In Ireland you are obliged to register with the Department of Education if you Home Educate. And so, the day before we were to depart on the ferry to Britain (I was speaking at a conference in England at the weekend) we welcomed an Education Assessor into our home. Needless to say I was slightly anxious about all of this, and spent the day before tidying and organising.
The evening before, Fergal had to go somewhere, so I brought the two older boys to karate, and then came home with the two smaller ones to make apple tarts until we had to collect them.
And how it rained! It was one of those dark, dark evenings when the 20 second sprint to the car renders you like a drowned rat. So we began to make apple tarts, smallest boy and I, while the Wee One played on the floor. After two minutes, possibly three, I turned to check on a quiet little girl. She was playing “making apple tarts” with a plate of flour (!) “Eeek!”, I thought, then decided to leave her to it, we resumed our tart-making. Within minutes she was stripping:
seconds later she was almost naked, swimming on the floor of flour saying: “look mama! I’m a penguin!!”
(how could I do anything but laugh- she pronounces penguin as “pen-goo-in”!)
Hours later, after she part-turned to dough as soon as she ran to the car (flour+rain= very bad combination), two tarts baked, 2 boys home, a soaking bath, a protracted bedtime (it never goes swimmingly when you need it), Fergal and I started into the cleaning of the (white, floury) house.
The following morning, our visitor arrived and, apart from the dog pooping all over the floor (something that has never happened before. Ever), it all went well (whew). Really, really well (and whew again).
And by lunchtime we could sit eating some delicious apple tarts, at peace that the visit was successful, in a gloriously clean, tidy house (not that that lasted long) with the dog, firmly, outside.
I’m so glad you laughed at her mess. I have to try hard to remember to laugh sometimes when the littles get “creative.” Love the flour+water= dough. Could just picture it!
Glad the assessment went well. We had ours done, ironically, a few months before we moved from the country. It went well and we received approval right before we moved. Very cool the older boys are taking Karate. I thought about putting our older ones in it; it’s offered at a church 30 min. from us taught by some one trained in certain types of martial art. Because it’s offered through this church, it’s cheaper, so feasible for us. Do your boys like it?
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Home educating is certainly child led in your house – respect!
Ah, well, anyone who puts their christmas tree up at the start of November earns respect too, ha ha!
Erin, our boys LOVE it. They had started a couple of years ago, but didn’t stick it. It is very long (hour and a half) and very disciplined, but I think they are old enough now to be able to apply themselves. Are planning on getting black belts already!!! We did a few weeks as a trial to make sure they really wanted to do it, maybe you could do that with your boys? And then again, there are different types of martial arts, and different ways of teaching so it might really suit ye. I’d love to know how ye get on! X
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