A home educating day

I am smug. The 'Where is Persia?' project is going well. Everyone has now analysed all the map books, found Iran, Tehran, found the mountain ranges and the coastline. We've located the Arabian Gulf or the Persian Gulf, depending on your point of view. Tiger has sat with Dig and flown over most of Iran on Google Earth.

We've also discussed Persia's history and raised ideas about why empires expand and collapse. Shark wants to know which is the most powerful nation on earth. 'For about another week, the USA' says Dig. 'Then India and China'. So we can tick politics too.

Art, we've done art. Lots of it. We've done miniature paintings and fallen in love with Shrinkles paper which shrinks to minute size if you put it in the oven. We've made lanterns from tin cans with holes battered in them. The kids stuck jewels and glitter glue everywhere and the cans are now hanging from the kitchen ceiling, waiting for tea lights.

Wall hangings are next, inspired by William Morris designs, so sewing is on the agenda, and then cooking. I shall plead with the the Hat to come and teach us about Persian New Year and tell us some words in Farsi; we can all dress up Sheherazade style.

Throughout the day and the last week we've ticked lots of boxes in fact. Iranian chanting music. The flag. Islam. Women in Iran. Wolves in the mountains. Fishing. Sanctions. Islamic law. Steel-making.

So it's all going well. Something must be brewing. Nothing's usually this straightforward.