We met up with a family who we had made friends with on Tuesday and proceeded to the picnic together. The picnic was in an unfamiliar location so sharing the journey with another mother and her children was very reassuring. The children loved the journey. Theo sat with the nine year old girl and Tristan sat with his new three year old pal and shared his newly made 'spy eyes' with him. They had lots of fun.
The picnic started around 11am and around twelve families attended. Most families have more than one child which meant that there were lots of children there. The parents spread picnic blankets under a big old tree whilst the children ran around the play area squealing with excitement.
Tristan had a fantastic time with all the little children. For a time they chased the older kids around which they thought was great fun. He played on the climbing frame with lots of other little boys at one point shouting at me for approaching him because it was 'boys only'. He enjoyed sitting with the other children to eat his food mainly because he was able to sample different things. I am very excited at the prospect of broadening our culinary repertoire as we meet more and more new people.
Theo was enthused in a way that I have never witnessed before and it was truly amazing. He met another ten year old girl with a shared interested in film making. Theo has often talked about writing scripts and making films. Recently he wanted to write to Charlie Higson to ask if he could convert one of the Young Bond books into a script. The girl told him all about her plan to make a film using a story that she has written. He spent the afternoon locked in talks with her and a couple of other similar aged children as they worked out what each persons role would be in the movie making process. By the time we left at 3pm Theo had swapped email addresses with the children in order to make further plans for the film. He is the chief camera man and has arranged to use our old Super 8 camera. The ten year old is an extremely driven young lady and I have no doubt that this film will get made.
When we arrived home he emailed her straight away as he had another idea about the story. She returned his email a little later which has enthused him even more. We are absolutely thrilled that he has met someone with such an enthusiasm for their shared interest.
The picnic was a huge success for all three of us. I really enjoyed meeting other parents and chatting about our home education journeys. It is empowering to be supported by like minded people. I am looking forward to meeting up with them at various events over the next few months. Tristan has made some lovely new friends who he desperately wants to see again soon. Theo is excited in a wonderful new way. In the school environment he was used to being told what to do and what limits there were but he is now being exposed to children who work independently and see no limits to what they can achieve. His outlook is starting change and this is an incredibly positive thing.
We travelled home with a few other families which was a lovely experience because all the children sat chatting and giggling together. It was a fun end to a fun day.
Back at home Theo wrote his email, washed his hands and face and then left to have dinner at his friends house. Tristan stayed with me and had his favourite dinner. He was incredibly tired after his day but insisted on having his face painted. I obliged and then took him to the local park to play with his friends. Theo met us in the park with his friend. The boys father told me how well behaved and polite Theo had been which pleased me.
By 7.30pm they were both shattered and so we returned home. They had warm milk and snuggled down for a lovely sleep.
It was a fabulous day. There are so many activities available to participate in that I actually have to be quite selective or else we would never be at home. We are attending another big event next week which has been organised by yours truly and promises to be both educational and great fun. We can't wait!
Prudence Clarke
05.09.2013
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