Author: monstauffer

Our Side of the World Lately

We have been jumping into the homeschool year (we school on the late Jan/early Feb to November school year just like the rest of Africa) and here’s a few pictures of our happy new norm to share.

The bigs have been enjoying some quiet art time during the littles’ nap time. Thanks again Goga and Gopa for the awesome drawing instructional books.

We have enjoyed school this year with our fellow Missionary friends here serving at the local hospital. We made a world cake together in celebration of our completion of the first two weeks of school’s focus on the world. We got a bit creative (our norm) since ingredients and decorations can be challenging here, but it sure was a tasty lesson.

We will be traveling throughout the world this year in school (complete with fake passports) and to help us on our travels, so many of you wonderful people have videoed yourselves reading us stories about other countries and science topics, like ecosystems from around the world. To say we have enjoyed hearing your voices and sharing a story together is the understatement of the year!

And then of course, sometimes you just have to liven up Spelling by spontaneously giving spelling words through spare tube connector joints. Hehe. Abi was delightfully surprised when in the middle of her focused writing, I leaned in and gave her the next spelling word whispered through the tube. Hehe.

It can be really busy teaching and involving 6 little girls whom are overflowing and bounding with energy. And this year we have the added joy and challenge of not just teaching 3 different school levels to accommodate for the age differences, but 5 different school levels as we catch back up on the older two’s English education after a year of no grammar, spelling, different math, relearning how to write in print, and a few other things for last year’s Portuguese school. That being said, we are all thriving and really enjoying our time together in our little one-room schoolhouse.

On rainy days we also enjoy doing a dance video or two thanks to the fun world of YouTube kids dance videos. Here’s a little film so you can dance along too. 🙂

[wpvideo DxX2M4az ]

And I leave you with a few excited presentations of their Kindergarten+ (thanks to a few three year olds) Creation lessons from the first two weeks.

[wpvideo CWr9tmaa ]

[wpvideo 7vvxv7r2 ]

Ok, back to the lesson planning books for me. 🙂

We love you all!!!

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Dança, Dança!

(Title translated: Dance, Dance!)

Minhas pequenas Moçambicanas (My Little Mozambicans).

[Boa noite, Irmã Suzana! Minhas filhas tem uma canção para você e nossa familiares lá em Quelimane!]

[wpvideo ktLjUPmC ]

(Translation of song: Hallelujah, Hallelujah we are saved in Jesus.)

Éden está dançando como uma moçambicana… ou quase…

(Eden is dancing like a Mozambican… well, sort of. Hehehe)

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Creativity

Rachael used a Little House on the Prairie book that her Aunt Jes gave her a little while back to make a corn husk doll. I love how she used the resources available to her – grabbing some grass pieces from our backyard and following the step by step instructions to make the doll. She even ties a rock into the doll’s head to give it shape.

And then when I was sick, Rachael came up with the idea of a pop-up card of us holding hands.

Abi went out and picked 16 varied colored flowers to bring a freshness to one sick day. I didn’t get a picture of it in it’s full splendor due to being down for the count, but it was really quite lovely.

Then came another beautiful flowered creation with each individual piece cut out and glued on. Rachael poured an hour and a half into this masterpiece.

It’s really fun to see the creative juices flowing. I absolutely love the heart behind their creations.

And for those of you who gave us art supplies to bring over here to Mozambique, here is some of the fruit of your thoughtful gifts. The girls are loving it. Thank you, again.

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Our New Baby

So while we were away at the family conference in Spain, our guinea pig Mommy had her baby.

Our guards said we were gone for four whole days when the cutest little fluff joined our family.

From the moment we heard that she had joined the family the girls were in love. And first thing when we got home they desperately wanted to see her.

Abi’s face totally sums up how we feel about her.

So welcome to the family, Squirmers.

Squeakers, Squealers and Scavenger s are trilled to have a new housemate (though you and Momm will live in the upper apartment cause we’re going to try not to do any more pig babies).

We love you so, little Squirmers.

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At Last!!!

After 3 months of sleeping on mattresses on the floor, today we celebrate having a fully assembled room for our little ladies. That’s right, THE BUNKBEDS ARE DONE!!!!

(Peek-a-boo, Eden!)

And naturally you’re dying to see how the whole space came together, right? Well, that’s why we made you this video. 🙂

[wpvideo i4dpNsC5 ]

We are beyond ecstatic to see some of the final HUGE pieces of the house come together, like THESE AWESOME NEW BUNKBEDS!!!!!

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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Igreja Baptista

(Translated: Baptist Church)

So here in our happy little job city, the kids have gotten the chance to participate in a budding children’s program at the local church. We meet under a tree’s shade outside of the church building on a straw mat (like the one at the bottoms of the pictures below). The little ones sit on the edge of the mat and draw in the sand a little when they get squirmy during the lesson. So far our kids make up about half of the class. It’s simple, Biblical and a lot of fun for the kids to get specialized lessons. Our church leader’s wife leads the lessons and I get to be support staff, sometimes helping in lesson planning and helping her with curriculum access.

Each Sunday the Sunday School classes have someone stand up during Sunday morning service and explain what they learned that morning in Sunday School. This past Sunday, the children’s class put on a small presentation, acting out their story lesson and singing about it.

Rachael, being the strongest Portuguese reader in the group (Go, Rachael!), read the Bible text. Then Abi got to be the paralytic coming to Jesus to be healed.

Rachael (because 3 of the kids came late this Sunday) also got to be a mute first receiving the ability to speak from Jesus.

Then they all sang this song:

[wpvideo ebVF2Kxk ]

Translation: Jesus cures the paralytic, cures our soul, cures our feet, our hands and our bodies.

It was a great Sunday in the children’s program celebrating that only Jesus can heal us and has proven it through miracles in the past.

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