Useful school links

I've been a little quiet in the school front, am having an internal conflict with our choice and if it is really working for us {or more importantly for the children}. 2012 is the year of seeing what happens, I have made a commitment to see out the rest of this year with SIDE and see if things improve, then make a decision for 2013.

Regardless of that I would share some links that I have found useful and that have given some much needed additional information, especially for Kyla.

www.overthebigmoon.com

This site has some great pre made Kits that have writing practice, cutting activity,recognition activities, puzzles, counting, sizes and other various things.

www.KrazyDad.com

Has some great mazes

www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com

Has a great range of printables including, site words focused items, writing practice sheets {alphabet and numbers}

www.education.com/worksheets

Alphabet colour by letters pages, site words bingo {which my two love}

www.mrprintables.com

Alphabet coloring pages, alphabet tracing pages 

www.TheCraftyClassroom.com

A great activity call My Buggy Board which works on different maths sums

www.momto2boys24.blogspot.com

Alphabet tracing pages, shape recognition

I discovered most of these originally by looking at Pintrest. It is a great site for ideas, not just school related by anything really {although I've not looked at it since we started traveling as I have just not had the time}. Before we left Perth I laminated a heap of the ones I found so that they could be reused and also so that they last longer.

Take a look there is always something new being added.

A few nights away

Sounds weird really given we are permanently away but after packing up and moving from Koordarie on Thursday morning, we dropped the trailer at Yanrey and headed to Winning for the night. We'd had a call from Aggie asking if J might be able to help out with some work before we headed south again.

We arrived around 4pm to see Aggie and her new puppy dog. Yes she has yet another puppy, this time a rat dog {or rather Jack Russel} which the children instantly followed around. It was a tiny dog that wore a cat bell so you knew where it was! The kids went in search of the lamb they had feed the last time we visited, Justin discussed bathrooms and I took over the kitchen. We had a lovely afternoon with everyone, it was like we had never left {except this time we got to stay in Nana's house}.

Friday saw us leave mid morning and head to Dooawarrah Station for J to look at some windows, what a lovely old homestead with lots of history, including damage from the floods a few years ago. We left just after lunchtime and headed to Carnarvon to get some running around done, things needed for different jobs and putting quotes in for supplies for others. Last stop before checking into our hotel was the toy store for the smalls to spend some of their well saved pocket money.

We had a quiet dinner in and J headed off early Saturday morning, back to Dooawarrah to do the few jobs they had for him. The smalls and I spent a quiet morning in the hotel before heading to the park for the morning, they had a wonderful play and I had a chat with Nana till my phone went flat. Justin got home early afternoon and we had our next fun job of grocery shopping, such an exciting trip to town....

Sunday we packed up and headed off, back to Winning to deliver some bolts and also to raid Aggie's veggie garden {which was full of amazing tomatoes} and then onto Yanrey.

It was nice to have a break,a to have a shower in our room but it was so much nice to be 'home'.

Koordarrie Station {Work}

{Picture Heavy}

We leave one station to travel to another, with a quick stop at a different one on our way.

After a quick stop at Wyloo to checkout what they would like Justin to do for them we made it to Koordarrie.  A few hours later than originally planned but at least we made it. A large amount of red dust, lots of grid crossings and a flick up the driveway brought us to the new homestead gate. Looking around it is hard to believe that they have only been here for two years, they really have done lots in that short space of time.

The original plan was for Justin to measure and order the steel needed for the outdoor area, then we would leave and come back when it arrived. Only we set up, everyone hit it off at we decided to stay and potter around until the steel arrived.

The first Saturday here Rory and Kristie took us over to Yanry for a few drinks one afternoon. Yanery is 100 years old and it really has a story of its own to tell just by looking at the grounds, building and everything that surrounds it.

Justin spent the first week ordering the steel, building pump sheds, putting a roof on some lean toos and filling holes in the cook pen. A week later Friday saw us celebrating Justin's 31st birthday and a trip into Onslow.

We headed into town to fill our now empty gas bottles and also to have a celebratory lunch. Onslow is most certainly a very small town, but it does have a big history. We stay till just after lunch with a trip to the river mouth, a drive around, kids had a play in the play ground, we checked out their awesome community garden and also had a look at the rather large pile of salt from the salt mine.

Another week of jobs for Justin while waiting for the steel to arrive. Another pump roof, mill runs, a great trip to old Koordarrie homestead for a look around. It was abandoned 30 odd years ago and while people have helped themselves there is still plenty of history to have a look at. Shearing sheds, quarters, houses a few old vechiles and fridges everywhere. We collected some old mini orb and also roof sheets which Justin used to totally change the look of the kitchen and internal walls of the homestead.

Sunday saw us all take a picnic lunch down to the Ashburton River where it goes through Yanry. The kids had a great time paddling in the cool water under the lovely river gums and the adults enjoyed sitting back, relaxing and watching them all have fun. It really was a beautiful spot and you can only guess what it looks like in full flow, given how far down you actually walk down the river bank to actually get to the water that is currently sitting.

Rory and Justin managed to get into Onslow on The Wednesday to get the steel and when they returned they hit the ground running. Three days later, some help from Blair and his Dad Gary and it was up and with a roof just in time to sit back and watch some football on Daturday night. Sunday saw what was supposed to be a slow day turn into finishing off the welding and cementing before a trip to Yanry for Justin to look at some work that Cob needs done {work keeps coming and we are fast running out of time given it is now the 16th of September and I really want to head to Karajini before we leave the area, we are so close}.

Justin spent our last week finishing off the inside of the house to tidy it up a little, finishing a tank stand and striping the rest of the shed at old Koordarrie so yet again a month has flow by and it was time to say 'See you later' to a wonderful family and our new friends. Rory and Krisite are lovely people and I know that my two will miss playing with Darcie, Joey and Mia. Not to mention I will miss my little mate Chev, whom follow me everywhere and took up residence under my chair.

Next stop......... Yanrey {well to drop the trailer before a weekend away}