Ashleigh Whaley
Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities.
Homeschooling.
School on the move…
A large part of our homeschooling adventures and activities lives is spent travelling between the farm and Harare. With the A.C.E school programme we are able to travel with our books and work offline, wherever we are.
ACE Programme.
I specifically did not want an online schooling course, as we need flexibility around our sports and travel, plus -we often have poor internet on the farm. The ACE programme works very well for our lifestyle, as we are able to do school anywhere at anytime.
At times, when we are in Harare, I have to move around to different engagements and appointments. If there’s an appointment that involves one of the children, they simply bring their books along and work in the car, or on a bench, whilst they wait for me.
Schooling Around Activities.
Our children have learned, ever since they started school, that we often need to school around the day’s activities. They will always try and achieve their daily academic goals. However, they can also increase their goals, to enable them to achieve their weekly academic goals.
We also have monthly goals that have to be achieved. I have spent years educating the children as to how to manage their time, so that all their academic goals are met.
Homeschooling Friends.
Fuzz the guinea pig and all the other garden friends are thriving and continue to bring us joy. Farm Life is never complete without the guinea pig, rabbits, chickens, ducks and geese.
Horses.
Barefoot Farrier Course.
The children attended a two day barefoot farriers course, which they absolutely loved. Over the next few weeks, and under the guidance of their instructor, they have a pony each, on which to practice their feet trimming skills.
Eventing shows.
We had two Eventing Shows (dressage, cross country, showjumping) in March and April. Paula Joy competed on three horses, in both events.
Murray John competed in the first event, on his three ponies, but opted to go to polo practice over the second event.
As the children are used to playing polo at speed they managed to complete their cross country courses within the time allowed, whilst some of the other competitors struggled with the speed.
For her second event, Paula Joy had qualified on Duke, to move up into the 1 metre jumping class. She rode beautifully and managed to get Duke around a very difficult cross country course, with only one mishap.
Her other two horses are also improving, as they gain more confidence at every show. Their dressage scores have improved, due to the hours of dressage training Paula Joy puts into her horses at home.
Polo.
The polo season started in the middle of April, with two weekends of polo practice, one in Chinhoyi and one in Harare.
The children and Douglas loved being back on the polo field and also enjoyed the work that goes into getting twelve horses and five grooms, to and from polo practice!
Homeschooling Sport:
Cricket.
The cricket season continued through March, with Sunday games and midweek training.
However, once into April, our cricket season ended, to resume in September, after the polo season.
Golf.
The children have been playing a lot of golf, with weekly lessons and loads of practice on the Borrowdale Brooke course. In early April, they both entered the Heritage, SA Kids golf tournament. They thoroughly enjoyed this tournament, where they got to play in their age groups.
They both came second in their respective groups and won some large trophies!
After the prize giving, a chipping competition was held for all age groups. – The prize….a Samsung Tablet. Murray John, with his usual determination, managed to win the competition, by sinking his chip off the green… Well done, Murray John!
The children continue to play golf, as and when they are in Harare.
They shall keep this up, throughout the polo season.
Homeschooling Adventures and Activities:
Farm Life.
Tobacco.
The reaping and curing of the tobacco crop has been completed and it is time to grade the tobacco and send it off to the auction in Harare. The seedbeds are now being prepared for the new tobacco season.
Soya Bean Harvest.
In April, the combine arrived to harvest the soya beans, after which the wheat was planted.
April is always a very busy time on the farm, with Murray John spending any spare time he has, buzzing around between the combine harvester and the planters.
Zimbabwe Economy.
Drought.
As Zimbabwe has received very little rain, since the beginning of the year, – the country’s maize crop is a disaster, as most Zimbabwe maize is grown without irrigation. Sadly, we now have a national food crisis, which the government needs to address.
Inflation.
Inflation is still at a high. The government has recently released a new currency called the Zig, which no one has any faith in, so virtually everyone is still using the US dollar.
New Currency.
It is a great opportunity for the children to learn how to trade in different currencies and to see how currencies can lose their value, when not managed correctly. I incorporate what’s happening to the Zimbabwe economy into our school discussions, so that the children can learn something about economics.
Travels.
Lake Kariba.
In April we had a wonderful week away, on a houseboat on Lake Kariba, which is certainly a very special place for a getaway.
You can read more about our trip in my last post; ‘Developing Life Skills through a House-boating Adventure’.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12 vs 12
Keep the faith, take care and God bless.
Please leave a comment below….
- Our Victoria Falls Celebration Trip.
- Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities for May-June 2024.
- What is a Healthy Homeschooling Culture?
- Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities for March-April 2024.
- Developing Life Skills through a Houseboat Adventure.
