Book Bingo

This year - Jenny and I decided we are going to try out a Book Bingo - to keep us reading and keep us accountable.  😊   I must admit - I have been reading more than usual so it's a good thing.  Jenny designed the Book Bingo and we work through month by month. 

January was a Children's Chapter Book - I chose Bridge to Terabithia.  I was actually doing it for school as it is a class set and the teacher was looking for ideas to work with the class!  This one is part of the Classic genre.  To be honest, I don't know how the class went, considering their lack of reading skills and interest - but I enjoyed it. I also read the latest book by Nicholas Sparks, The Wish. 

February was a Genre not normally Read - my choice was a Thriller Expose - 'What Really happened in Wuhan?'  I can't say that I would recommend it - no real answers by the end and actually pretty boring. 

Currently I am reading 'Secrets at Sugar Maple Farm' which comes under the Bingo section of Book with a Blue Cover.   😊  Well, it's a blue cover with trees and so on - so I am assuming it passes the criteria.  Almost done - just have a couple of chapters left and almost to the end of the month.    Very laid back romance, so I don't have to think too much about it. 

The staff at the Public Library commented that this was the most they had seen me in there for a while!  😉

Girl Guides & Leadership

Well, this week at Guides has been activities for Leadership as their Patrol leader Elections are happening next week.  

Last night we ran some communication and team games with the girls and it was fascinating watching how they worked (or not) together.  It was also interesting watching who stepped forward in demonstrating leadership qualities.  

One of the activities was 'Coloured Dots' - where you place a coloured dot on the girls forehead and with NO speaking allowed, ask them to get into their relevant groups.  We then watched one little cherub step forward, move everyone into the correct group and put herself in one.  When we asked why she put herself there - she said 'I just chose a random group, and no one stepped up to move me, so I must have been right'  She was!  Patrol Leader material right there - and she is about knee high to a grasshopper!  

Another activity was 'Pots for Peace' .. I had about 40 plastic cups to represent flowerpots and we put the girls into small groups.  I handed them slips of paper with secret instructions for THEIR group, told them NO speaking, and they each had to use ALL the pots and sat back to watch the fun.  Some of the instructions were: Put all pots in a straight line/Put all the pots outside/Turn all the pots upside down/Someone in your group has to hold a pot in each hand at all times.

When you can't talk, and you don't know what others are doing but they keep taking your pots .. it was interesting!  We gave them 5 minutes to fight it out (silently) then told them they could now talk.  It only took a minute before they were setting them up in a straight line outside, upside down with someone at one end holding a pot in each hand.  Simples!  They agree that talking is a good thing to have and possibly appreciate the concepts of communication and negotiation a little better.    

We are planning to run the same program with the older girls tonight - with maybe a little tweaking as we have less girls there.  I'll be honest and say that I'm doubtful that it will work as well.  But .. you never know.  

Update yet again

 Well, another update.  It is certainly a year or so from Hell, it appears! Everything that can go wrong, has been - for many of us.  And I was complaining about 2020!! Who let Murphy out of his box?? 

I ended up medivacced out to Alice Springs Hospital 2021 and had 9 weeks off work!  Wayne then injured his toe after falling down the back steps, and being a diabetic, everything escalated pretty quickly.  At one point we were sharing a hospital ward together in Alice Springs!  

I'm back at work - and he has now reached the point where he is doing almost full days, so that is an improvement.  

We have had a major amount of break ins attempted and otherwise, at home over the last few months - most while we are at home!  The latest one was last week but luckily the security cameras gave Wayne an alert and he and the grandson went racing home.  They almost had them, but apparently they can do a bloody good  impersonation of kangaroos, and went over the back fence.  In the security footage, it looks like High School kids!

The house is now covered in security screens and has screens on the doors - very much NOT what I'm used to, and it is very heartbreaking in many ways. This is SO not the town I knew and loved. 

Anyway, onto the much more important stuff - we have managed a couple of weekends of crafting, although not at the Library.  And a couple of coffee or breakfast get togethers - so that has been a few lovely highlights. We are all busy and time does not always work in our favour.  

Photos of group shirts/cards etc. need to uploaded - I need to remember this at home, not while I'm at work ... that way I can put up all the images of all our hard work.   

Anyway - I'd better make it look like I'm working - so next time I'll run through some of the books and activities that I have been sharing with the Special Ed class here.  We've been having FUN!  Last week was an Olympic Theme and we made Paper Bag Snowflakes.  Next week we are going to design our own Star Constellation .. and lots more to come.