Sledging, baking and painting

Harry went to a sledging birthday party yesterday at Whickham Thorns outdoor centre. He had a great time. The sledging slope was dry ski slope fabric and they all got some good exercise running back up the hill afterwards! We were lucky that it was dry and bright or the parents may have had to take shelter inside! 

We baked a lovely chocolate cake this afternoon, using this new recipe from BBC Good Food. Harry did all the weighing.

Peter mixed and broke the eggs. The cake was really nice with a fudgy texture and we all had some for pudding after tea.

Stuart had gone to help the leader from Harry's Beavers group unload several hundred books for a book sale so we spent the rest of the afternoon painting. The boys made fingerprint flower pictures as a birthday present for their Nanna.

They also spent over an hour creating their own art.

Peter made some very colourful creations, including one with strips of tissue stuck on and painted, which gives a nice effect.

Harry used sticky gems to display in his painted museum jewel section and also painted some stripy rows of ties in a tie shop.

He painted some trees and covered them with tissue to create a foggy day effect. This looks quite good in real life.

They always enjoy painting and both got quite messy, so they had a quick bath before tea. I like doing a bath before tea as it means we can spend more time reading before bed. Harry read two stage 6 Oxford Reading Tree books tonight. He finds them quite easy now and I will be getting some more difficult ones for him. 

I have been busy tonight thinking of some World Book Day ideas. I am going to create a crossword for Harry based on books we have read recently and a verbal quiz for Peter, with prizes. We have also started reading Five Children and It, which is the book we are going to discuss at our Tuesday group in World Book Day week.

I have also started planning upcoming work we need to do at our allotment and made a list of items to be ordered. Stuart and Peter went there yesterday while Harry and I went to the birthday party and they cleared lots of rubbish to the tip. We will be getting started with our planting in March and I have planned which crops will go in which beds tonight. We are looking forward to getting started again with the hard but rewarding work!