Robotics team

This year, Evan is once again running robotics after school at Cammeray. This year he has made an effort to get the boys to work in teams together. Declan teamed up with his friend Ethan (from his class) and James (Ethan's twin brother) and they had a wonderful time this week.

Declan came home desperate to tell me how they had helped each other, and combined their knowledge to make something that none of them could have made for themselves.

So much so that he told me robotics is now his favourite part of the week.

Declan suddenly becomes bike fanatic

This morning, when we were about to go on our ride, Declan was very grumpy. He just wanted to stay at home and play computer games. But this afternoon, when he was off to his friend Finn's house for a play, I offered him the option to ride our bikes up there (3km mostly uphill to Cammeray). He jumped at the chance, and was desperately keen to get going.

Not only that, he tried to persuade Finn's family to go for a bike ride when he got there! (they scootered instead, not having enough bikes available for the alternative).

I'm hoping he remembers that feeling next Sunday morning when we decide it is time for another ride...

Bike ride even further afield

When we were talking to our friends the Reeves this week, they told us that they had ridden to the Pyrmont Fish Markets . So we decided to do the same thing. Except that we realised we don't much like the fish markets (too crowded, and I'm the only one that likes seafood) so we stopped about 100 metres away when the ride stopped being beautiful.

Until that though, it was great. Across the bridge to Darling Harbour, across Pyrmont Bay bridge, then around the edge of the land until the path ran out. We had a stop in a playground in Pirrama Park, checked out some industrial detritus, and then turned around.

To our surprise, the boys wanted to go to the Powerhouse, so we rode there and had a quick look at the DesignTech exhibit, and a drink in the cafe, and then rode home.

Scholarship exam

Now that Callum is in Year 6, there are a whole lot of different options for high school next year. Yesterday, he sat the scholarship exam (which is an exam that a whole lot of Sydney private schools band together to organise). His main comment was that the exam room was freezing cold; he seemed unfazed by the process.

Given that there were around 100 other kids sitting at the school he went to (International Grammar) and most schools only have one scholarship, it's not easy to get!

More bike practice

This morning we dragged two reluctant boys out of the house (why do we have to ride our bikes two days in a row?) for a bike ride following our excellent ride last weekend.

This time we went to Barangaroo again and had some practice looking over shoulders and signalling to cars, and then rode to the Chinese Gardens (with a quick stop at the playground on the way).

It was the first time we'd been to the Chinese Gardens since we got back to Sydney and confirmed our view that it should be much higher on the list of Sydney tourist attractions than it is.

After an extensive game of hide and seek (made longer because everyone thought they were hiding rather than seeking) we rode back via Pyrmont Bridge, with a handicapped race across the Harbour Bridge for good measure.

Cromer

This year Callum has been chosen to go to Cromer one day a week for extension classes. Four of them from year 6 go every Tuesday to learn about a variety of things outside the syllabus.

Apart from the very considerable difficulty in organising the commute (which really only affects parents) Callum, would really like to be doing it every day.

On the first day he got to make scones, find out what makes popcorn pop, have a disagreement with his teacher about gravity (no it isn't the magnetic field of the earth, it is curvature in the space time continuum). Future lessons include putting bloodsucking insects on trial and learning how to juggle.

SRC Alternate

This week Declan came home over the moon, because he had come second in the election for the SRC (school representative council) from his class. His good friend Lucinda had won, so he was pleased both for her and himself.

Cycling exploration

On the weekend, I finally got my wish and we cycled to Darling Harbour. But not only that, we explored a new and fabulous cycling path around Barangaroo, formerly Sydney's major cargo port, now a very flat concreted headland, perfect for practising bike handling skills.

We rode across the bridge, did some slalom courses around Barangaroo, and rode past the Aquarium to the best children's playground in the world. Then after a rest (Evan and me) manic playing (Callum and Declan) we rode back via the Pyrmont Bridge, and the Kent St cycle path to the Harbour Bridge.

Where, in a perfect end to a bike ride, the monthly market was on, with dutch Poffertjies (little pancakes) to eat.

Swimming carnival statistics

This week was the Cammeray school swimming carnival. Callum was keen to swim, but keener to assist (now that he is a big Year 6 boy). So he spent the whole carnival up at the finish end of the pool, helping with the timing and handing out ribbons to the placegetters. He was so busy that he didn't get to go in his race. But I think he had a great time anyway.

Sadly Declan is not capable yet of swimming 50 metres (having got a bit out of practice in our year away), so he spent the whole carnival cheering on his friends. Tasman (their house) came second, and we had a bit of a discussion about whether Flinders (the winning house, for the sixth time in six years) was just lucky and had a whole lot of sporty people, or got more people on average through unfair alphabet allocation.

Bus to school

Callum and Declan have been taking the bus to school lately. This morning they leapt ahead in independence, and waved goodbye to Evan at the front door, and walked up to North Sydney by themselves. They were both most indignant that I should think there was anything special about it.

Mountain party

Today, while Evan was off learning how to be an ethics teacher, Callum and Declan and I drove up to the mountains for Aidan's birthday lunch. Sadly, despite occasional parental urging, very little play occurred out in the backyard (although to be fair it was quite hot). Instead, the party retreated into Emma's (the girls) and Aidan's (the boys) bedroom with occasional excursions (mostly Callum) to play trains with Alex in the lounge room.

Once they had got over not being allowed to bring their computers Callum and Declan had a fine time playing with their friends, and very little parental intervention was required all afternoon. And they loved the Minecraft cake that Jodie unveiled to great applause.

Commuter cycling

Callum and Declan this weekend started Australian Theatre for Young People on Saturday mornings. They do two terms, and at the end they do a show. That gives them lots of time to have fun first, and today they mostly played games.

The thing I was pleased about was that we rode our bikes there. The first time Callum and Declan have used them for actual transport! It's just across the harbour bridge, but involves a little bit of riding on actual (quiet) roads, which was quite good practice for them. And coming back they had to ride from water level to bridge road level, which is quite a lot of climbing. They both did well, and thoroughly deserved their milkshakes.

Teachers have been allocated

Callum and Declan are now in their new classes for the year. Callum is in 6D, with Mr Dempsey, and is very happy because his friend Angus is in the class (but sadly not sitting next to him). Declan is in 4W, with Miss Wood and absolutely thrilled because Lachlan, Lucinda and Finn (and a few other friends of his including all three Nicks) are in his class.

They also both lost it every half hour this evening because they were so exhausted by a week of having to behave for six hours a day at school.

On balance, a good week.

Descriptive Writing

The whole family (possibly even including Declan) was thrilled this evening when we heard about Callum's writing task; his teacher (who he had had in 2010 in year 5) had taken him and Evan aside to tell them both how extraordinarily Callum's writing had improved over the year. Callum had a writing task to do about a lighthouse; and the resultant story had been taken to show off to the Principal.

On one hand, we all thought that their writing had got better over the year. On the other hand, it is nice to have validation from a real schoolteacher (and one with very high standards).