20th Wedding Anniversary

We celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary this year! We talked about doing something big to celebrate, but it turned out to be too much, so we spent the day together as a family.

First we went to Mini Town in Durban, then we went for a walk along the beach front. I really enjoyed it! Mya kept wanting to know where we were going.... It was hard for her to understand we were just going for a walk!

We were sure that Pappy Hawkins would LOVE Mini Town and we'll be sure to take him there on his next visit - hint, hint! ;)

There was an engineer up in a tower and he slowed the trains down when he saw I was trying to take a picture of the girls with the train in the background. We were sure that Pappy would like that job.

The engineer also had control over the draw bridge you see in this video:

I don't think I will EVER get enough of the ocean view. God is so amazing, powerful and creative!

Mya's 6!

Mya wanted to go ice skating for her 6th birthday. She has been asking to go ice skating for MONTHS, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. We have an ice skating rink at the mall about 5 minutes away, so we jumped at the chance for some family time. We had the ice skating rink all to ourselves!

And since I don't have a picture of Brandon skating, here's a video! He sure loves his little sister. 

We walked around the mall, played in the playground and Mya treated us to McDonald's with her birthday money.

I'm 6!

Traditional African Crafts

I am in the process of adding South African history to our homeschool studies, integrating it with Tapestry of Grace. Here are links to the books I have found from the list provided for this section in an old edition of All About South Africa:

Tribal Dress: Beadwork and Other Decorative Arts by Aubrey Elliot

(warning: Tribal dress is not traditionally modest)

Milestones of the 20th Century

I am in the process of adding South African history to our homeschool studies, integrating it with Tapestry of Grace. Here are links to the books I have found from the list provided for this section in an old edition of All About South Africa:

Government Policies

I am in the process of adding South African history to our homeschool studies, integrating it with Tapestry of Grace. Here are links to the books I have found from the list provided for this section in an old edition of All About South Africa:

Here are some links to free unit studies for this book:

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/SteCar/

http://www.kidsvotingaz.org/KVAZLessons/lessonDetail.cfm?Lesson_ID=73

http://www.wcmu.org/radio/childrensbooks/cbdlquestions-2008.html#36

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/micmea/index.htm

Black Nationalism - 1910-1990

The Black Nationalism section of All About South Africa would fit into TOG Y4.

Links:

Here is a link to a sample lesson from Footprints into the 21st Century about Cry the Beloved Country. (High School level)

Books to look for: 
I have had some success in finding SA books by watching on bidorbuy.co.za, and don't forget to check your local library!

Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton


or borrow the ebook from the openlibrary for free!

The Great Trek - 1836

The Great Trek section of All About South Africa would fit into TOG Y3 U2 Wks 14-15.

Links:

Here is a link to a sample unit study from Footprints on our Land about the Great Trek. Footprints on our Land is an excellent curriculum on South African History! The Unknown Land

Books to look for: 
I have had some success in finding SA books by watching on bidorbuy.co.za, and don't forget to check your local library!

Black sheep? by Maretha Maartens
The Great Treak by Brain Johnson Barker
The Message by John Coetzee
Unknown Land (Long Ago Books) by Jenny Seed
The Broken Spear by Jenny Seed

Books by Jenny Seed

Strangers in the Land

On the Move

I am in the process of adding South African history to our homeschool studies, integrating it with Tapestry of Grace. Here are links to the books I have found from the list provided for this section in an old edition of All About South Africa:

Prince of the bay by Jenny Seed

Free for Kindle!

Change at the Cape - 1790's

The Change at the Cape section of All About South Africa would fit into TOG Y2.

Field Trip:
The King's blockhouse (Devil's Peak, Cape Town)

Books to look for: 
I have had some success in finding SA books by watching on bidorbuy.co.za, and don't forget to check your local library!

The Cave by Peter Slingsby

The Golden Kris (Literature: Young Africa Series) by M Cassiem D'arcy

Always Working by Candly Malherbe

The French Huguenots - 1688

The Slaves at the Cape section of All About South Africa would fit into TOG Y2.

Field Trip:
The Huguenot Museum (Franschhoek, Western Cape)

Books to look for: 
I have had some success in finding SA books by watching on bidorbuy.co.za, and don't forget to check your local library!

Huguenot Garden by Douglas M Jones

The Huguenot Heritage; The story of the Huguenots at the Cape by Francois Theron
Land of the watching eyes: A story of the Huguenots by Juliet Marais Louw

Slaves at the Cape - 1658

The Slaves at the Cape section of All About South Africa would fit into TOG Y2.

Field Trip:
Iziko Old Slave Lodge Museum (Cape Town)
Slave Bells (Stellenbosch)

Books to look for: 
I have had some success in finding SA books by watching on bidorbuy.co.za, and don't forget to check your local library!


Always Working. Slaves. by Candy Malherbe

All About South Africa

This is going to be the first of many posts about South African history.

Years ago, it was recommended that I get the book All About South Africa to teach my children about South African History. I was able to get an old copy of this book from the library and thought it was a good resource, so a friend & I each invested in a copy. We made a few unit studies from it for our children. At the time I was using KONOS, which is a unit study, so I just slotted in the unit studies we created between the KONOS studies we were using.

I am now using Tapestry of Grace (TOG), which is a classical curriculum that studies chronological history. 

The older version All About South Africa has a list of suggested children's books that the newer copy does not, so I am going to include it below, with permission from Random House Struik.

Most of the books are out of print, but I am trying to get at least one from each section in the book. I have found some from Amazon, Loot.co.za, and Bid or Buy, as well as have purchased a few from library book sales. My intentions are to add these books to our Tapestry of Grace studies in the corresponding time periods, as well as have my children read the sections from All About South Africa about that time period.

I am going to do a series of posts about each of the sections in this book that include books I have been able to purchase, including links for you to follow so that you can purchase them, as well.


I was told by a few seasoned South African homeschool moms that if I can get my hands on Jenny Seed books to jump at the chance. She writes children's historical fiction based in South Africa. I will add any of her books that I can get to the appropriate time period in South African History.

Here is a link to purchase All About South Africa:

allaboutnature.co.za

The San and the Khoikhoi
	Men of Men	Candy Malherbe
	These Small People	Candy Malherbe
	The New Fire	Jenny Seed
	The Faraway Valley	Jenny Seed
The Nguni Speakers
	Zulu Traditions and Cultures	Aubrey Elliot
	The Xhosa and their Traditional Way of Life	Aubrey Elliot
People of the Interior
	The Ndebele Art & Culture	Aubery Elliot
	Abantu	Martin West & Jean Morris
The Early Navigators - 1400's
	Dias & De Gama	Brian Johnson Barker
	Early Navigators	Philip Gon
	Caravel to the Cape	Eve Merchant
Early Days at the Cape - 1652
	Jan van Riebeeck and the Dutch Settlement at the Cape	Brian Johnson
	A Musket and Garden Hoe	J. Marais Louw
	Stowaway to Nowhere	Jenny Seed
Slaves at the Cape - 1658
	The Cave	Peter Slingsby
	The Golden Kris	M Cassiem D'arcy
	Always Working	Candy Malherbe
The French Huguenots - 1688
	The French Huguenots	Francois Theron
	The Huguenot Garden	Douglas Jones
	The Land of the Watching Eyes	Juliet Marais Law
Change at the Cape - 1790's
	Merino	Lesley Beake
On the Move -
	Heroes Tales
	10 Famous South Africans
	Prince of the Bay	Jenny Seed
	Jock of the Bushveld	P. Fitzpatrick
The 1820 Settlers
	The 1820 Settlers of Salem	A E Meakin
	Living with the 1820 Settlers	Marian Robertson
	Settlers
The Great Trek - 1836
	The Great Trek	Brian Johnson Barker
	Black Sheep	Maretha Maartens
	The Message	John Coetzee
The Warrior King - 1815
	Shaka Warrior King of the Zulu	Lynn Bedford Hall
	Voice of the Great Elephant	Jenny Seed
Wars in the Eastern Cape - 1779, 1789, 1799, 1811, 1818, 1834, 1846, 1850, 1877
	Nongqawuse's Prephecy	Karen Press
Conflict in the East 1834-1879
	Joseph Zulu	Bert Schroeder
Boer versus Briton 1880-1902
	The Spy Hill	Jenny Seed
	Ring Around the Moon	Maretha Maartens
South Africa's Rainbow People
	Jakey (1994)	Lesley Beake
	Caravel to the Cape	Eve Merchant
	A Time to Scatter Stones	Jenny Seed
Black Nationalism 1910-1990
	Cry the Beloved Country	Alen Paton
	A Time to Scatter Stones	Jenny Seed
Government Policies
	The Day Gogo Went to Vote
Milestones of the 20th Century
	Illustrated History of South Africa	Reader's Digest
Traditional African Crafts
	Tribal Dress	Aubrey Elliot
Art in South Africa
	150 South African Paintings	Lucy Alexander and Evelyn Cohen
Books
	The Public Library	Zirkea Ellis
	How a Book is Made	Aliki
	Books	Diane McClymont
	10 Famous South Africans
Homes and Houses
	A Concise Guide to Cape Dutch Houses	Phillida Brooke Simons
	Charley's House
Musical Medley
	Sing Africa	Patricia Schonstein
	Stop Those Children	Jenny Seed
Sport and Recreation
	The Allied Book of Sports Facts & Records	SASBOR
Towns and Cities
	The Strollers (1987?)	Lesley Beake
	Hurry, Hurry Sibusiso	Jenny Seed
Rescue Services and Road Safety
	Road Safety	Loiuse Landsberg
Caring for Others
	Nursing	Anne Hugo
	A Cageful of Butterflies	Lesley Beake
A Star Spangled Sky
	Night Skies	Peter Mack
	Halley's Comet	Peter Mack
Keeping in Touch
	The Post Office	WA von der Linde
Lighting up the Land
	The Orange River	Carmen Welz
	The Orange River Project	JC de Korte
Transport
	Transportation	Melane Basmon
	The Journeys of Josephine	Siegfried Stander
Arms and Armour
	South Africa At War	Peter Joyce
	The Armed Forces	Helmoed-Romer Heitman
Mining Gold and Minerals
	Gold	Carmen Welz
	Struben's Golden Valley	John Coetzee
	Gold in South Africa	Ted Scannell
Turning our Wheels
	Oil & Gas	Jacqueline Dinen
	Coal	BJ Stuart
	South African Mining	Anthony Hosking
Diamond Mining
	Diamonds in Southern Africa	Peter Joyce and Ted Scannell
	Canvas City (1866)	Jenny Seed
South Africa at Work
	South African Industry	Tony Koenderman
Killing our Planet
	Nature in the Balance	Rob Marsh
	Nature Conservation	JN Steyn
Working the Land
	Erosion	Suzette Bosmon
	Food for Thought	G Standning
Stock Farming
	Merino	Lesley Beake
Crop Farming
	From Wheatland to Bread	EAG Styne
Money and Banking
	Money in SA	CL Engelbrecht
	Fun with Money	Louise McDermott
Our Coasts and Oceans
	Stormy Seas at Clearwater Bay	Pieter Pieterse
Seashore Life
	Marine Life Along Our Shores	Pauline Harding
	Encounters With Sea Life	Lynn Hurry
	Shells	Diedre Richards
	Explore the Sea Shore of South Africa	Margo Branch
Estuaries
	Seashore Life	Charles and Roberta Griffiths
Water for a Thirsty Land
	The Orange River
	The Orange River Project
	River & Dams	Martyn Bromwell
Mountains and Caves
	The Building of the Berg	AR Wilcox
	Dragon's Wrath	RO Pearse and James Byron
Land of Wonder
	The Singing Grass	Freda Linde
	Flint and the Red Desert	John Coetzee
Erosion
	Soil Conservation	JC de Korte
	Grasses, Grains & Conservation	Joan Munday
The Weather and Climate
	The Weather	John Earle & Denis Bagrall
	Soil	R Thomas
Forecasting the Weather
	Air	J. Williams
Natural Disasters
	Earthquakes	Piet von Rensburg
	Grasshoppers & Locusts	William de Villiers
	The Dove	Dianne Stewart
Preserving Our Country
	Nature in the Balance	Rob Marsh
	Bush School	Lex Hes
	Nature Conservation	JN Steyn
	A Bushveld Safari	Nadine Clarke
Endangered Wild Life
	Question & Answers: Endangered Wildlife of South Africa	J. Conrie-Greig
Discovering Our Mammals
	Question & Answers: Mammals of South Africa	D. Richards
	South African Animal Adventures	Jay Heale
The Cat Family
	The Cheetahs of De Wildt	Anne von Dyk
	Encounters with Wildlife	L. Hurry
	Land Mammals of South Africa	Reay Smithers
Antelopes and Buffalo
	Signs of the Wild	Clive Walker
	Jock of the Bushveld
Curious Creatures
	Mammals	J. Skinner and Penny Meakin
	The Wildlife of South Africa	Paul Rose
	Bush School	Lex Hes
	Question & Answers: Snakes and Reptiles of South Africa	R. Patherson
Amphibians
	Pond & River Eyewitness Guide
	Discovering Amphibians	FAC Tiedt
Freshwater Fish
	Freshwater Fishes of South Africa	M. Bruten and P. Jackson
	The Fresh H20 Fishes of the Kruger National Park	U. de Villiers Pienaar
	Aquaculture	T. Hecht
Sea Fish
	Common Sea Fishes	Rudy von der Elst
	Fish	DR Schreuder
	A Guide to Common Sea Fishes of SA	Rudy von der Elst
Whales, Dolphins and Sharks
	Question & Answers: Mammals of South Africa	D. Richards
	When Wales Go Free	Dianne Hofmeyer
Venomous Creatures
	Venomous Creatures	Gerry Newlands
	Things that Sting	Eric Worrell
	Spiders	Gerry Newlands
Incredible Insects
	Insects	E. Holm
	Harmful Instects	AJ Schoeman
	Grasshoppers & Locusts	William de Villiers
	Field Guide to the Butterflies of South Africa	I. Migdoll
Birds of Prey
	Birds of the National Parks of SA	T. Campbell
	Question & Answer: Birds
	Birds of Prey	I. Sinclair
Our Coastal Birds
	Question & Answer: Birds
Birds Around You
	Backyard Wildlife	L. Hurry
	A Beginners Guide to Our Birds	Jo. Oliver
	Birds of Southern Africa	Ian Sinclair
Where they Grow
	Nomaqualand	Brian Johnson Barker
	Explore the Cape Flora	Margo Branch
	Common Trees	E. & G. Moll
Flowers and Trees
	Tree	D. Burnie