The Christmas Gifts

Two Christmas Gifts that had my children teaching me lessons this year were cutout models of St Paul's Cathedral and Houses of Parliament.

Firstly was the usual lessons (fun play) of working out the instructions, the methods needed to construct the models, the dexterity to actually fold the card on the correct lines and logical skills to interpret where the instructions failed to explain fully.

Next was the wiring and fitting in the lights and battery pack (science + technology) to illuminate the model only to find that rechargable batteries are not powerful enough (make a shopping list) and finally - where are we supposed to keep these now they are made.

Heidi first ploughed addictively into her Houses of Parliament, completing it by the 27th December, then helped her brother Matthew to start his. This only took one day of laughter and frustration - interspersed with a mad half hour of balloon science and huffing and puffing, called being silly - and then the discovery that his base was slightly bowed and the building won't fit onto it. The base is now sitting up side down with a weight on over night to see if it can be remedied. If not, we will have to try another experiment but we will win!

During this last afternoon, the conversation turned to the actual buildings them selves with the children telling me that not only was the original Houses of Parliament called Palace of Westminster burned down, but that St Paul's Cathedral as we know it is the "FOURTH" building. The first was unfortunately burned down, the second was then also burned down in a Viking raid, the third was built of stone but then became neglected and was used as a market place and stable before finally being redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren.

I sometimes wonder who is teaching who? I love it when they get motivated into learning like this, the information is far more interesting to them and it's more likely to stick with them. And this is the Christmas Holidays... when term begins again - WATCH THIS SPACE!

Thanks Penny for the Christmas Presents :-)