Activities:

Homeschooling.

February began with a new incentive, aimed at helping the children produce better quality work… I decided to give them financial rewards for Pace Test results. For Zimbabwe children a few US dollars is like receiving gold, as the US dollar buys so much more than our local currency.

With this new incentive, each child will be able to earn at least US$20 per month, depending upon their test results for each subject. The result of this incentive was an immediate improvement in their work, as they both thoroughly embraced the new challenge!

The rule is that they have to give 10% of their earnings to a church, or a charity of their choice. The rest they may spend on useful things like clothing, sporting goods etc., -not on food or junk items.

Part of their education is learning how to earn and spend in a Godly manner. I shall certainly continue with this incentive, as I don’t hand out unearned pocket money and I believe that children need to learn to manage their finances.

Having received the game Monopoly, for Christmas, we now play endlessly on the dining room table! This game is also a good money management experience.

Homeschooling Art.

The children love going into the workshop to create new animals out of old, steel horse shoes and bolts. The end results are still being worked on and they need to paint their creations.

Home Sports.

Murray John spent the month getting his cricket net in order. I purchased cricket wickets for him, however they arrived without bails. Therefore, he had to be creative and make his own bails out of metal.

I like to teach the children to always ‘make a plan’ and not to expect to have the best possible items on hand, in order for a job to be done. Improvisation is often fun and rewarding.

Horses.

We enjoyed some wonderful out rides around the farm with friends. We did this when our horse show was cancelled, due to heavy rains. The children had a great time with their friends.

The rest of the month was spent getting six horses ready for an eventing show, three horses each, -for Paula Joy and myself. We needed to practice dressage, show jumping and cross country, which kept the two of us very busy every afternoon.

Eventually the rain held off and we managed to get in one eventing show. It was a fun weekend with a themed dressage day. Paula Joy just loves to bling up herself and her ponies! Paula Joy came first, second and fourth, on her three ponies -in the 70 cm eventing class.

This was a great start to the season. Well done Paula Joy!

Homeschooling Sports.

Cricket.

The cricket club has some awesome, new indoor cricket nets, which will certainly boost the sport, here in Zimbabwe.

Earlier in the month the children had a great cricket match against Lilfordia School, where Paula Joy managed to hit the only four run of the day.

Their little team has improved so much and they were able to come away with a win. Well done ‘Dynamic Sporting Cadets’!

Tennis.

Both children continue to experience growing pains, so for their tennis coaching we have to be creative and not over work sore legs and feet.

Hitting whilst balanced on a special balancing ball, certainly keeps them focused, whilst improving their balance. We also play fun net games using their weaker left hands, to improve their hand-eye co-ordination.

Murray John, always the prankster, likes to push the ball basket around, with his head stuck in it. Life is never dull at tennis!

Golf, Horse vaulting and Gym lessons were kept up, throughout February, to continue honing the children’s physical skills.

Adventures:

Farm Life.

Paula Joy and Murray John love driving around the farm in the red pickup truck. We often chat about the crops, as we pass by, which helps improve their farming knowledge.

This month we visited friends on a neighboring farm and managed to get stuck in the mud! A tractor was quickly radioed and came to pull us out. With the children pushing and the tractor pulling, we were soon unstuck and off again. Driving around the farm often becomes an adventure, which certainly keeps us all entertained!

With friends visiting us for the day, the children all went for a fun dam swim, once they had completed their horse ride. Thankfully, one of our dams still has a little water in it.

Zimbabwe Economics.

Sadly our country’s economics continue to decline, with basic food commodities becoming hard to find. The electrical power on the farm is extremely poor, so the new generators are certainly being put to maximum use.

With more rains expected throughout the month, we are hoping that, during March, the dams will begin to fill. Otherwise there will be very little wheat and barley grown this winter.

Environmental Awareness.

We always keep a close eye on the grey heron birds nesting in a fig tree, just outside our garden wall. Every year the herons arrive to nest at the very top of the trees. Last month, whilst we were having lunch, we saw people climbing the tree to raid the bird nests for eggs. The children ran off at high speed, to call the security guards, who were able to save the birds eggs from being stolen. Quite a lunchtime adventure!

“See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1.

• Developing Life Skills through a Houseboat Adventure.
• Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities for Jan-Feb 2024.
• How Horse-shows Grow and Develop Our Children’s Characters.
• Our Fun and Fantastic Cape Town Experience.
• Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities for Nov-Dec 2023.

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