Will Dig Life

It feels like summer has finally arrived, and as we'll shortly be off to Vienna for summer proper, it feels right to put into a blog post the events of the past few weeks. Since D's birthday in May, we've been up to quite a few things...  Camping Only this past weekend, we took our way-too-underused campervan to the Gower for a long weekend. Wales being Wales, there were times of wet and windy cold, but we also had some glorious sunshine and fun on the beach. Hours of rockpooling fun Local outings We were also blessed with some stunning days for local days out, dog walks and grandparent visits... Look what Cody found! Barefoot trail National Space Centre The weather hasn't been all that nice every day; and when I had work near Leicester one Saturday, it was pretty drizzly and horrible. Luckily, Mr. and the kids came along to spend the day at the National Space Centre, which they much enjoyed.  First Holy Communion for D (8) Last but definitely not least, D had his First...

This blog post is because it's been on my mind lately - how we try to live simply. There was a Q&A on Youtube with a Franciscan nun, and she said: We try to live simply, use what we have, and use it up. She has two habits (outfits), both over 20 years old, and that's all she needs. I've always been attracted to the idea of living simply. That's not to say I'm against my mod cons - I'm certainly no 'trad wife' who plants vegetables and thrives on cleaning the house with homemade vinegar! - but spending my 20's moving around, I always liked the ability to pack up my life into two suitcases and be off. Now, that is definitely no longer possible these days, with two kids who like to hoard toys and books, but I absolutely do keep on top of what we own and get rid of anything that is surplus to requirements - that's just for my own sanity and peace of mind.  Simple kids clothing Luckily, my kids (now 9 and 8) have never had strong opinions on what ...

This is Part 2 of Home Ed Questions - the FAQ's of the trade, so to speak, which I hear a lot. Here's Part 1 - What about socialisation? In this one, I'd like to focus on literacy. The widespread assumption is that school is necessary for children to learn to read and write, so if they don't go to school, how can they possibly become literate?  Now, I do actually know how literacy is taught in schools: during the lockdown, I supported a PGCE student (learning how to be a primary school teacher) for two years and I saw how they are taught to teach both language and maths. I'm a grown-up with a Master's and postgrad education and I have sat through my fair share of boring lectures, but in those classes I was losing the will to live! Watching language being dissected, broken into unrecognisable pieces called graphemes and phonemes, and then put together again. Phonics is clearly the product of a scientific / mathematical mind, attempting to do to language what can ...