Bowling, typing travellers

Today I grabbed half hour to myself at the library, topping up on my books. Once the children go to bed of an evening I indulge myself in an hours reading and, as a voracious reader, get through a lot of books in a week!

In the afternoon I spent some quality time with ds3, whilst the eldest two went bowling with our home education support group. Their Dad took them, then left to go to work, and a friend brought them home. They seemed to enjoy it, and it was great for them to get a chance to do something a bit different.

The boys both spent ages on the BBC typing site today. I am so very proud of them as they are both already typing many letters without looking at the keyboard. This is such a brilliant skill for them to have, and one that - having learnt it so early - will prove of great benefit in the future. Particular for ds1, who - being dysgraphic - does not enjoy writing. He should be able to learn to type fast enough, eventually, for it to mean that he can let his creative writings skills fly. At the moment, he finds the necessity of writing or typing (one fingered, looking at the keyboard) gets in the way of the "flow".

I've also noticed that ds1 is starting to set himself targets. Several times over the last few days I have suggested he stops something as he looks tired/unhappy/fed up, to be told "no, I have to finish". When I question this, it is obvious that he has determined at the outset to reach a certain goal, and has shown commendable commitment in keeping to it. My little boy is growing up!

Our Flat Traveller is finally ready to go, and we are busy trying to arrange his first visit. His name is Teddy Dickens, and he is based on a limited edition Charles Dickens collectible bear. As we live near to Rochester, and as Charles Dickens wrote a story called The Seven Poor Travellers, that seemed an appropriate choice for our own "traveller".