October: Finding Our Rhythm Again

We've begun to find our feet again or at least I finally have and feel a lot more focused and ordered about home ed etc. We don't usually take a big break over the summer but this year we had to and it feels good to be running at normal pace again. 

Gabe is really enjoying history and started the year with a mini Romans project so we headed over to the Rockbourne roman villa just in time as it happened to be their last day of the season.

We moved into a new caravan which is a little bigger than the last which has us all sighing with relief. 

And we went to a new teens group which happened to have a few young siblings the perfect age for Ayla and a helper so they could make cookies for everyone.

Playing with autumn leaves.

The young two and I started a Studio Ghibli four week art course as everyone in the house loves the movies, and we began with soot sprites.  

Good old Baker Ross for some quick and easy halloween crafts to buy me work time. 

Feeding the ducks while waiting for Rainbows to start. 

A pause on the way home when we saw the fog creeping in and making the forest magical. 

They've been watching and talking about Peter Pan a lot and we randomly found this cardboard ship to build and decorate, which lead to a great day of pirates and lost boys. 

Pumpkin carving and pie making at Embers. 

Ayla's Kiwi crate this month was carnival themed and she made a bunch of games, this hook the duck being her favourite. 

Teaching Ayla crayon resist art with spider webs. 

Getting ready for her Rainbows Halloween party with Orion's help. 

And straight from there to discounted seats in the gods to watch the Northern Ballet's production of Little Mermaid which all four loved. 

Inspired by his biology work this week we created some eye pictures. 

And made black pompom soot sprites. 

Class two of the Ghibli course was of course Totoro and we drew three different types which naturally lead to rewatching the film.  

Orion took part in the National Boys In Dance day and was named a finalist in there search for this year's ambassador. 

We finally managed to watch a solar eclipse. It was only partial but the clouds cleared and we used coloured lens to be able to see the 'bite out of the apple' so clearly. 

Another halloween themed art project, to make a layered spooky cauldron picture with cottonwool wisps of smoke.

There's nothing like the forest at this time of year. 

September: Endings and Beginnings

Saying goodbye to the house was hard, probably harder than I expected as it felt like an ending of so many things. 

Blow up mattress giggles.

This dear gorgeous boy who will be forever remembered as their first pet. 

Final fires and time drawing together.

And then new crafts in new places, and Orion's space to work. 

Kiwi crates to make everything seem normal.

And a first prom. 

Journeys into the woods that we can access from the caravan park.

And Orion began his Dance GCSE at the Dorset Foundational College of Performing Arts. 

Cute people doing cute things.

Art sessions resumed at Russell Cotes for my teens group.

These too are so alike and so close. 

Cooking classes started back for Gabe.

We all watched the Queens funeral and made a cheesecake because we don't have tins to make a Victoria sponge but still wanted to make something traditional. 

Thea and I saw the most amazing and memorable production of Othello. 

And I keep trying to find ways to make treats last longer.