Rockets & Rudolphs

So, the time has come for us to 'harvest' the kids potatoes from their potato growing project :-)

DD's 'Rockets' and DS's 'Rudolphs' - 

It was really exciting for the kids to sift through the soil and harvest their potatoes.  I would heartily recommend this project as it has been fun but really low maintenance to achieve actual results in a relatively short space of time.  Registration is now open for 2017 - register online as a school or Home Educator and when the time comes you will be sent your free potato growing and education kit :-)     Register here - Grow Your Own Potatoes 2017

We had some of ours for dinner that night -

along with the first of DD's sugar snap peas she has grown in her little vegetable patch -

Poor DS was a bit freaked out that his potatoes were red, as he hadn't been expecting that and consequently found them difficult to eat!  His words "my brain is telling me it is a radish, even though I know it is a potato"!  DD on the other hand had 2 portions of her sugar snaps, as they were very sweet and delicious.

So proud of the kids that they have seen these projects through, rather than them being a 5 minute wonder, and have actually been able to harvest edible crops.  Really satisfying :-)

Other things we have been working on the kids Egyptian projects for Geography Club tomorrow, including some papyrus painting - 

and writing our names in heiroglyphics and researching the modern tourist industry in Egypt, Scratch computer programming and an afternoon at Forest School today doing fire lighting and sawing wood to make their own necklaces.  

The 'What Next?' box is still proving to be a HUGE hit, with both the kids but I'd say DD has especially taken to it (which is great as it is definitely her that struggles more with transitions and coming up with ideas/ independent thinking).  One of the tasks she selected last week sometime was "pick and press a flower or flowers from the garden".   I showed her how to do this, drying the flower first, arranging it in the shape you want before flattening between kitchen paper and placing inside a heavy book.   She has patiently waited a week, and yesterday afternoon made this sweet little picture from the results - 

In other news, darling DS has finally been recognised as being on the waiting list for OT (Occupational Therapy) - it's only taken 3 years and we still aren't at the point of him being offered an appointment!  It is ridiculous because his physiotherapy provision has ceased, more than a year ago, and he has an intoeing gait, twisted shin bone and hypermobility - all of which combine to make his walking sometimes twisted, often laboured and usually fatiguing and/ or painful.  Add this to a host of other sensory issues, due to his autism, and I think we are in for a long telephone consultation when they finally get to me!  Fingers crossed :-)