Hands on Science Fun

This year our youngest is part of a science group that meets at the Science Centre. He has enjoyed two workshops recently and it is the highlight of his month!

Their first workshop was on electric circuits where the children investigated series and parallel circuits,

 using cells, bulbs and switches.

 They were given a lesson from the dynamic teacher who engaged the kids fully.....

about 20 mostly loud boys!

After the lesson they got to build their own circuits. 

It had my boy begging me for his own kit like that!

The second workshop was on steam turbines where they learned how phase changes can be used in mechanical systems, and once again the teacher kept their attention and interest for the duration of the lesson. Then came the fun....

they each got to build their own working steam turbine!

Besides the workshop, the kids get to interact with one another.....

 (some socialization for those who are worried about home educated kids not being socialised...lol!)

They learn to sit quietly in a classroom setting, paying attention to the teacher and learning to follow the teachers instructions or else their experiments wont work.

They get to explore the entire science centre and any current exhibitions, have some hands on fun with the interactive displays, and watch an exciting science show with lots of bangs and smoke!

Moms have some time out too from the usual home school day, get to catch up with one another and meet new friendly faces!

Last week we had the pleasure of meeting up at the Science Centre, with a fellow home school mom from a different part of SA. My little nephew and his mom came along to enjoy the fun. No lessons but lots of exploring and lots of fun for all!

There is also some exciting news for high school home schooled kids...

There is a Professor at the Science Centre who is keen to discuss the needs of  IGCSE and AS level science students. I will be chatting with him in the near future and he is willing to be available to our students to help them with the practical side of science! Please don't hesitate to contact me if your grade 10- 12 scientist would like to join the group!

Home's Cool Co-op gets busy!

Due to all sorts of real life reasons, our co-op has not met as regularly as should have, but here is some of what we have been up to!

Having learned a little about Zimbabwe, we baked some traditional sweet potato cookies.

 These were really delicious!

My sister lent me a wonderful book , "Wild Honey", set in the Matobo Hills in Zimbabwe and the children and I are thoroughly enjoying this read aloud.

In our co-op time, we have moved on and done a study of Zambia. We are far behind Craig on his journey through Africa but that is ok.

 The children and I regularly read the blog updates and I am convinced that Craig is meeting with angels in Africa! The goodwill shown to him has me in tears and other times we laugh like mad at what Africa is really like. It makes for most enjoyable reading.

The children came up with a wonderful idea to raise funds to support funding for wheel chairs, given out on Craig's journey through Africa. There were many meetings and much planning went into their "event". As Zak is a Chaeli Campaign Ambassador, he needed to have a project to raise funds for, so it was great for him to have the girls on board too.

They were kindly sponsored a delicious luxury hamper to raffle, which really helped boost the funds they raised. 

Their main event was a quiz night aimed at youth but due to a poor response, fun loving adults were invited to join in too. Tickets were sold, the kids got donations of the most amazing prizes (by themselves),and had to write up their own quiz questions in the various categories too.Lots of hard work but so worth the growth and learning that took place.

The quiz night was a great success and loads of fun and laughter too.

 There were 4 teams and the kids handled themselves very well. Zak welcomed the guests and they were shown a clip on what Walk4Wheels is all about. The kids had to fight hubby off as he would have loved being the quiz master!

They took it in their stride and fun was had by all! 

The winning team, seen above with Zak, Keren and Jenna...the wheels behind this great evening! 

The best part was that each participant won a prize of some sort.

One of the lovely moms at Keren's craft club won the luxury hamper.

 Her little girl sweetly told me how much she loved eating all the chocolates in the hamper!

The kids went to hand over the money at the Chaeli Cottage last week. 

They raised enough to sponsor 3 a bit days, R770.00 in total. 

Here they are, picking the days they want to sponsor. 

Hard work, but so worth it!

 Well done Home's Cool Team!

Introducing Wendy

This post is written for the February "South Africa Carnival of Homeschooling" carnival, the topic being 

"Introducing you".

I am Wendy, wife to Eric of 20 years ( next month).
 We have three kids who make our lives very interesting! Josh age 16, Keren age 14 and  Zak age 11.
We have home educated forever really.
At age 3, Josh had a brief stint of just over a term in a nursery school, until we brought him home.

 Zak spent a couple of mornings in play school and attended a school for his grade R year. 

Besides that, we have enjoyed learning together at home "forever"!

We live in our beautiful, diverse City of Cape Town....

we have sea and mountains on our doorstep....

 and we love it.

We began home educating when Josh was unhappy at his nursery school, stamping his little three year old feet saying, "I am never ever going back there again!" I began to wonder why he seemed unhappy, and after two days of the same little determined statement, questioned the teacher. She informed me that he had not taken part in any activities at all the previous week!

This did not go down well with us as his parents. We believed that if this was the case, the teacher should have notified us and asked us if there were issues at home, causing him to be unhappy at school.

It was hubby's decision right then and there to fore go the terms fees and bring him home. 

We had however been to a meeting long before this incident, and had learned about home education. At that stage it was very new in South Africa and we had never heard of it before. It was not something we had decided we should , could or would do at the time. Just another option that we had been exposed to.

At the time we took Josh out of school, we thankfully had a number of friends who were choosing to educate their children at home. We dived into the deep end, without much major planning or preparation and began having fun learning at home alongside the other little friends who were also being home educated. We have not looked back on our decision.

Here are some of my favourite things:

1) I love seeing: 

the beautiful and majestic mountains surrounding our city

the waves as they crash into the harbour at Kalk Bay or roll gently onto the beach

my kids smiling faces

my two oldest practising their karate with bold and strong movements

or watching them do ballroom dancing 

my daughters art and crafts that are produced almost daily in some form or another

my youngest playing with our crazy dog
my children growing into young adults, each unique and interesting

my sweet 10 month old nephew whether he is awake, asleep or exploring something new

my kids interacting with their littlest cousin

my husband filling out again after loosing too much weight last year

growth in my veggie garden

and above all God's faithfulness.....

2) I love hearing:

the sound of waves or a river rushing by

birds as they call or chirp

rain bucketing down

my eldest playing his electric guitar

my husbands humming...all the time, no matter what

chatter between my husband and his "princess" (he has always called our daughter that)

hearty laughter of my kids
the kids chatting with one another

my daughter and her girl friends having a good laugh together

my nephew babbling in his own sweet baby language

the voices of my mum or sisters when they call from far

3) I love smelling:

the Cape Fynbos

Jasmine on a summer evening

a wood fire in winter

vanilla, lemons,lavender

 coffee or spicy chai tea

meat on the braai

hubby's aftershave

fresh linen

4) I love the tastes of:

that first cup of coffee

icy cold water with a slice of lemon

hubby's homemade burgers, piled high with onions in balsamic vinegar and basil from the garden

anything that grew in our little veg garden

just about anything my dear sister prepares

tart apricots or passion fruit

lemon meringue pie or lemon cheesecake

aromatic and spicy curries

sour sweets

5) I love the feeling of:

a hug from my hubby and kids

cold water on my feet and wet sand between my toes
muscles that have been worked hard

freedom in wide open spaces

a gentle breeze on a hot day

a warm fire on a cold winters day

fresh linen on our bed

a de-stress massage
a facial or pedicure

This year I hope to:
See my hubby working again.

Be more organised and find the balance in schooling three very unique children, each at very different levels.

Make more time available for my daughter and I to have girly time, just connecting.
Strengthen the bonds with my boys.

Read more with the children and for my own leisure.
Spend more time in the Word.
Get back into a good exercise routine.
Be more relaxed and "don't sweat the small stuff!"

Six weeks in...

Thought I should fill you in on our school days....

We have completed and enjoyed our Dolphin Tale Unit study,

and learned much about jellyfish, sharks, fish, dolphins and dolphin training.

The best parts were the experiments.

 We explored electric currents that occur when fish move .These currents travel from the brain to the muscles, creating a magnetic field that sharks can sense. At first we used a battery that was a bit flat and nothing much happened...

second time around the battery went flying when it burned my fingers...

We explored the bio-luminescence of deep sea fish, with glow sticks and had fun exploring echolocation and salinity too.

Z is making good progress with his readers for SA History. 

He enjoys the hands on activities and particularly enjoyed making and eating his own butter. We used the buttermilk in baking.

We had the amazing privilege of going on an outing to the Presidential Estate.
Under the watchful eye of the police, we toured Groote Schuur, once Cecil John Rhodes home, which was bequeathed to the nation on his death.

Cecil John Rhodes bedroom window on the upper floor.

Our guide kept our attention as she took us through the enormous house, 

entertaining us with amazing stories of his long ago life,

 and stories of others who have lived there for a time too.

The vast mansion is almost as it was in his day....

interesting pieces of furniture and artifacts from all over the world....

Delft tiles

an Egyptian travelling writing table

imported silver and glassware

Zimbabwean soapstone fire places

enormous, rare 17th century Flemish tapestries...... depicting America, Europe, Africa and Asia

a vast library.... books on travel and exploration as well as classics

an enormous bath....carved from a single piece of granite from Paarl Rock

and so much more!

The house was the official residence of South African Presidents for a time

 but is now a museum which is only open to the public by appointment.

After a walk by the current Presidential Residence, the police hurriedly escorted us off the property in an orderly fashion.

A most pleasant and interesting morning!

K too is making progress with her SA History studies and has enjoyed a few rounds of monopoly with her siblings as she is busy with the unit on finance. She has been reading "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki.

We enjoyed an outing to the South African National Gallery for the special celebratory exhibition of the life and work of the local artist Peter Clarke: "Listening to Distant Thunder"

Born here in the Western Cape, in 1929, his work as an artist and poet has spanned six decades.

His work is a deep reflection of the times he lived through : the apartheid and post apartheid eras.
He is best known for his work as a print maker, using lino cut and colour wood block techniques. He is a talented painter, using many different mediums for his art.

In 2005 he was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga (silver) by President Thabo Mbeki, and in 2010, a Lifetime Achievement award.

We enjoyed the somewhat different art of renowned British conceptual and land artist, Richard Long.

The exhibition showcased his works, done in South Africa over the last 50 years, using rocks recovered from the cradle of humankind in Gauteng.

The kids enjoyed creating some rock art of their own in the discovery room.
They also had a quick look at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 Exhibition. Sadly it was brief as we had to get back home for afternoon activities.

Afternoons are busy, J coaching karate four afternoons a week, black belt training and competition training every second Friday.
 K has art, looking glass group, karate twice a week as well as competition training, and is assisting in teaching karate too where her busy life allows.
Recently K joined a group of kids planning to put on a Shakespeare production of Twelfth Night, for the annual Shakespeare Festival  at Artscape towards the end of the year.

The Shakespeare Schools Festival South Africa (SSF SA) is a non-competitive, supportive and celebratory opportunity for young people to perform half-hour Shakespeare plays in a local professional theatre. It can be life-changing for students; and gives schools a novel way to raise their profile within the community. 

A young home educated girl has taken the initiative to get the group together and is" running" with the project.

Who says home schooled kids miss out !

We have added a touch typing programme to our curriculum and the kids have been having fun practising their skills online, on Dance Mat typing.

Another resource we are enjoying are the online Bible lessons for teens with Youth World. These Bible based lessons are designed to build spiritual maturity and enable young people to be all that God has designed them to be.They are designed with teens in mind,dealing with the real life challenges they face in today's crazy world. It has been great to explore truths of the Word together, and has led to some meaningful discussions.

The younger two have enjoyed two hikes/walks recently, one with hubby and a few other home schooled kids, to Elephants Eye. I stayed home as my knee has been giving me trouble. It also gave me the opportunity to spend some time helping J with preparing for his up and coming English exams.

The other hike took place on Friday with the Nature Club.They met at the east fort on Chapman s Peak and did an easy walk up to some ruins with a stunning view of Hout Bay. 

So six weeks in, we are busy as bees....

  days and weeks seem to run into one another....

and

I am already looking forward to the holidays at the end of next month!

Our learning spaces and places

When we started home educating in the more "formal" sense as our eldest approached grade 1, we had a dedicated "school room". That was a long time ago as he is now in grade 11. 

The time has flown and my ideas of " home school" have evolved. 

Back then we bought the little kids real school desks for our dedicated school room. 

The room had all the games and puzzles neatly packed into a large cupboard, the walls were decorated with posters and shelves contained our school books. I remember spending mornings in that school room, with the door opened out onto the garden, complete with jungle gym and sand pit. 

Those were happy carefree days when learning involved lots of play.

As the children have grown, ideas have changed,

we have moved house and even moved countries and back again...... 

all the while home educating and discovering along the way that life is learning!

With two teens and a pre teen, it is not possible to keep all the learning in one space or place in our home. As we live and learn at home, every part of our home has become a learning space or place.... 

 Though each of our children have their own desks in their rooms...

( our grade 11 son has worked at his desk on his own since grade 8)

they can be found learning and working on their beds or even on the floor...

 and if it is very cold in winter, they can be found cosily tucked in whilst reading....

and sometimes we pile into our king size bed and read there too!

Our daughter has been known to set up an art table in front of the patio doors so she can work 

while I read aloud from the comfort of the couch....

and her brother tinkers with lego or the likes on the lounge floor.

In winter a fire warms the lounge and learning takes place as close to the coals as possible. 

Our dining room table could tell many a tale of knights and kings,

Khoi khoi, the history of South Africa  and more..... some poetry and math too!

 We like to use it when we are doing unit studies together and books are shared.

The kitchen is often a hive of activity,as the kids practice their culinary skills.....

 or cook up some weird and whacky experiment!

The little kitchen table works well when I am whipping up a meal and the kids want to be close by as they work on a page of maths or language arts....

many a messy experiment has been done there too!

Outside on the patio at the poolside, the children often enjoy their lessons or creating some art. 

In the height of summer we have been known to dive into the pool for some relief from the heat!

 The children have been known to sneak up the tree while I read aloud in the shade below...

the garden is a place where we seek the suns warmth on cooler winter days....

reading works just as well inside or out, up or down!

 So we live in our home and do what works best for our family. 

There is no school room....

learning takes place wherever we choose...

there is no particular learning space or place.

This post features on the South African Carnival of Homeschool Bloggers where South African home schoolers share experiences, ideas, philosophies and much more.  You can join the carnival too by heading to the South African Carnival of Homeschool Bloggers sign up page.   In the meantime, head to Mel's Mouthful on Mothering  where the carnival is hosted this week.  We hope you enjoy the carnival as much as we have!