Ashleigh Whaley
May Adventures and Activities.
May Activities:
Homeschooling.
May activities were great fun, as the children were able to get back into Harare sporting activities, plus busy preparations for the new polo season.
Busy mornings.
Schooling usually keeps us busy during the mornings, but my children have also learnt to school around their sporting activities. With our weekly trips to Harare for sports, schooling can happen ‘on the move’, as often the best time to hire a sports coach is during the mornings.
Our children take their ‘on the move’ schooling in their stride, as they seem to adapt to change so much better than us adults. Sometimes we start school very early (5.30am), so that most of their academic goals can be achieved, before sports take over.
Life Skills.
I find that, as long as I communicate with the children, they are happy to adjust and work around their different activities. This life skill should enable them to be ahead in the big game called “Life!’. I love the saying; ‘I homeschool my children so that I may do life with them’. -This is exactly what happens in our family…
As we all work together in the same office, the children get to see all my frustrations, irritations and achievements,- first hand! I share my business dreams, goals and problems with my children and they have come to understand that, – yes life is full of hurdles, but we can and do overcome most of them and we certainly do not give up!
We pray together, laugh together and share life’s challenges with one other, which is an enormous blessing and makes our days very real and often extremely interesting. Through it all I encourage them to remain hopeful and to constantly keep their sights on our end goals.
7 Ways how to Motivate and Encourage your Child.
Homeschooling Friends.
Murray John found two small hares in the field when he was in the combine. These he brought home to feed and look after. Sadly, these crafty little ones soon escaped back to the fields.
The children love sharing their furred and feathered friends with others, whilst telling them stories of their escapades, personalities, likes and dislikes. For example; the ducks and chickens, living down at the stables, love to steal the horse feed, as and when they can!
Homeschooling Art.
Murray John is fascinated with anything that has a motor or an engine. He brought himself a drill with his PACE money and he is now my ‘on the spot’ DIY guy.
Fixing the Toilet Roll Holder. 
Fixing the Electric Car Wash.
Both Murray John and Paula Joy enjoy learning to do DIY things around the home. It’s great to see such enthusiasm to accomplish all the chores I least like.
Horses.
Every weekend we head off to polo practice, which is a huge undertaking with eleven horses, three grooms, a lorry driver and four polo players! The grooms and driver also need to be fed and looked after for the weekend.
As parents we are firm believers in teaching our children responsibility from a young age, so each member of the family has their specific jobs to do. This ensures that the polo practice goes smoothly.
The children are slowly learning what needs to be packed for each weekend and how to check their polo kit and horse tack. It takes much time, energy and team work, to get us all through a polo weekend.
When not actually playing polo the children are often found playing foot polo or cricket with their polo friends.
Between weekend practices we spend every afternoon training the ponies and improving our polo skills. Paula Joy spends a great deal of her spare time working with our two homebred ponies, training them with the Clinton Anderson method.
Training Ponies. 
Polo Practice on Farm.
Her goal is to do a demonstration for spectators, at one of the ‘end of season’ polo matches. I have encouraged her to do her own research, so only help as and when she struggles.
Homeschooling Sport.
As Harare has finally got back on track, as regards their sporting activities, the children have been playing loads of cricket this month. They have now joined the ‘Bakers Inn Cricket League.’
Matches are held on Saturdays, which presently clashes with polo practice. However, once the polo season ends, the children will be able to play in all the cricket matches. Golf lessons have also begun, as has their gym work.
May Adventures:
Farm Life.
Dalston Farm.
During the month of May, there is always something happening on the farm for the children to participate in. With the soya bean harvest in full swing, plus the winter wheat planting, it’s all go on the farm.
Murray John spends all his spare time dashing between the different operations, such as; combining crops, harrowing fields and grain carting in the lorry. Paula Joy uses her motorbike to ferry him to all these different operations.
Zimbabwe Economy.
Inflation continues to rise here in Zimbabwe and everyone is feeling the effects of it. Sadly there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of this tunnel, so everyone keeps plodding along, using their wits to survive.
Right now our fuel prices are the highest in the region, due to heavy government taxes. This is subsequently driving up commodity prices… All we can do is to constantly help those around us, as best we can, whilst continuing to pray for Zimbabwe.
Environmental Awareness.
At this time of the year the farm is alive with birds of all kinds, which we as a family really appreciate. As the winter wheat germinates, so the Egyptian geese arrive to graze on the lovely, tender shoots. Nearby, numbers of Guinea fowl and Franklin feed happily on the maize seeds in the fields. We are all constantly keeping an eye out for any new bird species.
God bless.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29 vs 11
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