Eleventh birthday

General 

Elliott was good today. He was a bit down before bed because it sounds like the hockey tournament didn't go quite as well as their first game and he was worried about being scared of the ball and sticks too much and letting Mr Smaje and the team down. It sounds like Mr Smaje was quite direct in his advice to the whole team and that he'd given each of them some personal advice as well. So we talked about how things not going so well can be positive for learning and you learn more from mistakes as long as you keep trying again and don't give up. It also sounds like Josh Thornton had quite a lot to say but I told Elliott to brush it off and ask Josh to concentrate on his own mistakes until he's perfect himself.

Activities

Elliott woke up early today to open his birthday presents (Starscream, Transformers 1980s cartoon series 1, a Nerf gun, a quick change Transformer and money). Then he headed to school for his hockey tournament in high spirits. When he arrived back after his birthday tea swimming went well and he was in a good mood and enjoyed a visit from Graham, Harry and Jack Jenkins with a birthday card and some more money. As he'd had a shower after swimming he just got ready for bed and brushed his teeth before then talking about the tournament. Then he read more of "The Wizards Of Once" and was much more positive before going to sleep.

Spelling test

General 

Elliott was good after school today. However he did get a bit upset after we first got home as he asked me to give him a spelling test (which he got 8 out of 12 for) and he then said he felt bad that he hadn't done better and that he didn't want to have to go in to special spelling group. We then looked at the words he got wrong and he got upset again and was giving up easily when he got them wrong again so I encouraged him, asked him to really try and concentrate and focus and told him that you have to keep trying to learn. He soon cheered up though (and got all the words right).

Activities

After school we went home and did Elliott's spelling test. Then he had luncheon meat sandwiches for tea before going to Whistling Woodwind at Emmbrook. Then he had a bath when he got back, brushed his teeth and was very excited about his birthday tomorrow. He read some more of "The Wizards Of Once" before going to sleep.

Fortnite

General 

Elliott was very good today. 

Activities

The boys woke up at around 7am and started playing Fortnite on their devices. At about 8am they had breakfast (cereal and toast) and then moved to the lounge until their parents arrived around 10am to collect them. Then Elliott left for his Arnold birthday lunch.

After I picked Elliott up we drove back and then he watched Transformers toy reviews on You Tube before having margherita pizza and birthday cake for tea. Then he did some Clarinet practice before bath and brushing teeth. When he'd got ready for bed he read more of "The Wizards Of Once" before it was time to go to sleep.

Reading Brick Show and birthday sleepover

General 

Elliott was very good today. 

Activities

After breakfast we set off with Jack Jenkins to go to the Reading Brick Show at the Rivermead Leisure Centre. The show was really good with lots of interactive stalls and Elliott and Jack really enjoyed themselves. They made some Lego cars to race, wrote their names in Lego, made some Central Park objects (a tree and some gates) with Lego and made some Lego mosaic pictures. There was also a Lego Robot Wars show and lots of Lego models to see and Lego stalls:

After the show we went for a late lunch to MacDonalds and Elliott had a bacon cheeseburger and we stopped on the way home at Sainsburys to buy chicken nuggets, pizza and potato waffles for Elliott's sleepover party.

After we got home Jack went home and Elliott's friends began arriving for the sleepover. Charlie (Elguezabal), Thomas, Sammi and Yash all came with devices. They went upstairs to Elliott's room and all played Fortnite together before it was time for chicken nuggets, pizza and potato waffles for tea. For pudding they all had birthday cake and Elliott was laughing so much he found it hard to blow out the candles on the cake:

After tea they went upstairs and brushed their teeth and got ready for bed and then played more Fortnite for a while. At 9pm we asked them to stop using their devices (which they did) and then they all read for 20 minutes before we switched off the light. They didn't go straight to sleep (which wasn't a surprise) but they did quiten down and by the time we went to bed it sounded like they were asleep.

World War One material

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

In the morning after breakfast Elliott did some more Clarinet practice with Grandpa before having packing to go home and having a relaxing morning watching the iPad and playing Fortnite. He had chiken nuggets, chips and peas for lunch.

After lunch Granny showed us her Grandfather's First World War medals, letters, postcards and photos. Then we drove home. After we got home we unpacked and had toast for tea. Then Elliott played some more Fortnite, had his bath, brushed his teeth, got ready for bed and then read more of "The Wizards Of Once".

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

General 

Elliott was really good today. He did get a bit down at one point about finding the next steps of skateboarding difficult but we talked about how sometimes it takes practice to master skills and how everyone moves at different paces (he was a bit upset that Harry Higgins seemed less afraid than him to try more difficult skateboarding moves but I told him being cautious wasn't necessarily a bad thing too).

Activities

After breakfast Elliott practiced his Clarinet with Grandpa and then we headed in to Salisbury to meet with Matt and Harry Higgins to watch Spider-Man: Into The Spider Verse at the Kids Club showing in the cinema. The film was really good and we all enjoyed it. After the film we headed to Elizabeth Gardens and the boys ran around playing there for a while. Then we went to Burger King for lunch and Elliott had a bacon cheeseburger.

After lunch we drove to Fordingbridge and visited the skate park there. Harry had his scooter and Ellliott had his skateboard and the boys swapped round and had fun skating and scootering:

At one point Elliott did get a bit frustrated as he was finding it a little intimidating to try skteboarding down the ramps but he did later say he was glad he was trying and progressing. After the skate park we stopped for a drink at The Bull in Downton and then headed back to Granny and Grandpa's house for tea. Elliott had ham and cheese sandwiches for tea with biscuits for his pudding. After tea Elliott played Fortnite on the iPad and then had his bath, got ready for bed and brushed his teeth. Then he read more of "The Wizards Of Once" before going to sleep.

Christchurch

General 

Elliott was really good today. 

Activities

After breakfast Elliott did some more of his Maths homework. Then we went to Christchurch with Granny. When we got to Christchurch we bought some new school shoes and then we went to Pizza Express for lunch where Elliott had a pepperoni pizza.

After lunch we went to the Red House Museum in Christchurch which had a lot of different kinds of historical exhbits and was in a building that was an old workhouse. Elliott quite enjoyed looking at lots of the different artefacts and found a room reconstructing life in a workhouse creepy. There were also gardens outside with dinosaur statues in them:

After the museum we headed to Ringwood to pick up some food shopping and we had a drink in the Waterstones there (Elliott had a hot chocolate with marshmellows). After Ringwood we headed home to Downton and, after a quick turnaround, picked up Peter Sladen on his way out of work (in the Downton Business Park) and took him to his house where we spent some time with all the Sladens. Elliott had a lot of fun with Charlie and Alice Sladen playing football outside, Fortnite inside and doing lots of dancing:

We also had more pizza for tea:

After tea we headed home and Elliott did some quick Clarinet practice before having his bath and cleaning his teeth. Then he read more of "The Wizards Of Once" before it was time to go to sleep.

The Kid Who Would Be King

General 

Elliott was good today. 

Activities

After breakfast in the morning we headed in to Salisbury and went to Salisbury Museum. They had a drop in activity there and Elliott did some drawing (although he wasn't keen on trying on the costumes from the past). We also had a quick look around the museum where Elliott was particularly interested by the Neolithic Period skeletons. After the museum we went to the toy shop and Elliott bought a Leader Class Thundercracker Transformer with pocket money he's saved up. Then we met up with Granny and went to Subway for lunch where Elliott had ham, pepperomi and salami with cheese.

After lunch we went to the cinema to see "The Kid Who Would Be King" which was really good before popping in to the barbers for hair cuts and then heading home. When we got home Elliott learnt how to transform Thundercracker before it was time for tea (which was spaghetti bolognese). Then he did a quick bit of Clarinet playing and after had his bath, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. After his bath he read some more of "The Wizards Of Once" and then it was time to go to sleep.

Downton

General 

Elliott was very good today. 

Activities

In the morning we packed and then drove to Dowton to go and stay with Granny and Grandpa for a few days. When we arrived we unpacked and then it was time for a lunch of chicken nuggests and chips.

After lunch Elliott did a couple of his tests set for half term homework before playing Fortnite on the iPad and watching some Fortnite demos on the iPad. Then he played his Clarinet before going shopping with Granny and having sandwiches for tea. After tea he had bath and Granny and Grandpa looked after him while I popped out to see some friends.

School hockey match

General 

Elliott was excellent after school today.

Activities

After school today was Elliott's first school hockey match against Oaklands Junior School. He played in midfield and did extremely well scoring one goal and setting up quite a few in a 14-3 victory to Hawkedon. After the game Mr Smaje made of particular point of telling Elliott he'd played well (and had in the lunch time practice as well apparently). After the hockey match it was time for his swimming lesson which went well and afterwards he had a shower and got changed in to his pyjamas. Then it was off home for a bacon baguette for tea before he brushed his teeth and read to the end of his school book "Allies of the night".

Daisy Bell

General 

Elliott was super good after school today.

Activities

After school we went home and Elliott practiced his Clarinet for longer than normal as there was no Whistling Woodwind this evening. He did some good play throughs of Daisy Bell. Then he watched some Transformers cartoons on the iPad and had some ham sandwiches for tea. After tea he had his bath, cleaned his teeth, got ready for bed and read more of "Allies of the night".

Hockey dribbling

General 

Elliott was very good today. 

Activities

In the morning he had a lazy time before hockey practice. Hockey practice went really well and afterwards Dave compimented him on his dribbling and increased confidence which was really good to see (I think he understands Elliott is the kind of player who needs some encouraging). On our way home we stopped at Sainsburys for lunch and Elliott had a ham and cheese toastie.

After lunch we headed home and wrote Elliott's invites for his upcoming sleepover birthday party (for Charlie, Sami, Thomas and Yash) so he can give them out as soon as possible. Then he did some Clarinet practice before playing some Fortnight on the iPad and watching some Transformer animations on the iPad. After that it was time for tea and we had Roast Chicken and he also had roast potatoes and some broccoli. After tea he had his bath, brushed his teeth and got ready for bed before reading more of "Allies of the night" and going to sleep.

LaserQuest with Charlie Elguezabal

General 

Elliott was really good today.

Activities

In the morning Elliott did his Maths and English homework and practiced his Clarinet. He also watched some Transformer cartoons on the iPad and posed his Transformers and Spiderman action figure. He had a ham and cheese baguette for lunch.

After lunch we picked up Charlie Elguezabal and went to Wokingham Superbowl. Elliott and Charlie played two games of LaserQuest and also had some fun playing air hockey and racing each other on the Outrun driving arcade game:

After a couple of hours we took Charlie home and popped in to Sainsburys to do some food shopping. Elliott had chicken, potato waffles and peas for tea. After tea he had his bath and then tried Fortnite on the iPad for the first time for quite a while. After a few games of Fortnite he brushed his teeth and then read more of his Darren Shan book "Allies of the night" before going to sleep.

Allies of the night

General 

Elliott was really good after school today. He was a little bit upset when I collected him as he said he was a bit behind with making his Owl in Design Technology but he soon cheered up.

Activities

After school we went home and Elliott relaxed and watched some Tranformers cartoons. Then we had beef burgers for tea before he had his bath, cleaned his teeth and got ready for bed. Before it was time to go to sleep he read some of his Darren Shan school book "Allies of the night". 

The Wizards of Once

General 

Elliott was really good after school today and had a good day at school.

Activities

After Hockey Club I picked Elliott up and we went home for some ham sandwiches. Then he went to his swimming lesson and showered afterwards changing in to his pyjamas for bed time. Then we came home and he played with his Transformers before reading "The Wizards of Once" by Cressida Cowell before bed time as he'd left his Darren Shan book in his school tray.