Friends of Kloofendal

Jesse’s been on holiday in Shelly Beach with an old school friend since the 30th November and was only due back on the 16th. This has left Misha home alone, but I’m surprised to say that he’s actually been quite content on his own, although he’s used this time to sleep in Ouboet’s room every night…

When the email came around last week for the Friends of Kloofendal Adventure activities I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to allow him some independent learning close to home. Up to now, he’s always had Jesse with on activities to keep an eye on him, but flying solo was a new learning curve for both of us…

Monday ~ Bush Survival

The guide, made the children aware what is needed to survive in the bush, is not just food, as water, shelter, warmth, navigation are all important factors in bush survival. The children were then sent off into the bush with guides to ensure that they find all the essentials to survival. Back in the amphitheatre the guide checked whether the various groups found their survival ingredients with which, with under experienced guidance, they were able to make a fire and cook bush food, which included meal worms and crickets. Did you know meal worms contain more protein than meat? I was told they tasted like seafood and found it very amusing that this cook refused to eat her own cooking, but then I don't think I would have either.

I gave him a camera to use for taking photos, but Misha had so much fun during the activities that he forgot to take photos, so most of these I took when I came to fetch them afterwards.

Kloofendal Nature Reserve ~ Bush Survival VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Tuesday ~ Goldmine Tour

I wanted to see the mine myself and asked Misha if he would mind me accompanying him on the tour. Of course, he was not very impressed because he reckoned I's said I'd let him fly solo from Monday to Thursday. I decided to join next time when both boys go on the adventure activities.

The guide took the children on a gold discovery experience, which included a visit into the Confidence Reef, the first goldmine on the Witwatersrand (= the beginning of Johannesburg). They tried out gold panning, which is quite a skill, but no gold was found. They learnt about the history of the miners, and the stamp mill, what this huge machine is used for, how it works and why it came from all the way England to South Africa.

Once again, Misha forgot to take photos until his friend reminded him about the camera, so we these are what we got...

Kloofendal Nature Reserve ~ Goldmine Tour VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Wednesday ~ Bundu Bash Adventure & Action Programme

Experienced guides accompanied the children on this adventure for active children with inquiring minds. They explored what is all happening in the nature around them, discovering signs of animals, learning about the wonderful uses of local plants, tasting, smelling, feeling, hearing the different sounds (birds, frogs, insects?), collecting various required items on the way to discuss at end of the walk, finding a treasure using simple map reading skills, exploring mine trenches and adits. The boys came out there quite dirty and obviously had loads of fun.

Fortunately the guide's camera battery was flat thus he used Misha's for photos and we got a few more than the previous days...

Kloofendal Nature Reserve ~ Bundu Bash Adventure VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Unfortunately Thursday’s Rand Water Programme was cancelled due to too few bookings received so we went to the movies to see Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 (Chipwrecked) instead.

Misha had so much fun with these activities and said he’d be disappointed if he weren’t able to do them again, so I will definitely be looking into letting the boys take part into many more of these activities during the course of next year.

 

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 #14

 

Unschooling

After a very stressful year with the “school at home” approach through Le-Amen, I’ve been looking into unschooling for both my boys because the hate schoolwork with such intense passion. Fortunately Daddy has finally agreed to unschooling although just for a period until we’ve helped them restore their love for learning.

Here are some sites about unschooling worth checking out:

• What is Unschooling? by Earl Stevens
• by John Holt
• by Joanne
• by Sandy Dodd
• 
• 
• 

What we Achieved this Year

Since we finished our first year home educating last week, I’ve been asking myself what we actually achieved this year…

I must admit goal setting has never been one of my strong points. Generally I just take life in it’s stride, although I always managed to get things done…

Academically, however, I had their year all planned out. By the end of last year I had bought their “worksheet wasteland” curriculum and expected the schedules to run smooth sailing… but alas, my schedules were met with much resistance. By the end of the first term already they were getting annoyed with my insistence to get the worksheets done.  They wanted to wrestle and play instead of doing the boring bookwork.

During the second term I learnt about learning styles and realised that this approach wasn’t going to work for us and I was back on the internet searching for alternatives. I canned the schedules and decided instead to take one day at a time. I realised that for my own sanity as well as the boys I just had to find a better way to educate the kids.

Misha started with Le-Amen worksheets, changed to All-In-One programme, then we used Switched on Shoolhouse for Language Arts and Teaching Textbooks for Maths. Eventually we converted worksheets into lapbooks and finally we switched him over to Time 4 Learning. He has redone his whole Grade R foundation with Hettie and his gross and fine motor skills as well as midline crossing abilities are finally up to date. He has learnt to read and his overall confidence has improved a great deal. He’s discovered a love for art and has his future all planned out, wanting to become a Science and Art teacher.

Although I eased off on the bookwork with Jesse, he still had to do his assessments and write the Le-Amen exams. He did very well for a child that hated schoolwork so much. It took most of the year to get there, but he’s finally started to open up to me. All the “sit on mommy” time and wrestling have finally paid off. I’m getting to know him better and finally have a better idea how to approach the next year with him. The Technology lessons with the Tutor were a hit and he really seems to love the hands-on learning.

Thanks to HomeSchool Tracker Basic edition I was able to track all their activities and scores to give an accurate report on all they have achieved.

In spite of all the challenges, with curricula that didn’t work for them, both boys still managed to improve their grades substantially.

I was blown away after collecting the boys' reports today…

I have absolutely no idea how Le-Amen got to their scores but somehow, only Jesse's Afrikaans & Social Science results correspond with what I handed in and his 83% average has dropped to 70%.

Misha scored a whopping 86% average for all the assignments he has done, but their report classes him as an average student... Now how does this make sense?

Although the Le-Amen results don’t correspond with mine, at least they have promoted the boys to grades 4 & 9 respectively for next year. I don’t have the energy to put on a fight about it, so I'll just write this homeschool support center off to a very bad experience never to be used again... I will just ignore their reports and use our own instead.

Bringing them home, where they belong has been the best move ever. I just love having the boys around all the time. We’re enjoying our new found freedom and are not missing the daily trips rushing to and from school at all.

I, of course, failed miserably at being super organised (having been a secretary, PA & Office Administrator before becoming a housewife), have everything filled, up to date, know what’s happening where, complete tasks etc. Somehow time just didn’t seem to be on my side.

We did manage to get into a routine and even managed to get them doing some chores. Jesse’s become a master at making fudge and jelly. Even Misha’s been helping around the kitchen lately.

We managed to do many things together, from baking, to playing and of course we even managed to fit in more field trips than our whole family has had in all our schooling careers together. They loved the monthly ice skating trips and the horse camp in September was a major hit.

I’m most impressed with their personal progress though. All the sweat and tears this year were well worth it just looking at how much they’ve grown…

Misha is no longer a tired, stressed-out whiney child and the boys hardly ever fight any more. They play games together and get along so much better these days. Jesse also seems to be much more relaxed. He’s even started doing small maintenance jobs in and around the house. If he keeps it up, one day he may be able to teach Daddy a thing or two…

All in all, our whole family life style has changed for the better… I’m beginning to understand the way they learn and I have an idea of how to make “school” work for us next year… And of course we’ve saved about R20,000 on school fees, even with all the extra murals which included ice skating, Junior Engineering, Tutors as well as camping for both of them.

Misha’s starting to show interest in some forms of learning and I trust by the end of next year Jesse will be enjoying learning again too…

Well done boys, you did us proud!

Overwhelmed

Right now, I just want to go sit somewhere in a corner to cry my heart out.

Feelings of guilt, inadequacy, failure, stress & frustration have me a little overwhelmed today as we're having to finish exams & mark for evaluations to be handed in to Le-Amen on Tuesday. I wanted to can all of it months ago, but daddy insisted we finish the year with this "boring school at home" material we purchased for this year so he can get a report for 8th grade.

I still cannot help but wonder how I managed to miss my then school-loving, never-wanna-leave here 3rd grader change to totally hating school & anything resembling it in 7th grade. When did it all go so terribly wrong? Did he master the art of "suffering in silence" or was I just too caught up with the stress & frustrations of Misha's obvious school issues that I couldn't see his underlying issues?

I feel such a failure for not realising the extent of the damage school's done to him sooner. Of course I lost my temper today at his blatant refusal to complete the "bookwork" for our deadline next week & that's just adding fuel to the "guilt" fire. How am I going to teach the likes of English, Maths, Science, Social Studies, Accounting etc. to a child that HATES books to this extent.

I've already laid off much off the bookwork & requested him to do just the bare minimum. I've added pc, internet & iPad activities as well as loads of Discovery Channel & Natgeo Wild.

What more can I do to fix the damage caused by the system???

School

big time!!!

I’m at whit's end. For now I’m just praying to get through the next few days and hope that the school holiday and our plan to allow time for de-schooling next year will help us all feel differently about education by August next year, when we plan to do Alpha Omega Academy with the Switched on Schoolhouse curriculum or what ever other hands-on curriculum I manage to find by then.

Homeschool Expo 2011

I joined a friend for another awesome visit to the Homeschool & Educational Expo at London Road Church, Linbro Park, arranged by Sally Victor last weekend.

We spent hours wandering around the stalls and I’ve seen quite a few materials that I might be be able to use for my boys to make their home education journey a little more interesting & fun. I’m hoping some of these will assist me in restoring their love for learning.

I have taken the time to list some of the suppliers websites & contact details below for those who were not able to attend and trust you too will find some useful recourses to help you add some fun to your home education journey.

Educational Toys

Educational Playtime offers a variety of educational toys. These are manufactured to high standards to withstand the robust play of lively youngsters. The finishes is durable, washable and “lead free.” I purchased the “World Safari” game for my boys and already they’ve had hours of fun learning about Continents, Oceans, Countries, of the World with the help of 3 category cards – Country, General & Visual Clues. Email Estelle Jurgens or contact +27 (12) 661-1083 or  (84) 593-1632

offers books & craft kits to teach kids about marine life. Email Abby

offers educational toys aimed at helping kids understand technology. All construction sets can be ideally combined with one another. The high acceptance by parents, teachers and engineers has made fischertechnik one of the most successful educational aids in schools and universities. Contact Ilona Greeff on +27 (82) 376-0394

offers a revolutionary construction sets to fuel creativity & brain development. Contact Sandy Tucker on +27 (82) 483-7925

provides top quality technology resources to primary and high schools. The technology sets have been designed to cover concepts like electricity, gears systems and magnetism through the designing and building of fun models. An exicting new range has been added this year that focuses on green energy, like solar panels, wind and water power and hydro pneuno systems. Contact Jaque Lombard on +27 (82) 928-5953.

offers educational games as well as courses in study skills for children from Grade four to high school with a focus on extracting key words and ideas, mind-mapping, memory skills and improving reading comprehension. Email or contact +27 (83) 414-0508.

Text- & Workbooks

presents the Singapore approach to Maths, Science, English & IT. Email or contact +27 (11) 264 2425

is the leading K-12 educational publisher in Singapore and has more than 40 years of experience in educational publishing.

offers a complete classroom solution with their CAPS curriculum compliant courses for Grades 1-3 and Grade 10. Email customerservices@mml.co.za or contact +27 (21) 532 6000 or check their website for a branch near you.

offers brand-new range of Grade 4 to 6 workbooks that are packed with all the colourful activities you’ve come to expect from Smart-Kids, but they’re older…cooler and smarter! I have so had it with the boring black & white  “worksheet wasteland” type workbooks and have purchased some of these books as they are way more appealing and I hope these will help me reduces my struggling learner’s mental-block towards worksheets & workbooks. Email or contact +27 (21) 532-6009.

offers a range of manuals that cover a range of learning areas: English, Afrikaans, Life Orientation, Mathematics, Natural Science, History, Technology, Geography, Art & Culture & Economic Management Science. Email or contact +27 (11) 958 0707

offers a variety of home learning materials to assist learners in gaining a clear understanding of their subjects so that they can master essential skills and excel in their tests and examinations. Range include Boost Maths, Find Out About, Kumon, Smart-Kids, Train Your Brain & X-Kit Study Guides. Email Veronica Napier or contact +27 (11) 347-0809 or +27 (82) 936-2622

for step-by-step full curriculum Maths Workbooks. Email or contact +27 (73) 380 6096

 

Bible

curriculum is a ‘way,’ a journey, a guide to discover your child’s full potential. An easy, fun, step by step journey toward your child’s destiny. It consists of a Presenters Handbook that guides parents and teachers all the way from lesson 1 to 40. And a Children’s Handbook in colour that is full of fun and interactive activities. Email Naomi / Louis or contact +27 (82) 920 1438

Reading

offers a fun, interactive computer based reading and language programme in South Africa. Contact +27 (86) 110-1608 for a FREE reading assessment and demonstration at your convenience.

With the Sound Combination Reading Method the learner is taught sound combinations that empowers them to construct words phonetically AND to read them AND to pronounce them correctly. Other methods erroneously teach a child to memorize words and sentences and prevent them from reading unknown words. On our reading method the child is taught to read sounds combined and not to read or sound them singularly, for example "ca-t" and NOT "c-a-t". Email Heidi Nel or contact  +27 (83) 415 4656.

offers a complete sight-reading program with a Christian theme. Includes 12 colourfully illustrated readers and flashcards, parent/teacher guide, bookmark and award certificate as well as read-along CD. Email Big Thot or contact +27 (83) 791-2804.

Phonics

is a teaching tool that has been designed by Early Years educators to provide children with a solid foundation in the understanding of phonics – the association of sounds with letters leading ultimately to writing and reading. The programme follows an ‘African’ theme in that each letter and letter sound is associated with an African animal character. It is a practical, easy to follow method of teaching children (from 3 to 8 years) to identify and recognise letters and letter sounds via a multi-sensory approach that uses concrete experiences in the form of visual clues, auditory signals, tactile experiences and large and small body movements to gain an abstract understanding of the shape and sound of each letter. The structure and design of the materials and the accompanying lesson plans ensure that the Afriphonics programme is aligned with the current principles of child development, brain-based learning and the requirements of the National Curriculum Statement for Grade R. The programme is currently available in English and Afrikaans. Email Susanne van Niekerk or contact +27 (82) 900-3192

Maths

is a creative Maths package for young children. It consists of a variety of manipulatives, a DVD with activities and an electronig parent guide Email Marise Oberholzer.

offers a series of maths games are a hybrid of text book content and computer technology intelligently packaged for endless use by all. Email African Intellect or contact +27 (82) 419-8828

offers extra maths help for grades 4 to 12. Classes are ‘lessons’ supported by highly trained tutors teaching mathematics. Maths tutoring throughout SA is also available in Afrikaans. Email or contact +27 (21) 851-5660

Earth Science

is a family orientated education support organization offering educational courses, outings and other educational services to parents and their children. Offering hands on practical work in: Earth Science, Astronomy, Model Making, Basic science, Outings + tours, Taylor made request, Atmospheric science, Working with maps, History, Photography & Family outings. Email Barry Bryant or contact +27 (11) 022-9791 or +27 (82) 331-8194

suppliers of various media relating to the creation of the world from a Biblical perspective. Contact +27 (21) 979-0107 for more info.

Foreign Language

offers a language system designed to teach you as naturally and easily as you learn to speak your own languages. A wide variety of International and African languages are available at affordable prices. Email Alan Devenish or contact +27 (11) 802-8610 or +27 (83) 601-7014

Information Technology (IT)

offers a Primary (grades 1-7) as well as High School Curriculum that will prepare a student for the ICDL. Email info@cs4a.co.za or contact +27 (34) 326-4624

is a premier accredited Information and Communication Technology Company for learners of all ages. At Computers 4 Kids provides a unique ECDL Foundation endorsed Integrated ICT and Digital Literacy Online Curriculum, as well as all the backup, support and in-service training to ensure your ICT centre works for you! Their integrated ICT curriculum works on Microsoft, Mac as well as Open Source platforms. Check their website for contact details.

(International Computer Driving Licence) certification programme covers the key concepts of computing and it’s practical applications. Computer Skills for Life. Email or contact +27 (0) 21 671 1070.

Economic Management Science

4 Schools Homeschooling kit can help you teach your children the fundamental principles of double-entry bookkeeping in a way that is easy to understand, memorable and fun way to learn. It is aligned to EMS curriculum for grade 8 & 9 learners. Email Henk or contact +27 (82) 725-2317

is a one-day learner intervention training in basic money matters. Email Henk or contact +27 (82) 725-2317

Educational Software

offers games are visually stunning, fully narrated, include teaching sections and are divided into levels of difficulty for 3 to 11-year olds. Email Malcolm or contact +27 11 234-5014 or +27 72 289-0098.

specialises in the licensing and production of interactive learning materials and training related to the effective usage of these materials in South Africa and several African countries.Teaching Aids. Eamail Susanna Ackerman or contact +27 (11) 719 4100.

offers programs for Science ~ Physics (ages 5 –18), Maths (ages 5-18), Reader (ages 5 –18), Perceptual (ages 4 – 10) & Literacy (ages 6 – 11). Email CAMI Education or contact +27 (11) 883-8885.

Teaching Aids

is a supplier of Top Quality Educational Aids to various schools, bookstores, toy shops and stationers in South Africa since 2001. Email or contact +27 (51) 522-6344

produces a wide range of products for use in schools, homes and businesses. We manufacture a wide variety of Reward Stickers, Personalised Labels, Iron On Labels, Wall Decals, Educational Magnets, Photo Magnets, Fridge Magnets, Magnetic Invitations, Art & Photo Canvas, Advertising Banners, Car Magnets & Magnetic Business Cards. Jitterbugs also provides a fully Customised Service, so if you do not find exactly what you are looking for email Jessica du Plessis or contact +27 (84) 374-3925.

supplies innovative science packs in chemistry, physics & electronics, laboratory equipment, rocketry and science toys as well as technology packs and components for projects. They also offer services that include Science Birthday Parties, Assistance with school projects & Scout-group get togethers. Email or contact +27 (83) 269-1773

Curriculum Providers

Nukleus Onderwys offers Afrikaans distance learning curriculum. Email Nukleus or contact +27 (44) 873-0346.

 

offers a comprehensive range of Grades 7 – 12 courses that cover all the Learning Outcomes, Assessment Standards, knowledge, key concepts and skills as reflected in the National Curriculum Statement — everything you need to make a success of your world! Email or contact +27 (11) 639-0170

The Learning Channel programmes consist of three integrated components:

• Lessons to watch on DVD.
• A learner workbook that includes:
  • Learner-friendly style and text;
  • Real-life problems in different contexts;
  • Varied texts, for example, tables, graphs, charts; and
  • Regular assessment tools.

offer students distance quality education of the highest international standards. The Cambridge philosophy of education provides courses which are demanding, challenging and thoroughly prepare students for tertiary study and the demands of modern life. Qualifications through Cambridge University International Examinations in Foundation, IGCSE (O Levels) and AS Levels (Advanced Subsidiary Levels) are accepted in over 160 countries. Email or contact +27 11 706 7199

Books & Software

offers a wide range of books & software.

 

allows you to order textbooks online & have them delivered directly to you. They also offer educational toys. Second hand books can also be bought and sold through Galileo Books.

 

Miscellaneous

strives to bring the best of neuroscience research together with good learning practices. Their programmes develop the essential skills of language, reading and learning. Email Yvonne Munshi or contact +27 (82) 312-7981

is the only South African website that offers a comprehensive service dedicated to left-hand learners, their parents and educators!! Providers of left-hand products and workshops. Email Tracy or contact +27 (83) 417-3316

 

Homeschoolers Market Day

Please note that a Homeschoolers Market Day has been scheduled for 3rd March 2012 from 09h00-15h00 at the London Road Church. Entrance is free and stalls may be booked at R50 each. Please email Sally Victor for more information or bookings.

Homeschool & Educational Expo 2012

Next year’s expo has been scheduled for 3rd November 2012 from 09h00-15h00 at the London Road Church. Please email Sally Victor for more information or bookings.

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