A year at "HOGWARTS"

 A year at "HOGWARTS" 

Yes you have read the title correctly, we are having a year at "HOGWARTS". No we are not moving into the warner bros studio, nor has my son got a place in the musical. However, as he is Home educated this is our plan for set 2023! 

For Info - Hogwarts = HG and Harry Potter = HP

Lets back up a bit as it's been ages since I posted on this blog, well during covid I think! (no that was my family tree one, never mind!)

In October 2021 my youngest son was removed from school due to ongoing bullying and the fact the school couldn't (or wouldn't) protect him and keep him safe. When he fought back against a gang of 6 lads he was the one who was suspended for 2 weeks for fighting. When we went in to school for a return to school meeting the safeguarding officer (SGO) was really arsey with us. He didn't know why we were so upset over this as it was his 1st punishment and incident. Errr no it's not! He argued i presented him with 2 A4 pages of "incidents" including dates the school had taken him to hospital with suspected broken ribs from being kicked. SGO was shocked and didn't know anything about them all. He went and spoke to a teacher who said "well they are boys being boys you didn't need to know". THAT comment was the final straw and I decided I was removing my son and going to Home educate him.

So, we move back forward. Since being home ed, my son has done various things. As part of this years work he is doing the Pagan wheel of the year and this was meant to be ended (nearly) with a visit to the Witchcraft museum in Cornwall and the History of Witchcraft. My son then said "well you have said about doing Harry Potter theme at some point, can we do it at the same time as the History of Witches?" Well yes we can, i will work on it.

I started looking for ideas and things to do and came across a blog of a lady who home educates in USA and she had done "a year at Hogwarts" and this is where my thoughts went!!! She had done it every day and all lessons were linked to it. Sadly there wasn't much on here blog except this was what they were doing. I know for a fact that my son will be bored doing it every day for a year as he gets bored of long topics after 5 weeks. So I spoke to him, and he has agreed that he will do 1 day a week at "Hogwarts". 

Let's do some maths - there are 39weeks in a school term (approx), so that's 39 days of work. If we do 4 lessons a day that's 156 lessons I need. BUT some HG lessons and activities I've found are fairly quick and less than 30minutes to do, this means a very short day of learning. Back to numbers if I add in 1 more lesson I need 195 in total or if I go to 6 I need 234! OMG! This is going to be mad. My middle son then said, maybe you need a bank of extra bits as well "just incase" something goes wrong or you can't do the planned activity then you have a back up. (Thanks son! start thinking of extras then!) So it looks like I need about 275 different things. (Ideas on a postcard please!)

My son has stated he wants dropping off at the train station 2 or 3 from home by his Dad, with his suitcase, an owl in a cage (toy), and him in wizard robes. He then plans on travelling like it to the local station where I am to meet him, dressed as a WITCH, and we then proceed to get a taxi or bus home so that he can start his HG experience! This is also to be reversed on the last day of each term. He also wants a sign outside on the wall above the post box saying "welcome to Hogwarts" and it's to stay for the year. (My neighbours and postman are going to think I've totally lost the plot! LOL!)

I started planning. I wrote down possible subjects - we have 7 main, a general HG and maths. I then started hunting the internet and saving websites with ideas, activities etc. I grabbed all of our science instructions from kits and a few science experiment books and started making notes - this for potions, that for spells and such. From here I have made (well started) a powerpoint for each subject. So I can start adding the activities to them. This is going to take me a few weeks.

A few things I am 100% certain on:

1. I think I have totally lost the plot on agreeing to this (and actually doing it).
2. My neighbours and postman are going to think I've gone mad, my friends probably will as well but most know I will do anything for my kids.
3. I am 99.9% certain I am going to be fed up of seeing HP/HG decorations and items around my house before my son is.
4. I am going to sell the "work pack" afterwards that I am making as it will help so many others.
5. We are going to change "house" every week, with a new sorting hat ceremony. This means that we can work with a house points system and see which house wins at the end of the year. (Son won't be able to "fix it" for his favourite as it will be done via a quiz, a dice, a spinning wheel online and picking paper from a cauldron throughout the year.
6. Lessons are going to be picked out of a cauldron at the end of the each week ready for the next week, so I have time to get the equipment together, especially as some tasks I am looking at require fresh foods etc.
7. IF I manage to pull it off I think I could end up with 6 weeks to plan another big theme for September 2024. BUT saying that, if son decides he wants another big thing and says soon after we start etc I will have time.
8. I think my printer is going to leave home crying due to the amount I will need to print, thankfully I'm on a pay as use ink programme and they send me replacements.
9. My middle son thinks I'm crazy for even considering doing this and has said he's NOT dressing up or being involved - he will be!

Watch this space for more updates on our "Year at Hogwarts". I think it will work out really well when it comes to it.

October 18th 2015 - Go henry

My son is off to Buckingham Palace in a couple of weeks and needs to take 2 pieces of id with him or he wont be allowed in.  Well this was looking to be a big problem for us as, 1 piece of id will be his St John Ambulance id badge but as for number 2 we had no idea.  His birth cert is not in his changed name by deed poll, i'm not sure if deed poll would be accepted, he has no passport and isn't old enough for a driving licence, he doesnt work and therefore has no payslips or national insurance card, his phone is on my contract so not in his name and he doesn't have a bank acocunt.  As you can see we were fast running out of options.

Anyway me and my friend were talking and she said that she had just got her 13yr old son a pre-pay credit card type thing from a company called Osper.  I took a look at it and didn't like that you were tied in for 1year.  Seems a long time that I have to pay money onto a card for my son to spend on most probably sweets!  I started looking around and found another company that does similar called go henry.  This company does not tie you in for a year and you can cancel at anytime and they will send card within 7days.  We have paid the extra to get him a personalised card that says "go Jarred" not go henry, my theory was it will be more easy to locate if it gets stolen at school etc. (he is the only Jarred).

We did look at a bank account but they are going to take longer than the 2weeks we have until London so I needed a quick fix.  Plus if my son gets silly with the above card I cancel it.

If anyone is interested in a go henry card and a free £5 when you activate it please click on the link below, it is classed as a friend referral.  https://www.gohenry.co.uk/secure/?utm_campaign=refer_a_friend&utm_source=inviteLinkWA#ref_lnk_1445176129203962735_Ya

August 20th 2015 - loom bands

August 20th 2015 - Loom bands

Lil man has had loom bands since christmas (because his brothers had them) but he hasn't really been interested in using them.  Yesterday evening he asked me if I would help him make  a loom bracelet and as it was near his bed time I said I would help today.

Well first thing we nipped to the library to change his books as part ofhis summer reading challenge - he has read 18 books so far this holiday and now has another 6 to read bless him.  He wants these read before next tuesday so he can change them for more before end of summer.

When we got back we set about making a loom band.  Once I showed him how to do it he went off on his own and only came back if he made a mistake, which was only once or twice and then he needed help to finish it.

Here is his bracelet:

August 1st 2015 - Cardboard box car

August 1st 2015 - Cardboard box car

We had given the kitten a large box as her bed, she didn't go in it.  So I said lil man could turn it into a car.


1 box, alread had flaps cut off for cat.

4 "wheels" cut from another box (not very circular but they do whats needed)

wheels pinned to the car

Lil man added his own decorations  to the car (using 1/2 roll double sided tape! lol)

The finished result lil man sat watching tv in his cardboard box car.  How to keep a 5yr old amused for a few hours!  I think I will have to let him have his tea in it.

July 29th 2015 - Library

July 29th 2015 - Library

Whilst going through lil mans book bag I found a letter about "the record breakers reading challenge" at the local library.  For this he has to read 6 books over the summer and he gets stickers and things as he goes along.  We got the bus to town and walked round to the library.  We spoke to the lady at the desk and got him his own library card.  We asked the lady about the reading challenge and she sent us to another desk to sort it.

The lady went through the paperwork and told us what he needs to do for it.  We took the paperwork and went over to the children's book area and started to look for books.  Lil man wasn't sure what he wanted so we headed to the learning to read section where we found a nice big pile that were suitable, we sat on 1 of the seats and went through them to see which ones he wanted to bring home.

He choose 3 learning to read and a bigger children's book from 1 of the boxes.  He has the books for 3 weeks but has already read 2 of the 4 he brought home.  The reading of 6 books isn't going to be a problem for him to do.  We have said that we will take a picture of him with all the books he reads and print them out so he can show his teacher when  he goes back to school in september.

July 13th 2015 - Boarder

July 13th 2015 - Boarder

I have finally got round to putting up the Thomas the Tank Boarder in my sons bedroom.  It has only taken me about 2months since buying it.

It's nothing like the picture as that looks like something from the 1980's, but it was the only 1 I could find on pinterest and I couldn't be bothered to look for his and add it as a pin.

I was really pleased with it, it was on a reduced rack in shop in town, was £3.99 a roll down to £1.79 a roll.  I bought 3 to make sure I had enough, I have plenty I have used 1 and 1/4 rolls.  IF I was too move lil mans bookcase off the stairwell and do that wall as well it probably would use the 2nd roll, but thats too much work to do it.  Well I say that today but I will probably change my mind in a few weeks/months and do it.

Lil man is going to be pleased when he comes home from school as has asked since I bought it when i'm going to put it up.

May 29th 2015 - Sir Topham Hat craft

May 29th 2015 - Sir Topham Hat craft

Today lil man came downstairs with 1 of his Thomas Tank books and asked if we could make Sir Topham Hat (aka the  Fat Controller).   "Errrrrr......Ummmmm.....I'm not how we would do that" says me.  "it's easy, we follow the instructions I need a toilet roll tube, a egg and tape" says lil man.  So I take the book off him and have a look.

It says that you need to scan the picture of Sir Topham Hatand print it to fit the toilet roll tube, well I don't have ink so I drew the image of his shirt, jacket and trousers on the toilet roll tube.  Lil man proceeded to colour it in with felt tip pens and did the same to the polystyrene egg and drew a face on it.  I set about making a hat from thick paper.

I'm really impressed with how it turned out.  We may have to re-do it when I get some ink as well.

May 19th 2015 - Cumberland Infirmary

May 19th 2015 - Cumberland Infirmary

Although Cumberland Infirmary has been added to my board of places to visit this wasn't actually somewhere I wanted to visit but ended up visiting!!!

My youngest son was taken by ambulance with "blues n twos" from where we live to the Cumberland Infirmary on Monday night due to suspected major problem and possible urgent surgery.  He thought this was a great adventure!  We spent from Monday evening through to Wednesday lunchtime at the hospital.  He had various tests done and all came back clear, which confused the staff as they have no idea of the cause of the swelling or what they were treating.  All they know is the swelling and pain wasn't normal and have been given him high anti-biotics and pain killers.

He has got to go for more tests on friday and hopefully these may give us an answer.  He has charmed all the nurses and has had fun except for the pain and being prodded n poked by staff (during examinations as they do!)  He has even started to make a "Story Sack" of his hospital trip and has put his wrist band, stickers, syringe, pulse ox etc in a bag and is going to make his own little story to go in it.  He has even taken a toy ambulance from our car and put in it!

I can't fault any of the staff, they were all very polite, friendly and helpful and made our stay as nice as they could.

April 11th 2015 - Making Rockets

April 11th 2015 - Making Rockets

You need:
Rocket template  http://www.clipartbest.com/rocket-ship-cartoon
1 thin drinking straw
1 thick drinking straw
double sided tape
crayons/pens optional
printer
scissors

Me and lil man have today made rockets from paper and drinking straws like these on pinterest.  We followed the link which took you to a page of free rocket templates (see above), we had to draw 2 of them (the same rocket) off the laptop screen as have no ink to print them.  Lil man then coloured them in.

Once they were coloured in I cut them out and placed double sided tape on the back of the rockets (both) and place the smaller straw on top of the tape but left 3/4 of the straw sticking out the bottom.  This thin straw then goes into the thicker straw and using the small bendy bit you blow into it and the rocket flies.  I have a happy son that is making his rocket fly, complete with countdown.

April 6th 2015 - Birthday Wishes (and garlic)

April 6th 2015 - Birthday Wishes (and garlic)

Birthday Wishes

Random title for today I know, but I  have my reasons.  Today would have been my Mum's 66th birthday had she still been with us.  Happy Birthday Mum, RIP, love you always. x   I thought these 2 pins suited this bit quite well - for my Mum in Heaven and words and tears.


Growing Garlic

Lil man is loving the idea of growing his own veggies, we have carrots, sweet corn, snap peas and potatoes in the garden already, the blueberry and raspberry bush we bought from £1 shop have both died so need get more expensive ones.  And we have rocket, lettuce, corriander and basil growing in a tray indoors.  He asked if we could grown garlic as we use it in dinners.

So I looked it up, the first thing I found was placing it in fridge and leaving it for a week as it will start to grow - well it was in the fridge for 2weeks and doing nothing!  So I looked to see if I could find another way to get it to grow, and I found a way of growing it in water.  So Yesterday we opened the garlic clove and placed the individual bits in a shallow bowl of water on the window sill.  This morning we have woken up to them looking like this:


So I think a few more days for them to grow bit taller and we will be able to plant them outside in the vegetable planter.  And I think we will wait a few more weeks and then root another lot so we have more growing for later in the year.  I'm not sure how long they take before new cloves have fully grown.

February 19th 2015 - Spong cakes

February 19th 2015 - Sponge cakes

My little man loves cooking and baking, to the extent for the past 2 and bit years he has said he wants to be a chef and has already made a business plan - he's the chef, hubby is serving drinks, his brothers are waiters and cleaners and I can sit around in apretty dress and drink wine. lol!

Anyway, he asked if we could make some cakes, which I agreed, he then said like J (his brother) made at school with no packet mix.  Errrrrrr I can't make cakes without a packet mix, they don't rise etc.  But I agreed.  Hubby bought the ingredients on tuesday when he did the shopping and today is the 1st day we have had a chance to make them.

The receipe my eldest used at school was 100g SR flour, 100g caster sugar, 100g margerine and 2 eggs, and it made 12, I also found teh same receipe on pinterest.   We doubled it all up so we could make 24 cakes and ended up with 30, however I forgot teh last 6 were in the oven and they are slightly burnt on top.

But i'm impressed they did work and they did rise (slightly).  (see pics below).  We still have to ice them, of which 12 are having thomas tank rice paper on (can't remember how we ended up with spare rice papers from a pack).

indestructible boys school shoes???

DO such a thing exist???  I'm starting this post of the thought of NO they don't!!!  And I have very good reasons for believing this.  Read on.

My middle son is 8years old, he seems to be dead set on destroying EVERY pair of school shoes we buy him.  He has gone through 10 pairs since September 2013, two of which he has ruined THIS WEEK ALONE!  I wouldn't mind if he was outgrowing them or they were generally worn.  BUT he either sits and picks at the stitching/material on the top of toes so he gets a hole or he is skidding and playing football on the concrete playground and making holes in the sole.

We have had shoes from George, Next, Tesco, Shoe Zone and Brantano.  All of which have ended their life very quickly and gone in the bin.  I can't say that I remember which particular brand lasted the longest but none have been very long.  Admittedly, I don't buy expensive shoes but this is for the reason that he will do the same to them as he does the cheaper ones.

BUT is it any wonder when most of the sole are almost smoothe and have very little tread to start with and are plasticy synthetic???  Where are the thick, chunky rubber or leather soled soles of a few years ago???  Yes, that would be right they cost more money to produce, so our kids have to suffer.  Now don't get me wrong I know my son is wrecking his shoes but what use are these plasticy non grip shoes if the weather turns icy???  No use at all!!!

I have just about had enough of it.  I started a google search under "indestructible school shoes" and was very pleased to see pages after pages of mums in a similar situation to me, desperate to find a solution to their children ruining school shoes, some in the same way as my son, others through scuffing of general wear and tear. 

Well I kept reading and eventually came to a post from an American forum and the suggestion believe it or not was "Skate trainers/shoes!"  Not something I had thought of I must admit, but when I started looking and reading more on the subject the soles are much thicker and chunkier than normal school shoes for the reason when used on a skateboard they need to be thick to withstand the pushing motion on concrete!  BONUS just what I am after.  And even better is when I can find them cheaper than I have been paying for school shoes.  They will be being ordered asap.

So as you can see in the space of this post my opinion of "indestructable school shoes" has changed a complete circle from not believing they exist to finding a solution.  Lets hope that they work!!!  watch out for the update.

Product review of Virasoothe

This is the type that I had

I was recommended this product by a friend of a friend after a discussion on Facebook about both our children having chicken pox.  And how calamine lotion was not advised, I had been using Aqueous and calamine cream.
 g I had never heard of this and went straight to Google.  After a Google search I found the product and started to find where had it locally.  The chemist at the top of the road had not heard of it, Boots didn't stock it as only small boots, 3rdly was the late night chemist in town who had both the spray and the gel in a tube, they only had 1 spray left so I asked them to put it aside for me and headed down to get it.

My initial thought of the product was how expensive it was in relation to the size of the product.  I paid £8.49 for a 60ml spray bottle.  It does seem that the price varies from shop to shop though, the chemist I got it from was selling the gel in tubes at £5.49 compared to £8.99 on Boots website and as cheaply as £3.99 on eBay (but 3-5days delivery so no good.)

When I got home I covered my son in it and I had to rub some in  as it was quite runny for a gel spray and was running down his chest/belly.  My son didn't cry out in pain upon application like when I was using the Aqueous and calamine  cream, he just laughed and said "it's cold and it tickles".  So this was a great start and can only be a good thing.

The gel wasn't sticky and it didn't leave any residue or marks on clothing, nor did it dry out like the cream.  The spray nozzle is quite wide and some spray does go "away from the body" like when I was doing his shoulders it sprayed over them.  It also didn't dry out my sons skin causing him to scratch like the cream did.  My son hardly scratched his spots from when we started the Virasoothe.  He even said that they didn't itch anymore.  I did have to go and get a second bottle as I used the first in 2days, it says to use "two or three times a day or whenever relief is needed," I found we were applying it more than two or three times, more like every 4hours including night time as my son was very heavily covered in spots and kept waking in discomfort.


His chicken pox are nearly all scabbed over now, the 1st few spots that had the cream on still look quite red and nasty compared to the majority which had the Virasoothe on them, which are smaller scabs, not red and fading.  I believe that the Virasoothe has helped a lot and dried the spots and healed them.  I wish I had heard of this product before as I would have used it from the start.  At least I know of it if my other 2 children get it.

I would certainly recommend this product to friends with children both before they get chicken and when they have it.  It wasn't until I went onto the company website that I found out that Virasoothe is available on prescription free.

As well as the Virasoothe, my son was having regular Calpol and we were also advised ti use Piriton as it is an anti-histamine and helps reduce the itching.

The only downside I would say about this is that I ended up buying medical gloves in order to rub it in because I reacted to the gel and all the skin on my hand started to peel.  This was the only new thing that I had touched and it happened a short while after application.  I noticed it after the first time and thought nothing of it, but when it happened after the second and third I knew it was from the Virasoothe.  (But I do react to a lot of products that touch my hands so I wasn't surprised.)


http://www.itchi.co.uk/parents/care-virasoothe-menu/where-to-get-it.aspx  is the website about the product

Rainbow rice and pancake day

About 2years ago I found a post on the net about Rainbow rice.  I copied it and made some for my son.  I also added lentils and split peas and black beans to it.  He loved playing with his diggers in it.  A few days ago he added water to it and it all went mushy and mouldy and I had to throw it all out.

I've spent today re-making it (well some of it as hadn't got many food colouring in the cupboard).  He now has red (more like pink), purple, plain rice and lentils, split peas and red beans all in the tub.  I will get some more food colouring and make him some blue rice and orange and some black beans when I can get to tesco.

It's very simple to make, you need the following:
rice (dry not cooked)
food colouring
white vinegar
cooking trays

place the rice on the cooking tray (I use one bag per colour as we have big tub to keep it in), add a few drops of food colouring (more makes darker/brighter colours) and 2 capfuls of white vinegar, mix really well so that all the rice becomes covered in the food colouring.  Once it's all mixed together you need to re-dry it, so place in oven on low heat for about 5minutes or out in the sun for about 20minutes.  It is advisable to mix it round the baking tray half way through so that it all gets dried.  Once it's dried and cooled add to a plastic tub and mix all the colours together, it looks like a rainbow!  It lasts ages as long as doesnt get wet.  My son has had hours of fun with it.

Rainbow rice in tub

rainbow rice close up

Also today I have made 2 batches of pancake batter ready for tea.  I'm sure it will be enough but then again knowing my boys it may not be and I will have to make even more!!!  Toppings for the pancakes are lemon & sugar, golden syrup, and chocolate spread.