Basic Electronics Introductory Course

Now this might be a good opportunity four our 16-year old with his keen interest in Electronics. He is currently attending a MicroBotics course with the Creare team & was extremely excited about doing circuits next term. I have received the following feedback upon my query when checking how this course compares to the MicroBotics course that Jesse is currently attending:

“Our course is quite different from the the MicroBotics system which focuses more on programming.

We teach the fundamentals of electronics, something that is largely neglected these days. Essentially, we begin at the beginning, we explain the operation of the components in circuits and then build on this foundation by assembling electronic circuits that demonstrate their operation. This is the introductory course with more advanced courses being developed but which are not yet available.”

The next two introductory courses are planned for the 10th and 17th of August and will be held at Jabula recreation Centre in Sandringham, Johannesburg. The course has not yet been presented on the West Rand but, should they be able to gather enough interest there, they will most definitely consider it.

(Overview, as per their flyer received)

“This hands on, instructor led, introductory electronics course is intended for children in the intermediate phase of primary school through to high school (and even adults) who have an interest in the field of electronics. A foundation of elementary electrical and electronic theory is first presented to the students after which they will begin building the circuits in the exercises. Each electronic circuit that the student builds, forms a building block for the circuit that follows it. This incremental approach to learning electronics is essential and greatly enhances understanding. All the electronic components and materials needed during the course are provided and are the student’s to keep and experiment with at home. The comprehensive handbook contains the theory needed to understand the basic electronic terminology, schematic symbols and components used in the course; it should be noted that the students will not be expected to learn this material but are encouraged to use it as a reference as they grow their interest in this exciting field. The duration of the course is one day.

Students arrive at 07:45 with the sessions beginning at 08:00 and ending at 16:00. There are two breaks where refreshments are served, one at 10:00 and another at 14:00 with a light lunch served at 12:00. Classes are small, typically 10-12 but no more than 15 students at a time.”

For more information & bookings please send an email to Jacques Vrey at info@mechatronic.co.za

End Year Celebration & Awards

2012/13 End Year Celebration & Awards Evening VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Now if there’s one thing that I’ve been missing from our boys’ homeschooling experience, it’s the public awards evenings. Most people won’t admit the impact these moments of recognition have on one’s motivation to achieve, but I know from own experience that they can fuel you for learning & decided last year that this would be the one thing I’d add to our family traditions. Next year we'll try include relatives from afar via webcam.

Since Jesse finished his Freshman Year in just 8 months & passed with straight A's & 93% average, I figured we had a good reason to celebrate his achievement. A little acknowledgement will go a long way towards motivating him to keep up the good work during his Sophomore Year.

I got Jesse a shield for his high school results as well as a trophy for his straight A’s. Misha will receive his shield next year when he finishes Grade 6. Since he’s mainly unschooling at this stage but has shown major improvement in reading, writing etc. I got him a trophy for overall improvement as an encouragement to do his best from next year onwards when we start bringing back curricula into his days.

I arranged a braai with some family & friends. After supper Dadda handed out their trophies & certificates. My mom baked the beautiful cake for Jesse & Misha will be rewarded with an End of School Year cake from Grade 9 onwards. Although this is just a small gesture of appreciation of their efforts, I know it will go a long way towards motivating them to continue doing their best.

Well done boys & thank you for all your hard work. We love & appreciate you.

End of the School Year Update

Today we’ve reached the end of yet another school year. This day also marks the end of Jesse’s Freshman Year with Alpha Omega Academy.

With that we have a very good reason to celebrate.

Not only did he complete a whole year’s worth of work in just 8 months, but he also scored straight A’s for all his subjects. That’s not too shabby for a kid who started off with 94% in Grade R and gradually dropped every year being down to 63% by the end of Grade 7. His first year with Le-Amen already saw an increase to 86% even though we both hated every minute of it but this time he scored a whopping 93% average with absolutely no resistance. It seems his 9 months of de-schooling has paid off & we seem to have finally found what works for him & now he’s back to reaching his full potential.

Now he’s able to take a short break before hitting the “books” again on Monday to start his Sophomore Year.

Even Misha has been showing massive improvement in his interest in learning. Having been unschooled for the last year or so, we are finally starting to see a restoration in his love to learn. Lately he’s been picking up books to read and even found many a reason to write. I have seen first hand how much kids can learn without adult interference & am learning to trust my kids to take charge of their own education with some remarkable results.

Mooikrans

Last week the boys attended their 3rd Horse Camp at Mooikrans since we took up home educating. Misha was so excited that he got ahead of himself and was packed and ready to go by Friday evening. We dropped them at Mooikrans Equus on Sunday afternoon and headed off to Hazyview for a week’s rest at Nwanakalile Lodge.

Whilst we were out sight seeing & relaxing in Hazyview and surrounds, the boys were having an awesome time learning & having fun together with the other homeschoolers at camp.

Thanks to Melinda, we received another CD full of camp photos as proof of how much fun the kids had.

 

We returned to Mooikrans on Saturday morning for the prize giving. The kids had to do a camp concert on Thursday and this group had produced their own song for the concert. It was quite a hit with the campers and the parents were blessed with a performance as well.

Pieter jaag vir Sarie…

With each camp we’ve seen them grow in self-confidence & independence. Misha has changed from an insecure 8-year old when we dropped him for his first camp, to an independent & confident 10 year-old. He no longer stands back with “I can’t do that” until he’s tried & then in amazement exclaims “look, mommy, I can do that…”  This time they even spent the 2 & half hours trip home telling us about all the amazing stuff they did.

Thank you Melinda, for arranging these camps and a huge thank you to Elna & Gavin for the impact that you have had on our boys’ lives since they attended their first camp in 2011.

For more information on Mooikrans Equus & the services they offer visit their website.

Johannesburg Art Gallery

So we did our very first field trip for this year today. The guided tour at JAG was both interesting and informative…

		Johannesburg Art Gallery VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL