Finally ...

Posted by Rosie

... the boys are on their Easter (?) holidays!

In France, both the Spring half term and Easter holidays are spread out over 4 weeks.  At both February/March and Easter schools get 2 weeks off but 1/3 of the country get weeks 1 and 2, the next third gets weeks 2 and 3 and the final third gets weeks 3 and 4.  They rotate round and this year Normandy is on the late one.  We think the logic behind it is to extend the time school children can go skiing which is a large part of the French economy in mountainous areas. 

So whilst most of the UK is, I suspect, back at school Tom and Ben are finally enjoying their well earned freedom!  And as a result, I have hardly seen them.  

Tom the athlete

On Saturday Ben and a friend were enjoying the car rally that came down our road whilst Tom was busy coming fourth in at athletics triathlon event.  On Sunday they had a friend over and today they have been at a birthday party.  In between it has been dodging the rain to go on the trampoline and playing with another friend who I took and brought back from the party they all went to.

The countryside is their playground

It is one of the great things about living here at Eco-Gites of Lenault in rural Normandy that they can head off and the countryside is their playground.  Although we live pretty much in the middle of nowhere they have plenty of friends locally resulting in a steady stream of children heading through the door and helping to keep away those dreaded words "I'm bored".

There is some computer and TV time when tiredness hits or the rain turns from showery to persistent but there are also puzzles to be done (Tom is bravely tackling a 3000 piece old world map), books to be read, games to be played (we may just be addicted to Carcassonne!) and helping the kitchen (thank you for our pancakes this morning Ben!).  There are adventures to be planned and parents to be avoided when those dreaded words of tidy up, homework and bedtime are heard.

Add in to this a trip to England to look forward to and a rugby tour for Ben and I think the boys might well need a holiday to get over the holidays! 

This week then, with no long school hours there is plenty of time for the boys just to be themselves.  For more kid-related fun why not head on over to the Letkidsbekids website and see what other youngsters have been up to recently.