An excellent Monday

The first thing that makes today doubly excellent is that Monday is the day when a collection of home educators meet at a local pub. So while Squirrel, Shark and Tiger muck about with other home ed kids in the play area at the pub garden, I can have an excellent time, legitimately drinking beer in the afternoon while pretending it is a sacrifice I have to make to ensure effective socialisation of my children.

The second excellent thing that happens today is that the kids start scrumping apples from the very fine apple tree that is in the pub garden. Their collection techniques, led by a few of the mothers, are admirable. They include throwing apples at the apples, grabbing low hanging branches and swinging about on them, and sending Lizzy, who is very thin and long, to shin up the tree and climb as far along a branch as she can go without falling out.

And of course there is some proper education going on, which is also excellent. For example, some of the home ed kids have to learn not to stand under the apple tree while Lizzie is up it, giving it a jolly good shaking.

And finally, the most excellent thing of all is that after the beer I get to nick the apples the home ed kids have been spending over an hour cooperatively collecting, thanks to Grit having a spare bag and a greedy eye for free food.

So on Monday all points are ticked. If I am ever grassed up to the local authority, I can reassure them that my children have an effective social life on Mondays at the pub, they engage in appropriate learning experiences suitable for their age and ability, and it is all achieved making maximum use of local resources. And the chutney is excellent.