Die Oog - The Eye

I write these records of time for Jethro and for us as a family as a record f this journey. I realise there are hundreds of families that homeschool and there is nothing special about our journey. We are one of the many but for us it is a profound and beautiful journey and one we would not really ever have thought of.

Last night Tom said, " we are almost a homeschool family." How very sweet and inclusive.

Jethro is so finished with school and I am really finished FOR him. He is having some days off already and it feels very, very good and appropriate.

This weekend was our very first art exhibition. There are children from all different schooling environments including some homeschoolers. We had a great time together , as a community and this is my heart beat. All people, no matter where you fit, welcome and sharing life.

My dear friend T has a fantastic school and I teach her children. It is such fun bouncing ideas off her and again this week, we met and she shed some insight and light into my choices for Jet. Thank you!

Jet  and I took a day off last weeek and we visited Die Oog, our local dam/ pond. We were all alone....

The weaver birds were busy weaving and Jet was talking. We had a great time, learning from this little time together.

Afterwards , we visited local , new, PNA and bought a fabulous art book and new set of art pencils. Jet is a great drawer and a keen artisit, but his art light has been a bit dull of late....

He came home and began........ this is the hope that I was hoping for. That the light of learning would come on for him again.....

The adventure continues!

Planing not to plan

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I am a planner of sorts. I plan a great deal in my head and some on paper. If I take on a project I will have done some planning towards it. I do however marvel at my friends who are fabulous at planning the box and ticking it. That, is not me.

So, in coming to this next 10 weeks or so of Jet coming home from school, I have , in the usual way my brain works ( slowly), been considering the notion of de-schooling. Many in the homeschooling world have dropped this word in . The concept is for the child to just shake off school. Take a break and rest from the school way of doing education. 

Since I don't feel strongly that school is wrong or necessarily damaging , this idea did not initially grab me. 

But, we have 10 weeks or so to play with before I am ready and rescheduled in my art work and before , well we get going.

The idea had been bouncing around in my thinking.

I have arrived at a place that will satisfy his need to take some time off to re-fuel and my need to have a plan of sort in place.

I began by writing down all the fun things we could do together. Things like having lunch with daddy in Bo-Kaap and seeing a movie or going to the beach.

I have written all these on bits of paper and popped them into a box.

Jet can choose from the list and pop the activity onto the weeks schedule.

I have also made a weekly schedule so that we can keep doing some maths and schedule at least that in but also other things that we would like to do and might never get around to. planting some vegetables or building a bigger rabbit run or a tree climbing rope and shelter. 

Other fun things like listening to audios and reading some books together or going  Kalk Bay for ice cream.

The list is longer than we need for 10 weeks. 

In this way we can "plan" some super fun things to do together and I can also help him  be busy while I teach. He ccan also have some time to rest and catch his breath.

As for now, he is cultivating his homeschool hair and having some days off along the way to the end.

Comming Home Early

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He is comming home. We have finally taken the decision to bring him home at the end of the term, not the end of the year. Yipeeee!

He is so thrilled and so am I. 

Life is not exactly straight pathed , now is it?

I am totally not ready - but he is.

I am not settled on anything for certain for our learning journey - he is ok with that.

He is ready!

Thats what counts.

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