News

Quite a few families from our home education group visited the Ulster Flying Club today. 

A visit we have repeated quite a few times and it’s easy to see why! 

The club holds some very intelligent and welcoming staff who went out of their way to give our two groups an extremely detailed tour, talk and history of their amazing machines. 

We managed to see someone building an aeroplane, witness helicopter and aeroplane lessons and get inside a Skyhawk. 

This halloween we enjoyed a slime workshop with w5’s educational team and a visit to their monster manor exhibit. Despite the half term crowds the workshop was well received. 

We followed this a few days later with a trip to Armagh Planetarium. 

Starting off the day by making and decorating rockets that the kids then successfully launched outside using water and air pressure.It was quite stunning how far the rockets flew, with some landing perfectly nose down into the grass. 

Some of our primary aged children got to kick off their brand new regular science club in w5 this week beginning with Potions for Wizards. 

Two very lovely witches and parents helped the children make their own wand, which was needed to make some very special science magic. 

Our first task was to carefully activate the magic wands with a steaming caldron of hydrochloric acid and a special spell. 

“On 12 October 2018 we visited the Traffic Information and Control Centre in Belfast.  

An Creagán is a very notable place for our community, being the perfect host to many home education meets.  

One of our members recently penned a description of just what they get up to there on their Facebook page, The Ash & The Keys; 

“A typical HomeSchool meet up...

Foraging crowberries, cranberries, blackberries and some left over blueberries for porridge made over the fire.

Toasted marshmallows, Soda bread making and collecting conkers for that fantastic game...... loads of fun had!” 

Some of our almost teens and teens have been reaping the benefits from the pairing of a regular STEM programme in w5 and a great organiser who we feel privileged to have in our home education group! 

The organiser lays out the how the STEM workshops operate below; 

“Building on links already established through HEDNI, we took the opportunity to explore more workshops specific to children aged 10 years and over. These included:

Generation Station – exploring energy (what it is and where it comes from); building wind turbines to race vehicles; and working together in teams.

“ Today we attended the RNLI event at Donaghadee Lifeboat station and were welcomed by our guide, a retired local GP who had been a crew member himself for many years as the doctor onboard.

He had prepared a very interesting presentation which included a little about the history of the charity and this station.  We learnt that the Donaghadee Lifeboat station was built in 1910 and is home to one of the most modern lifeboats from the Trent class which cost 1.3m to build and travels top speed of 25 knots, which is equivalent to 28m/hr. He also explained that all crew members have to undergo very intense training which currently takes place at the lifeboat college in Poole in Dorset.  

Following our presentation, he took us on a guided tour of the pier to see the lifeboat, currently in operation and then to see an older lifeboat no longer in operation which they hope may sometime get restored in the future. All in all, it was a lovely morning, the sun was shining and we all learnt a little more about the RNLI life charity and the people behind it.”

Our young people have been enjoying forest school sessions with their families. The organiser has very kindly gave us a preview of their regular sessions. 

“The Bushcraft forest school is a session out in the mountain fresh air that has many benefits for children of all ages. 

Once at the car park there is an unpaved path that leads to the forest with a small shallow river that runs along side it.

Some of our members recently started to get together for creative writing and story telling sessions. 

The organiser has has detailed their sessions together below! 

A very exciting opportunity for our young people to find new ways to express themselves. 

“We recently had another great Telling Stories – Creative ‘Writing’ and Storytelling session. Our theme was characterisation and also a little bit about the process of ‘show, don’t tell’ – which is part of the theme for our next session.

This week, eight home educating families went rockpooling with staff from the Seascope Marine Research Centre.

We were the only people on the beach, and had fun combing the rock pools for creatures.

Among the group’s finds were plenty of crabs and sea snails, some starfish and the odd ‘butter fish’.

 The weather held out, and we had a great time exploring, sharing and learning together until the tide returned.

We are looking forward to partnering with the Seascope Marine Research Centre again in future.

One of our young explorers remarked that “I loved to pick the wee crabs with my net!”