When Ms R was two I wondered how anybody ever had any time for educating. What with the preparing and feeding of three meals a day, snacks, assisted toilet trips sometimes requiring complete outfit changes and impromptu naps there didn’t seem to be any time left for anything else. As she’s got older and manages eating, dressing, toilet trips etc herself the windows of opportunity have become longer and more frequent. However there are still days when I over-estimate our windows and under-estimate the time needed just to meet their basic needs. Today was one such day with me bouncing through having finished the boring stuff (tidying up and putting some washing on) and announcing that we had a whole hour to fill before we were due to leave for my grandparents. I suggested that if we left now we could do a library trip on the way or that there was time for a quick bike ride. It was met with requests for help to finish breakfasts, the need for a running commentary so that Master R could get dressed all by himself (which he did, socks, pants, everything and he was so proud he told everyone we saw) and then help with shoes, brushing hair, etc. That was our hour gone and felt to me a bit like a lost opportunity. I can honestly say that there is no way I’d cope with getting children to school everyday.
My grandparents were thrilled to see us. In the usual stereotypical way Grandad played ball and then rough n’ tumble with Master R making him giggle and Ms R sat down to do stuff with Grandma. First she made her do some mini aquadraw mats and then they played Trumps (Endangered Speices) together. I made them both look at our holiday photos.
On the way home the Rs decided they’d like round eggs and eggcups for lunch (as opposed to flat eggs) so we stopped off at the butcher shop and brought a whole tray. For some reason eggs look more appealing in a cardboard tray than in a plastic box, thats how they came when I was a child and they seemed to get just as much pleasure out of choosing their own as I used to. The had boiled eggs and soldiers and then crushed the shells into the end of our garden.
We visited my parents and took my Mum to B&Q to buy some bathroom furnishings. Ms R wanted to go somewhere ‘fun’ (meaning somewhere artificial and expensive) and I told her that there wasn’t anywhere suitable close because all the children her age are in school during the week and she replied very indignantly "Well why don’t they think about the home educated children?"
The sun was shining so back at my parents house the children played on the trampoline and I followed Mum around her garden and greenhouse admiring all the new life. It freshly inspired us and we raced home to plant carrot seeds and two potatoes. I put the old coffee table glass over the top. I’m eager not to get so left behind this year; last year we planted our potatoes too late, our sunflowers didn’t bloom until December and our Christmas amarylis has only just flowered. Afterwards Master R informed me that he’d picked off the green bits that were on his potatoe before planting it, I’m not sure if it’s worth waiting and seeing or if I should just dig it up straight away.
Master R is still enjoying Six Dinner Sid by Inga Moore. Ms R and I have now finished My Naughty Little Sister by Dorothy Edwards and she’s asked if we can get a sequel. We are now reading The Children of Cherry Tree Farm by Enid Blyton which is a great hit, she’s already asked when we can go to see the lambs being born (despite hating it last year) and we’ve had lots of discussions already about things like the difference between rabbits and hares, frogspawn and the way foxes sniff a trail etc and we’ve only just started.