Towards the end of August

Feeling very inbetween at the moment. I'd like to get started with more subjects, start refilling the timetable again, but with less than two weeks to Ramadan, inshAllah, it doesn't make sense to start on things, only to suspend them over the Ramadan period. The Ramadan timetable for the boys will include a lot of individual reading, inshAllah, individual recitation and some workbook stuff they can do at their own pace. There will be other things too, inshAllah, but I thought a focus on self study would be useful. Ramadan is a time for reviewing ourselves and thinking how we use our time. As Muslims we have to become responsible for our own actions, our own ibaadah. We need to be able to impose discipline on ourselves to make sure we get up to pray on time, make sure we allow time for studying the deen and so on. So, I will be setting some goals and allowing J and R to manage their achievement, inshAllah.
But in the meantime we've been popping out between the showers of rain to visit some gardens, and H has taken the boys out cycling. Ia has been collaging and usingthe Puzzle Sums. Today she cut out shapes from folded paper and used mirrors to explore the symmetry.
The boys had a quick look through some recycling information, but didn't find much new. (!) I'm always rather dubious about the idea of recycling household items by making puppets/models from them. Ia does enjoy that sort of thing, but I can't possibly keep all that stuff, so it only delays the journey to the bin. Also, once a piece of card or whatever has been contaminated by sticky tape, or paint or whatever, doesn't it make it more complicated to recycle?