While Mozambicans can’t afford a cement courtyard or block house rooms for their family members (let alone a cool city drain to sweep rubbish into), a lot is common between the West Coast and here on the East Coast of Africa.
Water access, everyone pitching in for the family unit, chores and family roles are all important daily realities.
When’s the last time you wondered if there would be enough water for your family to drink today?
When’s the last time you wondered if the pipes would produce water to wash the dishes, flush the toilets (or wash away the waste) or cook with?
(Helping Eden with her reading comprehension summary)(Then Eden copying her summary work into her journal.)
They know school doesn’t look like this for everyone – some even remembering firsthand what private school looked like in our developing country. (No, private school wasn’t traumatic, but it did give greater depth of gratitude, to the oldest two particularly, to enjoy having the freedom to have a say in some academic foci choices. )
But I really love how they remember and will remember their schooling together.
Listening to the next youngest reader in the household. Patiently investing when they could be done with their own schooling faster and pursue their own interests.
They have seen how others stopped to invest in them. And they are willingly interruptible.
(She tracked down Eden to share a funny part of her reading DVD with her – and naturally furries were added to the experience.)(Waiting patiently for her help with a puzzle when it’s easier to do it yourself.)(Sanding and refinishing the table together.)(Finishing painting the shelves when Eden grew tired of her turn.)(Inviting Hannah to come explore the anatomy model with her at a little science museum while on vacation in South Africa.)(Working together to make worm composting bins.)
May the invitation always be open to learn from those older and younger than you, ladies. There is much to learn in slowing down to the pace of another beside you.
Afterall, it would be sad to miss the hidden blessing of investing.
What a privilege of a normal, my ladies. Thank you for using it well. ❤️
This year in school our first science focus was Anatomy and Physiology.
It has been a really fun hands-on learning experience with some learning tools, paper models, growth in artistic attempts (ha!), and fun videos making learning alive. (And yes, some of us learn just as well in our pajamas too. 😉)
The girls were sad to move on to astronomy after closing out our formal lessons on anatomy and physiology for the year, but one in particular has continued to study on her own. And the girls have been setting up medical clinics in our backyard and doing some “pharmaceutical” work to treat imaginary patients. 😉
Goodbye, intro to Anatomy&Physiology. It has been a blast. On to astronomy!
We just wanted to share some more pictures of our homeschool days.
What a blessing it is to learn and grow together.
We’ve had many great hands-on discoveries – and some were even quite tasty!
It may be listening to Vivaldi’s Winter movement in Four Seasons and painting a winter scene (even if I had to explain what Northern Hemisphere winter means – hah!), writing and drawing without hands, learning the most tasty chemistry around, enjoying classical music on headphones during some reading time, learning about blood analysis at a local clinic, planting herbs, reading endless books (especially to cats), exfoliating with mud creations, playing ancient civilization games, celebrating Biblical feasts (not pictured but in previous posts), science experiments with Daddy, computer reading lessons, learning the ukelele, Portuguese classes with a youth from the Maxixe church, but we just wanted to share the joy of discovery with you all.
This year in homeschool we are studying through history from Creation to the time of the Greeks. A part of this is studying Old Testament Celebrations and Feasts (which in many areas also correspond to Jewish celebrations/feasts).
Our first celebration was observing the Sabbath in accordance with Old Testament and Jewish traditions.
The week before we celebrated the Sabbath the preparations began.
We made a challah bread covering.
We made centerpiece Star of David floating candles (even cutting wick out of the center of candles so we could reuse it because you work with what you have access to).
And it was exhausting thanks to the heat index plus the kitchen heat, but we enjoyed sweating to death cooking as we prepped for the Sabbath weekend.
Then we celebrated! And it was a wonderful time of acknowledging God our Creator and Redeemer as well as understanding more fully the Old Testament observance of the Sabbath.
