Monico Family Travels

NOTE: this blog includes 2 videos which don’t come through if you are reading via the e-mail sign-up, so go to www.monicofamilytravels.com to get the full version!

This post celebrates more of the amazing projects Bella and Emily have created each week during their Autumn school term.  These projects epitomise ‘child led learning’.  The girls come up with each concept, inspired by what they see around them, then Rob guides and inspires them to incorporate creativity, maths, research, art, writing skills, life skills and much much more to deliver output, presented on Fridays (over over-the-top G&Ts) always as a prelude to our weekly movie nights.  They usually reduce me to tears (a bit like the school assemblies).

Project time G&T Woppas!

School, MonicoFamilyTravels – style 

This project was the planning, scheduling filming and editing  of a short video describing the cadence, routines and teaching styles of school MonicoFamilyTravels-style.  I think it speaks for itself:

Artistic works inspired by Los Potreros

Los Potreros is the wonderful estancia we stayed in north of Cordoba for a week. Animals abounded, and cosy nights in front of log fires, and new friends with wonderful hearts and fabulous senses of humour.  All this inspired a series of artistic works including the below:

Los Potreros Acrostic Poem by Emily and Bella

‘Mist’ by Bella

‘Masai’ by Emily

How the Humming Bird got her name, by Emily

Hermione the Humming Bird

How Trumpet got his name, by Bella

Trumpet’s accoutrements

Core health

James and I had roles as patients in this weeks ‘core health’ project.  The girls gave us full medicals including eyes, ears, and teeth. Bedside manner was occasionally a little boisterous / unusual, and I think I’d be rather concerned if either of them head down the route of becoming a dentist, but overall they now know the difference between pulse and blood pressure, I have got a new vision prescription, and we escaped almost unscathed with a more-or-less clean bill of health…..

except for a few broken bones….

Bridges

This project was inspired by the Zarate bridge, and incorporated sketching, technical drawing, history, maths and an intro to engineering and architecture skills.  

The culmination was an impressive to-scale model of the bridge, manufactured from cardboard, fruit boxes and balloon string. Impressive stuff!

The big reveal!

End of term festive finale

We were treated to a concert of Spanish, popular and Christmas songs, by ‘Arthur Band’. Lyrics were adjusted to celebrate the crazy world of MonicoFamilyTravels as a fitting and nostalgic end to the first term of school.  Thank you to Bella, Emily and Rob for a wonderful evening of entertainment, and for bringing the Christmas spirit to Las Palmas.

Last but not least, PEN LICENSES!

In recognition of an age-old St Christophers tradition, both Emily and Bella earned their pen licenses (and new fountain pens) this term to honour their very neat joined up writing.