Friday 12 June 2009

I wish I had conversations like this everyday

I take a day off today from persecuting my own home educated gritlets and I try it with someone else's child on a school visit instead. I meet Marcie. Age 6, in Bewilderwood, Norfolk.

Bewilderwood* is a giant playground in a wood, supposedly inhabited by small and wild green goblin creatures like crocklebogs with spikes coming out their heads, pointed ears and frog faced grins.

While Squirrel, Tiger and Shark swing about in trees, I collapse my ancient arse and lungs on a piece of wood shaped like a snake, and up comes Marcie. She stands in front of me, puts her hands on her hips and looks at me defiantly, through suspicious narrowed eyes, like I am someone about whom she might yet scream POLICE! if it suits her. And we have the following conversation.

M: Who are you?
G: I'm a boggle, in disguise.
M: Really?
G: Yes.
M: You don't look like a boggle.
G: That's because I'm in disguise.
M: Why are you in disguise?
G: Boggles like me put on human disguise so we can come here and sit on this bench.
M: You are not a boggle.
G: Yes I am.
M: Not.
G: Am.
M: Not.
G: Am.
M: Not.
G: Am.
M: Well you don't look like a boggle to me. Except for the hair.


* Go, but don't go in the school holidays when it will be standing room only.

6 comments:

Michelle said...

You. You. You..Grr.

C has been wanting to go back there but with a friend one day. Wish we communicated better!

Jax Blunt said...

think there's been some talk on our local list of a home ed visit in september. Assuming we're talking about the same place, which entirely possibly is not so.

Michelle said...

@jax via Grit's blog. Largely just to annoy ;-). It would be the same place. Can you keep me in mind? Ta lots.

Anonymous said...

Hi, been given your blog address by a couple of my readers as I have today posted about Home-schooling. Briefly, my daughter is autistic and attends mainstream education. Even though I have absolutely nothing against home schooling it wouldn't be right for Amy (daughter). But I was talking to a lady yesterday (hence my post) about her being interested in home-schooling her autistic son as she can't find a school anywhere to take him, or at least one that she can trust. She's talking about going private which will prove very difficult for a child with autism due to lack of support facilities. But I was just interested to know myself how people get on with home-schooling and obviously, reading your blog (which I think is fabulous btw) some children really benefit from it. Incidentally, Amy is 9 and starts middle school in Sept till she's 13 when home-schooling may have to be an option for her so obviously I'm trying to get loads of info while it's still early days.

Sorry, I've gone on a bit! Have clicked to follow you and have added you to my blog roll.

Best wishes, CJ xx

Grit said...

hi michelle and jax! it was an emergency decision, honest! but please email me when you are all meeting there and we will try and get over to say hello! but not so the kids can socialise, obviously. we can blindfold the kids too, so they don't see each other.

come to think of it, that might be fun. we could call it orienteering.

hi cj, you are welcome to come here. home ed is a fantastic family adventure, especially if you have steel implanted in your forehead.

kelly said...

Looks like a great place to go. I have regular bad hair days (I know because my friends wince when they see me.)

How was the caravan?