Sprinkles

After a morning of soccer, we stopped off to grab another geocache: Sprinkles in Campbelltown.

The grass in the park was soft and thick and lovely to lie in!

(Boronia is trying to balance a rock on her head so she can have a fancy hat like Waratah :D)

The Camden Line - Currans Hill Platform

Picked up a quick geocache between soccer games :) No pics, unfortunately. Forgot the camera! Here's one someone else took:

Interesting to talk with the boys about the old train line that used to run through here. No sign of it now!

"The branch line from Campbelltown to Camden was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 28 April 1880 an construction commenced in June 1881.

The line following the contour of the land, running beside the road to Narellan, and climbing Kenny's Hill on the steepest grade in New South Wales (1 in 19), This would sometimes have the passengers disembarking from the train and walk alongside it, leaving their bags on board. 

The line, called the Camden Tramway, was opened by the Minister for Works, Hon. John Lackey, on Friday 10 March, 1882.

Currans Hill was opened in 1882 and like other stations consisted of a short wooden platform. An additional platform was added in 1904 and it was closed in 1963 when the Camden Line was decomissioned due to falling passenger numbers."

Yet another hero!

While Mulga was playing his soccer match, Daddy and Waratah went for a walk and rescued a baby Indian Minor bird. Here are Waratah and some of the other siblings from Mulga's team discussing the bird, and the player of the match award which Waratah had earned during his earlier match.

S1 Science: ESS1.6 Identifies and describes ways in which people and other living things depend upon the earth and its environments.

S1 Science: INVS1.7 Conducts guided investigations by observing, questioning, predicting, collecting and recording data, and suggesting possible explanations.

S1 PDHPE: COS1.1 Communicates appropriately in a variety of ways.

S1 PDHPE: INS1.3 Develops positive relationships with peers and other people.

S1 PDHPE: MOS1.4 Demonstrates maturing performance of basic movement and compositional skills in a variety of predictable situations.

S1 PDHPE: ALS1.6 Participates in physical activity, recognising that it can be both enjoyable and important for health.

S1 PDHPE: GSS1.8 Performs fundamental movement skills with equipment in minor games.

S1 PDHPE: IRS1.11 Identifies the ways in which they communicate, cooperate and care for others.

Mulga turns 5

Happy fifth birthday to our darling Mulga!  First came the very serious business of present opening!

Lots of reading - he received a big pile of books about superheroes.

Then off to soccer for a match game.

Boronia watching her big brother play (we dropped Yeti and Waratah off for a game at a different field).

Then home for party and cake :)

Birdwood Gully geocache

From our log: Success on our second attempt - the first time we searched every step - up, down and around LOL... not easy when wearing a sleeping 13 month old! Still, it was only our first day of geocaching, and we were tired after a long day... we came home, re-read all the comments, and figured we knew where it was. We had searched the right place but not at the right level! We came back for our second attempt and started by admiring the bower bird nest - we had made a special blue bird to leave in the cache when we found it, and we wanted to photograph it in the bower. Just as we finished, we looked up from the bower to not-ground zero, and there it was, a little corner peeking out at us! Mr Bower Bird came by and watched curiously as we put our blue bird and a blue car in the cache. We took a golden pirate coin and the Pico Compass Rose Geocoin... Waratah was extremely disappointed that he couldn't keep such a beautiful item. He thought he had found "real treasure" and is now saving up to buy one of his own.

Step up... and up and up and up: Waratah and the cache on the steps - where we searched and didn't find it on our first attempt. This cache is for the birds!!! :D

The little crocheted bird we made just to leave in this cache, posing in the bower... we may have to bring another one up to leave for Mr Bowerbird who was watching our proceedings with great interest!

 

Our first geocoin find. Waratah REALLY wanted to keep it!

Soccer

Winter is soccer season for us. Here I model perfect soccer mum attire LOL

Boronia is snug and keeping out of the wind on the sidelines.

Mulga with his adored coach.

Waratah, "eagle-screeching" at the opposition as he prepares to attack the ball. 

The boys' enthusiasm for lego has waned somewhat lately, which has allowed Boronia to step in and explore - literally. Her favourite position is inside the lego box.

I made one final effort to interest the boys in the 2D lego challenge - here I have made a picture of Gollum to illustrate The Hobbit, which we are currently reading. He is lying on his rock in the lake, with his precious and a fish to eat.

Bushwalking - Penrith Weir River Reserve

Our bushwalk this week was a nice easy stroll along the path beside the Nepean at Penrith. The boys enjoyed it because they were able to ride their scooters.

We saw some ducks, cormorants and some very bright and cheeky male Blue Fairy Wrens.

After our walk we went on to soccer training for some fundamental skills practice 

and a beautiful sunset.

Bushwalking - Bennett's Ridge, Euroka

Bushwalk with Blue Mountains homeschoolers to Bennett's Ridge, Euroka, 

followed by a picnic and play with the cheeky kookaburras...

then back in time for soccer training.

Getting outside again.

Everyone has been sick with the flu, so we celebrated our recovery and a sunny day by:

practising some soccer skills with Daddy, and

Boronia's first "home picnic".

Waratah turns 7

Happy Birthday!

Waratah made and decorated the cake almost entirely by himself and he also made dinosaur brownies for the family and chocolate cupcakes for his soccer team.

Waratah playing soccer on his birthday.

(Photos to be added when I find them!)

Weekend Activities

☑ Quiet weekend at home, as Waratah and I were fighting colds. Unfortunately, this meant Waratah had to miss his end of year soccer trophy presentation.

Weekend activities

Saturday
☑ Soccer gala day.

Mulga watches as Waratah helps score a goal!

Waratah gets his participation medal.

Sunday
☑ Picnic at the beach with Grandma and Uncle Peter.

Waratah and the sea eagle.

Mulga collecting shells with Grandma.

Science: INVES1.7 Investigates their surroundings by observing, questioning, exploring and reporting

PDHPE: ALES1.6 Develops a repertoire of physical activities in which they can participate.

PDHPE: GSES1.8 Demonstrates fundamental movement skills while playing with and sharing equipment.

Science: INVES1.7 Investigates their surroundings by observing, questioning, exploring and reporting

PDHPE: ALES1.6 Develops a repertoire of physical activities in which they can participate.

PDHPE: GSES1.8 Demonstrates fundamental movement skills while playing with and sharing equipment.