We have officially entered exam season. my eldest son started his Cambridge exam’s which he writes as his previous high school. It’s been a mixed bag of emotions for both of us. It’s his first official exam in a school setting since we started homeschooling. He was met with trepidation and excitement at the thought of going back to his old high school, which felt so strange to him returning as a homeschooler.
When he started at the high school he was given a little booklet of the rules of the school and a lot of it was focused on correct uniform, so he understands how strict the school is regarding uniforms. So been a homeschooler he gets to wear regular clothes when he writes the exam, which he quite enjoyed.
Seeing all his old friends again was awesome for him. They haven’t seen each other in 2 years. They were surprised that his homeschooled and had many questions about the new path we’ve taken. They were also amazed at how tall he’s gone.
His first paper was AS level Afrikaans paper 1 and paper 2 followed in the next few days. This is his final Afrikaans paper. Should he pass these papers he will not need to revisit this subject, which was very appealing to him. We’ve had an Afrikaans tutor who has been assisting him throughout the year, since Afrikaans is not my strong point.
For the 1st Afrikaans paper he had two compulsory comprehension questions. Paper 2 was an essay question. In the beginning of the year Cambridge specifies 4 topics which he had to prepare four different essays, then choose one topic out of the four he prepared. The final paper has the four topics but worded differently. Even though he prepared on the topic, he couldn’t write the exact essay because the question was worded different.
I told him how in matric, I sat to write my Afrikaans Opstel but couldn’t really understand what the topic was about, had never seen the topic before and was expected to write at least two pages. He had an advantage of at least knowing the topic beforehand and was able to prepare.
The entire Cambridge exam because of the vast number of subjects, is spread over a period of six weeks. It’s also an International course so they cater for the many students who write around the world. His exams are therefore spread out quite well over the next few weeks which allows him to study. He also has his TCE (Theocentric Christian Education) syllabus and exams which he will complete in the next four weeks while simultaneously writing his Cambridge exam. I can see he is a little overwhelmed by this because normally in public school all other work ceases when exams start.
He will write Cambridge English paper 1 and paper 2 next week, and end of October Maths paper 1 and 2 and Physical Science paper 1. The last Physical Science exam as well as Business Studies will be written in the beginning of November. He will then start with the TCE exams which is History, English Literature and Character of God (Biblical Studies).
I’m certain that I have prepared him as well as I can for this exam. I need to rest in the fact that he now must apply himself and study and God will strengthen him and guide him through this season. Once completed, the exams are posted off to the Cambridge head office in London to be marked. He will get the results by the 2nd week of January.
We have an intense few weeks ahead of us and I’m praying that he excels.
 

Organisation is key to great and smooth home schooling day. Recently I have valued any opportunity to reorganize our home school method of working with regards to our timetable and our day in general.

I invested in some new metal buckets for our stationary, so it is easily accessible as the glass bottles I was using wasn’t very kid friendly. I kept imagining that one day they will break and seriously injure one of my kids as they carelessly reach out and grab them. For ease of use the Metal buckets stay on the dining room table and even look so cute... Functional and cute can’t beat that!

I’ve purchased an electric sharpener which my kids are loving. I thought of doing that earlier in the
year but kept putting it off. The small sharpeners are always breaking, getting lost in the house or
just don’t sharpen well enough anymore. This was one of the best investments so far and the kids
are super excited to have a new toy.

We have a timetable which we use daily but it’s inside our curriculum book. The kids are always
asking me what’s next on the list of subjects to do. With the help of a friend I made little subject
cards. We attach them on a string above their desk with little pegs and as they finish each subject
they taken down and put into the completed basket. This brilliant idea was taken from a fellow
home school mom. It allows my kids the independence of seeing what is still left to do instead of
keep asking mom. They able to have control by taking the subjects cards down and getting that
satisfaction that they have completed it.

Lastly both kids need to write in cursive but the one is struggling to form the letters on a day to day basis. The other has a cursive writing book which is used daily. The challenge is getting the cursive book out every time I need to check if the word is formed correctly, so I created framed cursive writing A4 Charts which is hung above their work desk so they can easily view the form of the words and adjust if necessary.

A lot of thought goes into problem solving for all the small niggles we find ourselves having on a
daily basis. I research by also looking at how other home school moms solve challenges they face
and hopefully try replicate that solution.
​
Sometimes it works well other times it doesn’t fit our family or style of learning. I play around with
ideas all the time. Each family unit is different, and each individual child is different. Be flexible to
change and adjust, that’s the beauty of homeschooling!

I’m often asked how I manage to teach three different grades during our school day. It came quite natural to me because my kids are different ages and wake up at different times.
We officially start our school day at 8am. My eldest son who is in grade 11 is always up first so we start earlier than 8am. I run through his schedule of work for the day, which sometimes involves him going to the maths tutor or a tutor coming to our home. He mostly works independently and will ask for my help when needed. I mark and check each task as he completes it throughout the day. He also watches online lessons when necessary and History videos, which he finds very interesting. My kids all love visual learning, so wherever we can, we watch a video on the topic for the day.
My eldest also has a study time-table which allows him a break after school and at least two hours of study time at night. This is done daily as he studies for his weekly test. During exam time he studies weekends as well.
I am more involved with my second son who is in grade 6, and my daughter who is in grade 3. They do not sit in the same area because they distract one another. I also tutor every lesson aloud which distracts the other child, so for this reason I separate them for written task.
I will teach my eldest son a particular subject and he will independently complete the task until his next subject starts. While his gets on with that subject, I can then start with my daughter. This will go on for all the lessons for the day. We have a break at 11am where they will go outside and have their lunch and a time of free play. After lunch it’s back to the same routine until the end of the school day. I’ve recently changed our daily time-table as starting with maths wasn’t ideal for us. We now begin our mornings with English and Spelling.
In-between these lessons, I’m continually marking their task as they complete it. They do corrections on the work as I mark. This allows me to judge whether that section was clearly understood. If it was not understood, we revise before moving forward. We also do experiments during or after their lessons when necessary. We do experiments almost weekly, as I find practical experiments reinforces what we have learned for the lesson.
They each have a reader for the term. Reading is done at the end of the school day. They are required to do a book report at the end of the term which counts toward their English mark.
After our school work is completed we use maths flash cards to play games, and match Afrikaans words to English words to expand our vocabulary.
We have extra murals most afternoons, so our school day ends by 2.30 the latest. If we do not complete the school work during the school day it is done as homework, this is not often. If there are any test scheduled for the week, they will also spend some time studying in the evening.
I try to keep learning interesting and fun by allowing them to lead the discussion. There is often a few why questions which we can explore during our lesson. The one on one time spent learning and researching different topics is invaluable. It’s always an enrichment experience for me as well.

Quality verses Quantity
 
I am often asked about the social element of home-schooling. When do my kids socialise with other kids? The only time they not in the company of other kids is during our school day.
I’ve mentioned in previous blogs the many extra- murals my kids are involved in on a weekly basis.
From Soccer, Karate to Ballet and others, most of our afternoons are spent at extra-murals. This is one avenue where they are able to connect and socialise with kids similar ages to them.
Another is church, as we are very involved in church, our kids go to youth group, junior youth group and Children’s Church. Here as well they are in social circles with kids their own age.
Most importantly for me though, is not the quantity of the friends made but rather the quality of the friendships formed. I find most of our intentional friendships are formed among fellow home-schooling families who have the same values as we do.
I believe God has ordained friendships with fellow families who have similar beliefs and moral standing that we have. We have become much more intentional with friendships and our kids also have become much more aware of friendship choices. Friendships are no longer based on whether you will play with me during break, or whether you will invite me to your next party. My son sometimes used to take a toy to school to win over a child who he wanted to play with during break time. Which for me has always been so shallow.
They are no longer forming friendships out of peer pressure or wanting to fit in to certain popular groups. It’s become more about making meaningful friendships with kids that are kind and caring, or kids they share common interest with and I’m finding that age is not much of a factor for them anymore. My 11-year-old son is emotionally immature as most boys his age, so he has formed friendships with 9- or 10-year olds and plays little boy games like cars or guns, without the pressures of been forced to act more mature than what he is.
My daughter is 8 years old is very particular about what she loves, so she’s connected with girls who have similar interest to her. Some of her friends are the same age or older than her.
I love the freedom of forming meaningful friendships rather than friendships formed just because we are in the same class at school. Or because we travel in the same lift club. Or do the same sport after school. One great friend is better than having a handful of unintentional, fake friendships that never last the year.
I think finding your tribe takes time, but when you do find them, it’s nothing short of awesome!
 
 
 
 
 

I’m often asked how I manage to teach three different grades during our school day. It came quite natural to me because my kids are different ages and wake up at different times.
We officially start our school day at 8am. My eldest son who is in grade 11 is always up first so we start earlier than 8am. I run through his schedule of work for the day, which sometimes involves him going to the maths tutor or a tutor coming to our home. He mostly works independently and will ask for my help when needed. I mark and check each task as he completes it throughout the day. He also watches online lessons when necessary and History videos, which he finds very interesting. My kids all love visual learning, so wherever we can, we watch a video on the topic for the day.

My eldest also has a study time-table which allows him a break after school and at least two hours of study time at night. This is done daily as he studies for his weekly test. During exam time he studies weekends as well.
​
I am more involved with my second son who is in grade 6, and my daughter who is in grade 3. They do not sit in the same area because they distract one another. I also tutor every lesson aloud which distracts the other child, so for this reason I separate them for written task.
I will teach my eldest son a particular subject and he will independently complete the task until his next subject starts. While his gets on with that subject, I can then start with my daughter. This will go on for all the lessons for the day. We have a break at 11am where they will go outside and have their lunch and a time of free play. After lunch it’s back to the same routine until the end of the school day. I’ve recently changed our daily time-table as starting with maths wasn’t ideal for us. We now begin our mornings with English and Spelling.

In-between these lessons, I’m continually marking their task as they complete it. They do corrections on the work as I mark. This allows me to judge whether that section was clearly understood. If it was not understood, we revise before moving forward. We also do experiments during or after their lessons when necessary. We do experiments almost weekly, as I find practical experiments reinforces what we have learned for the lesson.
They each have a reader for the term. Reading is done at the end of the school day. They are required to do a book report at the end of the term which counts toward their English mark.
After our school work is completed we use maths flash cards to play games, and match Afrikaans words to English words to expand our vocabulary.
​
We have extra murals most afternoons, so our school day ends by 2.30 the latest. If we do not complete the school work during the school day it is done as homework, this is not often. If there are any test scheduled for the week, they will also spend some time studying in the evening.
I try to keep learning interesting and fun by allowing them to lead the discussion. There is often a few why questions which we can explore during our lesson. The one on one time spent learning and researching different topics is invaluable. It’s always an enrichment experience for me as well.

When my middle son was in state school doing grade 4, his teacher called me in to show me his workbooks. I was stunned to see that none of his activities were completed. The teacher therefore could not mark his incomplete work and had to formulate a term mark for his report based on what he did complete.  He would start and never finish the given task. His teacher had over 30 students in the class and could not check each child’s task for every subject, so my son often got away with not completing his work. I suggested my son be kept inside during break to complete his work, but this wasn’t always possible due to various other commitments his teacher had to tend to. When I questioned my son his reasons for not completing his task, he had two reasons. One he didn’t understand the work well enough to continue alone, and two he didn’t have enough time to complete the task.
This was one of the reasons I decided to home-school him. I can now not only make sure he completes his work but also understands it. Whatever he doesn’t complete during the allocated time, is now done as homework. He hates having homework so his learning that there are consequences to incomplete task.
His always struggled with concentration and when he was in school he was on Ritalin, because this was suggested by his teachers. As a parent you never choose to medicate. One of the main benefits of home-schooling is the one on one attention, which means he can be closely monitored and reminded to focus and complete his task. I made a difficult decision when I chose to home-school that I will no longer continue with Ritalin. I decided to face whatever challenges going without medication would bring. It is difficult but not impossible to manage a child with concentration issues. Some days are more challenging than others and there are often tears. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve managed so far. Each child and each situation is different, what has worked for us may not work for others.
One method that I find works for us is a stopwatch. He sets his watch to an hour and this allows him independence to monitor his own time. Every 15 min I check how far he is and encourage him to focus. Often, I find him playing with a toy, drawing or reading a book. Each time I gently remind to focus on completing his work.  
I notice his slowest work day is a Monday due to the relaxed weekend. With all the long weekends in April it’s been challenging to say the least. I constantly remind myself that this is very normal and allow him space. He eventually completes all his required work by the end of the week. He achieved three A’s for his weekly test. When we have a successful week, it allows me to relax, knowing that he does understand the work and he is learning something new every week, and to celebrate the small victories.

I know its cliché, but I cannot believe how quickly time flies…the term has come and gone. There are always challenges when starting a new year and the first term of the year was not short of its challenges.
Some of the challenges I have faced lie mainly with the volume of work grade 11 brings with it. The daily challenges of completing the task as well as explaining the work. English Poetry is very challenging, as we are required to read through the poem together and understand the rhythm, rhyme scheme, etc. I don’t ever remember having to do poetry in such depth in school, it was difficult trying to explain how to do it to my son. It’s just as much of a learning experience for me.
He started reading an amazing book “Eternity in their hearts” for his Character of God subject. This is his Biblical Studies section of his work. I have also had to read it as I am required to formulate answers for the questions. I have found this book so interesting as it focuses on the past missionaries who have faced many challenges as they infiltrate the rural parts of the world with the Gospel.
Physical Science and Mathematics has been mostly revision of grade 10 work so far and we have a student who is assisting with the more challenging work.
Afrikaans has never been my strong point and this year is a challenge as it is mostly focused on writing essays. The tutor we have has been a great help in assisting my son with grammatical errors.
History is one of his favourite subjects, he enjoys it. He is learning to formulate and study essays.
We had a delay in receiving the Business Studies books, so we are still playing catch up with that.
As far as sports goes, my son has always dreamed of being a soccer player.  We have enrolled him in a soccer team and he started training with them twice a week. He looks forward to playing his first game with the new team soon.
He decided to take a year off from piano lessons. I must admit it broke my heart because he was playing so well and started sounding like a classical pianist. I am learning to trust that God has a hand in this decision and need to allow my son freedom of choice now that his older.
Its been amazing to witness my younger son progress especially in Mathematics. It’s become his favourite subject simply because we spend more time on it and its not rushed and misunderstood. He now sees the new concepts as exciting and is open and eager to understand it. In the past this has been met with anxiety and a fear of failure. I constantly affirm positivity by telling him that he can do it, and as we learn together we discover new things daily. He has also started a new music instrument. I have always wanted them to learn piano, which he did for the last 5 years, but this year he decided his choice of instrument is guitar.
My daughter, I’m discovering daily, learns more practically. For maths we work with money from her money box, so she can physically touch and count it in her hand instead of just seeing it in print. Science has been practical and fun this term, which she thoroughly enjoyed. We have dissected a flower, created mould and studied the imprint of a mushroom.  I also invested in a plastic model of an eye, so that she can touch and see the different parts of the eye as we studied that section.
I must admit there are different dynamics with girls. They are super sensitive beings…she responds best when I allow her to lead the way. Coupled with definite lines of discipline, I have allowed my guard to be let down a bit more this term with her. She is teaching me her way of learning and I am responding only when she calls for help.
I have also enrolled the two younger ones in an Eco club which has been amazing. We meet once a month at a nature reserve and outdoor learning has taken on a new life. We have learnt so much. There is something magical about being out in nature. They are so much more aware of nature, and alert to all around them.
The home-schooling Book Club has also been a new venture for us, where the kids meet once a month to discuss a book they are reading and explain a bit about the story. This has been amazing because it doubles as building their self confidence as they learn to speak in a group of kids of different age groups.
Our days are full of extra murals, which means a lot of driving for me. I must admit I am grateful for a short holiday to relax and re-fire for the next term.
 

Writing down your Vision
 
I’ve always been a firm believer in writing down your vision for the New year. I was brought up in a Christian home with my dad been a Pastor, so for as long as I can remember he always taught us how important it was to have a vision for your life. I often believe in focusing on short term goals which help me get to my 3 or 5-year plan. Longer term goals can seem like a far stretch so I prefer to write down my one-year goals because it makes it more attainable.
Last year December I came across Terri Savelle and wow was I blown away with her simple explanation on how to set out a vision board. I decided then and there to implement this with my kids. (Sounds simple hey…3 kids 3 different personalities… what fun!)
Well after a lot of explanation on what to do and getting each one to think about what they want to improve on or start for the year, we eventually got pen to paper. We started out by writing down just 5 very specific things they and I would like to achieve this year. How much money they would like to save, how many books they would like to read, personal school and sports goals etc.
My Eldest is 16, some of his goals are so different or mature when compared to my 8-year-old. His 11 year old brother had to be reminded to be himself and not do what the older brother wants to do…(a sibling thing). My eldest goals are to get fit and try out for soccer trials, as his always wanted to be a professional soccer player. His daily goal is to run and gym. He also plays the piano and has decided to leave classical style piano and follow a Jazz style rather.( His choice not mine). His future is to study at Wits or UCT University either Engineering or Law.
Common goals for all my kids is to Pray and read their bibles daily, and another is to try save their allowances instead of buying trivial stuff. We plan to open bank accounts for them.
Specific goals for my 11-year-old son is to move from piano to guitar, (his dad is his hero, and recently plays more guitar than piano). He also loves karate and wants to grade to blue belt this year.
My daughter loves ballet and she would love to dance in Paris when she’s older. Short term goals, we started her at a new ballet school and she will be doing her grade 3 ballet exam this year. She also wants to learn an instrument soon (she just can’t decide yet so we are looking at guitar this year).
I did some of my personal goals with them as well. We spent a morning planning and writing, arguing and laughing, but we eventually got it done.
I went online and printed some images relate to their goals, bought some colour chart paper and we began each individual’s vision board. They drew a title and a short sentence for each goal. We attached a visual picture to each goal, and they were so proud to complete their vision boards.
They stuck their boards next to their bed so each morning and evening they commit their year to God in prayer.
Having a vision board and working daily and weekly to accomplish them, will give them the drive to live life on purpose. To wake up each day with a passion to fulfil their vision. This is a lifelong habit that I hope to instil in them each year. I encourage you to do the same with your kids, they not too young for it. This cannot be taught at school, we as parents must take responsibility for their future. They will thank you when they older. I know I’m  grateful to my parents.
 
 
 

My two boys in grades 10 and 5, write exams in June and again in November. I chose a curriculum that has exams because an exam is a review of everything they have learnt for the year. It helps me understand which subjects need more attention in the new term or new year.
We zone into those problem areas with extra lessons through a tutor or with mom focusing more time on certain areas in the evenings. We can focus on doing more examples if its Maths or English and if it’s a study subject like History or Science, it helps me to monitor studying more carefully, by making sure they study a little harder. Sometimes I do random testing on study subjects, much to their dislike! After writing the June exam we received a report back from TCE principal, I then realised we needed to work harder in certain subjects especially Afrikaans.  I sent a message on the home-school WhatsApp group (again an amazing support system) and managed find and enlist the help of an Afrikaans teacher who did tutoring in the afternoons from her home. I noticed an improvement every week. It’s harder to judge this on a day to day basis where they are understanding the concept been taught then and there. Whereas in an exam there are more concepts added and they must learn A plus B together, it can be confusing if the concepts are not fully understood.
They write the exams in the comfort of their own home, so it does lessen the pressure experienced when compared to school exams. They both have their own study space with a desk and chair and we try our best to keep the home quiet and free from anything distracting while they focus. (not that easy when you have the little sister in grade 2, who doesn’t do exams yet!)
I am requested by Theocentric Christian Education to sign a parental declaration form which states that I will not or have not assisted them in any way during the exam. This is very difficult as a parent, because especially as a mom, we have a natural instinct to want to help our kids. I must remind myself that it will only hurt them in the long run. The exam period is their time to figure it out, to work independently and to do their best without mom helping.
I do not have the answers to the exams. The exam question papers are downloaded from the Theocentric Christian Educations website and printed out. They write one to two papers per day depending on the subject, for example maths is written alone, but English paper one and two are written together.
Once the entire exam is completed I scan and email all the papers to T.C.E head office where the exams are marked. I also email my completed marksheet form which contains the marks for test done throughout the year. This continuous assessment marks together with the final exam marks are calculated together and an average mark for the term is then given on their final report.
They set goals to achieve higher than they did last term. They get excited to see what their reports will hold. We also give them different incentives to encourage them to do their best. I believe in rewarding good results, I’ve seen the benefits of a reward system as an incentive for hard work.