Sunday 18 November 2012

This thing called 'homeschooling'!?

I will be honest... this whole homeschooling thing has been a bit of an adjustment for us all! I have had a few moments of missing that friendly yellow school bus that used to faithfully pull up to the end of our street to whisk our kids to school...to a place where people knew what they were doing to educate our children. To a place where they could interact with other kids their age, feeling the anticipation of battling their Bey Blades at recess. To a place that afforded them the chance to learn from other adults who may not be quite so easy to argue with about assigned work. "Awww MOM, do I have to read THAT much?!?" But at the end of the day, when the latest language lesson is reviewed, the neighbors have been visited, the mess of dinner has been cleaned up (somewhat), the next day's lessons are prepared, and these three happy children have been snuggled into bed after a full 14 hours together, I can see the gift that I am given through this thing we call 'homeschooling'!

I have many moments when I love what I am seeing beginning to develop in our kids. I am thankful that there is no standard of 'cool' at the school in the garage as the two crazy teachers dance around to teach the latest memory verse. I love that we can stop any lesson to follow that random thought and 'why' question (well, sometimes!). And, I am thrilled to watch our kids learn to care for the littlest members of our school, even if that means having to play some games a different way. These are the things I remind myself of when I am a little unsure of this new role of teacher that I play!


So, here is a glimpse of our latest week at the school in the garage... under the grapevine... amidst the swarms of flies... soaking in the smells of the horses just over the fence. Yes, this is not a typical place to find a school, but check out the learning it provides. I must admit that not every week is quite as full as this one turned out to be! But let's savour the victories!



And welcome Kodo, our class pet! The garage can feel small with 6 energetic and stir-crazy children. So, the solution is to run laps around the house. This lap run was interrupted by a skinny and terrified chameleon, frozen stiffly up against the grapevine pole in our yard. We observed him for a good 15 minutes, his little round eyes spinning wildly in every direction, convinced we wouldn't notice him if he didn't move a muscle. Suddenly science was on the timetable and we had enthusiastic children discussing 'habitats' and 'adaption' and we smiled, knowing science was DONE for the day!




Each Thursday, the center of town gets invaded by a travelling market and taken over by little shops of colorful, sparkling rugs, knock-off Adidas shoes, fragrant spices, seasonal clothing, silver jewellery, and just about anything else found at Dollarama. School moved to the market place this Thursday and the kids were given a scavenger hunt. It was just about impossible to decide on one thing to fill categories like 'find something smelly' or 'find something sparkly'. But, in the end, this street musician won the 'most unique' category with his bag pipe that was a goat's belly when filled with air. What adventures to be had in the market!





 

We live within two hours of the largest desert in the world, the Sahara Desert. We visited a town in the Sahara in summer and saw the thermostat reach 54C. Imagine swallowing a blow dryer... yeah, that's kind of the same thing. We were delighted to experience the beauty of the desert in much cooler temperatures this weekend. The shoes and socks were off instantly, despite the many droppings of the camels who called the sand home, and we dug our feet into the orange, flour-like sand. Amazing! The boys sported their Arabian turbans and we each climbed up onto the back of a camel for a short loop around the camp. 








Next stop, the Kzar's of Tataouine. For you Star Wars nuts, you may recognize these ancient buildings from an episode of the Star Wars movies. Free tour to anyone who can tell me which episode it was in... Southern Tunisia boasts a number filming sights. Up until 40 years ago, each darkened room provided a cool place to save oils and grains for times of famine or distress in the desert. Our friend laughed and said, "This would be like tourists coming to see the Pioneer Grain Elevator in Winkler!" We were so amazed to find out that we could freely explore and climb; no roped off areas here!


The last stop on our day in the desert turned out to be the unexpected highlight of the day! We wound along the bumpy roads until we came upon some towering rock cliffs. Climbing and winding its way up the side of two adjacent mountains is an ancient Berber village called Shanini. At first glance, it can be difficult to make out, as the buildings, fences, and walkways are the color of the cliffs. But as you make your way up the paths, you discover a a labyrinth of homes and shops dating all the way back to the twelfth century. What a hands-on experience with history as lively discussions on 'the different ways people used to live' cannot help but take center stage. The most fascinating part of this all? Shanini is still inhabited and we were warmly greeted by a few of the residents.


We soon realized that our kids had not eaten anything since breakfast that morning and it was definitely time to get some food in our bellies. We had so much to take in with our eyes and minds all day that we had not noticed that our tummies had not taken anything in. So, it was time to say good-bye. What a gift to our children and to us to experience a little piece of this place called Southern Tunisia. This was a day when I truly felt like our kids had received some fine 'educating'. Let's just hope we can remember to fit in some math in there somewhere too.....

5 comments:

  1. what amazing pictures!!! those buildings are truly stunning...can't believe how differently people live...wowsas!! can we come home school with you too!!!?? sounds like a hoot!! we miss you guys!! big hugs from the derksen clan :) :)

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  2. Finally I am sitting down and catching up on your blog. What great photos and what a fun time it looks like you had at the Star Wars site! Tayo would have loved to be there with you. Love you and miss you!

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  3. love this. love you! thanks for posting some of your life! :)
    Jolene

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  4. From one homeschooling mom to another, I hear you. It can feel overwhelming at times but you're 100% right about the joy of seeing the unity grow between the siblings. Clearly your "classroom" is rich with many new "normal" things to be discovered. It makes me smile to think about how rich your children's live will feel as they get older and look back at the life you have shown them. Thank you for sharing and more importantly for being obedient.

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  5. Thanks so much for sharing! I love hearing stories and seeing pictures!

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