Get Rhythm

Need it. Slowly succeeding.  I won't harp on because others already have.

We're Legal!

We have the temporary "go for it" from the homeschooling unit until they read our program. It seems their workload grows every year.

This term we're doing seashore and estuarine ecology, building on what we did last year and we're reasonably on track. One of his tasks is to make a collection for a Case of Curiosities. The other week we went beachcombing at Kelly's Beach and he found a lot of cuttlefish bones so we spent a few days learning about cuttlefish and what animals are related to them (basic classification). Afterwards he dictated this for his book, I made 4 suggestions about better wording;

Cuttlefish Bone

Yesterday we went to the beach and we had a little swim. The weather was a bit rainy and bit cloudy. Then we went beachcombing. We found cuttlefishes’ bones. They are very soft and I can put my fingernail through them. Some broke in my hand. Cuttlefish bones come from cuttlefish. They’re  much softer than normal bone. It helps them float in the water.

Cuttlefish change colour so they can hide. This is called camouflage. They also squirt out ink when something is attacking them. The ink blinds the attacker while they escape. They do not have any other way of defending themselves so cuttlefish are smart, they have big brains and can do tricks.

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Today we went to the Burnett River (tidal)  to look at the effects of the flood. He was SOOOO impressed...especially when he found a fantastic crab trap which he intends to give to Grandpa. We saw all sorts of wreckage; boats, jetties, bowling balls, fences etc... and then he noticed there were a lot of large crab holes but very few small crab holes where as the opposite was previously true. So we speculated on what happened to all the small ones and he concluded they were washed into the ocean. I'll make a point of visiting the sites again in 12 months to see if their numbers have rebuilt.

On the sporting front: Kirk's swimming confidence is growing and he is a lot more competent in the water but I would not say he is a great swimmer yet. We are trying to swim two or three times a week and HOPE he will be able to join the swim club at the end of the year. 

Kirk is also looking forward to starting soccer on Saturday...so far it has cost us almost $200 so he had better like it because he won't be dropping out!!!

We're having fun with the homeschoolers group. We're making sock puppets at the moment (They only stick the needles in each other a couple of times) and will put on a play for the toddlers playgroup soon. Strangely all the kids have wanted to make chickens...

If anyone wants to see what we're doing this year. Drop me an email and I'll send you our program.