Clocks, cloud in a cupboard and more...

It's less than two months ago when Hermione developed a keen desire to be able to tell the time. I think this coincided with receiving a very pretty watch as a gift. Well, I'm pleased to say she can now reliably tell the time on the analogue clock. She has a good grasp of digital and twenty four hour clock too but I think there is sometimes something lost in the translation from one to another. I'm thinking of trying to make up some sort of game to help with this. Possibly just some cards showing analogue and digital for her to match up the two. May be a lotto type thing with the board being analogue and the cards digital. I wonder if there's a free printable of anything like this online?

This morning she asked, 'why do man mallards look different to females'? Good question. We found and printed pictures of mallards, peacocks and lions - all of which are much more ornate in the male of the species. Hermione labelled them. I explained that the male was more attractive in order to attract a mate/girlfriend. Once again wimped out of the nitty gritty though.



The rest of the morning was spent painting and gardening.





We are raising a lot more of the veg plants from seed this year. It's a steep learning curve and labour intensive. I think we may have lost some of the perpetual spinach because I didn't pot them on quick enough. The courgettes have suffered from quickly becoming a little pot bound too but hopefully will recover. I do feel a bit discouraged but we'll live and learn. We now have plain lettuce, red cabbage, spinach, peas, broad beans, broccoli, radishes, fennel, chard and rocket planted out. The leeks are coming on fine and should go out within the next day or two. The rest will continue to litter the windowsills till the frosts stop.

This afternoon we visited a friend for a science session. It's a great reciprocating agreement, we take turns to prepare a session and present it to the older children or alternatively entertain the younger children.

While I looked after the younger children the older children carried out a experiment to demonstrate how clouds form. Boiling water was placed in a sizable glass jar and a tray with ice cubes in was placed on top. The vapour rose from the boiling water and condensed upon hitting the cold surface above, forming a cloud. This wasn't easy to see at first and was best viewed with the help of a torch in a dark cupboard - cloud in a cupboard!

Then followed a couple of illustrations of the experiment and the water cycle.





With the afternoons science activity cleared away there was just enough time to trade some clothes, homeopathic remedies and vegetable plants under our local skills/time/goods exchange, before heading off home with two tired children.