Discipline & Responsibilities

This weekend caught me by surprise,  not having checked up on my teen’s schoolwork for a few weeks, having given him freedom to work when it suits him, but with that came the responsibility to make sure he stays up to date. to be quite honest, my allergies have acted up so much lately that I just didn’t have the energy to play school police either.

However, when I checked on Friday night, I found he'd lagged behind quite a bit on one of his subjects. He was out for a sleepover at a friend's house for the weekend at the time I checked, but finding the arrears called for punishment & I notified him that he would be picked up first thing Saturday morning. Of course he protested at first as this meant he would forfeit ice skating & whatever other activities his friend had planned for the weekend.

I was rather surprised on Saturday morning, expecting him to arrive home all sour & upset about being punished, when he arrived without any bad attitude, fully realising that his actions would carry consequences.

Gifts of Gratitude

by Kendra Fletcher

In our home, gratitude is not a natural trait any of us possess. Complaining? Oh, yes, we’ve got that one down cold. I’ve never had to teach a toddler how to throw a tantrum when they haven’t gotten what they wanted or remind a teen to stew over the weekend’s change of plans that didn’t go her way. Complaining, it seems, is organic. Gratitude is not.

As in every area of our lives, we try to re-orient ourselves to the Gospel. When we realize what a feast God has for us, what grace He’s poured out over us, what Jesus has done so that we don’t have to, it tends to make at least this mom humble and repentant and grateful. I can’t muster up within myself gratitude at all times; many times the Holy Spirit has to bop me on the head with it! I’m so thankful for Him.

While my children’s sensitivity to the Holy Spirit often takes me by surprise, I do see a need to tangibly remind us of ways we can show our gratitude to others. When we show our thankfulness for what other people have done for us, we are in turn thanking God for His provision through them.

Of course, November and Thanksgiving offer a perfect environment in which to voice our gratitude, and I find that it’s a natural time to turn our hearts toward God and the gifts He’s given. You, too? Okay, then, let’s get going!

• Several years ago a friend and I took our combined sixteen children to a make-your-own pottery place and had the kids make Thanksgiving turkey plates. These have been great fun for us—we display them on the dining room sideboard and get a kick out of the uniqueness of each one. A platter with every child’s turkey made from a handprint could be a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving as it holds your turkey each year.
• Garlands are always festive and very much in vogue right now. Your kids could make a garland out of anything: leaves, fabric, beads, or handprints traced on brown grocery bags. We had our kids write something they were thankful for on their handprints and hung their “handiwork” in the kitchen, year-round.
• Similarly, a thankfulness tree can hold the thanks of each person written on paper leaves in autumnal colors, but like our thankfulness garland, a thankfulness tree certainly doesn’t need to be limited to just the Thanksgiving season.
• I know of a family who used the same special tablecloth each year, adding their thanks to it in washable marker. During Thanksgiving dinner, they’d write something they were thankful for on the tablecloth, and after the festivities were over, the mom would embroider their words and then wash the cloth. Permanently stitched into the tablecloth, they have an amazing testament to the grace of God when they pull out their Thanksgiving tablecloth each year.
• Jolanthe from Homeschool Creations.  (www.homeschoolcreations.com/ThanksgivingPrintables.html) has produced a free Thanksgiving preschool pack that is a nice little time-filler for your little ones. You can mash the potatoes, and they can trace a cute turkey!
• Of course there is the happy habit of simply learning to show our gratitude to those who have blessed us in some way. Your grateful heart will spill over onto your family and model thankfulness in a world that is sorely in need of an attitude adjustment. A thank-you note, a bouquet of flowers picked from the yard or roadside, a plate of cookies—these are wonderful, small acts of gratitude that can turn the day around for someone else.

I’ll never forget the morning I received an email that simply said, “Go check your mailbox.” I followed the instructions and discovered in my mailbox a sweet bouquet of roses placed there by two young women in my church who were thanking our family for hosting a large church event on our property. After the work and excitement of the weekend, I was exhausted that Monday morning and was still picking up after people; those flowers blessed me immeasurably.

One last special word, especially for type-A moms who like things just so (me too!): Raising kids has helped me realize when my self-imposed quality standards can be reduced to reality. If the paint dries quicker than you were expecting, let it go. If the ink smears as your little one applies her handprint, it’s really, truly okay. We want them to understand that showing gratitude is the point here, and that their simple act of kindness will bless both them and the recipient, even if the handprint looks like a sea creature instead!

Resources:

• Growing Together in Gratitude, Barbara Rainey
• Give Thanks to the Lord, Karma Wilson, Amy June Bates
• Grateful: A Story of Giving Thanks, John Bucchino, Anna-Lisa Hakkarainen
• Thank You, God, for Blessing Me, Max Lucado
• Thank You, God, for Loving Me, Max Lucado
• Thank You, God, P. K. Hallinan
• Thank You, God: A Year of Blessings and Prayers for Little Ones, Sophie Allsopp
• Selections From One Thousand Gifts: Finding Joy in What Really Matters, Ann Voskamp

Kendra Fletcher is the homeschooling mother of eight, aged 19 down to 4. She has never known what it means to homeschool without the presence of preschoolers and loves to encourage other moms who are beginning their homeschool journeys with little ones underfoot. Kendra reviews for the TOS Homeschool Crew and is the author of a popular E-Book about creating a Circle Time for your homeschool. Her website and blog can be found at www.preschoolersandpeace.com.

Copyright 2012, used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in the November 2012 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the family education magazine. Read the magazine free at www.TOSMagazine.com or read it on the go and download the free apps at www.TOSApps.com to read the magazine on your mobile devices

Life Orientation (Life Skills)

Bush School @ Mogale’s Gate

Today, I joined my boys on their field trip to Mogale’s Gate where they were scheduled for an ecological study. A huge thank you to Nola for organising this trip and thank you also to Allistair for the time & effort he put into making this a very enjoyable field trip. My boys thoroughly enjoyed it & from what I saw all the other kids did too.

Bush School @ Mogale's Gate VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We started the study with a game drive around the farm. There were regular intervals where we stopped and received some more information.

Interesting facts: Bluewildebeest is greyish colour with a black tail & a Blackwildebeest is dark brownish colour with a white tail.

Bush School @ Mogale's Gate VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

After the game drive we had a lunch break with picnic & getting to know each other a little more. Then the kids had “bush school” where they identified animal skins as well as horns. The kids really enjoyed being involved with assisting Alistair here… I was quite surprised at Misha’s eagerness to assist. It seems his self-confidence is improving.

At the end of the day, Alistair asked all the kids to draw something they saw during the day. Most had no pen or pencil, but even here Alistair had a plan… he brought glue…

Here the kids are creating images with the glue & whatever they could find & having fun chilling after they finished…

Bush School @ Mogale's Gate VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Now look at this picture Misha made what do you see? …a giraffe eating leaves off the tree…

Horse Camp

I can’t believe the long awaited camp is over & our school holiday will also be over in a day. We’ll be kicking off the new term with a Medieval Tour at Greensleeves on Wednesday.

The time has just flown by with one mean speed & I still haven’t gotten around to doing all those other jobs around I planned on getting done whilst on break.

Clive & I got to spend a week hiding out in Wakkerstroom whilst the boys were at the camp arranged by Melinda van der Merwe together with a group of 28 homeschoolers.

Initially, I was a concerned about Misha, as this was his first camp & generally he doesn’t like to sleep out for more than one day at a time. We asked Jesse to keep an eye on him & they were going to sleep in the same room.

Melinda was very kind to arrange a birthday cake for Misha, who celebrated his 9th on Monday at camp. I sent chips & juice & they had a surprise party after lunch. According to him it was his “bestest, best birthday ever”.

When I spoke to Melinda on Wednesday morning, she teased that he’d been crying all the time & we should fetch him. However,  they were having loads of fun & were even getting along very independently of each other. I was happy to hear that they were enjoying themselves so much.

Of course when we got there on Friday, we heard camp was just “AWESOME”. Misha couldn’t wait to introduce us to Gavin, who seems to have made a great impact on him. He told us how Gavin encouraged the younger group of boys & how they were able to even sleep independently from their older siblings. He was bouncing around from sheer excitement. We could see they really loved the experience.

The highlight was Friday, when they received their certificates & were able to show off their newly attained riding skills to the parents during the horse show.

Unfortunately they didn’t have electricity on Thursday so Melinda wasn’t able to finish the Photo CDs on time for our arrival. I can hardly wait for it’s arrival & will post more photos when I receive it. For now, I’ve only posted my photos taken on Friday.

		Mooikrans Equus VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Misha, was quite upset about having to leave “Bakkies”

Hovever, after about an hour’s sleep in the car on the way home & a promise to print him a photo of him & Bakkies for his wall, he chirped up again.

Gavin, Elna & Nico

Thank you for your contribution to the kids having such an awesome time.

Mooikrans Equus ~ Mooikrans Equus is a horse riding centre and holiday farm, situated on the escarpment of the Mpumalanga Highveld, 27km from Morgenzon on the R35 route to Amersfoort.

• A variety of educational, psychotherapy and social programs are available.
• A broad spectrum of programs is compiled for schools, groups and individual youth- or child to choose from. Programs include leadership development and training, educational programs, a series courses which also include all aspects of natural horsemanship (Western/cowboy) and DIY programs for youth/children groups.
• The goals of all the programs are to build the character of each visitor through the development of self-image and self-confidence simultaneously enjoying a holiday. Here the horse and horse riding plays a significant role. The horse is used, as the horse needs the rider’s attention during all times: brain and body work together to achieve success. Mastering the horse during this process leads to a healthy self-image.

Benefits of Horse Riding

If you have a child with low muscle tone, riding horses is one of the best things you can do is get them to do. Horse riding will improve balance and also force the toning of the core muscles. Teachers often suggest gymnastics or martial arts but with these the child must put in the effort for it to work. On a horse, however, they have less effort but get more for their effort. A 30 minute lesson for a 5-7 year old will do plenty, especially over 6 or more months.

Visit the sites below to read more about the benefits of horse riding:

• Horse Healing ~ “To those who have seen their child healed almost subliminally, the science of therapeutic riding rings true By Shannon Neill” What horses can do for children…
• Therapeutic Riding ~ Therapeutic Horse Riding is an emerging field in which horses are used to treat children of all ages with physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioural and social developmental needs.

Horse Riding Venues:

Some venues referred by parents on homeschoolers eloops are:

Pretoria & Surrounds:

• Avondrus ~ is well established and situated east of Pretoria in tranquil surroundings with a relaxed atmosphere. Email Marian or contact +27 (82) 780-8276.

West Rand:

• Equiteam ~ is based at Kloofzicht, a five star venue in the hart of the Cradle of Humankind. Email  Carlette or contact +27 (82) 855-3298
• Eduride Therapy ~ is based at 466 Pierre Rd, Ruimsig North West Johannesburg. Email Margreet Ludewig, or contact +27 (11) 475-9360 / +27 (82) 825-9843
• Maple Ridge Equestrian Farm ~ Kromdraai area Contact Verity on +27 (81) 379-8519
• Honeydew (down Johan Rd just pass Honeydew Police Station) Carina specialises in children with needs as she has one herself. She is brilliant and I can't say enough for her. She is no walk over lady but very encouraging and patient with the children. She is a Christian albeit a young one. I highly recommend her.” Contact Carina on +27 (83) 310-2720
• Litchfield Equestrian Centre ~ Riding school with a difference, that makes learning fun! Cater for beginner to advance, able and disabled riders, problem children, nervous riders and pony rides. Situated in Tarlton close to local shows & near Krugersdorp Game Reserve Contact Jenny on +27 (11) 958-1812, +27 (82) 333-3073 or +27 (82) 577-4304

East Rand:

• Weltmeyer ~ Alberton Contact Esmarie on +27 (82) 493-8912
• Southern Riding Centre ~ out Eikenhof, Southern Suburbs way. Contact Jenny on +28 (82) 461-3428

Page Updates:

I have added quite a few links to several of my resource pages. Amended pages are indicated with ~*~ below.

HomeEducation Resources

• Learning Styles ~*~
• Brain Dominance ~*~
• Home Educating the Struggling Learner
• Curricula ~*~
  • Bible
  • English ~*~
  • Foreign Languages ~*~
  • Mathematics ~*~
  • Science ~*~
  • Technology
  • Accounting
  • Computers
  • Handwriting
  • Life Orientation (Life Skills)
• Tutors ~*~
• Grades 8-12/Matric
• Online Schools ~*~
• Matric Support
• Free Educational Games & Software ~*~
• Teaching Aids
• Extra Murals ~*~

Dialogue in the Dark

Today we visited the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Johannesburg and took a guided tour of a very unique exhibition.

This extraordinary exhibition provokes a change in perspectives. We were able to experience what it must be like to be blind. Being led through a park, by our blind tour guide we were able to “explore” & “see” an every day environment from a very different perspective. We were also led through a store, were able to “window shop” with the use of hands & other senses only. Lastly we went into a café and were able to purchase juice & snacks still in the dark. We were able to experience drink juice in the dark & chat to our blind guide who answered various questions shedding some light into the life of blind person.

This exhibition is highly recommendable as it will allow attendees to experience first hand what it must feel like to be blind even though it is only for 45 minutes. It gives you a new appreciation for your eyesight & empathy for the blind.

		Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, JHB 14/08/2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Of course after the Dialogue in the Dark the boys decided they wanted to do another exploration of the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. We spent another 2 hours exploring the exhibitions before heading back home.

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 SACH Carnival #5 – Science for this week's carnival.  We hope you enjoy the carnival as much as we have!