaHkEO6YvgrK4d4obiulpFEIibCpfgdJyO4ODxxZ9StGopPwK3zIA9ESt_7pZX0Ka3rfFBY/s1600/12004886_507346294547_8822482624050365082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulAtU6l-ncV9gsUEMpWGx1xk0Lemz1fcriAlf7oi6e_P-CcPTG3BuSQazYikMhh9Lh5UbxaHkEO6YvgrK4d4obiulpFEIibCpfgdJyO4ODxxZ9StGopPwK3zIA9ESt_7pZX0Ka3rfFBY/s320/12004886_507346294547_8822482624050365082_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Our <a href="http://www.place-programme.org/">home-ed co-op</a>. however, prefers to start a little earlier, and this year, we decided to join them on a trip to Prestatyn in Wales. It was so much fun to go with our cousins and the kids had a fantastic time.<br />
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We went to surf school at <a href="https://www.surfsnowdonia.co.uk/">Surf Snowdonia</a>, to <a href="http://www.greatormemines.info/">great Orme copper mines</a> and on a fossil hunt; we played on the beach, in an incredibly mild ocean; we went to <a href="http://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/conwycastle/?lang=en">Conwy castle</a> and on an audio tour of an Edwardian house.<br />
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It was great fun to catch up with old friends, as one of Cosmo's favourite buddies who left our co-op last year made the effort to book in to the same resort and hang out with us all.<br />
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On the way home we stopped in at Stratford-upon-Avon and visited the <a href="http://themadmuseum.co.uk/">MAD museum</a>. It was incredible and the kids loved playing with all the exhibits, particularly a typewriter that was attached to fishing wires, which tapped glasses that had been tuned to different pitches.<br />
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You can see our video of what we did below:<br />
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-83878648434642541872015-05-14T11:30:00.000-07:002015-05-14T11:30:14.503-07:00Butterfly World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today we went on a trip with our <a href="http://place-programme.com/">co-op</a> to Butterfly world.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">The kids had a great workshop where they got to hold different insects and even giant snails (both my kids refused to touch anything "Mummy! That's absolutely disgusting!") but really enjoyed the leaf cutter ant exhibit. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaTj4c4dsP6s5ktEtPZMeJ5xBlmgXJx1d6-1Tzy4Fr6apoXD-eOuX27GUyMiYfa17jShWK-XAGIJQ-5WdcHR30XGZdD4Wuwju1FMUMQWyE7YskXf9vkSiLAfISHvqVaSO95R4TrZludA/s1600/11230611_506859654777_3973802940526157458_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaTj4c4dsP6s5ktEtPZMeJ5xBlmgXJx1d6-1Tzy4Fr6apoXD-eOuX27GUyMiYfa17jShWK-XAGIJQ-5WdcHR30XGZdD4Wuwju1FMUMQWyE7YskXf9vkSiLAfISHvqVaSO95R4TrZludA/s320/11230611_506859654777_3973802940526157458_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU94Yxr2YbX6RYIXe-X6nJHrC4neA_uo6z0md58xTBwQUKokQjbRoLVxZXqIJycTU17F7C_wFtIz2C6rAzgGaoyHBDBYaf-GAmX9qxlbf58dYLY5wQb4ZlU7oV8cAsK62U7TC7JtricKI/s1600/11256582_506859240607_3394848427213614663_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU94Yxr2YbX6RYIXe-X6nJHrC4neA_uo6z0md58xTBwQUKokQjbRoLVxZXqIJycTU17F7C_wFtIz2C6rAzgGaoyHBDBYaf-GAmX9qxlbf58dYLY5wQb4ZlU7oV8cAsK62U7TC7JtricKI/s320/11256582_506859240607_3394848427213614663_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tzZTWbfwFz0Mx1caoymE0I2rZp8H99lKaMwclF4Ajfv8l3WFUQp4na21qUhcR3xh6FWIyrixeWfakYsoVPmf1JCTD_UNw4PCfIbolTkOHANrq0abbmeZgX1aEUKo4KQuGZI6dcLkDoI/s1600/11263012_506859609867_4164714293294512352_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tzZTWbfwFz0Mx1caoymE0I2rZp8H99lKaMwclF4Ajfv8l3WFUQp4na21qUhcR3xh6FWIyrixeWfakYsoVPmf1JCTD_UNw4PCfIbolTkOHANrq0abbmeZgX1aEUKo4KQuGZI6dcLkDoI/s320/11263012_506859609867_4164714293294512352_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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They also loved being in the butterfly house with all the butterflies floating around. Lychee and her cousin Bon had a lot of fun seeing who could get closest without touching one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkYrQkqB5ZiyDxxgbjgwprsl46nUFYqWdIJqIQv_9bsO0v9PrWw1BN8drTXpn85lonNkCfiiYptxqWFNehpitltYzg98X81hW2lmCbU88fiwrYaoEuJPi73PTAmKOmvw0omYcdHH1JmA/s1600/1517941_506858946197_1304685235766831413_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkYrQkqB5ZiyDxxgbjgwprsl46nUFYqWdIJqIQv_9bsO0v9PrWw1BN8drTXpn85lonNkCfiiYptxqWFNehpitltYzg98X81hW2lmCbU88fiwrYaoEuJPi73PTAmKOmvw0omYcdHH1JmA/s320/1517941_506858946197_1304685235766831413_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61wg9zGkisrI9Du2aWKHeXtf7bM_nF9CVHvG9BbuKsi2-9SuyqDR_WJI7gygXE1iB_V-DbIQoQEpPAFTbZiSfxIDv2W57DGhkyLTdMASdJlMD_62qKGuSRoIBs3XSUa4tdtQIEx_g9l4/s1600/11069943_506859031027_5310207407349364893_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61wg9zGkisrI9Du2aWKHeXtf7bM_nF9CVHvG9BbuKsi2-9SuyqDR_WJI7gygXE1iB_V-DbIQoQEpPAFTbZiSfxIDv2W57DGhkyLTdMASdJlMD_62qKGuSRoIBs3XSUa4tdtQIEx_g9l4/s320/11069943_506859031027_5310207407349364893_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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The musical garden was a great play area too and inspired me to <a href="http://katiejogracie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/musical-garden.html">get some larger items for ours</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgrnl2KtROy1RFla5pi_cF04RMm6nuyPBNnyQvN9rSkqx6VJkMMBqQdSmHGM_TvMF8BwbhoCTG7ZgFLflFG5aCwg7p1pfP7ef05nkPGOkRf_A4JR9AiBSIiwiNH91D8YUKQ_yOaSRT6Y/s1600/11069858_506858766557_3659132209558923280_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgrnl2KtROy1RFla5pi_cF04RMm6nuyPBNnyQvN9rSkqx6VJkMMBqQdSmHGM_TvMF8BwbhoCTG7ZgFLflFG5aCwg7p1pfP7ef05nkPGOkRf_A4JR9AiBSIiwiNH91D8YUKQ_yOaSRT6Y/s320/11069858_506858766557_3659132209558923280_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Everyone was exhausted on the way home, especially having spent the weekend at Alton Towers already, but we had a really fun time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP77FUMYJwtxQ-4TJsmUKl-xyhIJE5bzs-uvjFWEnidPgn9BgJfWr17eOhOX_wXN0APSLVhai3tnWf10ikSbwoubdWQGzz_GA7phBofNBkqzmoFAnk7SGGdTRdPS3C9KwxlzKYCAs8BZk/s1600/11220856_506859285517_747472378886760647_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP77FUMYJwtxQ-4TJsmUKl-xyhIJE5bzs-uvjFWEnidPgn9BgJfWr17eOhOX_wXN0APSLVhai3tnWf10ikSbwoubdWQGzz_GA7phBofNBkqzmoFAnk7SGGdTRdPS3C9KwxlzKYCAs8BZk/s320/11220856_506859285517_747472378886760647_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-40215438401059059372015-05-07T23:07:00.000-07:002015-05-07T23:07:10.768-07:00Human Microbiome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've been talking about bacteria again (seriously, Cosmo is obsessed)!
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So if you have a little one who'd like to understand more about the human microbiome, we found this video which is a great overview.<br />
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-62012162968834217532015-04-20T22:21:00.000-07:002015-04-20T22:21:18.269-07:00South Africa!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We've had an amazing Easter holiday in South Africa visiting family, but it's also been a crazy fun learning experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dissecting fruits and seeds</td></tr>
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It turns out that Little Lychee had no idea lions and elephants were real animals (she had imagined them to be like dragons and fairies) so that was a big surprise; and it was the first trip that both children can remember flying on an aeroplane.<br />
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Some of my favourite home ed experiences though have to the children collecting and dissecting seed pods, just to see what was inside, and then googling to find out what they were (admittedly because they wanted to know if they were edible). They loved trying out all the new fruits that we hadn't really seen in England - even though several of them were the same, they just look different because of the climate they grow in. A green grapefruit that's three times the size of any grapefruit you've seen before is essentially a new fruit to a four year old and a seven year old.<br />
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Another favourite was recreating a game park with sticks and leaves, and then building a house for little animals like geckos, complete with a braii and benches outside of it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gecko shelter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini game park with watering hole</td></tr>
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Excitingly Cosmo took it on himself to write a travel diary, journalling what we did each day, so that he could share it with his cousins when he got home. This is a great achievement for someone who generally dislikes written work. <div>
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It was also really interesting to watch the children at a bird park we went to in Montecasino. Obviously Little Lychee loved all the pretty birds and wanted to collect their feathers for her collection. Cosmo on the other hand, barely gave them a glance. He wanted to read the signs at each enclosure carefully, more than once, to learn the facts about each bird, then he was ready to go. Personally I feel that he could have got that information from a book, so it seems an odd thing to do at the park, but he was happy and thought it was a great trip. Just goes to show, you never can tell what your child is going to find interesting until you let them decide for themselves!</div>
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You can click on the video below to see more photos of our adventures.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4rYsFGPotDg?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="640"></iframe></div>
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-24877651743781886102015-03-02T03:07:00.000-08:002015-03-02T03:07:16.179-08:00Flow Rider Fun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's been a super busy weekend! Wiggles was in a boys brigade bowling competition down in Dunstable this weekend, and placed really well, and then on Sunday he was lucky enough to get the opportunity to have a go at climbing and learning to surf at Flow Rider this weekend.<br />
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Here's the video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" id="vp1WJKsc" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1425293966&f=WJKscuKcP4EsvdM5Hw5EQw&d=0&m=a&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=" title="Video Player" width="640"></iframe><br />
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Lychee and I went to the park and made friends with another little girl and chatted to her mum about Home ed. Turns out she was interested in doing it, but didn't know there was anyone locally, so I was able to give her contact details for our co-op and Lychee looks forward to her new friend joining our sports class soon :-)</div>
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We also had some fun with Perler beads and she made a lovely horse which she has uploaded for a new <a href="http://gracieschool.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/diyorg.html">DIY </a>badge. </div>
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-43164242100627309182015-02-14T07:55:00.002-08:002015-02-14T07:55:57.921-08:00Making Chocolates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10988284_506579161887_3703428471429555849_n.jpg?oh=ff072c12b3728325076f38a76d8debd6&oe=558D5D48&__gda__=1435515043_b7f99c1d0bb19a46c3c0a2ba647427d1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10988284_506579161887_3703428471429555849_n.jpg?oh=ff072c12b3728325076f38a76d8debd6&oe=558D5D48&__gda__=1435515043_b7f99c1d0bb19a46c3c0a2ba647427d1" width="320" /></a> We had a great time <a href="http://gracieschool.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/valentines-activity.html">making raw chocolates</a> this morning and can't wait to taste them a little later on when they've set. We even made our own instructional video to share for Lychee to earn a <a href="http://gracieschool.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=DIY.org">DIY</a> skill for her 'Chef' badge. You can watch the video below:</div>
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-86408368041314137302015-02-06T09:00:00.000-08:002015-02-06T09:00:01.438-08:00Valentines Activity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Looking for a fun activity for valentines day? How about <a href="http://katiejogracie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/chocolate-making-for-valentines-day.html">learning to make genuinely healthy, organic and fairly traded chocolate</a>? That's what we are going to be doing. I'm told it's easy enough for the kids to join in with too.<br />
<a href="https://nf130.isrefer.com/go/chocolate/Katiejo42" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://d1yoaun8syyxxt.cloudfront.net/nf130-9d44f282-5cfd-4df7-a430-b6da1885f88f-v2" width="320" /></a><br />
You could also do a study on fair trade, it's a little early (<a href="http://schools.fairtrade.org.uk/">fair trade fortnight starts on the 23rd of February</a>) but personally I think they've missed a trick because everyone will be marketed nasty commercial not fairly traded chocolate for valentines day without giving it a second though just nine days earlier.<br />
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The <a href="http://schools.fairtrade.org.uk/resources/videos#145">fair trade website</a> has tonnes of free resources aimed at all age groups which look great and I will definitely be looking at these both with the teenagers I work with and my own two.<br />
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And if you are looking for links to buy the ingredients you need, you can find them at the bottom of <a href="http://katiejogracie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/chocolate-making-for-valentines-day.html">yesterday's post on my other blog</a>. :-)<br />
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-48054375632030566722015-01-22T03:39:00.000-08:002015-01-22T03:39:57.615-08:00You Are There - Lamplighter Theatre<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We love audio books, not only in the car, but Cosmo is really enjoying listening to them at bed time. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html/?camp=1634&creative=19450&docId=1000738503&ie=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&pf_rd_i=audible%20credit&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_p=545383847&pf_rd_r=0W4ZX4FH1YW5XY95344W&pf_rd_s=desktop-auto-sparkle&pf_rd_t=301&qid=1421925667&ref=spks_0_0_545383847&tag=kjgr-21&linkId=PTKRBQMDNLFMMFR7">Audible</a> credits are a cheap way to get regular audio books and we've really enjoyed the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_p_n_binding_browse-b_0?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A266239%2Ck%3Athe+bible+experience%2Cp_n_binding_browse-bin%3A308724031&keywords=the+bible+experience&ie=UTF8&qid=1421925769&rnid=492562011">Inspired by the Bible Experience</a> audio with Samuel L Jackson, Denzel Washington and some other really big names. We also love the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&field-keywords=adventures%20in%20odyssey&linkCode=ur2&sprefix=adventures%20in%20o%2Caps&tag=kjgr-21&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=3BH2IVYQUKGQTM57">Adventures in Odyssey</a> series for fun and light hearted entertaining stories.<br />
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By far and away though, my children's favourite audio we've ever bought has been the <a href="http://lamplighter.net/c/lamplighter-theatre/">Lamplighter Theatre plays</a>. The stories are incredibly engaging, with fantastic truths hidden in them and really inspirational heroes. They are exceptionally well produced and every child (and adult) I know who has listened has loved them. So I was super excited when Lamplighter brought out the '<a href="http://lamplighter.net/c/you-are-there-special/">You Are There</a>' Series.<br />
<img height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUns3jB8w1LY61Wr_N8CkqRs2BZ9j_lYCA4fNvfMFDqSlLCfZw_JgRYg6gZK6Hmz_75Si9KZ96IUv7_V11Fu5_TPg1cWFSKL6Y3LXvNJSDEBGC4HLbaSUiTugCjyKx0umcP9O4IrtOUl39/s640/LamplighterClassics_YouAreThere.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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It's a dramatisation of Bible stories for young children. The bible experience is word for word scripture read and acted, which is fantastic; but this is something different, so I don't mind investing in both. Thanks to <a href="http://katiejogracie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/you-need-budget.html">YNAB</a> we had some money in our 'homeschool: Curriculum' budget, so when I saw that Lamplighter had a <a href="http://lamplighter.net/c/you-are-there-special/">half price deal</a> on I jumped at it. We got the MP3 downloads (shipping to the uk is pricey!) and I can't wait to start listening to them with the kids.<br />
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Here's the promo video:<br />
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And some longer interviews about the series:</div>
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If you order them quick, they are down to <a href="http://lamplighter.net/c/you-are-there-special/">$99 for the entire set</a> (that's about £62 in English money).</div>
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-25118871613181321952014-11-21T13:21:00.000-08:002014-11-21T13:21:00.209-08:00Parkour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Cosmo has recently discovered his new favourite sport - Free running.<br />
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There's a club near us in Milton Keynes and a friend has set up a day time class for home educated kids and it is so much fun.<br />
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Two hours every Tuesday of this:</div>
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During which time Lychee and I get to go shopping together, which is nice. It's always fun to get some time 'just the girls' too.<br />
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-89327397303590039292014-11-20T12:52:00.002-08:002017-07-17T07:20:39.128-07:00Making Candy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTbnx5j7DRP6UAnN8u4M7KuaH-wlD1NOyDW17hdNbaZVzVhJ0wZQ9TmyHdvLNsrzA7RsekHm-Axb_awZVxjzoZTzwdzF7pLDeYOZCMCiGhTQ6K1-LF3Ys32auZR7x0VEwMx2Lwbe-YJY/s1600/william+pulling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTbnx5j7DRP6UAnN8u4M7KuaH-wlD1NOyDW17hdNbaZVzVhJ0wZQ9TmyHdvLNsrzA7RsekHm-Axb_awZVxjzoZTzwdzF7pLDeYOZCMCiGhTQ6K1-LF3Ys32auZR7x0VEwMx2Lwbe-YJY/s1600/william+pulling.jpg" /></a>We made our own 'pulled taffy' the other week using pure honey and just adding a <a href="https://write2katiejo.wixsite.com/oils">few essential oils for flavour</a> and it was so fun! I'll be honest, my kids did not particularly like how it felt on their hands, but I had a lot of fun and they were so proud of their finished products.<br />
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If you want to have a go it is super easy. Just boil some honey with a candy thermometer until it reaches 140c for at least five minutes. Then tip it out on a non-stick sheet and use spatulas to move it around until it's cool enough to touch.<br />
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At this stage you need to grease your hands with butter and then you just pull and fold, incorporating as much air as you can. When it's only barely warm add a few drops of your <a href="https://write2katiejo.wixsite.com/oils">favourite essential oils</a> (we used, peppermint in one batch, lemon in another, orange in a third and left one plain). Essential oils are volatile, so it's best to add them as cool as you can get away with if you want the flavour to last.<br />
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When you've twisted and pulled as much as you can and the candy is pretty hard, you can cut it into shapes, wrap it in waxed paper and store in the fridge.<br />
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Even though they didn't like getting messy (there were tears over butter on hands) the kids enjoyed watching the process and learning how candy was made.<br />
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The second time we made some honeycomb. I adapted <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Honeycomb-in-Cadbury-Crunchie">this recipe</a> I found, but boiling the honey again, but I added a mix of 50:50 bicarbonate of soda and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D1PSLB6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00D1PSLB6&linkCode=as2&tag=kjgr-21&linkId=PXPQKHVT5HG6EGEV%22%3E250g%20Classikool%20Ascorbic%20Acid%20Highest%20Grade%20100%%20Vitamin%20C%20Pharma%20Grade%20Pure%20Powder%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kjgr-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00D1PSLB6">ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder)</a>. The acid in the vitamin C ensured we got a good reaction from the baking soda and we had a slightly chewier than I'd have liked honeycomb. I think next time I need to boil the honey a little longer.<br />
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Still, the kids really liked this one. </div>
Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-65965889676228443372014-11-19T13:32:00.000-08:002014-11-20T13:33:35.828-08:00Art Class<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My children are so into art right now. Cosmo has been teaching Lychee about the art and crafts he does at <a href="http://gracieschool.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/boys-brigade-and-awards.html">boys brigade</a> throughout the week. Last week it was blow painting fireworks (she liked that a lot).<br />
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This week we missed brigades :-( </div>
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In lieu of her 'art class' from Cosmo, I decided to get out our sketch books (darn it, I lost mine) and follow some really cute lessons that I had found on pinterest (<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/kjgracie/homeschool-art/">you can follow my homeschool art board here</a>).</div>
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Today we started with exploring different types of lines.</div>
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I drew this:</div>
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Cosmo drew this:</div>
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And Lychee drew this:</div>
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Tomorrow's lesson: Shapes</div>
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-50589071519025047292014-09-22T13:11:00.000-07:002014-09-22T23:44:15.451-07:00Music Appreciation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I found a link on pinterest for <a href="http://teachersofgoodthings.com/how-to-teach-music-appreciation-the-charlotte-mason-way/">How to Teach Music Appreciation The Charlotte Mason Way</a> and I've decided to add it into our schedules this year.<br />
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ABJMEsUgL._SL500_AA300_PIaudible,BottomRight,13,73_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ABJMEsUgL._SL500_AA300_PIaudible,BottomRight,13,73_AA300_.jpg" title="" /></a>The author suggests picking one composer each term, listening to a piece of their music daily and changing it each week (easily done whilst we are on copywork or something else). We then also need to discuss and learn about the composers life and learn about them.<br />
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I think part of the reason I'm so excited about it is that we have really been enjoying a fantastic <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002SQ74QW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002SQ74QW&linkCode=as2&tag=kjgr-21&linkId=FQNQATJBZVY72FUB">audiobook</a> which includes the story of Johann Sebastian Bach and I had no idea what an amazingly faithful overcomer he was.<br />
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We're going to start with Debussy this term, because I like his music, then do Bach in January (for contrast and because I already have a biography of him) and the Chopin in the summer (because I like his music too.<br />
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If you are interested in doing this with us, I've made youtube playlist with some of their music so you can play it easily on your phone, tablet, laptop etc... whilst your littles are working to help familiarise them with the music.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2j-frfK-yg&list=PL0stuBlIciVt742nhrTX06ItzpR9v0erg">Bach</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0stuBlIciVuoL1gFHem4Az0R-omkdE-1">Brahms</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75x6DncZDgI&list=PL0stuBlIciVvJvPD0h_JwtknVoPLxRkAi">Chopin</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvFH_6DNRCY&list=PL0stuBlIciVsadXvljEK7hpRMVfF3-tjR">Debussy</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytpj0lg5Cmk&list=PL0stuBlIciVtpzFQzaBexvtAv6g7ID8Wj">Mozart</a><br />
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And I'll add more as we get through them, so just keep an eye on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/SweetnessAndCherrypi/playlists">playlists in my channel</a>, or let me know if you make your own and I'll add a link to them.<br />
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Thanks.<br />
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-59950088529537952852014-09-17T07:45:00.001-07:002014-09-17T07:45:18.785-07:00Community Tree Trust<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lychee went for a play date with a friend today, and Cosmo went to an activity day with the community tree trust organised by our home ed co-op.<br />
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He's had so much fun, taking plant cuttings, building scarecrows, identifying nuts, pressing apple juice and so much more. He particularly enjoyed learning how the storm kettles work (like a chimnea with a water jacket).</div>
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Here's the video:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="306" id="vp1z1M0K" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1410964807&f=z1M0KGlzxdJ70Na1sxUHbg&d=0&m=a&r=360&volume=100&start_res=null&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=" title="Video Player" width="544"></iframe></div>
Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-43433717102233776512014-07-26T06:52:00.000-07:002014-07-26T06:53:53.477-07:00Ickwell Nature Reserve<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lychee woke up, now officially a<a href="http://katiejogracie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/four-years-old.html"> four year old</a>, and decided to commandeer one of my T-shirts as a dress. More and more she is wanting to wear my things, be it slippers or hair clips, she's just so desperate to grow up. When all the other children are playing she likes to have a cup of tea with the mummies. Sometimes I can't decide whether she really is shy or if she just<i> really </i>wants to be a grown up.<br />
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To be honest, she looked remarkably cute in the T-shirt/dress (more so than I did!) so I'm going to let her keep it.<br />
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<a href="http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/10584678_1444340665838604_2018951012_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/10584678_1444340665838604_2018951012_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
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The T-shirt was originally my little sisters (I got a massive new wardrobe when she emigrated -sad story) and I love it. The 'Beloved' logo is cute enough, but what you probably can't quite read underneath is the red script which says 'because you never looked more beautiful than in His eyes'. I really do love the <a href="http://www.onetruth.com/">One Truth</a> brand clothing.<br />
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Lychee wore it to come on a fun day out with some friends at Ickwell nature reserve. Several people were camping for the whole weekend, sadly we had to leave because I had a wedding today.<br />
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Cosmo and Lychee had great fun climbing trees, catching insects with her new bug hunting kit and generally building dens and stick fighting with lots of new friends.<br />
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Cosmo's highlight was teaching other children how to use his fire steel to make little fires. He just loves it when he is confident in a skill that takes others a bit of practice. It's a great way of getting him to talk more easily when he is feeling shy.<br />
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Lychee's favourite part was catching crawdad (my kids love <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlELUTkAbZ8">that song</a>) and cooking them. She didn't eat them, but both kids loved running around checking the traps and seeing how many were there. We of course, did eat them and they were very delicious.<br />
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Here's the video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/N2LGTOW8FsM" width="640"></iframe></div>
Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-26928790291241191432014-07-22T10:38:00.000-07:002014-07-22T10:38:03.100-07:00Wicksteed Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's the end of the summer term and our home ed co-op decided to celebrate with a visit to wicksteed park.<br />
It was awesome.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" id="vp1eSK8C" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1406050557&f=eSK8CaqhDg5S9PZQHkr9tQ&d=0&m=a&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=" title="Video Player" width="640"></iframe><br />
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-17035201433186367962014-07-12T04:12:00.000-07:002014-07-12T04:12:40.346-07:00Our musical garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Behind the<a href="http://katiejogracie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/garden-scales-project.html"> scales</a> I built last week there's a secret passage that led to a massive compost heap. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKU4MZ4a4LcnxgglbYw34f3As2uGrU23O4FEEedQoXDBZbE_gRVkrhz6z2LKEP2f57IVatbfZkNsJu0F7EijBP7X5pZjsAgceghIFXoSouURPcXdTe5ny6pEbHvXwmXOIPqVrHonr14A8/s640/blogger-image--1272695924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKU4MZ4a4LcnxgglbYw34f3As2uGrU23O4FEEedQoXDBZbE_gRVkrhz6z2LKEP2f57IVatbfZkNsJu0F7EijBP7X5pZjsAgceghIFXoSouURPcXdTe5ny6pEbHvXwmXOIPqVrHonr14A8/s640/blogger-image--1272695924.jpg" /></a></div>
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We dug all the compost out and used it to build our raised beds, but it left us with a massive crater that was just begging to become a play space. </div>
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A few xylophones and some tambourines later and we have what the kids are calling their 'musical den'. </div>
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All that was needed was a little fishing wire for hanging some cheap plastic instruments.</div>
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And a screw driver to remove some of the fun parts from said plastic instruments.</div>
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And the best part is that now all the noisy play can happen in the garden making our home a much more peaceful place ;-)<br />
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Newsletter templatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918263747205196433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162105519481247442.post-72494828576317871852014-04-24T06:08:00.000-07:002014-04-24T06:08:20.910-07:00Baby Chick update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Five hatched, five to go...<br />
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