Ashleigh Whaley
February Adventures and Activities.
February Activities:
Homeschooling.
Grandparents Arrive.
February began with the exciting arrival of the children’s grandparents. Having not seen their grandparents for over a year they were most excited, so February got off to a wonderful start!
Paula Joy’s Project.
School continued throughout most of February. Paula Joy took time off school, to do her social studies country project with her grandmother. This was a special time for Paula Joy and ‘Manni’, as they worked together for the month, to complete the large country project. This project accounts for six months of social studies, so it needs to be very comprehensive.
I get some time to relax.
It was strange for me, having only one pupil in class each day, however we did have the company of our cats to share our mornings.
As I am still suffering from chronic fatigue, it was lovely for me to have the added help of my parents. I was thus given extra down time, in order to rest and recover.
War discussions.
With the war erupting between Russia and Ukraine, it certainly called for many discussions. This gave me an opportunity to teach the children to be critical thinkers and to always search for truth.
Motorbikes.
When on the farm, the children spend every spare moment on their motorbikes either, checking on their horses or enjoying the farm. Their motorbikes have become an integral part of their lives. They are now able to complete more chores, which in turn has taken the pressure off me.
For further reading enjoy: ‘Rounded Homeschoolers – Through Freedom and Responsibility.’
Homeschooling Friends.
The new kittens are the joy of our lives and have quickly learnt to travel between the farm and the town house.
New Cat.
We have also adopted the kitten’s mother ‘Zafari’, who is a beautiful Siamese cat. However, she has had a very traumatic life and will take time to settle down and to trust us.
The children are now learning how to handle a traumatised cat. It’s hard for children to understand that there are people out there who treat animals cruelly. We shall keep you posted, as to how ‘Zafari’ settles and gains confidence in us.
Homeschooling Art and Crafts.
Town house DIY.
The children worked hard to help me complete the renovations to our town house. We also managed to get the spare room ready for their grandparents.
I love having such helpful little DIY stars around. I can honestly say that all the repairs to our new home have been achieved through team effort.
There is still plenty of work to be done on our home, but it is such a joy to be able to share the load with Paula Joy and Murray John. They are very proud of their achievements and love showing others around our new home.
Horses.
Swimming the ponies.
February turned out to be an even wetter month than January! Lots more water fun was enjoyed, as the children took their ponies out to swim in the dam.
They also spent time making sure their ponies got used to the water and were willing to venture confidently into the dam. With all the rain, the horses got another month of holiday.
Horse Routines.
Horses started exercising, once the rain subsided and the ground dried up. With the tack now all cleaned and ready, the children will get back on their ponies in early March.
From March onwards the horses and children will be very busy with shows and polo. We are all looking forward to the next six months of horsey fun.
Homeschooling Sports.
Cricket and golf became the sports of the month, with the children playing in a number of cricket matches.
Cricket matches.
The Bakers Inn Cricket League has practice every afternoon, from 4-5pm, so ‘Pops’ (grandfather) enjoyed taking the children to practice, as well as giving them extra lessons in the garden.
Both children improved tremendously during the month. Paula Joy won the ‘best bowler’ cap, at one of the matches. She took 3 wickets for 12 runs, in 4 overs. A great achievement!
Not many families can boast both a son and a daughter, playing in the same cricket team! It has been so much fun watching their cricket skills developing.
February Adventures:
Farm Life.
A very wet month.
A very wet farm resulted in all the farm dams filling and spilling. The biggest farm dam has not spilt for 4 years, so it was a truly wonderful sight!
Time to water-ski.
With dams full, it was time to water-ski. The children love taking the boat out to water ski and water tube over the weekends.
This always turns out to be a fun filled day for everyone, complete with a picnic lunch on the big rock, overlooking one of the farm dams.
Crops.
The tobacco continues to be reaped and cured whilst the soya bean and maize crops enjoy all the rain. The farm should have a wonderful harvest this year!
Zimbabwe Economy.
Bad roads have become the norm, here in Zimbabwe. It’s a very sad sight seeing all our roads deteriorating into one big mess. With the added rain, ruts and pot holes have only got bigger!
We have learnt how to negotiate our bad roads and still continue with life as normal.
Until next month, God bless you and keep praying for wisdom.
“He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” Psalms 18:19.
Please leave your comment below….
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