RESULTS!!

Well, we're in the thick of the summer holidays, (sort of, because lessons have been continuing in a fashion throughout July and August.)

First, what we have been waiting for... 12 August was I/GCSE results day. Without further ado, this is what L achieved:

Classical Civilisation : 9
Maths : 6
Biology : 6
History : 6

In old money, that's :

We are, of course, very happy with that, in particular the 9 as she studied Class Civ entirely from her textbook. L herself is a tiny bit disappointed that she didn't get a 7 in History, but she's delighted with the 9 in Class Civ, and also the 6 in Biology as she thought she may have gotten lower for that subject.

I'm very proud of her, she's off to a great start, especially as she took these subjects a year early.

Now, then, onto other matters.

There have been a few updates...

After much deliberation, we decided that A won't be continuing at InterHigh. His memory has never been up to scratch since he went through pneumococcal meningitis when he was 9, and he's finding it a bit overwhelming trying to keep up with so many subjects at once. We've decided the best course of action is for him to study just enough I/GCSEs that he needs to get him into his chosen college course, and we're going to split them up between the next two years.

He'll be doing Biology and Computer Science in Year 10, and English Language, Classical Civilisation, and Maths in Year 11.

J is also going to be doing Biology right along with him. They've both been signed up to live online classes with Homemade Education, starting in September.

For Computer Science, we decided that L, A, and J are all going to be doing those together, via the video courses (with tutor support) from LearnTec. L was originally supposed to be doing her Computer Science with Absorb, but they only follow the Edexcel syllabus, whereas LearnTec does the Cambridge syllabus, so it makes sense for all three of them to study together. They've started the course already and it seems to be going pretty well so far.

Speaking of L again, she's already started her English Language course with Absorb, and she's entered in for the November exam series at the Tutors and Exams centre in Doncaster. She's going to do a 6 week English Language Study Skills live lesson course from September, with Homemade Education, which should bump up her confidence before the exam.

She's also started her GCSE Ancient History course already with Humanatees. It's live weekly online classes, and she's really enjoying them. She'll take the exam in summer next year.

For her GCSE Psychology and IGCSE English Literature, we decided to enrol her in live online classes from September with Homemade Education. Her Psychology was originally going to be with Absorb, but she's finding she prefers live classes rather than Absorb's text/video based structure.

Her art, although it's only a hobby, is coming along really well. She was given her dad's old Huion tablet which she's really pleased with. She joined an online Art group so she can mingle with other like minded teens. Here is a tiger she produced recently:

She's also been writing a fan fiction novel based on some anime thing that she likes watching. Apparently she's had over 10,000 views so far which is amazing!

J is starting a 2 year live online maths course in September with Absolute Maths, and will be taking that exam in summer 2023. He'll only be 12 when he takes the Biology & Computer Science exams, and 13 when he takes the maths exam, but I think he's capable enough to cope.

J has also been enjoying a Creative Writing class every week online via Zoom. It has been great for him to mingle with other children, albeit online.

That just leaves N. He's been plodding along with Skoolbo online, a little Night Zoo Keeper for his writing, and Twinkl. worksheets. We have a few workbooks as well he's been going through. He's been enjoying painting, and artsy crafty stuff. This is one of his paintings, and he used his imagination to turn cardboard into a boat. 

In other news, we took three day trips to the seaside in the past couple of months - Mablethorpe, because it's quiet, and we're still staying Covid safe.

L found a crab on one occasion, but it was dead, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately as I'm sure she wouldn't have liked having her fingers pinched!)

N turned 8 last month. We celebrated at home with a film and a takeaway; it was quiet but nice. He got an easel which he really liked using.

We bought some zorb balls during the summer which have been highly entertaining. The kids used them in the field outside our house.

The biggest change has been the bedroom swap. Hubby and I swapped bedrooms with the boys, so they could have more space. This involved a lot of furniture building! All the kids got involved - I figured it was a lesson in itself! L in particular was my main helper, and I have no doubt in my mind that when she gets her own house one day, she's now fully equipped to handle flat pack furniture!

This was the boys' old bedroom. As you can see, it isn't the biggest of spaces, so they were rather cramped:

This is their new room. They're chuffed with their triple bunk, and now all three of them have their computers up there. Toys are tided away in the eaves storage, so the bedroom isn't cluttered:

We also spruced up the dining room, with new bookcases so it's a great study space as well as a place to have meals. We got a lovely new wall map too:

There was a partial solar eclipse a few weeks ago. I ordered some eclipse glasses from online, and we were able to enjoy the spectacle. It was marvellous!

Another development is that I taught Nathan how to play Chess, and he's taken to it like a duck to water. Here he is enjoying a game with J.

We've also been growing tomatoes. They are tumbling tomatoes, which is a cherry tomato variety. N and L in particular have loved nurturing the plant and learning about horticulture. We've picked a few toms already and they are delicious and sweet.

It has been lovely to have the occasional visit from a nice plump hedgehog. We've spotted him/her for a few nights, much to L's delight.

Last but not least, it was A's birthday two days ago. 14 on the 14th! We watched Jungle Cruise on Amazon Prime, and we had a takeaway for dinner (burgers, his choice!)