I have been complaining that I haven't been able to get out in the sun very much in these last few days. I can't stray too far until Ram wakes up, which has been at 11 o'clock recently, and then by the time I have read aloud to him for an hour or more, fed both of us and do a few chores, it is about 2. We have managed a few minutes outside, but usually he wants to go back inside and for the last couple of days we have been catching up on recorded TV.
Someone asked if I couldn't just leave him to watch on his own and go out into the veggie patch on my own. There are two problems with this.
First of all, I like to watch these programmes together so that we can discuss them afterwards. Purposive conversation is a very powerful tool for home educators. I also like to watch many of these programmes too, especially the science ones. We very rarely watch drama.
Secondly, Ram like to be around someone. He doesn't have to be interacting with them, in fact often we sit at our computers not speaking a word to each other, but he does like to have someone close by. Luckily in an open plan house that isn't too hard as I can be 'in the kitchen' while he is 'in the sitting room'.
But today I wanted to pick the woad for the annual woad dye. Ram was playing Minecraft and was happy to stay inside, so I took my bucket down to the bottom of the garden followed by the chickens. Five minutes later there was Ram, wondering down the garden looking for me!
It worked out well with him chatting and keeping the chickens out of the beds with plants in them, while I stripped the leaves off the woad.
So he proved my theory. He does need to be close to me. But I also managed to get outside in the sun, so I guess that is a win win situation!
More on our woad dyeing another day. I still have one batch in the pot!
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