How to Have a Homeschool Awards Ceremony

by: Christina Parker Brown

You can have an award ceremony for practically anyone—a homeschool group, a play group, or several moms who want to honour their kids. The size of your group will depend on how you can incorporate these ideas. It is a group effort. As the children get older, they can help with putting on the ceremony.

The aim is to keep it simple but thorough, focusing on the end of the year, accomplishments, achievements, and awards. This is a great way for family members and friends to see what you have been up to during the year, to be involved, to celebrate your children, and to better understand the homeschool experience.

Jobs

Below is a list of various duties that are carried out by parents; some parents assume responsibility for more than one duty, as needed:

• Facility Coordinator—secures a facility for the event
• Master of Ceremonies (MC)—introduces speakers and makes the evening’s events flow smoothly.
• Microphone Coordinator—brings and sets up the microphone and speaker(s). We use a karaoke machine and microphone that were acquired at a yard sale.
• Program Coordinator—develops the program (coordinates what each child/family will be doing), creates the programs, and sees that the programs are printed.
• Door Hosts—It is nice to have students greet all the guests as they come through the door.
• Introducer—welcomes everyone, explains the theme (if you have one), and tells the audience what the group has been up to during the year.
• Procession Coordinator—supervises children walking down the aisle, with or without flags, in a procession
• Food/Refreshment Coordinator—keeps track of all RSVPs and updates the group on how many people are coming, as of a couple of weeks before the ceremony. This helps with setup too, as we know how many chairs to provide.
• Decoration Coordinator—We all help with the decorations; keep it simple.
• Setup—We all help with setup, but it helps to have someone in charge, and it is good to enlist the help of kids and husbands as well.
• Clean-up—Everyone, with the exception of guests, helps with clean-up.

Things to Think About

• Location: Think sanctuary, fellowship hall, or even a recreation center of some type. If you can set up the day before, that is always a plus.
• Invitations: One mom came up with the idea of having the kids send the invitations. I love this idea, because then it becomes more than just “another thing” we (moms) are asking grandparents and friends to do. Each family sends out their own invitations. You can do this via email or go all out and make professional invites, or the kids can make them.
• Achievement Tables: We allot one table (6-ft) per family. Two to a table is best if you can pull it off space-wise and if you have easy access to tables. Otherwise, just bring card tables or use chairs—make it work. See the sidebar for suggestions about what types of items to display, as well as ideas for student performances.
• Picture Tables: If your kids don’t have many tangible things to display, take pictures of their work/projects and display them.
• It is a good idea to include a family picture or display the family’s name on each table in order to identify the child and family. Guests are encouraged to look at the tables before and/or after the ceremony.
• Theme and Decorations: We have had a Luau theme (leis carry a blessing, represent children, and traditionally express love, reverence, respect, and welcome), focusing on our support systems: family, friends, and fathers, and our gratefulness for them. Simple leis were used, in addition to some tropical lights, an “Aloha” sign, green Hawaiian grass to wrap around the tables, colorful plastic tablecloths, flowers, and candles (on the tables). Another year, we had a “Follow Your Dreams” theme with rainbow-colored crepe paper, Skittles arranged on tables, and a display of kids’ pictures designating what they wanted to be when they grow up. (Selection of a theme is totally optional.)
• Set Up: It is best when you can set up the night before (it is less stressful to just show up with the food); however, setup took only about thirty minutes. You do not need to do decorations, but it is neat to see the program, introduction, decorations, and theme all mesh. We usually have simple, modest, handmade decorations; flower centerpieces for the food tables; small pictures of kids; etc. Keep it simple, inexpensive, and uncluttered.
• Refreshments: We found it worked better to eat before the program. Everyone is hungry and it seems to settle stomachs and open ears if we eat first. Each family brings one or two dishes plus paper products and ice. We like to provide ice water and coffee for drinks. You could just do desserts or not do any refreshments at all.
• Program: This can be as simple as a Word document printed on colored paper and folded in half or as professional as you want it to be.

The Program

The commencement program could include these components: procession, opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, Pledge to the Bible, group Bible verse, welcome, introduction/explanation of theme (if you decide to have one), performances/presentations, awards, slide show, and closing prayer.

• Procession: We start with a procession of kids down the aisle between the audience. One member carries the American flag, one carries the Christian flag, and two carry our group flag (decorated with our kids’ handprints.) The person coordinating this keeps the children quiet, supervises the lineup, and makes sure they start walking when the music starts.
• All of the audience is asked to stand.
• Individual children lead us in an opening prayer, The Pledge of Allegiance, the Pledge to the Bible, and the group Bible verse.
• Welcome to Guests and Introduction: When our theme was about our gratefulness for our families and for dads who support the choice to homeschool, I spoke about this subject. This is also the time to mention what we have been doing as a group: field trips/events for the year, updates about our group ministry, missions, our monthly prayer meeting, our Keepers of Their Home Club, and the pins earned this year. We have also had older children report about these things.
• Special Performances: Giving a special presentation is not mandatory but is encouraged. It offers a great opportunity for the kids to get up in front of a real audience and share about something they love or share a talent. It is a great asset to be able to express themselves, and the ideas and possibilities are endless. We consider even the saying of a Bible verse a great contribution to the success of the night. As the kids get older, they are able to do more to help put on the ceremony.
• Award Presentations: We all create our own awards. Some families hand out certificates; one family gives charms for a bracelet; other families give gifts or award medals.
• Each family, headed by the Mom and/or Dad and joined by their children, gets up and speaks for a few minutes about their children’s accomplishments during the year. Behavioral or character achievements can be described as well. The main thing is to build up our children. Encourage them. Praise them. Admire them. Edify them. (I try to write things down during the year as it can be hard to think of everything they did all year in May.)
• I cannot tell you how awesome it is to see these children beam, to be built up this way in front of their peers.
• “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29, ESV).
• Slide Show Presentation: Our group’s aspiring photographer compiles a professional slide show of all of the homeschool families who participate in the Awards Ceremony, and it is really amazing. We send her our own homeschool pictures throughout the year and she decides what makes the cut and gets it down to twenty to thirty minutes. It is an awesome way to end the night and a real labor of love. The kids love seeing pictures of themselves and their friends from throughout the year, and the people we celebrated this year (dads, family, and friends who support our homeschool journey) were especially honored.
• Closing Prayer

Our Awards Night is always a fabulous night and lasts about three and a half hours, including setup and cleanup.

I cannot express in words what this night has done for my children. It is my hope that these ideas will help you build up your own children. It is worth it.

Achievement Tables (Sidebar)

What to include: favorite books, crafts, projects, lapbooks, notebooks, scrapbooks, artwork, Boy Scout badges and awards, projects, papier-maché, posters, science projects/experiments, musical instruments, Keeper At Home pins, etc.

Out of the box ideas: One mom used a Barbie car to symbolize her daughter’s driving lessons and a piano music box to symbolize her daughter’s piano lessons. One time I printed photographs of my daughter demonstrating various ballet positions and attached the photographs to a piece of poster board. Several of our kids were in a play and I took a photo of them “in character.” The photograph was made into a poster print, and I framed it with a frame I found at a yard sale. One child made an Eiffel Tower out of Popsicle sticks. Favorite captured bugs or small, caged pets can be displayed as well. Anything goes. You want your kids to be proud of their table, so get them involved. Creativity is key.

I really encourage my kids to be in charge of this. They are mindful of the things they do during the year, and we designate a box they can put their stuff in as the year progresses. Some things do not make the cut in the end. This year we did not have as many projects as we had in previous years, and I thought it would be hard to get much together, but they always seem to run out of room!

Performance Ideas (Sidebar)

We have enjoyed performances by a trombone player, pianists, and a flute player. One child created a digital picture show to music in which she honored her mom and dad’s anniversary (very touching). Children have sung songs, played musical instruments, presented interpretive dance routines, recited The Gettysburg Address (a 4-year-old did this!), and recited passages from stories such as The Lord of the Rings. Children also have recited the Lord’s Prayer and the books of the Bible.

Children can present demonstration speeches or highlight something from their achievement tables or just tell about something interesting. They could also read a Bible verse, a poem, or a short story they wrote. Be creative.

 

Christina Parker Brown is a writer who has homeschooled since 2001 when her first of three children was in preschool. In 1998 she founded a play group that has evolved into a Homeschool Adventure Group. She loves to write about her faith, family, and adventures and considers herself as much of a student as she is a teacher. Contact her on her blog at www.akahomeschoolmom.blogspot.com.

Copyright 2012, used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in the February 2012 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the trade magazine for homeschool families. Read the magazine free atwww.TOSMagazine.com or read it on the go and download the free apps atwww.TOSApps.com to read the magazine on your mobile devices.

Happy New Year

WoW, another year has passed us by, with tomorrow being the last of our school holiday since the boys will have had 8 weeks of school holiday since August. Of course with Jesse having started Alpha Omega Academy on the 1st August, his first semester only finishes at the end of January and the end of our school year shifts across to the end of July.

It still amazes me how fast time flies by these days. This has been a hectic year with regards to field trips, think we may just slow down on those a little bit. Thus far I’ve only finished the holiday planning for next year and still need to do school and field trip planning.

The boys are sleeping out & I’m ending off 2012 with one last blog post wishing all our family and friends a wonderfully blessed 2013.

Recommended Article: Homeschooling Shouldn't be a Private Endeavour

Homeschooling shouldn't be a private endeavour

Posted By Penelope Trunk On April 25, 2012 (10:45 am) In Fitting in is good

I am in Las Vegas giving a speech. And, of course, I brought my son. I think, when I was deciding to bring him, that I remembered hearing that Vegas was becoming kid friendly. Apparently, though, that was a decade ago. And it didn't go well, probably because people don't spend a lot of money gambling when they come to Vegas with kids.

Hotels are tearing down whole arenas devoted to kids. And the one kid place we could find, Circus Circus, looked more like a ghost town than an indoor amusement park. I told myself it didn't matter. He is learning a lot. For example: "Mom, all girls look good in their bathing suit."

He has come with me to enough speeches that we have sort of a routine. I set him up with my computer and tell him not to go anywhere and then he does something totally unexpected which I then ban for the next time. For example, he took money out of my purse and went down the street to Starbucks and ordered a hot chocolate and didn't have enough money and let the person behind him in line buy one for him and then he walked back. Before my speech was over.

During this speech, while he was furtively eating forbidden buffet foods and accidentally spilling Sprite all over my laptop keyboard, I was supposedly talking about bridging generational differences in the workplace.

Recommended Article: Top universities want you to homeschool

Well even after 2 years of home educating, I still doubt at times whether we're doing the right thing home educating our boys, but this article once again set my heart at ease...

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Top universities want you to homeschool

Posted By Penelope Trunk On April 27, 2012 (12:40 am) In College, Extended classroom

It's not that top universities are telling people directly to homeschool their kids. Instead, top schools are using a selection process that gives homeschooled kids a huge advantage.

 

Here's why:
1. Good grades are a commodity, so they don't help in the admissions process.
Girls are doing so much better than boys in both standard high school courses and in standardized tests that their good grades and good scores don't get girls into good colleges. It's not enough anymore. White girls especially need a hook.

A hook is, ironically, something you are passionate about and engaged in that is outside of school. Top schools like Harvard and Stanford have always required a hook. Because when you're in a room full of smart people, smart suddenly doesn't matter—interesting is what matters.

Merry Christmas

After 3 weeks away, our big brat finally got home this weekend. It’s just awesome having my whole brood back together for the holidays. Home is just not the same with missing children.

I can hardly believe another year has passed and this week we had a busy week getting ready for Christmas and here it is…

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas and all the best for 2013.

Home, Sweet Home

Moses Mabhida Stadium Express Tour VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We were having an awesome holiday and had been able to fit in a few field trips for the boys last week.

We took it easy on the weekend with just visits to the beach and relaxing at home. Unfortunately Daddy slipped and fell in a tidal pool on Sunday morning and hurt his foot so we took Monday off for him to rest and recover. I ended up having to take him for x-rays though because of the swelling and we found he’d broken his 4th metatarsal. They were able to supply him with a moon boot and crutches and by Tuesday he was ready to join us for a tour of the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Moses Mabhida Stadium Sky Car 360 View VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We were fortunate to have a private tour so Clive could hobble along slowly with his sore foot. We saw the inside of the stadium, one of the dressing rooms and received a brief overview various aspects of the building.

We also took a ride up to the top of the stadium in the SkyCar for a breathtaking 360º view of Durban from the SkyPlatform. From up there all the city landmarks are visible by day. I can just imagine what an awesome sight it would have been if it hadn’t been a cloudy day.

Mini Town ~ Durban VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

From the stadium we headed off to Durban for a visit to Mini Town.

I was pleasantly surprised at how clean, tidy and well maintained this attraction was for an establishment that was over 30 years old. It gives a good impression of some of Durban’s most interesting buildings.

With this visit complete, we headed back to our holiday home for Clive to go rest his broken foot.

Sugar Terminal, Durban VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

On Wednesday we took a drive to Maydon Warf for a visit to the Sugar Terminal. Once again we were fortunate to have a private tour.

The tour guide gave us a short overview the process of sugar production as well as the purpose and functions of  SASA (South African Sugar Association). Then we saw a short video presentation where after the guide took us for a tour and overview of all the different aspects of the facilities.

Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take any photos inside the facility. 

Durban Natural Science Museum VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

From the Sugar Terminal we headed off to the Durban City hall that houses the Durban Natural Science Museum.

Although not as big and impressive as some of the other places we’ve visited, this museum houses a wide variety of stuffed insects, birds, fish and reptiles that echo evidence of their earthly existence. There are also various diorama exhibitions and plasma screens showing natural history scenery. Standing under a life size reconstruction of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, can make one feel very tiny.

After the museum visit it was once again time to head back to our holiday home, but this time to pack and get ready for the long road back to Johannesburg.

Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

On Thursday morning we were up bright and early to head home.

However, we had just one more stop to make as we came trough Pietermaritzburg. We stopped at the Kwa-Zulu Natal Museum just before 9am.

Of all the museums we’ve visited thus far I found this one by far the most impressive.

After 2 hours browsing the museum hit the road for another 6 hours drive home. We arrived home around 4h30pm and with that reached the end of our holiday.

This afternoon the boys were back at Junior engineering and the last 3 weeks  of our schoolyear are in sight.

Happy Holiday

This has been quite an eventful week for us with loads of fun & learning activities. We decided to take a holiday away from home for 10 days to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We left Gauteng on Monday morning for our trip to Salt Lake, Ballito in Kwazulu Natal. We arrived at our destination around 3pm and settled in for some chillaxing time.

Salt Rock Beach VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

On Tuesday late morning, we headed off to the beach for a nice long stroll although it was miserable & cool. The boys enjoyed running around writing in the sand. After 2 hours on the beach we south out the nearest shopping centre for some groceries to get us through the week.

KZN Science Centre VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

On Wednesday we headed off to Gateway Shopping Kingdom to visit the KZN Science Centre. The boys found it a bit disappointing because all the exhibits were familiar and many were still under construction. However, they did still manage to entertain themselves for an hour, after which we took a walk through the centre. We had lunch at the spur before heading to the movies to watch Hotel Transilvania. After the movies we stopped at the Wimpy for some pudding & then headed back home.

Natal Sharks Board VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

With the weather still miserable, we went to the Natal Sharks Board on Thursday where we got to see an informative 30 minute movie about sharks & thereafter we saw a hammer shark being dissected.

Misha has a newfound interest in reading with the new “The Wonders of the Sea World 3D” book which he’s been reading in between activities. I’m happy to see that his interest in reading is growing steadily.

uShaka Marine World VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Yesterday we were happy to have some sunshine and headed off to uShaka Marine World for some serious fun in the sun mixed with a hint of learning. We arrived at 11h20, just in time for the Dolphin show. Then we had some lunch at the Spur where after we went to see the seal show. It’s amazing how fast time flies when roaming around exhibits. By the time we were through the exhibits in the Phantom Ship it was after 3pm, leaving us with 2 more hours to check out the Wet ‘n Wild. Since it hadn’t been all that hot all day, the water in the rides were quite cold, but we had fun nevertheless.

Today we slept late, lazed around and then went for another stroll along the beach. Tomorrow we continue to chillax and Next week we have some more fun & learning scheduled before heading home on Thursday morning.

October 2012 SACHS Blog ~ Changing Curriculum

We’re nearing the end of this year and it’s Carnival time again. This month we’re focusing on changing curriculum in order to find the right fit for each student.

Definition of Curriculum according to Wikipedia: “In formal education, a curriculum (kəˈrɪkjʉləm/; plural: curricula /kəˈrɪkjʉlə/ or curriculums) is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. A curriculum may also refer to a defined and prescribed course of studies, which students must fulfil in order to pass a certain level of education. For example, an elementary school might discuss how its curriculum, or its entire sum of lessons and teachings, is designed to improve national testing scores or help students learn the basics. An individual teacher might also refer to his or her curriculum, meaning all the subjects that will be taught during a school year.”

All children have different learning styles resulting that curricula purchased may not work for all the children in a particular family. Many of us have found fitting curricula through trial and error. With this post we'll be looking at how other families have dealt with their non-fitting curricula and adapted or changed it to fit their students.

Finding the right curriculum fit for our boys has probably been the greatest challenge I’ve faced since taking up home education and believe me, at times it seemed hopeless and I have doubted the wisdom of bringing the boys home from school.

With Jesse already starting high school we felt it was important for him to do a formal curriculum that would also supply him with an official report, so we started them up with Le Amen Education Centre for an IEB matric. Their primary school material is worksheet based and not at all suitable for our kinaesthetic / visual spatial learner. They’re colourless and very mundane. Misha disliked them with a passion and was extremely happy when I allowed him to cut them up instead to add them to his lapbooks. We also found the high school material was not homeschool / self study friendly and fulfilling their requirements very strenuous and seemed at times to be worse than those experienced at private school. This turned out to be a “school at home” scenario that didn’t work well for my boys or myself. By the end of the second term I was already heading for burnout and except for enjoying the freedoms of being at home, the boys hated the “school” part. In fact, Jesse referred to his situation as having been taken out of “jail”, just to be put straight back into jail using the Le Amen. To top it all their service was poor, parent support sadly lacking and their final reports didn’t correspond with the results I had calculated & handed in.

We had taken the kids out of private school in order to alleviate the stress, but instead we found ourselves way more stressed out with the new requirements than before homeschooling… Half way through last year I realised this setup wasn’t working for us but dad insisted they complete the year and I had no idea where to go from here. Dad wanted us to aim at going the Cambridge route but after attending the Cambridge talk at Dainfern College with Jesse last year, I just realised that although Jesse was academically capable, this would be another frustrating “school at home” scenario for us.

I set out searching for curricula that would suit my boys and stumbled on a book on learning styles that gave me loads of insight as to why school wasn’t working for them and why the traditional “school at home” approach did more harm than good in our homeschool environment.

If They Don’t Learn the Way You Teach, Teach the Way They Learn

~ Jacquie McTaggart

This year, I eventually decided to ditch all the school books and to rather unschool the boys until I found a curricula that would work for them. We focused on field trips, many of those and alternative fun ways to help restore their love for learning. I allowed the boys to deschool completely, which meant NO SCHOOL for a few months… I focused on educating myself in order to find material that would work for the boys.

During this time I’ve read a number of books with some very valuable information, much of which I’ve started to apply to our learning environment. I learnt how “play” shapes the brain, opens the imagination and invigorates the soul. In order to maintain a happy, balanced lifestyle, children as well as adults need to continually make time for playful activities in their lives whether it be riding a horse, reading a book or just play with their children or pets. Without these activities we lose our joy and life becomes a meaningless chore. I decided to allow the kids the time to play and have seen some wonderful results.

“Play is the highest form of research” ~ Albert Einstein

I have also discovered more about learning styles and how that affects our ability to learn and retain new information. I gained a new understanding as to why my boys and I hated school so much and how the system failed us. As a matter of fact neither of our learning styles were catered for, although Jesse and I learnt to cope with our environment and still obtain good scores. With Misha being a kinaesthetic, visual-spatial learner, this however was not possible so he started to mimic in class in order to hide his inability to cope. He was becoming more and more fidgety and frustrated. His teacher was already cautioning us to medicate him for concentration and had we not removed him when we did, he would have most definitely been branded ADHD by now. The knowledge gained from this book has helped me understand myself and the boys better. I have learnt that taking their learning styles dispositions, talents, modalities and interests into account is a vital requirement to finding the correct curriculum fit for them.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results” ~ Albert Einstein

Jesse had asked for all his school to be done on computer prior to homeschooling and fortunately I was able to find a curriculum that would give him that, with the added benefit of online lessons and a teacher for every subject. Of course for me the bonus is not having to worry about marking schoolwork & whether or not I can explain the material to him. With 9 months de-schooling time now complete, Jesse is now back to school for his Freshman Year with Alpha Omega Academy as from the 1st of August. The past two months of homeschooling him have been a breeze. No more constant reminding or nagging necessary for him to get his schoolwork done. Due to the time difference, his online lessons start from 3pm, just the way he likes it. His pc work can be done at any time of the day, so when he wants to go out in the evening, he just does his work during the day instead. This curriculum allows him to study where he’s most comfortable and also at his most productive time of the day which unlike most is in the late afternoon/evening. If the past 3 months are anything to go by, then the next four years of high school homeschooling should be a breeze.

Here are some of our recent news updates since changing curriculum & learning strategies:

• Back to School 2nd August
• Trixi’s HomeEd 2nd Anniversary 16th August
• Countdown 19th October

At this stage I’m not sure if Switched on Schoolhouse through Alpha Omega Academy is going to work as well for Misha as it does for Jesse, but I trust we’ll be able to find a similarly successful curriculum for Misha when he gets to high school. For now he’ll continue unschooling with a variety of activities until he gets to grade 6. We will continually re-evaluate and change curriculum as necessary.

Now let us visit the homes of our Carnival Contributors to see how they have dealt with this challenge of finding the correct curriculum fit for their children:

• Bouwe van der Eems from the Association for Homeschooling

is a seasoned homeschooler and shared some very valuable insight on how parents should choose a curriculum in his post How should parents choose a homeschooling curriculum?” In his post he confirms that due to people and circumstances changing over the years, it is wise to avoid purchasing a complete curriculum just in case the need to change curriculum arises later.

• Ashleigh Bredenhann 

doesn’t have a blog but submitted the following:

“I began homeschooling May 2012. All the different curriculum providers overwhelmed me so much. Thank goodness for the Facebook group we have where you find a lot of useful information on homeschooling. I attended the homeschool expo last year in Cape Town and grabbed a pamphlet from each provider! Went home and studied them, still only to be more confused for I did not yet realize what style my 8 year old and 5 year old needed. After seeing a lot of positive comments on Sonlight and Love 2 Learn, I first tried out Brainline. I was still very much into the structured and organized side of how schooling should be and Brainline fell into that category, and of course all the exams which I felt at the time was a must.

Brainline was a complete disaster for we ended up sitting from 08h00 in the morning to 18h00 at night, printing the sheets and doing endless homework – this was for Grade 2!! Two weeks of hell, we immediately stopped Brainline and I then decided to go for Sonlight. Sonlight is a great curriculum with excellent living and enriching books, but after 4 months I realized my son is a Kinaesthetic learner and he did not like what Sonlight offered. Arjay needs to work with his hands almost on every subject or he looses interest and runs off. But for my 5 year old, she is more a Visual learner and LOVES colourful and reading books. Sonlight works perfect for her.

So I had to customize some of the resources together for Arjay to actually sit down or then walk around and learn something.

I bought Maths-u-see and we are flying through the lessons. He loves the blocks and learning that way. Building and working out problems with his new colourful blocks – an added bonus!

I ordered Apologia for the Science part. A lot of experiments and walking outside to actually go and find the animals or insects and study them in detail. Not looking through books, but actually go and find them and design a nice lap book.

I ordered LLATL, have not received it yet, but hope it will work just as good as the rest.

So yes, Sonlight works perfectly for Saskia, all the colourful books and writing. A real book worm. Visual learner.

Customized Maths-u-see, Apologia and LLATL for Arjay, experiments and moving around and about. Kinaesthetic learner.”

• Taryn Hayes from Hayes Happenings

shares her experience in her post “Switching Curriculum”. I found some comfort in the fact that even a “seasoned” home educator could find switching curriculum daunting & intriguing. It just goes to show that feeling anxious when curriculum is not working is quite normal. Her tell tale red flags give a good indication as to when it’s “broken” and investigation into another approach may be required.

• Linnie Lues from Back to Ancient Ways

is another seasoned home educator whose blog has been both informative and inspirational to me over the last 2 years. In her blog post Choosing the Right Homeschooling Curriculum, she shares how thrilling it is to see how all kinds of families choose to homeschool from all walks of life, but one thing these families have in common is their confusion when choosing the RIGHT curriculum on a journey that is so unfamiliar and uncertain.  What should one take into consideration when choosing a curriculum? In this posting Linnie listed five points to take into consideration with the purpose to guide our children not only to learn information but discover their gifting and talents, which will direct them to their purpose in life and give them the satisfaction of seeing God work through them, changing the World.

Thank you to these contributors for sharing their lives with us. May you all go from strength to strength & be blessed in all that you do. I trust you will enjoy visiting these blogs as much as I did.

Remember, there are no hard and fast rules here. All children are different and what works for one family may not necessarily work for another. This post is meant to encourage you that you are not alone in this quest and that you can find the solution to suit your child’s best method of learning. From my experience it’s important to get to know your children and how they learn best before investing a fortune in curriculum. Try out various materials and do not be afraid to adjust it or change it all together if it doesn’t work. Most importantly, enjoy your kids, build relationships, relax and have fun…

Sometimes a curriculum may not need replacing, but with some tweaking may prove effective after all. Please read this article entitled How to Adjust your Curriculum in the July issue of the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for some tips on adjusting curriculum.

Affordable curriculum, lapbooks, & homeschooling resources as well as some great Live lessons and Free Clubs.

“I know that it will be impossible to teach them everything that is now known. Knowing this, I have determined that it is much more important to provide an excellent basic education as well as to teach them how to think and find answers. “

~ Amanda Bennett Unit Studies

As long as you have taught your child how to learn there is nothing he/she cannot learn on their own. So put this on a post note and post it all over the place until you believe it. As long as your child can read a book and understand what it says and knows how to look up what they don't understand, they will always be able to learn something new. And with that knowledge you can never fail your child in teaching.

Our children are going to remember the time we spend with them ~ the time we listen, the time we encourage, and the moral support we offer as they test their wings and ideas, and begin moving on their dreams. Now that's an education!

This post features on the South African Carnival of Homeschool Bloggers (SACH 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. We hope you enjoy the carnival as much as we have!

SA Home Schooling Blog Carnival October 2012 ~ Changing Curriculum

Holiday 4 Us

Another school week is finished for us and with that we’re officially on holiday for the next 2 weeks. A very well deserved break for Daddy who’s been working so hard all year. We’re all looking forward to 10 days at the dolphin coast. This time we will also be doing some exploring in Durban with some, fun, real-life, hand-on geography to add to this year’s learning experiences.

The kids have been thoroughly enjoying their guitar lessons. I’m really impressed to see how fast they are progressing through the sessions. If they keep this up they will finish a year’s worth of lessons in just 4-5 months. I really didn’t expect Jesse to manage to finish by end of November as originally scheduled, but with them already at session 8 with just 2 more sessions to complete the first of our 2 year homeschool curriculum. I’m still looking to source a second hand drum set for Misha who will then also use the Gibson Learn & Master Drums Homeschool curriculum to follow his passion.

As for official “schooling”, Jesse is well on track through his first semester, with well improved grades. If he keeps this up, he’ll pass grade 9 with distinctions. However, he still seems to get bored with the online lessons at times. On Monday the English teacher talked him to sleep with the added benefit of being able to lie comfortably on the couch, not that I can blame him since I was listening in and also found it quite boring. Of course having Gerhard & Keanan around for school seems to be adding some additional motivation for all the kids. I think this positive influence may just help getting Misha back to enjoying learning.

But now first a well deserved holiday in anticipation of our 20th Wedding anniversary on the 31st October. I’m looking forward to some quiet, relaxing, family time but will also be taking some time to read some books to better equip myself to help the boys achieve their full potential. Tomorrow we’ll attend the King’s School Entrepreneurs' day with the boys and then we’ll pack and get ready to leave on Monday morning.