Update.

I have realised that in long neglecting the blog, things have moved on somewhat, and I had better bring people up to date.

Ram is now 14, taller than his mum, and speaks in sarcasm like many teens do. Despite this, he is still like many home educated teens and gets on well with his parents.

We are still home educating, and much of what we do is reading aloud and purposive conversation, but this too has matured. Ram has a great interest in physics, so we have been reading a lot of science books, in fact he says there are only two types of books, non-fiction and physics!

One big change is that Arrow our elderly dog finally died. I had always said that she was so stupid that she would realise that she was supposed to die, and would carry on for years, unlike our other dog that was very cleaver and died at age 10 (of a brain tumour). I was right. Despite being a large dog she managed 15 years, the last however I couldn't really say that she was with us. She was deaf, mostly blind, and just wondered around and slept all the time. We knew it was the right time to let her go when she couldn't recognise the Dxh when he arrived, and we had her put to sleep.

There had been much discussion about what to replace her with. It certainly wasn't going to be another dog, as Ram's Hypermobility Syndrome was causing a lot of trouble (there is a subject for another post all on it's own!) making walking dogs impossible. We toyed with the idea of fish, then reptiles or snakes, but in the end after a visit to a friend we decided on chickens.

At the moment we have five lovely girly girls, producing eggs every day for us. Death is something that we have had to get used to a lot more as the original four rescued hens died pretty quickly. We have two themes running for names, architecture and food. We have been though Veranda, Porch, Kentucky, Tikka and now we have Terrace, Patio, Masala, Nugget and Korma.

Bob also has had his cousin come to visit. Fred arrived in the post one day, having been traveling around the world living in post offices. He heard that Cousin Bob had a nice place to live, and decided to visit, and hasn't actually managed to leave again!

Unlike Bob, Fred is laid back with his straw hat, a little hard of thinking, so we have to explain things to him a lot.

That's enough of an update for now!

Professor Jim and Home Education

Professor Jim and Home Education

We had seen a lot of Professor Jim Al-Khalili in the last week or two, and will be seeing more of him in June at the Cheltenham Science Festival http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/science We also watched him give evidence to the Science and Technology Select Committee http://tinyurl.com/458ls55 as well as watching the excellent Everything and Nothing (BBC 4).

One of the things that Jim and others such as Professor Brian Cox seem to be concerned about is getting young people more interested in science. There seems to be a bit of a problem though, as the young people giving evidence to the Select Committee didn't seem to think much of the programmes or personalities involved with science in the media.

Ram is getting like that too. He heaved a sign one night after Horizon and said that he guess he would just have to get used to being bored for the rest of his life!

The young people were clear that one of the big turn offs for science is GCSE physics. Of course this is one of the many reasons why people like us home educate. In particular, I asked the question how would the school meet the needs of a bright child that can out think many in particle physics, but at the same time has learning difficulties.

By home educating we can meet the child where they are, and they don't have to sit bored by school science. Right now we have a few books on the go, such as Richard Feynman's University Lectures, and a PhD on acoustic microscopy and superconductors (I used to feel hard done by because I was the only one not married to a PhD but now I am glad of my friends!) Ram says that there are only two types of books; physics and non-fiction!

The internet has also helped with home education. After reading a book on superconductors we emailed the professor that wrote and asked for suggestions on further books (he couldn't really come up with any, apparently superconductors are for the post grads only) and we have found PhD papers from the likes of Brian amongst others, as well as Jim's lecture notes for his first year class. Thanks Jim!

Without the internet and the generosity of our university professors, physics would be a lot harder for home educators!

Wonders of Our Universe

You don't have to be a professor named Brian Cox to talk about the wonders of our universe. Wonders of the Universe His universe may be quite large thanks to the BBC travel budget, but most of us have to settle for something a little more modest and closer to home.

Petrol like helium is constantly going up, which may well be good for the environment as we think twice about hopping in the car to travel around. And public transport was never frequent in our part of the woods, although twice a week would have qualified it to be regular. However, there are 'things to do' on our own doorstep.

Spring is one of the best times of the year to get out walking. The sun is not yet strong enough to burn or over heat us which makes it idea weather for walking and there is so much to see. There are the spring bulbs, the ponds coming to life, the buds on the trees, even the insects are active. Our chickens have been enjoying chasing flies around the garden before laying out looking as if they are playing dead in order to get plenty of sun.

We are very lucky to have the Badminton estate on our doorstep. I will leave others with better knowledge to give specifics of where to go, but I do understand that there are some lovely walks there. We also have the Boxwell estate, and others such as Ozleworth and Newington Bagpath in the valleys. These estates are not open to the public nor are they run as parkland like Badminton is. They are working farms, and because of this they have maintained over the centuries what we think of as natural English countryside. However, there are official footpaths and bridle paths running though them.

Then of course we have Westonbirt right on our doorstep. I have never liked the 'front door' of Westonbirt, with the car parks, visitor centres and high charges. Thank goodness there is also the 'back door'. There are public footpaths running from both Leighterton and Didmarton into Silkwood and the woods behind Silkwood. This to me is the real Westonbirt, the wild bit where the trees are left to grow naturally and the wildlife is less disturbed by people. Again, much of this is on private land and public footpaths and the Countryside Code should be kept to.

There is a good reason though to go into Westonbirt by the front door, and that is when there is limited mobility. In the modern part of the arboretum there is disabled parking, hard paths and electric scooter and manual wheelchairs available (best to book on weekends and at busy times).

But if you have someone in your party that is of limited mobility, and you don't want the expense or the crowds of Westonbirt, the Cotswold Conservation Board has produced a small handbook called Walks on Wheels containing 15 walks suitable for buggies and wheelchairs, two of which are in our area: a town walk in Tetbury and a walk on the Badminton Estate. Each walk has a map and details about parking, length, and whether there are any hills or not. That's essential information for the people pushing!

Theses walks and others can be downloaded for free from their website http://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/

So Professor Brian Cox may be able to watch the sun go down from the top of a mountain or stand in the middle of a Peruvian desert to watch the dawn though a fourth century solar observatory, but nothing beats standing on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment and watching the sun rise over Westonbirt, or gazing across the Severn floodplain to take in a sunset.

Bang goes Bang With the Weather

I just suggested watching Bang Goes the Weather with Ram. We gathered our things and turned on the TV. As the presenters introduced themselves, Ram looked disappointed: "Oh, it's this lot. I thought the title was some clever pun that I didn't get. I don't like that kind of enthusiasm. I like people that are really interested in what they are doing, not just trying to look interested."

So much for the government's attempt to make science exciting. Mind you, from listening to the young people giving evidence at the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, my son is not the only one that despairs about about the dumbing down of science on TV. Most of them said that they get more information from reading the New Scientist, and talking to real scientists.

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=7888

Maybe it is time that Bang Goes the Theory goes bang and we can get some real science on prime time TV.

Our New Family

We have all been busy with Lego!




This is our new Faaaaamily



Maggie the Maaaagnetic just hanging around.




Darren the Draaaaagon, Welsh.



Buzz Light Sheep - up, up and awaaaaaay. (splat!)



Josh the Jelly - after an unfortunate accident in the lab he now glows in the dark and goes blup.



Robert the Robot - he's an off road sheep, then again, most are!



Pete the pack sheep - handy for supermarket runs. - and we don't mean down the toilet!

Sorry about the jokes! We haven't done much all week and it was the best we could do

Telephones

Telephones have been the cause of a lot of problems in our house. Well, as Ram would say, the problem isn't his, it is mine for wanting to use them!

He has always hated me being on the telephone from a very young age. He did once answer it for me, but only to pick it up and slam it down again!

After a scary incident where he tried to attack someone when I answered the telephone, (it would have been me if I was beside him, but I went into another room, so he tried to attack Debbie the Hoover with a Stanley knife) we made the agreement that I would no longer use the telephone except for very short and necessary business calls.

I have occasionally been able to have phone calls with friends, usually very early in the morning before he is awake, or when I have respite care. Even then, he will come and constantly interrupt me.

When stories of how very young children ring the emergency services and save the lives of parents, I always feel a little sad, as I have tried to show Ram how to use the phone, but he won't have any off it.

So imagine my huge surprise the other day when he came outside while I was picking vegetables for supper, and gave me a message!

I was stunned!

He told me that Ursula (the mother of his friend Banana) had rung from a charity shop to ask if I wanted some knitting needles and he had told her that I was outside and that she could call back in a few minutes, and then told me that she would call in about five minutes.

I couldn't quite believe that he had actually answered the phone, so I started to clarify it, but Ram immediately got upset. I so wanted to give him a big hug and say well done, but he was having nothing of that. He was nearly in tears!

Ursula did ring a few minutes later, and told me that she had started to leave a message on the answering phone, and that Ram had picked up the phone, and had a very good conversation with her. He was very clear, had a good telephone manner, and was able to tell her where I was and how long I was going to be!

It was so frustrating not to be able to praise Ram but every time I tried to mention it he got really upset.

Finally as we went to bed I was able to talk to him about it. Apparently he heard her mention knitting needles, and he was eager for me to get a replacement for the one he had lost, so he answered to help sort that out.

I was so amazed! I did share this with another friend who has a boy not only almost exactly the same age as Ram, but also the same characteristics, and she said that her son did the same last year. Out of the blue he answered the phone, and took a message and relayed it correctly!

I emailed this friend back saying that I hoped it wasn't a one off. She replied that she hadn't wanted to deflate my excitement by telling me that indeed it had been a one off with her son!

So I am under no illusions that this may be the one and only time he answers the phone, and that he only did it because he felt guilty about losing a knitting needle, but at least I know that he can do it, and that if I do ever collapse, hopefully he will be able to ring the emergency services for me.


PS. I think I should just add that Ram claims that he didn't lose the knitting needle. We just can't find it, and just because previously he has been taking my knitting needles to scratch his feet with, doesn't mean to say that this time it was his fault that it went missing. As a fair mother I am accepting his story, and therefore my entry above is slightly inaccurate: Ram didn't lose the knitting needle, but he was still rather eager to help me get the new one!

Learning Through Bob

I know I haven't talked about Christmas yet, and I will do so soon, but I just wanted to tell you how Ram has been learning though Bob, his little stuffed sheep.

I wrapped up a little 'make your own model of an ant kit' for Bob as a Christmas present. It makes one of these four inch ant models. Ram decided to make it for Bob today. It was pretty simple and I asked Ram if he had read the instruction sheet with it which tells you what the parts are and how they work.

He said sort of, so I suggested that he read it aloud to Bob as Bob can't read and it was his present. And not only did he agree, he was so very good at it!

He read each section, then showed Bob the part they were talking about!

Afterwards, I asked Bob if he understood it all, and Bob (with the help of Ram's hand) said no. So I asked if he could ask Ram and would Ram explain it to him, and Bob said yes!

I was so proud of my boy! He may not have wanted to learn about ants but he was happy to teach Bob about them!

He also learned something about sheep today. On of the ewes next door, called Holly, gave birth to twins in the paddock behind us. Ram and the Dxh were out there so the farmer called them over. They missed the first one coming out but they saw the second one and some of the afterbirth. They stayed and watched them for quite a while, then I came out and had a look. It was fun watching the little ones looking for the teets. They headbutt up and down and even tried to latch onto the ewe's neck, but eventually one of them found the right place.

We left them for a while, then went back with the farm people to have a look. As it was cold out, they were taking them into the barns by wheelbarrow. Ram suggested that we call them Red and Yellow as one was still a bit bloody and red and the other was well licked and yellow! The traffic light twins!

We never know from one day to the next what new information we will learn!