Rachel

Church library books

2011-09-22T13:12:00.012+12:00

China missionaries

2011-09-03T11:56:00.009+12:00

Books on China I have enjoyed

2011-08-26T13:31:00.002+12:00

Colours of the Mountain was the other book in this set.

Chocolate fun

2011-08-22T19:00:00.187+12:00

At guides today we made stuff with chocolate with a lady who owns a chocolate shop.

First we started making truffles. We were in two groups, one group made light chocolate and the other made dark chocolate. You pour boiling hot cream over the chocolate and then mix it together with a whisk. With the dark chocolate you have to work slowly at first so that it does not separate.

We poured the chocolate out onto the table so that we could cool it down. We have never played with chocolate on the table before. The lady kept saying "Don't be scared of it. You can bite it but it won't bite you."

As it cooled down we could see it start to get thick.

The kitchen was too warm so we had to put the truffles in the fridge. She told us that the kitchen at her shop is so cold it feels like a fridge when you walk in. While they were in the fridge she showed us pictures and told us about how chocolate is made. 100% dark chocolate is bitter because there is no sugar in it.

After that we had afternoon tea. She had a chocolate fountain but it was not working. We still had fun though and it was delicious.

When the truffles were cool enough, we rolled them.

When they were rolled we dipped the bottom of them in chocolate and let them set.

After that we made chocolate bowls by putting chocolate on the bottom of blown up balloons. When they were set we popped the balloons.

We also made leaves. We put chocolate on one side of the leaves with paint brushes making sure the chocolate was not all the way to the edge. When they were set we took off the leaves.

When the bottoms of the truffles were set we put them in chocolate and covered them in chocolate and left them to dry.

We each got 6 truffles, 3 light and 3 dark.

We had so much fun and the chocolate was really nice even though it was nice. Mum has found a dark chocolate that she really likes. The only problem is that it is very expensive Belgium chocolate. Dad says now we know what to buy her for her birthday.

Church library books

2011-08-04T11:52:00.007+12:00

July church library books

2011-07-20T14:21:00.001+12:00

Shakespeare minibooks started

2011-06-21T19:00:00.011+12:00

The Tempest is about a Duke who has been left with his daughter on an island by his evil brother. When the brother comes on a ship with the King of Frane (who helps him) the Duke (who has learnt magic and is a magician) sends a great tempest to bring the ship to his island without hurting them. The Dukes spirit helper brings the Kings son, who is kind, on to the island were the Duke is. The Prince and the Duke’s Daughter fall in love at first sight. The Duke calls him a spy and forces him to carry logs. This makes him and the Daughter loves each other even more (as is intended by the Duke). In the end, the Duke chases his brother and the King and they ask for forgiveness. The Duke abandons his magic and goes home. As for the Prince and the Duke’s Daughter? They got married and lived happily ever after.

June books

2011-06-12T12:20:00.003+12:00

Books read in May

2011-05-22T15:10:00.001+12:00

April books

2011-04-30T14:55:00.013+12:00

We did not get to church to get new books so I have been reading a lot of books form our own library this month. I read them but I don't even get to show Mum, so we don't have any photos of what I have read. The photos we do have are of the books I got out the National and local library.
Mom read a short story about Mary Breckinridge and so I was really excited when Mum got this full story out of the National library for me. I enjoyed reading about her whole life.

I got a Pony Club Secrets book for my birthday - the very latest one. I enjoyed it so much that I got two other ones out of our local library with the same horses in.

Church library books read in March

2011-03-16T19:00:00.003+13:00

Church library books read in February

2011-02-20T19:00:00.003+13:00

Church library books read in January

2011-01-31T11:00:00.003+13:00

Skin, hair, brain and nervous system

2011-01-30T13:52:00.000+13:00

Last mini books

2011-01-16T13:46:00.008+13:00

More books in December

2010-12-31T10:00:00.001+13:00

December Mini books

2010-12-21T13:41:00.000+13:00

No Mountain too High

2010-12-14T13:26:00.002+13:00

A story about Gladys Aylward
by Myrna Grant

Gladys had often wanted to go to China. One day she packed up her things and went to China to be a missionary. She told people about God. A Mandarin asked her to go around and make sure that the girl’s feet were not bound up. While she was going around she also told stories about Jesus. But there was a war going on and bombs fell on the town she was living in so she had to live in the mountains with all the children she was looking after. Then one day the war got so bad that she took a lot of children and went across the Yellow River to find safety. There were no boats going across the Yellow River but finally she managed to persuade a captain to take a boat with all the children across the river.

The Mayflower Secret

2010-12-13T13:30:00.001+13:00

The Mayflower Secret
by Dave and Neta Jackson

Elizabeth was sailing on the Mayflower with her parents. One night the wife of Governor William Bradford was standing up on the deck and Elizabeth saw her. She was going to call out to her or get someone else but she didn’t and went back to her bed. In the morning the lady had disappeared. Nobody knew what had happened to her. They thought she must have fallen overboard.
When they arrived at Cape Cod everyone was settling in. All the time Elizabeth felt guilty about the death of Mrs Bradford. She thought that if she had called someone on the night she saw her, Mrs Bradford would not have fallen overboard. In the end she decides to go and tell Governor Bradford about it. He tells her that even if she had tried, she would not have been able to get Mrs Bradford away from the side because she was lonely and sad and also quite stubborn. So Elizabeth feels a lot better about it.

Kidnapped by River Rats

2010-12-13T13:00:00.005+13:00

A Story about William and Catherine Booth
by Dave and Neta Jackson

This is about two children whose Father had died and Mother was taking them to find their Uncle. While they were trying to find him their mother died and the lady that they were staying with told them to get out. So they had to live on the streets. It was very hard for them. Once two people stole the sister. People would steal girls of her age to take overseas as slaves. Her brother went to the Salvation Army and asked for help to rescue her. When she was rescued, the brother and sister were taken to the house where Catherine Booth and her husband lived. They asked her if she knew where their uncle was because she used to have clothes made by him. She told them that he had left but that they could stay at their house. Then two of the people from the Salvation Army asked if they could adopt the two children. So they adopted them and the children were very happy.

More mini books

2010-12-03T19:18:00.007+13:00

I have been doing more mini books this week. It is getting hard deciding what shape and colour to do them. I am really enjoying making them.

Skin, Brain and nervous system

2010-11-26T11:00:00.019+13:00

I did a lot of reading about our skin, brain and nervous system. Last week I started on my lapbook. I have done a lot of mini books. I like thinking about different shapes to make them. Sometimes there are no photos to stick on so I draw a picture instead, sometimes I do both.

Nate Saint

2010-11-22T19:33:00.007+13:00

THE FATE OF THE YELLOW WOODBEE
The story of Nate Saint
By Dave and Neta Jackson
The villages thought that the people in the airplane were dangerous and wanted to attack them. But then they realized they were trying to be friendly and wanted to make contact with them. A man from the village who had seen the people in the airplane told a lie saying that they had tried to poison him and eat him and he had only just escaped. So the rest of the villages thought that the people in the airplane would try and kill them. So they decided to go and attack them. They took almost all the people in the village and went to attack those in the airplane. Niwa, a boy from the village, knew they were good people and tried to get ahead of the villages to warn them so they could get away. But he was too late and they were all killed.

A few years later, two wives of people in the airplane came to stay with the tribe. Niwa’s sister had run away but came back with the two women. So the tribe was excited about her return and they let the two women stay. In the end almost the whole tribe accepted Jesus and were saved.

To do list

2010-11-22T11:57:00.019+13:00

Mum made some cards with things to do on them and put magnets on the bake of them so I cane have them on the fridge. She also made a strip saying: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Weekend. I have daily things to do and then some weekly. If I don't do the weekly ones done during the week I have to do them on the weekend. It's really fun because I can see how many more things I have to do each day. I try to see how quickly I can get my daily things done. My goal is to get them finished by morning tea.

Tassle body done

2010-11-13T10:11:00.005+13:00

I am nearly finished, it has been really hard but very fun. Once I had all the cross stitches and the small beads on it was much easier to do the long beads. Mum has to help me now because the rest of hte pattern is very complicated. I am so exited.

Rescuer by night

2010-11-12T17:36:00.001+13:00

RESCUER BY NIGHT
A story of AMY CARMICHAEL
by Kay Walsh
Amy rescued boys and girls who were sold into temple slavery by their parents. One of the girls she rescued had gone to live with a horrid lady who taught her and then whipped her when she made a mistake. Amy had at least 2 houses for the children to live in. She had a hard time and often grieved the death of one of the children or helpers. All the children loved her and called her mother.

The Children's Champion

2010-11-10T19:00:00.004+13:00

THE CHILDREN’S CHAMPION
A story of GEORGE MULLER
by Irene Howat

George Muller started his life as a liar and a thief. Then the LORD changed him, and he became a Christian. He got married and decided to build an orphanage. He did not ask people for money. He always prayed for God to provide what they needed. He, his family and the orphans never went hungry. Sometimes he would be wondering what they would have for a meal and someone would come and give them enough for a meal. He did a lot of work through his life and when he died all the children that had lived in the orphanages were there, and a lot of other people to.

Ivan and the Daring Escape

2010-11-09T19:00:00.002+13:00

IVAN and the Daring Escape
by Myrna Grant

Ivan’s friend has been taken away from his mother by the Moscow Secret Police because they wanted her to denounce her husband who was a good Christian. Ivan then used his talent in soccer to rescue his friend from the children’s home where he was “imprisoned”. And in doing this get the better of the Moscow Secret Police and also get his friend’s father out of prison.

Earthquake

2010-09-10T18:51:00.000+12:00

At 4:30 on Saturday morning I woke up just before the light went out and I saw the room shaking. I immediately though "oh no - not an earthquake". The roof was creaking and that made me worried that the roof would fall in on top of me. Hannah, Ruth and I wear staying with friends while mum and dad went to a fancy dinner. I had learnt about earthquakes in Brownies and that you must get in the doorway or under something. So I was wondering when to get under the bed. I was worried about the girls too and did not know if I should go to them because we were in different rooms. I was worried about mum and dad too. I was so scared that I called for Bob and Lynn and then started crying. I got into their bed and Bob tried to make me laugh by making funny shadows on the roof with his torch. I felt better after talking with them a while. We felt a lot of after shocks and I kept getting worried that it was another big earthquake starting but Bob told me that you don't normally have a big earthquake soon afterwards and that these were just smaller after shocks.
Mum and Dad had sent a text to say that they were ok and ask how we were. So that made me feel better.
Hannah then woke up because of the dark and started crying. So I took the girls into my double bed and waited until Bob had the fire going. We weren't able to go back to sleep so we got up and went and sat by the fire. Lynn got water into a pot to heat on the fire but Bob then noticed a light outside had come on, so we tried the light and saw that the power was back on. I was so glad. It was nice to have a light on rather than two candles.
I was so shaken up by the earthquake that I had totally forgotten about a party I had that afternoon that I had been so excited about.
On Sunday night the wind was really strong and the sound of it made me think of the morning of the earthquake. I was lying in bed and there was a bang on my window. So I got out of bed and told Mum and Dad. Dad went outside and looked what it was. A garden chair had bashed against my window. Mum asked if I would like to sleep on the floor in the girls room. I said yes. So we set the mattress up and I was able to relax and go to sleep.
For a few nights I was scared every time I went to bed because I thought if there was another earthquake the roof might fall on top of me. But then Mum said that our house is made of wood and can give a bit more than the brick houses so it would not fall as easily. That made me feel a lot better and so I am starting to sleep better at night.

Leonardo da Vinci

2010-09-08T07:52:00.012+12:00

This was my first lapbook that I did on my own. Mum did not help me at all.

Blowing Ink

2010-08-24T15:09:00.001+12:00

I enjoyed joining Ruth in here art today. We blew ink. It was really fun. We only used red, yellow and blue and mixed them as we blew them across.

Mosaic

2010-08-13T15:01:00.003+12:00

This was my first mosaic. Ruth, Hannah and I made one each. We made them for a friend. I really enjoyed doing it but I kept asking Mum to please do the drawing for me. But she said no, I must try on my own and she was sure I could do it. I did my flower too small because it was difficult to put the pieces in. But it is nice to know I did it all on my own.

Tiger in a bonnet

2010-08-10T11:43:00.018+12:00

I love taking photos of my cat Tiger. He did not even mind when I put the bonnet on him.

Tassel

2010-08-09T09:27:00.007+12:00

I am very exited about a tassel I am making. The work is very fine and already I have made a couple of mistakes. I was really excited about starting to put beads on. The long beads are really hard though, so I think I will just put the small ones on first.

Mini meat balls

2010-07-25T14:52:00.038+12:00

I had so much fun making meat balls and getting my hands into the mixture. I made mashed potato and meat balls for diner. It was really delicious. We had some mixture left over so I made some very small meat balls to stick on tooth picks with some cheese, gherkin, and pickled onion to take as a snack to Brownies. They were really really yummy.

Stitched and Beaded

2010-07-24T18:47:00.001+12:00

I am busy on a "Stitched and Beaded Tassel". I was so excited wen I started. The in-
structions were so small that Mum had to print it out bigger, she printed it on to a whole page.
The first thing I had to do was sort the beads. There are 10 different types of beads.
I started by doing normal cross stitching. I have to really con-
centrate and count very carefully.

Brownie badges

2010-07-12T11:04:00.004+12:00

Through the holidays I have been very busy doing things for Brownie badges. This is a happy picture made from natural stuff with a colourful frame around it. I gave it to Auntie Julia as a thank you because she gave us a lot of collage "treasures".

I made a telephone using 2 tins and a pieces of string. It's really cool how the sound travels in waves along the string.

We picked up ice blocks without using our hands. We put a piece of string across the ice block and sprinkled salt on it. And then left it for a little while.

When we came back we could pick up the two ends of the string and the ice block was stuck to it.

I put pepper in a bowl of water. The pepper floats. Then I put a tooth pick in and nothing happened. Then I put some dish washing liquid on the end of the toothpick and put it in again. This was what happened. It was so cool.

I made a sun dial. I put a stick in the ground and every 1/2 an hour I marked where the shadow was and wrote down what time it is.

During the week I could look over and see what time it was. It's so cool.

Conservation work

2010-07-09T07:04:00.003+12:00

This morning we went to the Culverden Reserve to help plant 1000 plants and trees.

We were shown how to do it properly. I had nice warm gloves with and Mum bought garden gloves that we could wear over our warm ones so our hands were not too cold. It was a really cold day.
Mum helped with digging holes and planting. The digging was quite hard. I could not use the big spade nicely. I made one hole and it was just too hard so I did not make any more.

There were 9 Brownies / Guides / Rangers and 4 mothers who came to help. So we got so much done really quickly. The man phoned the lady who was coming from town and said "if you don't get here soon there won't be any plants left to plant they are going so quickly".
Our Guiding group with 2 local helpers.

What Katy Did

2010-07-07T14:47:00.008+12:00

by Susan Coolidge
Katy was the oldest child in her family. Their mother was dead and they did not listen to their aunt that much. Katy was always doing something wrong and did not help at all. One day their aunt told them not to go on the swing that day, but Katy was in a bad mood and forgot that her aunt had told them not to and she went on it. She was swinging very high and suddenly it broke. Afterwards she had to stay in bed because she had damaged her legs when she fell, and could not walk.

Kathy’s cousin came and talked to her. She could not walk either. Then one day their aunt died, and then there was a big change in Katy and she became a big help. Then one day she stated standing a little at a time and then began walking around a little. Finally her dad said she could go down stairs so they set a day for her to go down. The day before she could go down, there was a big hustle because they were going to celebrate because she had to stay in bed for a very long time. On the day she went down stairs, when she walked into the room she saw her cousin. She forgot she could not run and ran to her.

Beautiful Sky

2010-07-05T08:34:00.003+12:00

Today at 4pm I saw these pretty clouds so I took this photo.

At 5pm the sun was setting so the clouds looked like this. It was beautiful.

Making my first skirt

2010-06-27T07:52:00.007+12:00

On Friday we got some old jeans for free and Mum had an idea of making a denim skirt from them.

I had to cut along the seams so that we had strips to use. Mum helped me design the skirt but I did the sewing myself.

There was quite a bit of fraying to do.

I was so excited to get it done so quickly.

There was enough denim for Mum to make skirts for Ruth and Hannah too. It's fun to have matching clothes. :-)

x 6

2010-06-23T14:23:00.002+12:00

I've been learning to skip count in six and I was having a bit of trouble so I worked with the blocks and made the numbers.
I made it in a two rows so that the pattern was easy to see.
6,12,18,24,30
36,42,48,54,60
Once you get to 30 you just start over again but adding 30.
I redid the blocks so that I only used 2, 6 and 10 blocks. This helps me to see the 6+2=8 (on 6x3=18 because 6x2=12 is very easy for me). And when you look at 6x4=24, it's just double 6x2=12.

I then learnt the 6 times table. There is an easy way to times the even numbers. You half the number for the ten and then use the number for the unit. Mum wrote it on the board for me and wrote Even = Easy and it sure is. She says this has even helped her to learn her 6 times table because she never knew it.

This is also how I find the 5 times table easy for even numbers. All you do is half the number and add a zero.

5x8=40 (because 10x8=80 but 5 is half of 10 so you just half the answer).

Swiss Family Robinson

2010-06-11T15:54:00.001+12:00

by Johann Wyss

A family gets stranded on an island. They get all the useful things off the ship and then they blow it up so that they can get all the wood. They found a big tree and make a house in its branches and a staircase going round inside the trunk (it was called Falconhurst). They also found a salt cave and made that into another house. Falconhurst was a summer home and the salt cave a winter one.

There were four boys. Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz. They had lots of animals, they even had an ostrich and buffalo. They even got to ride on them. Once they had a race and suddenly the mum and dad heard hooves and Franz came riding on his buffalo.

When the boys were older, Fritz went exploring on his own. When he got back he told them he wanted to show them something. So they follow him to a smaller island and he introduced them to a girl called Jenny. She stayed with them until one day a ship came. They were looking for Jenny to take her home. Fritz and Franz went with her. Fritz and Jenny got engaged. The rest of the family stayed on the island. They had named it New Switzerland.

Beta finished

2010-06-04T14:03:00.004+12:00

Today I finished Beta. It only took me 6 weeks to do the whole year's work. I got "The Last Battle" - the last Narnia cd for finishing the work. I was so excited about being close to finished that I did 9 tests today (and two of them were really long ones).
I am excited to start on Gamma but know that it will be harder because my multiplication is not quick. Alpha helped my addition and subtraction to get really quick and so I am sure Gamma will help me a lot.

Julie of the wolves

2010-05-28T09:58:00.001+12:00

Miyax was lost in the Arctic. Thankfully her father had taught her some things. She finds a pack of wolves and manages to communicate with them. She pats the leader (his name is Amaroq) underneath his chin to show respect. She pats the pups and weakest wolf on top of their nose to show that they must show respect to her. When Miyax was young her father went out in a boat and never came back, so people thought he was dead. She said Amaroq was her adopted father. He brought food to her, he scared a bear away from her to protect her he even brought her to the wolf den to sleep. The leader pup, Kapu, would come and play with her. Once he came when she had finished cooking meat and she gave him some. He liked it so much that when he could catch something he brought it to her to cook. A while later he came back for some cooked meat.

She was running away to her pen pal. As she was getting close to the end of her journey an aeroplane came over and started to shoot at the wolves. They hit Amaroq and he died. They just wanted to get one of the ears for money. Afterwards Kapu became the leader. After a while Miyax finds her father. She was so happy that he was alive. But when she went into his house she saw a whole lot of American things and that he had married an American woman. Miyax did not want to go to her pen pal anymore because she was American and it was Americans that killed her adopted father. So when she saw the American things in her father’s house she left.
As she was going to the house she had made, her pet bird died. Then she realised that she could not survive alone. So Julie pointed her boots towards her father and happily went to him. She had been calling herself Miyax because she wanted so much to be an Eskimo and that was her Eskimo name.

Silly Story

2010-05-20T14:05:00.004+12:00

This morning I had to write at the top of the black board. I could not reach so I got on a gym ball. I was all right till a had to get down. Then I took the "easiest" way - I fell. We went to the doctor and she said my wrist might be broken because it hurt so much. So we went to town for an x-ray. The lady that took the x-ray was very nice and gave me a copy of the ex-ray (normally they don't pint them out - they just look at them on the computer). My wrist was not broken - just strained. I had to use "RICE" which stands for "Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation".

Promise

2010-05-06T08:55:00.002+12:00

We had a promise ceremony for some of the girls today.

As a sixer

I took up the girl in my six who was saying her promise.

Mum also made her promise today.

Mum got some lovely flowers.

Region Brownie Camp Day 3

2010-05-02T14:47:00.003+12:00

This morning we packed our bags and then went for a long walk to the swimming pool. It was at least 1 1/2 km away.
I really enjoyed swimming in the warm pools.
Then we went to a park that was close to the pools and had lunch. They had the BBQ on the back of a trailer and cooked the sausages on there.

We played a little bit at the park and then walked back.

This is my group. The Rosebuds.
Before we went home they handed out the photo frames with our photos in. They also gave each of us a patch, a pen and a photo of the group of us before the disco.
We all had such a great time.

Region Brownie Camp Day 2

2010-05-01T11:23:00.009+12:00

In the morning we had a Guide Zone which is like a mini church service where we think about all the things that we have and thank God for what He has provided. We went through a time tunnel and then looked at photos of things now and what they had to use in the years before.

Then we collected sticks and bark for our campfire.

We spent most of the day doing different activities in our groups.

We made little crumpets / pancakes on Buddie burners.

We made pet rocks. Mum was the leader for this. At the end of the day she made a little pig for Dad and called it piggles.

We decorated photo frames.

We got to dress up in old Brownie uniforms and have our photos taken. We will put the photo in the frame we made.

Once we had our photo taken we played a game that they would have played years ago.

We got to sit in a a canvas tent and learn about different things like camping in the rain. We learnt that if it rains you must not touch the side of the tent cause the water will come in.

We got to decorate a biscuit with icing sugar and sweets and then we made ice cream. I loved doing that. We got to eat our biscuits for afternoon tea and we had our ice scream for pudding.

We went to a play ground area and we went on a really fun flying fox. It went over that little pond and our feet touched the top of the plants.

There was a rope swing. This area was called the Confidence course.

We made little owls because we learnt that Brownie leaders were called "Brown Owl".

There was karaoke where we had to sing into a microphone and see how good you can be. The words were on the TV. I sang "The Dancing Queen". We watched Mama Mia before we went on camp so I was glad to recognize some of the songs.

We got to go to the Scout camp and see all the things they had made. My group even got to go across this bridge.

We had to make up a skit for the camp fire. None of them were very good though although the campfire was lovely. It was nice to wear my campfire blanket with all the patches on that I have collected.
After the campfire we got dressed up in costumes and we had our photo taken. Mum has put a red circle around my face.

Then we had a disco. They gave us glow in the dark sticks that we made necklaces or bangles with. It was so much fun.

Region Brownie Camp Day 1

2010-04-30T06:50:00.002+12:00

I was really excited about going to camp today. It was a Region Brownie Camp where at least 2 girls from every unit were invited. I was the only one from our unit though so Mum asked if she could go as well as a leader so that she did not have to travel into town twice.
Once everyone had arrived we played a game where we linked our hands and then tried to get out without letting go.
They expected 80 girls for the camp.

When we had been put into our groups we decorated our group box where we kept our pencil case and artwork. I was in Rosebuds.

Then we coloured in a picture and put our name on it. These were laminated and were our place mats for the weekend.

Alpha done

2010-04-26T13:59:00.002+12:00

I started Math-U-See last year and it took me 7 months to finish the first year of work. I was really excited. I got a new Narnia cd "The Silver Chair". Now I have started Beta.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

2010-04-01T07:12:00.002+13:00

I made these yummy slices for Brownies today. This was the last thing I had to do to get my biscuit badge for this year. I missed a couple of things while we were away - so this was a fun way of catching up.
First crush two packets of Chocolate Guide Biscuits into fine crumbs.
Add 75g melted butter and press into a 20cm square dish (with grease proof paper lining the tin).

Put a tin of condensed milk on top and bake at 160C for 30-40 min or until golden and set in the middle.

Slice and enjoy.

Brownie Registration

2010-02-19T22:48:00.004+13:00

We had our Brownie and Guide registration evening today and we went for a long walk.

After the walk we had a BBQ tea with salads. It was really yummy and everyone liked the milk tart too.

Some of the Brownies went up to Guides that day too. So we said goodbye to them.

Milk Tart

2010-02-18T15:30:00.004+13:00

For Brownies I made two milk tarts (with Mum's help).

Mum showed me how to grease the pie dishes the old fashioned way (without spray and cook). It was very hard.

Then I put the crust in. That was hard too - getting all the places with the right amount of dough.

Once the crusts were baked I made the inside and poured that in. It was really fun decorating them with the trefoil. We put a piece of paper the shape of the trefoil on, sprinkled it with cinnamon and then took the paper off. They were sooooo yummy. For the recipe go here.

Morning Tea fund raiser

2010-02-06T18:56:00.011+13:00

Today we had a fund raiser for Brownies and we had a morning tea for a whole lot of old people. Mum organized it and it was nice to see her in uniform too.

We used the St John's Ambulance rooms and while we were getting ready the alarm went off because there had been an accident. So went outside and watched the fire truck going out the fire station and the ambulance rushing off.

After we had been serving tea we sang two songs for them.

When they were going we got to have a ride in their HUGE bus.

Before we got off we sang a goodbye song - wishing them a safe trip.

Then we got off and ran as fast as we could back.

Then we cleaned up.

Then was the yummy job - eating up some of the treats that were left over.

Ferrymead History Museum

2010-02-05T14:31:00.005+13:00

Today we went to Ferrymead. I was so excited because I knew we were going to dress up. I was also excited to be able to wear our new bonnets with our matching aprons.
These are the clothes that they gave us to wear. I was glad that my new friend Layla was also there.
Today we are going to pretend that we are school children living 100 years ago.
First we got instructions on what was going to happen today.

We were told to always sit up straight, shoulders back and hands folded. When we walk we have to lift our feet so that we don't drag our shoes on the floor and no one was allowed to put their hands in their pockets. We were also told that children "must be seen and not heard". Children could only speak when they were spoken to or when no adults were around.

We were split into groups for the activities.

We had some morning tea before we started.

General Store

2010-02-05T14:24:00.001+13:00

Our first stop was at the General Store.

First she showed us some of the things that were sold in those days.

Then she showed us where things were in the shop and how to package them.

We were then given a basket and a shopping list and had to get everything on the shopping list - exactly. Here Layla and I are measuring the rice.

There was a lovely old piano in the shop and the lady said that Ruth could play on it.

This was a beautiful old organ - but unfortunately it did not work. Ruth enjoyed pretending though.
We had to wrap some of the things in paper. There was no plastic then.

Hannah found the old fashioned telephone booth outside.

Bakery

2010-02-05T14:21:00.008+13:00

The next place we went to was the bakery.

The lady there told us that some of us would make butter and some would make damper. Damper is a type of bread but it did not have yeast so that they could make it quickly.
I had made butter before but not in a proper butter churn. Ruth had a go turning the handle too.

First the cream gets really thick.

And then bits of butter start to form and the buttermilk is left behind.

The buttermilk drains out the little hole and I got to drink it.

I made the damper. It is made of flour, salt, baking powder and water. Dad said "with a little bit of sugar it would be a nice scone".

The oven is HUGE!!!!!! The pole in the bottom photo is what they use to get things in and out of the oven. So it gives you an idea of how deep it is. The oven takes up half the room. The fire is on the right and the chimney is on the left. So the heat goes across and heats the oven up. Once it's hot they let the fire go out and then put the food in. If they put the food in when the fire was still going the food might burn and it would have a smokey taste.

House keeping

2010-02-05T07:02:00.007+13:00

Next we went to an old fashioned house where we did some of the chores that the children would have done.

She showed us how to wash the clothes. We used the wooden boards to scrub the clothes on.
Ruth and Hannah also enjoyed having a go. Then we got most of the water out with a rolling thing.

Then we did some ironing with very hot irons. This was NOT easy.

We also scrubbed a table.

We also tried to make the bed. It is so so difficult. There were so many sheets and blankets. They have lots of old things in the house like the baby's pram in the corner. They even had a chamber pot under the bed. YUCK!!! I am so glad we have toilets.

School

2010-02-05T06:59:00.009+13:00

The last place we went to was the school house.

The teachers in those days were very strict. He showed us some of the outside games that the children used to play.

This was my favorite place even though he was so strict and cross.

It was nice that we had some younger children in our group (under 7) because we got to see how it worked. The teacher actually left the "infants" in the care of the oldest child.

Children 8 years and older got to use ink pens and do fancy writing. The ink pens were really difficult to use. Then we used a slate and a slate pen to do sums. At the end of the time the teacher hit a desk with his cane really loudly and we all got such a fright.

Lunch

2010-02-05T06:54:00.007+13:00

It was fun using the water pump.

Then we had lunch. Yummmyyy. Mum made a really nice knotted loaf and she wrapped cucumber, butter, cheese and salami in paper for our picnic. After working in the store I know why Mum wrapped them all in paper.

I really enjoyed lunch.

We got to taste the damper with the butter on it. It was nice but I can't imagine eating that every day though.

Some of the mothers were also dressed up for the day.

I really enjoyed it and hope that we can come to Ferrymead again some time.

Korslose Melktert

2010-02-04T17:15:00.002+13:00

Today I made Korslose Meltert (Crustless Milktart) on my own for the first time. My Mum got the recipe from her Dad (he made it often) and he got it from his mother. So it's from my great Ouma (Afrikaans for Grandmother). A milktart is a very typical South African desert or cake.

It was my first time to every separate eggs and Mum said I did a really good job.
The hardest part was beating the egg white by hand. I also did not enjoy having to put the pie dishes into the hot oven. The dishes are shallow and the mixture is very runny so I messed a bit. It was fun to sprinkle the cinnamon on afterwards though. I love this milktart. Have a look here for the recipe.

Caramel banana pudding

2010-02-03T13:41:00.002+13:00

First you make a biscuit and butter base. 250g biscuit crumbs and 100g melted butter. Mix and press into a dish. Allow this to set in the fridge.
Then add a tin of caramel and sliced bananas.

Top with whipped cream.

Add some sprinkles for the finishing touch.
I loved doing it on my own. It is realyyyyyy jummmmmmmyyyyyyy.

Chocolate Crisps

2010-02-01T22:40:00.002+13:00

I enjoyed making these cookies today but my arm got tired from stirring. I am used to using my Mum's electric mixer but this recipe you do by hand.
The fun part is making the balls and rolling them in sugar.

They are really nice. You can get the recipe here.

Dive into books party

2010-01-30T07:51:00.002+13:00

I was very excited about the Dive into books party today. To be invited to the party we had to read at least 4 books over the holiday and go and tell the librarian about them. Each time we "reported in" we got a reward. We got a library bag, a pen and a pencil bag and today we got a slinky.They had a storyteller there and she was very good. She had this monkey puppet and it was the first time I had seen a ventriloquist. She was really good and the monkey was very funny.
She had some funny songs and stories that she told using her mandolin.

Then she told a story and used a string to make pictures of everything that happened.

I got my certificate for completing the programme.

And then we had a lovely afternoon tea. I look forward to doing the summer programme again next year and they even said there will be something in the winter too which will be nice.

Swim Week day 5

2010-01-29T13:37:00.002+13:00

I am so sad that today is the last day. I am having so much fun now.

Here I am doing backstroke.

And freestyle.
Learning about how to help someone - where to stand and what to say and do.

Then Mum suggested I try swim the whole length. I did backstroke all the way there. I got really tired but she said I was almost there and I did it. I swam the whole length back in freestyle too. I can't believe I can swim now. And 2 days ago I couldn't.

I am looking forward to what I will learn next year.

Swim Week day 4

2010-01-28T07:36:00.002+13:00

I made some banana bread yesterday for the teachers and when Mum gave it to her and told her it was from me to say thank you the teacher said "we will have to have a special lesson today". Mum then told her "no - it's because Rachel has something exciting to show you". So I showed them my dolphin swimming off the wall and how I now love swimming under the water. They were so excited.
I could even pick up the sticks from the middle of the pool. Finally I am getting my shoulders down.

Practicing on my back with the board on my own.

And now I can even swim on my back on my own. It helps that I can put my head back without worrying.

Once I had done some swimming practice we had some fun. Here we are jumping up so that we can try and sit on the floor. I almost got my bottom on the floor. We went and had a tea party on the floor. It was so much fun.

Swim Week day 3 - Extra practice

2010-01-27T07:08:00.001+13:00

The weather was so good today that we all headed down to the pool this afternoon and Mum got in to with me to help me. We held hands and tried to sit on the floor. To start with I only just got my head under.
But we kept practicing and eventually I was going right under.
Then Mum showed me how to kick off the wall and swim like a dolphin. Finally my shoulders are under the water. I now love swimming under the water.
(Comment from Mum: I thank the Lord for this breakthrough. We have been praying about this and asking the Lord to help Rachel and we are so thankful she has finally gotten over her fear.)

Swim Week day 3

2010-01-27T06:57:00.002+13:00

Still just getting my face in.
Learning to float on my back with the board.

And then swimming on my back with the board. The teacher had her hand under my back to help keep me up.

But then she showed me that her hands were up and I was doing it on my own. It was really cool.

I did not do much better today with picking up the stick. :-(

Swim Week day 2

2010-01-26T06:49:00.002+13:00

Doing some kicking off the side of the pool.
Using the board and getting my face in the water. I got my eyes in the water today but I don't really like it and I can see on the photo I am still trying to stay out the water - my shoulders are so high.

I had to start on the higher steps with the stick. Just managing to get my eyes under.

I eventually tried to pick the stick up off the flour but I did not got down enough.

The teachers talking to me about it and encouraging me. I do wish I could just do it.

Swim Week day 1

2010-01-25T20:23:00.003+13:00

I have been so excited about swim week. It was supposed to be last week but was changed to this week because the pump broke. It's been overcast and cold for the last 2 weeks so it was really cold today. The water was only 18C.I start by blowing bubbles and trying to get my head lower in the water. This will make it easier when I swim.
I was shown how to try and blow bubbles and then lift my head to the side to breath.

Once I had done a lot of swimming practice the teachers spent some extra time trying to help me get my head under the water.

I so want to go but just don't do it. It frustrates me that I can't just do it. The teachers are so friendly though and they just keep encouraging me to try.

French

2010-01-11T13:21:00.000+13:00

Our French computer programme arrived today and it was so much fun to get started.

Joan of Arc

2009-11-25T22:07:00.003+13:00

It was great to watch the movie "Joan of Arc" and see what it could have been like living in her time. Mum had watched it before me, so she just fast forwarded through all the fighting so I did not have to watch any of that.

A Little Princess

2009-11-23T14:56:00.002+13:00

A comparison between the book and movies “A Little Princess”

One of the biggest changes that both movies made was that her Father did not die. In both movies he went to war, was injured and could not remember anything. In the old movie he was in hospital and Sara finds him. In the new movie he was in the house next door. They put this in because they don’t want it to be too sad.

In the old movie Sara throws soot on Lavina and her chocolates. In the new movie she throws soot down the chimney onto Miss Minchin. The reason the book is called “A Little Princess” is because even if Sara wanted to do something ugly to someone, she would think “a princess would not do that” and so she would have self control. The reason they put Sara throwing soot on them is because it is funny and most people would like to do that to the people that have been ugly to them. The movies do not show who Sara really is.

In the book Sara tells lots of stories. In the old movie they did not show Sara telling stories. In the new movie they start the movie with her telling a story and they show how the girls would crowd around her to listen. They also show how good Sara is at being a mother to Lotty.

In the book Sara goes next door to take the monkey back and asks the servant if she must give it to the master and she asks it in an Indian way and so they ask her how she knows that language. She tells them she was born in India and they asked her more questions and then found out that she was the girl they had been looking for. In both movies they have Sara running away from the police and Miss Minchin locks the door to her room. So Sara climbs out the window and goes over the roof into the neighbour’s house. They change it because it makes you excited and nervous.

In the old movie they don’t have a monkey living next door – they have a parrot. The parrot does not come and visit Sara but the monkey in the new movie does (although only once, when in the book he comes twice).

In the old movie they have Miss Rose and not Miss Minchin’s sister. Sara organises a tea party for Miss Rose and the man who teachers Sara horse riding. They are in love and he is about to go to the war. Miss Minchin comes in and destroys the tea party. They show how sad and lonely Miss Minchin is compared to the love and happiness that Miss Rose has. In the new movie Miss Minchin’s sister, Miss Amelia is in love with the man that brings the milk and at the end she runs away with him. They put these love stories into the movies because people like watching it.

I enjoyed the old movie because Miss Rose is so nice, I prefer the Sara in the new movie but the book is still the best.

The Seine River

2009-11-23T13:15:00.003+13:00

I think it would be so nice to go on a riverboat and see all the famous buildings.

Chateaux

2009-11-18T15:12:00.003+13:00

There are many old castles and palaces in France.

The Louvre was once a royal palace. It is now a famous art gallery where the Mona Lisa is kept.

People who visit French cities or seaside towns usually stay in hotels or apartments.

In the countryside, your bed could be in a cottage or a castle.

Above all things

2009-11-16T19:15:00.000+13:00

What I learned from the sermon “Above all things” by Alistair Begg

The only way we can know God is if He lets us.
God gave us a conscience.
Maybe your Mother is wondering why your bother is hiding behind the Christmas tree. It is because he ate tree chocolate ornaments and stamped on the forth one and his mother told him not to. So why is he hiding? Is it because his Dad said that if he did something naughty to hide behind the Christmas tree? No! It is his conscience.
We were made to praise God.

French coast

2009-11-13T16:12:00.001+13:00

Beautiful Mediterranean beaches.
Stunning Etretat on the Northern coast.

French food

2009-11-11T19:09:00.001+13:00

Croissants
Baguettes

Markets, cheese and crepes.

Map

2009-11-04T13:45:00.006+13:00

Top left: the tiny area of Champagne.
Bottom left: Agricultural Regions.
Centre: Main towns and surrounding countries.
Right: Different regions.

Snowy Alps

2009-10-29T18:44:00.001+13:00

Energy

2009-10-28T18:41:00.002+13:00

In 1950 almost 90% of the energy produced was from coal. By 1990 coal is down to less than 5% while nuclear power is at almost 70%.

Oranges and Lemons

2009-10-27T15:25:00.001+13:00

Annual festival of oranges and lemons.

Technology

2009-10-21T12:50:00.002+13:00

The world's biggest solar furnace.

Vikings

2009-10-20T14:43:00.002+13:00

Did you know Normandy in France was named after the Vikings (or Northmen).

Mont-Saint-Michel

2009-10-19T14:35:00.002+13:00

If you visit make sure you know when the tide is changing so you don't get stuck there.

TGV

2009-10-16T14:07:00.003+13:00

I love these mini books - you pull the tag that is sticking out on the right and then.....
you see this.
France has some of the fastest trains in the world. TGV trains speed along at up to 300km per hour.

Fashion

2009-10-15T14:05:00.001+13:00

Cockerel

2009-10-14T07:11:00.001+13:00

At a rugby match this year a French supporter brought a cockerel to the match and it escaped onto the field.

Guess the connection

2009-10-13T06:46:00.002+13:00

Can you guess the connection between "kitty" and "piglet"?
Boules.
In bowls the jack is sometimes called a "kitty" and in petanque it is sometimes called a "piglet".

The Franks

2009-10-09T19:49:00.001+13:00

Where France got it's name.

Tignes Dam

2009-10-08T10:25:00.003+13:00

Imagine painting a Dam wall.

Julius Caesar

2009-10-07T07:01:00.003+13:00

Yes, this is a part of our study on France - when it was called Gaul.

We went to the library this morning and Mum found 2 Asterix books for me. I enjoyed it so much I have already finished the first one (in just one day).

Notre Dame

2009-10-06T06:50:00.001+13:00

It was fun to watch "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and notice lots of things I have learnt about France.

Wild horses

2009-10-05T09:01:00.002+13:00

I think it would be so nice to get to see wild horses.

Region Ultimate Challenge

2009-10-02T16:44:00.000+13:00

My day at Region Ultimate Challenge.
Saturday 19th September
Today when I woke up I was so excited. When we got there I had to find my group. There were so many people. We made butter, had our faces painted, made slime, played with a parachute and had a potato sack race, climbed through a spider web and after lunch all the Brownies had to go in a tent and try not to go past the pole in the middle. On the way home Mum asked what I liked best. I said I LOVED it all. It was an absolutely lovely day I will never forget.

Tour de France

2009-10-02T08:58:00.002+13:00

Each year they have a different route. The race covers 4,000km and lasts 3 weeks. I love the advert with the yellow shirt pulled into the shape of France. The leader of each day wears a yellow shirt.

Wine

2009-09-30T13:25:00.003+13:00

I really like this mini book. Mum learnt how to make it off the Internet and you use a piece of a shopping packet to make it work.

So once you pull the cork up.....

flaps come out the top and bottom.

Grandpa and Nana got to have REAL champagne when they went to France many years ago.

Privateers

2009-09-28T13:20:00.004+13:00

The English actually started Privateering but eventually the French were doing it too.

Before we started this France study I had read about Adoniram Judson and how he was captured by French Privateers on his way to England. He became a famous missionary to the Burmese. He translated the Bible into Burmese and his Burmese-English dictionary is still used today.

Avignon Bridge

2009-09-25T13:17:00.003+12:00

I enjoyed watching a few videos on people dancing on the bridge and singing "Sur le pont d-Avignon".

I like this bottom photo because it shows people on the bridge.