Barbie Horse Ed

Oh what have we been doing? Since Wednesday?
OK well we have played a large amount of Barbie Horse Adventures: Wild horse rescue on XBox, since it arrived on Thursday. I have to say I'm loving this ridiculous game, despite the Barbie connection. It's just so civilized. Lovely soothing music as you play, beautiful landscapes, trails to explore, looking after your horse a bit (though rather too much of the cleaning and tarting it up aspects). It could be way better, but it's not bad at all. F loves it, as would any child who likes ponies/horses and doesn't have a real one or riding lessons. So that's been fun. Usual incidentals in terms of 'education', words on screen that start to be recognized, things to be counted, etc. And some nice problem solving, not too difficult for F's age.
Also there has been some Rumble in the Jungle and a bit of Screwball Scramble. We're very gamesy at the moment, reading this and thinking back a bit. Our film ed phase has definitely transformed into a games ed phase, as these things do.
Not much drawing going on at the moment, but loads of imaginative play and laughter.

Jack came yesterday to share a curry and stay over, and has just left. He too was drawn into Barbie horse world with the 2-player mini-games in particular, which we've all been playing - and it even has a couple of cooperative versions too. Enjoyed watching some Green Wing last night, although we were all under the spell of wine and curry so got a bit dozy later on.
I have loads of work again, passed some proofreadingy stuff on to Mrs MonsterTeeny, who dealt with it so efficiently I'm still reeling! I definitely hope to repeat that experience.
I've got surplus income and an Opitec catalogue! Probably won't get a good opportunity to look at it at leisure till later in the week though.

Have had more thoughts about Music and Movement after talking with my mum and am really thinking we might not come back for another term. F does enjoy it but I know we can do other things that she would also enjoy or enjoy more. I have been pondering over the structuredness and formality of it, thinking perhaps it would be beneficial to her to have familiarity with that kind of activity, but actually, I'm not sure it is beneficial - when she hears the music she wants to express herself to it, not wait to be told how to move to it. Why should it be about expressing someone else's interpretation of it - obviously that is a skill in itself, that actors and dancers learn, but at this age, maybe it's pointless and rather frustrating to have to perform someone else's ideas in what should be a creative free-thinking area of activity.