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OCTOBER 2024
04 October
11 October
18 October
25 October - Part 1
25 October - Part 2

Friday 4 October 2024
Richard writes

A short blog this week as I have other things intruding, indirectly or maybe directly, into my life.

I have been slightly heartened to see that the new education secretary has announced that GCSE students should continue to be given formula and equation sheets to help in their exams. This started during Covid and the previous government had intended 2024 to be the last year it was done. However Ms Phillipson has said it will continue for at least the next three years.

Sadly, in my view, she included in her letter to the Head of Ofqual the comment that the pandemic continues to have an impact on students. Forget that. Just say that in the old days you had to remember formula or carry a Maths text book with you. Now you can easily access them so no need to remember.

Knowing how to use them is still important. Molly will attest to the fact that being able to work out the area of a circle and why I need to do this was vital to work out the area of her circular yurt and how many children she could have in there. Yes, I did remember the formula; yes I could have googled it on my phone.

Hopefully, though, she also said (Ms Phillipson not Molly) that the government's curriculum and assessment review, reporting some time next year (please), would then advise on any potential long-term changes.

Several teaching unions have supported the change with Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders saying that her union had long argued that exams should not be a test of memory but the ability for students to applying knowledge and learning. I'm with you there, Pepe, in spades. Perchance education may locomote from those halcyon days when a servant conveying a vermilion pigmented ensign was de rigueur for perambulating afore my travelling vessel. Shall we move out of the past, mayhap.

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Friday 11 October 2024
Richard writes

As we say above, the purpose of this blog is to give you an insight into who we are, how we think and what we're doing. So, just for fun, this week I thought I'd give you a short, diary-like, run through my week to show you how abnormally normal I am. If you want an English lesson, that is an example of an oxymoron

Saturday - Did some washing, watched some Women's T20 world cup cricket, delivered a slice of my home-made bread pudding to a friend's dad (he'd been on his own for a few days), he loved it, cleaned and tidied. I will not include how often I shower or bath but rest assured one of them occurs daily.

Sunday - heard that a friend had finally given birth, cooked myself a roast dinner, washed-up, failed to cook an apple and blackberry crumble as I ran out of time, watched a bit more cricket, wrote three articles for something else I do

Monday - did the weekly shopping, went to Colchester for a routine hospital visit, my daughter came with me, then went to see her husband who had popped into A&E for a more serious check-up. Eventually got home at 11pm.

Tuesday - worked non-stop all day on chasing sponsors, interspersed with planning and writing the actual introductions to all the videos to be uploaded next year at the school of the air. Might possibly have watched Australia v New Zealand in the Women's T20 world cup. Check the about us page and you will see Ellyse Perry is one of my two favourite sports stars.

Wednesday - Had a long chat with a friend about education. Her children go to a Steiner School and it was interesting to hear more about these schools from someone who has children there. She kindly said that our attitude and approaching to learning was ahad of its time. Then back to sponsor chasing. In the afternoon, picked up a parcel for a friend and then went to see her and her new baby. So cute as was the baby.

Thursday - More sponsor chasing, we are getting there but if you'd like to help do please check this page, plus starting to research material for next year. Spoke to Molly and we decided that our Friday videos, the ones most related to what is happening in nature, should actually follow nature and start at the beginning of spring. Next year the vernal equinox, when day and night are the same length, will be on 20 March and we will upload our first video in that section on Friday 21st March. Discovered I was now a great, great uncle (who says school rolls are falling). Dinner with my daughter, her husband (happily suffering from nothing serious), two granddaughters and my ex-wife who lives with them, in a so-called grannex. Played the Name Train game after dinner and all you need know is I won. Easily.

Friday - did a bit of personal admin, started writing this, wrote another piece for something else I do, more research for next year, finished off the intros which I will possibly film over the weekend and I may upload them before the end of October so you can have a peak. Australia are playing again in the cricket so may accidentally sit down and watch that, finish this and tonight finally watch Only Connect from last Monday which I missed while at the hospital. Hopefully tonight will cook that apple and blackberry crumble although I have had to buy new blackberries. It will be the best ever. If you want an English lesson, that's a hyperbole. Also going to make a vanilla custard which I've never done before. If you want a life lesson, this may be an example of optimism.

See you next week with more revelations.

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Friday 18 October 2024
Molly writes

Leading on from some of the points made in the last blog written by Richard, I'd like to expand on who his friend was who had just given birth. It turns out that it was me. A rather roller-coaster year, both personally and professionally, I didn't want to mention anything sooner about my pregnancy as I was unsure if I'd make it to the end. I'm super happy to announce that I indeed did and I'm incredibly happy to announce the birth of my beautiful baby girl and new member of Owlbut's World of Learning, Lola. Born 10.15pm on the 5th October, her birth was far from the natural, quiet water birth I was hoping for in my local hospital at Clacton but rather involved a week's stay in Colchester Hospital about 15 miles away. She decided to turn up, with a helping hand, 16 days late and yet only weighing 6lbs 14oz. The length of my stay in the hospital was unplanned and unpredictable. It sure tested my patience and emotional strength.

Luckily, I have a good friend in Richard who tended to my Dad who was left at home worrying and anticipating the fate of his youngest daughter and soon to be granddaughter. Richard was incredibly kind enough to spare his last few slices of home-made bread pudding and I must say it made my Dad's day. Thank you yet again Richard. Now that my Dad has the taste for your delicious home cooking, he will not say no to any more offers and may even put in some requests.

I could go on to explain in detail what exactly happened during my birthing experience but you might be here a long while reading about it all. I've decided to save it for our next podcast

Moving on, I would like to mention this month's full moon. A fun fact about me is that not only do I love nature here on Earth but also I am a lover of what goes on in the skies.

October's full moon is commonly known as the hunter's moon which tends to rise around sunset for several days in a row, providing more light for hunters preparing for the winter. It always follows on from the harvest moon (when Lola was actually due to be born) but isn't always in October. Sometimes it can appear to look red or orange as it can rise close to the horizon and because of this some refer to it as the blood moon.

Some also refer to it as the blood moon with regard to the slaughter of animals needed for survival in the cold months to come. Death is in the air as we shift into the darker, colder part of the wheel of the year. This time of year is close to Samhain, commonly known as Halloween. Richard and I made a video two years ago all about this festival, including many fun facts that may interest you and your children.

This is the video.

There is beauty in all that nature brings, including the beauty of death. Let's steer away from the slaughter of animals and remember, for example, the death and fall of the many leaves. What a glorious array of colours we can see from golden yellow to fiery red. I have to say how much I love the turn of the leaves and there's lots of fun to be had in them falling. In previous years, working with children, we have found much fun in trying to catch the leaves as they fall or even piling them up to jump in and kick around. Richard too, it turns out, had the same idea with his children when they were small.

So let's not ignore the lessons and beauty from death as it's an important part of nature's wonderful cycle. Without it there cannot be life again in spring. When we can welcome that fact rather than avoid it, we can embrace life all the more fully.

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Friday 25 October 2024 - Blog 1
Richard writes

Who says Molly doesn't influence me? Leading on from some of the points made in the last blog written by Molly, I'd like to expand on some points in that. Firstly it has given birth to two blogs this week. Secondly, on Molly and Lola's behalf, I'd like to thank you for all the kind comments you made and thirdly there will be a new podcast, video-type, on Monday.

There were some of you who asked whether Lola would make any difference to what we are trying to do. The obvious answer is yes; a new little life always makes a difference. It is, though, our intention and belief that we will still be able to continue with our School of the Air project exactly as planned.

Reading those questions made me think a bit about what happens to people when they become a parent. How does it affect their lives? Just as we repeatedly say on this site, every child (and by extension everyone) is different, so any comment I make is a broad generalisation but if you will accept that, here goes.

Our lives, before adding a new one, are all contained in a bubble. How large we make that bubble is our choice. We can be insular and have our own small bubble with just a few family and friends or we can be extrovert and encompass a very wide area. All a matter of choice once we become old enough to make that choice.

That new life, though, also has its own bubble and even though not actually knowing what life choice to make, they can certainly make that choice in other ways; when to sleep, when to feed, when to cry, when to be satisfied with a cuddle.

As a parent we have, very, very broadly, three choices in relation to these two bubbles. We can climb out of ours and into theirs. We can stay in ours and leave them in theirs or we can open our bubble, let them in until they develop and then they can recreate their own bubble. In other words we can devote our lives to our children, be as little part of their lives as we can get away with and let them develop on their own or re-adjust our lives to include our children.

I believe that the latter way is how most home educators go. They try to incorporate the education of their children within their lives. I happen to believe this is the best way. We don't give up on all our hopes, our wishes, our dreams but also we don't think that giving a child an iPhone or tablet to keep them quiet is the right way. Instead we will try to find a way we can interact with that child, we can create an interest for that child, to inspire them.

Molly has shown to me, and hopefully to you, the passion she has for what we are doing. Rather than giving up on that belief she has assured me that she will continue with that, with her bubble, but bring Lola into that bubble too. I admire her for that and feel that in doing that she is also doing the best for Lola. I am aware that my bubble has also expanded but it did that when I met and started working with Molly anyway. So, we will continue with everything we set out to do. There will be different problems of course but, to me, I rather like dealing with something I never imagined I would do.

Just to give a personal example of my belief, I took my eight week old son on a 24 hour coach journey to Rimini and another similar journey back 5 days later, so he and I could be with his 14 year old brother on a football club tour. He was also a 2 year old on my second round England trip. For those who may be concerned, he's doing very nicely thank you as an associate partner in a firm of solicitors, a published author but, most importantly for me, a fantastic dad to my two year old grandson. The downside of his early travelling may be that he now lives in New Zealand but modern technology allows a weekly video chat. My worry is my grandson thinks I'm very small and live in a phone. They, my son, his wife and Elliott are coming for a visit next May and Elliott may be surprised to know Gulliver never met me. Ask nicely and I will upload a photo or two.

But, back to our plans, as you know, and this is what the other blog reveals in more detail, we have always had plans for the next two years (2026-27). Those plans involve taking you with us on a journey through England to see more about our country and also to produce even more innovative learning material. Lola will now be part of that. The good news, for Lola, is that she will be 15 months old when we start to travel. That means that legally instead of sitting in a car watching the cover on the back seat or the clouds that we have just passed, she will able to face forward and see where we are going and what we, at the front, can see.

All children speak at different ages, there is no right or wrong time, but if "WOW" is not among Lola's first words she is not fully inside her mother's bubble.

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Friday 25 October 2024 - Blog 2
Richard writes

For various reasons I have decided to explain our plans for the next few years now. You can all find out by going to our School of the Air programme page, click here, I've made it easy for you, what 2025 holds and we have hinted about our plans for the years after that. Those hints will have indicated that 40 years after I finished my first year-long round Great Britain journey, I want to do another similar one. This time it will be solely within England but cover inland as well as the coast. In fact it will cover every county and area on our English Counties page and we will expand on information already there.

I do accept that I am now older and so going away non-stop for a year might be a bit of a strain. I also think Molly's mum and dad might set off in pursuit so they could see their little granddaughter more often than yearly. Therefore, this time it will be a week away and a week back in most cases. Sometimes it may be a fortnight away and a fortnight back but the definitive plan is not quite in place. On my second journey, 1994-95, 50 primary schools followed me through a weekly 12-page newsletter I sent out with "real" photos also falling out of the envelope they received each week.

But this time, the world can follow (well those with the internet anyway). We will be adding every weekday a new video to our School of the Air section just as we are doing next year.

What will we be getting, I don't hear you ask, as it is in fact a rhetorical question? Nevertheless I am going to tell you the current plan and there is no reason to change it (Isn't English funny - I'm going to tell you the currant plan and there's no raison to change it.).

It is as follows:-

The Monday video (spread over two consecutive Mondays) will continue our theme of weird and amazing things in each county. We will try to look out for what we mentioned in our 2025 videos, find some more and, if any of our followers have written to us with something they think we should see, try to meet them and visit their suggestion together

The Tuesday video continues our story telling for our early years followers but, on alternate weeks, we are asking you, out there, to write the story. Details will appear on our Fun Things page soon. On the other week we have a big surprise for you (and maybe us haha)

Wednesday is the more academic day for our older followers. In each area we go to we will identify a topic that could be in a geography curriculum and talk more about it. For example, and a bit obviously, we would cover lakes in Cumbria, forests in Nottinghamshire and the Jurassic coast in Dorset.

Thursday, which next year is again for our early years children, will take some history features, on a simple level, from our journey. More detailed videos may be added to sections of our Times Past page.

Friday is over to Molly. The plan is to explain nature and the natural world and look at our involvement with it. We will move from the effects of climate change to rubbish in our environment and to where our food comes from to growing your own. All will be there

All the above are plans and all possibly changeable but not by much I would suggest. Basically, if you use our site and follow us, you have learning material for the next 3 years at least. I look forward to celebrating my land anniversary (the land anniversary is spookily 41 years) by going off again around the land of England. Despite medical advances another 41 years would be in 2066 and I would be 117. If you're interested, and to put fear in your hearts, Jeanne Calment, the oldest living person whose age was genuinely certified, lived to 122 years and 164 days. Lola would only be 42 for that land anniversary of this forthcoming trip. I wonder if her 71 year old mother would go with her. Oh, I loved typing that.

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