Roll on the new term!

Homeschoolers don't have to follow state school terms, but Charlotte made it clear she was doing no school work while her friends weren't.  I can't say I blame her.  Anyway, she's been to Scarborough for a week with hubby, while I stayed at home to look after the dogs.  We're going to have to pack in a lot of serious work in the first couple of weeks in September as Charlotte and I are taking samples of her work to the Education Department at Durham in mid-September for them to look at.  I received a letter from them approving our proposals for Charlotte's education, so I was happy about that.  By law, we're not complied to show Charlotte's work to the local education authority, but I see no reason not to co-operate with them - the more support the better as far as I'm concerned, and it will keep me on my toes and prevent me from becoming lackadaisical about her education.  Lackadaisical - now there's a word!  I had to google it to see that I spelled it properly. :O)

Meanwhile, I finished reading 'The Intruders' by E. E. Richardson.  I'm looking forward to going over it with Charlotte as I feel sure she will enjoy it.  I liked it so much that I went on to read two more of E. E. Richardson's books, 'The Devil's Footsteps' and 'Soul Trade'.  Brilliantly scary stories - real page turners!

While Charlotte's been on 'summer holidays', I've spent some time thinking about picking up my degree again with The Open Univesity, so I've registered on a third level Children's Literature course that starts at the beginning of October.  I know I'll be taking on a lot, what with organising Charlotte's lessons as well as my own study, but I find I work better under pressure and seem to get more done that way.  The set books are an interesting mix - from 'Junk' by Melvin Burgess which is about squatting, drinking and drug taking amongst teenagers to Beatrix Potter's 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit'! 

I've just finished 'Junk'.  I could hardly put it down and read it in two days!  It's the story of Gemma and Tar, who run away from home at the age of 14.  They get in with a crowd of squatters and it isn't long before they start taking 'soft' drugs, leading to all the rest of it.  Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of a different character.  I found that really fascinating to get an insight of things from the different people involved.  When they first get into the drug and party scene, they make it sound so good and I thought to myself, "Uh-oh, there's no way I'm letting Charlotte read this", as it is a book written for young people, teenagers, young adults, or whatever is the politically correct term, but as the characters tell their story the reality becomes more clear..... well, you'll have to read it for yourself!  I've given it to Charlotte to read because I think she'll enjoy it and it will give her much to think about.  It's given me a lot of insight into the relationship between parents and their children.

I've got lots of lesson plans and projects lined up for the beginning of September, for Charlotte and I to work on.  One highlight for the new term is that we don't need to splash out on a new school uniform!  

Looking forward to reading this AGAIN! :)