Cardiff meeting - 27th August

Today at the group they will be making Advent Wreaths. Bring along any supplies you think will be helpful. See Diane's post on the SWHEN list for ideas.

All welcome to join the fun.
The group meets from 12:30pm - 3pm £2 per family

Contact via the SWHEN list or the website for more information.

Monmouth meetings - 28th November and 17th December

The new hall was a success, and will be suitable for indoor activities over the winter months, but by special request, Roxy has arranged two more meetings at the old hall. This has access to a large sports field.

The meetings will be:

Wednesday 26th November 1pm - 3pm and
Wednesday 17th December 1 - 3pm.

For more information, see the SWHEN list, or contact us via the contact page.

Cardiff meeting - 20th November

This meeting has been cancelled, as it clashes with the Museum day, and many families will not be there.

There will be a meeting next week as normal.

Tutorial - adding the SWHEN link to your blog or website

One of the aims of this website was to provide a contact point and information to new or potential home educators in the area. To this end, I have created a little "button" image which, when clicked, will lead to the SWHEN website home page.

It would be great if you could add this button to your blogs or websites, so that anyone who needs information can find it. This is a little guide into how to add a button image to your blog, in case you haven't done it before.

1. First you need to save a copy of the button to your computer. In Windows this means "right-click" on the image, and select Save image as...
2. Choose a place to save it that you'll be able to find - such as Desktop, give it a name (if it's not already called swhen.jpg) then click Save.

If you use Blogger :

1. Sign in to your blog and click on Customise or Layout, and you will see a template of how your blog page looks.
2. Click on Add a gadget and choose Picture.
3. Click in the Link box next to http://, and type swhomeeducation.googlepages.com
4. Click on the Browse button, and find the swhen.jpg file you saved earlier. Click Open.
5. When you see the picture appear, click Save and you're done.

Typepad and Wordpress :

The Crafty Crow (an excellent art and craft ideas site) has a useful tutorial on adding a button to Typepad and Wordpress blogs. You'll need to replace the image name and website name with the SWHEN image and website, as above.

If you are struggling, contact me on the SWHEN list, or via the contact page, and I'll try to help.
I look forward to stumbling across the button in my travels :-)

Geofest fun day at the National Museum Wales

On Saturday 15th November, the museum is hosting Geofest, in association with the Geologists' Association South Wales Group. This is a day of hands on geologicial activities and talks for all the family, with behind the scenes tours and display stands, and it's all free.

It runs from 10am until 4.30pm and more information can be found on the National Museum website here

Thanks to Louise for the heads-up!

LLangattock Home Schooling Support

Llangattock School near Monmouth has been piloting a scheme whereby home-educated children can take part in selected classes on a Friday morning, followed by group activities, such as choir and sport in the afternoon.

"Following the success of its pilot scheme for supporting home-schooled children, Llangattock School is offering a further four mornings from Friday 14 November. The other Fridays will be the 21st and 28th of November and 5 December. The aim is to provide home-schooled pupils with an opportunity to share learning and ideas in a relaxed setting. All the children who took part in the four-week pilot opted to continue.

It is asked that you commit to all four Fridays, which in no way commits you to continue in the future."

For complete details of what the day covers, the costs and contact details, please see the SWHEN list.

Merthyr Tydfil group - beginnings

Rachel is setting up a new group in Merthyr Tydfil, hoping to have it running shortly on alternate Tuesdays from 12pm - 3pm.

She is intending the group to run on more structured lines, with planned activities for the children. The first meeting will be a planning meeting for everyone to contribute their ideas on the projects they would like to do.

The cost is dependent on the number of families taking part, but would hopefully be in the region of £2-£3.

To get involved in this new group, contact Rachel via the SWHEN list, or the contact page on the website.

Monmouth meeting - 14th November

CHANGE OF VENUE

Meeting at the new hall from 1pm to 3pm on Friday. The outdoor space is smaller, but the hall is larger, so this may be more suitable for the winter months, and until the old hall is free again.

Please bring toys and games to share.

For details and directions to the new hall, please contact Ceri via the SWHEN list, or the website.

Parkend, Forest of Dean meeting - 20th November

The Parkend meeting is held in the forest and a stream runs through the site, with plenty of space to play outside. All children remain the responsibility of their parents at all times.

Tea, coffee, milk provided, bring your own lunch.

The meeting runs from 12 - 3:30pm. All welcome. £3 per family.

Get in touch via the SWHEN list or the website for more information.

Knight Tales at Castell Coch - 18th November

Catrin has been organising an educational visit to Castell Coch.

"Curriculum-linked KS2 discovery visits programme at Castell Coch. Pupils will spend part of the visit with Sir Andrew, learning about the life of a medieval knight, and engaging in some safe swordplay. Pupils spend the remainder of the visit in the beautifully decorated drawing room, exploring Aesop's Fables through original songs, poems and stories with The Spellbinder. Groups are welcome to explore the rest of the castle and grounds as part of their visit. "

The visit is on Tuesday 18th November, from 10:45 to 12:45 and will cost £2 for the over 5's, accompanying parents and siblings free.

For more information, contact Catrin via the SWHEN list, or the contact page on the website.

Cardiff meeting - 13th November

There are two birthdays to celebrate at the Cardiff group this week, so the plan is to make party hats, have some balloons, music and nibbles too.

All welcome to join the fun.

Thursday, 12:30pm - 3pm £2 per family

Contact via the SWHEN list or the website for more information.