That topic of socialization in homeschooling still pops up as predictibly as the sun during conversations with the uninitiated. I understand why, I really do, but let's face it - people are everywhere, it's not hard to find ones to spend time with.

Especially at the snow.

We had sooooo many wonderful visitors.

And there were many, many more.

We also made great new friends while we were there, from trampolining class and neighbourhoid hangouts, to the op shop crew and new buddies on the hill.

It's fun to be snowcial.

On the day before Fathers Day, Luca did a funny fall off the rail in Piper Park and started to cry, nursing his wrist. Now this was enough to set off alarm bells as his pain threshold is usually really high, and these wails were REALLY loud!

He got a skidoo ride to the Perisher medical centre where we waited for ages, witnessing broken arms being reset, dislocated shouldered bring popped back in and even one poor woman with a broken pelvis trying to walk. Ouch.

An x-ray and examination later, the verdict of 'chipped radius near the growth plate' was given and a heavy plaster cast was applied.

Now it was time to take it easy...which lasted all of 6 days before a new blue fancy fiberglass cast was put on and it was back up the hill for the rest of the season!

A great chance to look at bones and healing and study the anatomy of the arm. And create some cast art of course ;)

The atrocities and adventures of war are the stuff legends are made of. Regardless of personal opinion, war has played a part in human history for pretty much ever, and it is necessary to examine from an historical and ethical perspective.

Our visit to the Australian War Memorial started off with some very impressive tanks and cannons...there were many cries of "Phwoaarrr - look at that one!!"

It was amazing to realise how heavy these weapons are (up to 47 tonnes just the barrel) and how far they could shoot (22,400 meters!!).

We entered the museum and spent quite a while looking at all sorts if artifacts. Some if our favorites were the uniforms, swords, horse gear and great paintings.

The first section was all about ww1. It is devastating to think of the deaths just at Gallipoli for example...

The whole next area was dedicated to theatre presentations and huge machines. Planes, submarines and tanks were all on show and we watched a reenactment if a WW2 air battle.

The last section was interactive and we could try flying a helicopter in Vietnam, check out what 'trench foot' looked like, hang out in a sub and practice some morse code. Great fun.

We finished our day with the 'Last Post' ceremony where a fallen soldier was remembered. It was very touching and Mum cried.

The whole experience was actually more interesting than I expected and it's a great worth a visit.

Lucky.

Today we all went to Canberra for a day of freak show shakes.

So we had heard a lot about the famous freak show milkshakes of Patissez for quite a while, and it seemed like everyone in Canberra had to, for there was a one and a half hour wait to get a seat on a Monday! Which was still better then when we popped in to check them out on a Saturday, and there was a three to four hour wait just for take away so we got it pretty good😃

The only time you can lick the outside of the cup😄

Who would of thought that you could get a food coma from a milkshake!

To be honest the milkshakes weren't quite as good as I expected, but they still were great, there basically good quality shakes whith lots of weird stuff on top, so nothing wrong by me!

The flavours we chose were...

Salted Nuts for yomama, French Me for Flex and for lucky Like A Velvet.

We have rented a beautiful place near Jindabyne for the winter and will be spending a great deal of time here over the next 3 months.

Homeschool makes this adventure not only possible but actually a big fat learning opportunity!

We are learning to snowboard really well and teach our friends when they come to visit. Instructing in a fun and kind way is such a great skill to have.

We are learning all about the plants and animals that flourish in this alpine environment including these sweet little everlasting daisies...

We are experiencing and studying weather, and the BOM and snow cam reports. The enchantment of frost and fog and snow is ours to enjoy.

We are using lots of free and fantastic resources to develop our knowledge of geography and mapping.

As we develop and use our bodied in new ways we are also learning about what muscles are sore after a day on the hill!

And most importantly, we are having fun. We have fresh eyes with which to view the world around us and all the beauty and magic and other priceless gifts it provides.

We have lots of time in the fresh air, lots of time to meet new friends and lots of time to spend together, making memories.

All this makes me feel like the richest person in the world!

Around 75% of Australia's power is produced within 5000 square kms of Snowy Mountain waterways.

Snowy hydro is an amazing scheme!

It brought in 100,000 people from 30 different countries to construct the dams, tunnels, roads and power stations that the system consists of.

Some say it was the birth of Australian multiculturalism.

This is how it works:

Water from multiple dams goes into pipes to power turbines which create renewable energy.

This area was chosen because of its large amounts of water and high precipitation, as well it's geography which allows the water to be harnesses as it naturally flows downhill.

This is a model of one of the turbines.

Unfortunately temperatures are riding due to am increase in greenhouse gases in the earths atmosphere. This will probably have am effect on the scheme as it relies in the snowfall to work best.

This information centre was very interesting and allowed us a little perspective on how much energy we use every day. When you have to pedal for it, it seems like a lot!

The day started with 'Black Beauty' in bed...so sweet and warm and gentle I couldn't stand the thought of enforcing spelling tests and times tables. Every so often I get caught in trying to adhere strictly to the 'curriculum' and become blind to the rich tapestry of learning that is our life. Today, we let go of doing 'book work' and instead seized a glorious morning and went for a horseride. Lucky is passionate about his horse and riding at the moment and is progressing so beautifully.

He really tunes in to his horse and valued the relationship they are building together. Strength, confidence and gentleness must all combine in order to fly...

In accordance with this interest the horse books are coming out and being pored over for hours. "What's a crupper?" "What breed is Zac?" "How do you get a horse fit?" - the questions pepper our conversation all day long. And now he wants to draw horses as well as he can, so pencils and sketchbooks and tracing paper are all making an appearance as well.

And finally, this evening over dinner at sushi train, we wrote a story about life from Zac's perspective a la 'Black Beauty'.

What a fruitful day of inspired learning!

PDH/PE

English

Art

Personal development

Animal husbandry

Love and joy!

A gorgeous Farmschool learning about and creating with the impermanent and amazing jewels that quite literally, grow on trees.

We gathered leaves of every shape and hue, comparing colours and stages of decay. Each one more beautiful than the last...

We learned that each leaf is a perfect solar panel using green chlorophyll to transform sunlight into energy for the tree. (Photosynthesis). As the daylight hours decrease so does the green chlorophyll exposing the oranges, yellows, reds and purples beneath. Wonderous science which had us equally delighted and confounded :)

Then it was time for art.

Then it was time for Art. We made our own watercolour paints using onion skins, turmeric, eucalyptus leaves, rusts, muds and fresh green growth. These were used to paint our own versions of Autumn leaves, unscripted, allowing lots of space for individual experimenting and expression.

We also were inspired by artists such as Andy Goldsworthy and created leaf mandalas. This was great as it was a group activity that even got the older boys involved in the art ;) Tactile, easy and instantly gratifying for those who didn't identify as 'drawers' or 'painters'.

Such a great opportunity to play and chat, create and discuss, watch our kids get muddy and inventive while we got to be artists as well. Proudly sponsored by Autumn and LiquidAmba trees.🍁

Today we went to see The Merchant of Venice at the Riverside theater in Parramatta, Sydney.

This play written by William Shakespere explores the themes of gambling, freindship and the BIG ONE is racism.

There is comedy, love and tragedy all rolled up in a thrilling and thought provoking performance.

The acting was great and the costumes and decor were of the 1930s giving it a stylish and contemporary vibe.

I enjoyed it very much.

Right now we are recording a song. The whole family. Me singing and playing bass, Lucky playing guitar, Flex on drums and Gav twiddling knobs and pressing buttons. In our own recording studio.

It's a song I wrote when Gav and I first met and describes me to a T - "Walking Contradiction".

It's late on a school night and we are having a ball, being creative and totally stoked in each other and ourselves.

Is this really our life!?!?

When did we become freakin rock stars?!?