4th May Multimedia workshop at the British Museum
This was an excellent session where children worked in pairs, with help when/if necessary from adults, using digital media to make an online interactive poster about Buddhism. They collected images, videos, sound recordings of interviews about their subject and then put them together with text to make the digital media poster (for some reason I can't find the link to theirs but this is the Glogster site link if anyone wants to use it to make one themselves).
7th May Theatre trip to Brighton
Freya and I went into Brighton and saw 2 productions - And Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out and 15% of The Seagull. Had a lovely afternoon/evening out and was really glad as I had been determined to book some theatre trips in the Festival Fringe this year and actually managed to. The first show was rather multimedia and modern, with stuff about stars and space juxtaposed with relationship stuff in an entertaining and interesting way and a toy train with a camera on it running on the stage floor, with its film projected onto a screen behind the actors. The second show was fun and funny and we laughed quite a bit. In between we spent some time on the beach, had some chips and then went to a lovely cafe (The Marwood, with all its fab things on the walls and ceiling, decorated skateboards, Etch-a-Sketch, Death Star, celebrity photos, toys...) for hot chocolate. We encountered lots of different strangers who admired Freya's shoes (her light-up Skechers with rainbows and peace symbols!) during our trip. I asked her to take them off in the theatres though in case she fidgeted and the lights flashed! Was a really lovely Monday out, very harmonious and enjoyable. For me it was lovely to go to more adult theatre with her.
8th and 15th May First and Second of 4 Little Green Pig writing sessions in Lewes
Freya and most of her friends are going to these sessions on 4 consecutive Tuesdays and seem to be enjoying them. It's great to have got LGP over to Lewes! Thanks are due for the efforts of local K in arranging it. Hoping for more though...
11th May National Gallery workshop
This was not so much an active workshop, i.e. with an activity, but an enjoyable close look and guided consideration of 3 paintings, with a very knowledgeable guide getting us all, adults and children alike, to think about the meanings in the paintings. The 3 paintings we looked at were: this altarpiece, this Titian and this. A lot of thinking about the details of the paintings and what they meant. Liked it very much. Didn't like NG cafe so much as very expensive and stressful somehow.
19th May Lamda exam
Freya and 2 friends had prepared for this in drama sessions over the last few months. They each had to learn a short Verruca Salt monologue. At the exam they each had to go in separately, perform the piece and talk to the examiner about the character. Quite a stressful day but am so proud that she went ahead and did it, despite feeling very anxious earlier on. I am so glad that she managed to go in and do it and that it seems to have been a positive experience overall. She was very upset in the morning and didn't want to do it but I really wanted it not to become the Great Unknown Terror for her, so kept saying I was asking her to do it in the hope that she would find out that it wasn't as bad as she had been fearing. And if she never wanted to do another drama exam she wouldn't have to, ever. We get the results in 5 weeks or so, but for me it was very much about it not becoming the bogeyman for her, so as far as I'm concerned she has succeeded brilliantly.
Apart from that there has been a new small book club started by one of Freya's friends, and the usual Forest School and Magical Mondays and social things and a visit to my mum's which started badly but ended OK.
Freya wants me to blog in more detail again as she has been enjoying reading my earlier posts, but I think it will take a while for me to get my head to do that properly, and I might have to change privacy or something, so bear with...
6 comments:
NG cafe before restaurant better than the NG cafe in the basement but it is still expensive and slightly stressful. I think because echoing large space and very bright lights. Also I get the feeling that they want you to eat quick and move on - it doesn't seem like a relaxing space. Cafe in the crypt next door is better, though have never taken C. Must rectify.
Also the NG paper trails are excellent. They have them to download or pick up at the desk (on very nice heavy paper so nice to use). Good map reading task too. Really must get back there. It's been years :-(.
You do have a lovely sounding home ed life at the moment :-). I might move in with you. Sounds sunnier - and I don't mean just the weather.
cafe in the crypt http://www2.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/page/cafe2010/cafe.html
NG trails: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/families/family-tours-and-trails/
They have new ones so really must get there somehow.
Ha! Michelle I haven't worked out how to document the storms yet, that's why xx
We might be going up with a group to do a trail there, there was one that looked great. Definitely it was the lighting in the cafe. Will take note of your recommendations.
ooh well if you do and you don't mind interlopers . . .
Definitely will let you know if it happens x
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