Beverley Naidoo, South Africa & Tapestry of Grace

What happens when you move? You sort. And sort. And sort. I sorted through things as we packed, getting rid of what we no longer need, and now I'm sorting through things as I unpack!

I came across a book today while unpacking my school room that I thought I could add to my my children's reading list this year. We are doing Year 4 of Tapestry of Grace, which covers the time period from 1900 to the Present. The book is Journey to Jo'burg by Beverley Naidoo. As I researched to find the time setting for this book, I found that she's written several other highly recommended books. I thought I would share, first of all, so that I don't forget about them! Secondly, I thought someone else might find it useful.
Please keep in mind, other than Journey to Jo'burg, I haven't previewed the books and plan to preview them before letting my children read them.

Out of Bounds, TOG Y4, Units 3-4, 1950-2000

Recommended for Grades 6 and up. (Also available on Kindle)

Journey to Jo'burg, TOG Y4, Wk 31 - 1985 (This is when the book was first published)

Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

Chain of Fire, TOG Y4, Wk 32 - 1986 (This is when the book was first published) (Out of Print)
Sequel to Journey to Jo'burg


No Turning Back, TOG Y4, Wk 33 or 34
Recommended for Grades 4 and up. (Also available on Kindle)



There is also the sweetest children's book! I am going to have to purchase this one! I just fell in love with the preview on Amazon.

S is for South Africa

Boer versus Briton 1880-1902

I am in the process of adding South African history to our homeschool studies, integrating it with Tapestry of Grace. The Boer versus Briton (Anglo Boer War) section of All About South Africa would fit into TOG Y4.


Books to look for:
Ring Around the Moon by Maretha Maartens
Place Among the Stones by Jenny Seed
The Policeman's Button by Jenny Seed
The Spy Hill by Jenny Seed

Links:

Photographic Record of the Anglo Boer War
Anglo Boer War website

Field Trips:
Battlefields
"Luthuli Farewell Square is named in honour of early trader Lieutenant Francis Farewell and liberation struggle leader Albert Luthuli. Monuments here include statues in honour of Queen Victoria, a Boer War memorial, a Cenotaph honouring the fallen in both World Wars among other memoria. The square is opposite the eThekwini (formerly Durban) City Hall." (As a side note, eThekwini City Hall was built in 1903, so also a great visit for this time period.)
Battle of Magersfontein - Kimberly
Kruger House Museum - Pretoria

Home School Curriculum 2014

Here is what we're using for homeschool this year...

Brandon, age 14

Tapestry of Grace Year 3 - Rhetoric Level, which covers:

• World History

• World Classics of Literature

• Fine Arts

• Church History

• Government 

• Philosophy

Apologia Physical Science

Easy Grammar 

Math U See Geometry and Stewardship

Mavis Beacon Typing

Afrikaans 

Institute for Excellence in Writing

• SWI 

• US History, Vol. 1

He is also using the recommended Vocabulary list for the SAT's, doing 15 words a week. We will slow down to 10 words a week, if necessary.

Marissa, age 11

Tapestry of Grace Year 3 - Upper Grammar/Dialectic:

• History, Arts, Geography

Apologia Science Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day 

Easy Grammar 

Math U See Zeta (will probably start PreAlgebra mid-year)

Mavis Beacon Typing 

Afrikaans 

Handwriting Without Tears 

Spelling Power, Fourth Edition 

Institute for Excellence in Writing

• SWI 

• US History, Vol. 1

Mya, Age 6

Little Footprints 

Teach Your Child to Read in Just Ten Minutes a Day

Math U See Alpha 

Handwriting Without Tears 

Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day 

The Royal Diaries & Tapestry of Grace

The Royal Diaries, like Dear America, is another series of historical fiction books with a target audience of 8-13 year old girls. However, unlike the Dear America series which is written based on the accounts of fictional girls in America's history, the girls that The Royal Diaries are written about are women of royalty all over the world. Some of the books were made into TV movies and are available on Netflix.

Following is a list of the episodes that are available on Netflix, along with a link to the actual book.

• 57 B.C. Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, by Kristiana Gregory 

• 1466 Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain,by Carolyn Meyer

• 1544 Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, by Kathryn Lasky

Dear America & Tapestry of Grace

I just became aware of the Dear America books, a series of historical fiction books, aimed at girls ages 8-13. Each book is written in the form of a diary of a young girl during a different era of US History. They also made some of the books into episodes that are available on Netflix. I am excited to read & watch some of these with my daughter as we study the coinciding time periods in Tapestry of Grace! 

Following is a list of the episodes that are available on Netflix, along with a link to the actual book (some of which are even available on Kindle!),the week I plan to use it with Tapestry of Grace and a link to the discussion guide from scholastic. There are a lot more books available, but this is where we will start!

• 1620 (Y2, Wk 21) - A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, by Kathryn Lasky (discussion guide) (Teaching with Dear America)

• 1763 (Y2, Wk 29) - Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, by Mary Pope Osborne (discussion guide) (Teaching with Dear America)

• 1777 (Y2, Wk 31-32) - The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, by Kristiana Gregory (discussion guide) (Teaching with Dear America)

• 1836 (Y3, Wk 12) - A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, Gonzales, Texas, by Sherry Garland (discussion guide) (Teaching with Dear America) 

• 1847 - (Y3, Wk 13) So Far from Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts, by Barry Denenberg (discussion guide) (Teaching with Dear America)

• 1859 (Y3 Wk 21) - A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl, Belmont Plantation, Virginia, by Patricia McKissack (discussion guide) (Teaching with Dear America)

• 1864 (Y3 Wk 24) - When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, by Barry Denenberg (discussion guide) (Teaching with Dear America)

• 1903 (Y4 Wk 1) - Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, by Kathryn Lasky (discussion guide) (Teaching with Dear America)

• 1919 - (Y4 Wk 7) Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, the Great Migration North, Chicago, Illinois, by Patricia McKissack (discussion guide) (Teaching with Dear America)

Tapestry of Grace Year 1 - Rosh Hashanah

Here's another long overdue post from co-op last year. Rosh Hashanah! 

We went to a nearby lake and talked about the meaning of Rosh Hashanah. One of the moms brought a shofar and we took turns trying to blow it. 

We ate Challah Bread with honey and apples,

and threw our bread crumbs into to "sea" to
symbolize God's forgiveness of our sins.

As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:12) 

He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19) 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Tapestry of Grace Year 1 Unit 1 - Challah Bread

Flash Back to March 2012 - We made Challah Bread in co-op. Here are some pics!

Tapestry of Grace - You don't have to do it all!

I am a mom. I assume if you are a mom, that you, like me, feel the need to do it all, and do it all well! Everyone's "all" may look different, but we each have a desire to be the best good at what we do - parenting, teaching, housekeeping, ministry, etc. That rolls over into expectations for homeschool and into our expectations for our children. It can take over our lives and become so overwhelming that it's hard to breathe sometimes!

Our family, plus Mickey, saying goodbye to a visiting missionary

Imagine me homeschooling 2 of my children, age 13 & 10, add to that my busy 5 yr. old as well as caring for an extra 2 year old each week from Sunday - Friday afternoon around the clock. On top of that add missionary wife, homeschool co-op, drama practice for the kids, music ministry at church, being a leader at Jr. & Sr. Youth, teaching children's Bible Study, discipleship, packing to move and anything else that might come along, and how do you do it "all" and be the best at it?
Imagine almost 1 1/2 years into using Tapestry of Grace when a kindred homeschool mom pointed out to me in co-op the phrase printed in my curriculum, penned by the author that says,

"Remember that you should always choose among (the activities); no one student can possible do all of these in one week!" 

What?!?! Really? How in the world did I miss that?? It was printed on every activity page, every week! I can CHOOSE among the activities? My children don't have to do them all? I don't have to feel guilty when there's no way we can fit it all in?
I started to breathe again, no longer needing to hold my breath! It was amazing how freeing it was to know that there was no expectation to do it "all"!
So, if you are a new homeschool mom, new to Tapestry of Grace, or just needed a reminder, here is your ticket to freedom. You don't have to do it all! So let's go have a cup of tea, make a few choices, have fun with our families, and do our best while not feeling the need to BE the best. Slow down and enjoy!

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

People of the Interior

The People of the Interior section of All About South Africa (South African History) would fit into Tapestry of Grace Y1.

Before I started with Tapestry of Grace, a friend and I did some homeschool unit studies on South Africa with our 6 children. Now that I am using TOG, I would do one of two things. First, South Africa has 40 weeks in their school year, while TOG only does 36, so I could take a week away from TOG here and there and add in a week of SA History. But if my year is too busy, I would just take the time to read the section in All About South Africa and add one of the books to read, if I have it.

Ideas to Incorporate:

• Learn some Tswana
• Make South African flag from beads
• Make Samp and Beans
• Make Ndebele homes
• Mark people groups on wall map

Field Trip:

Lesedi Cultural Village (Gauteng)

Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History (Gauteng)

Tsonga Kraal Museum (Limpopo)
Botshabelo (Mpumalanga)

Links:

Tswana People of South Africa
Shangaan-Tsonga
Seed Bead South African Flag Pattern
Ndebele
More Ndebele

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 Ndebele Art & Culture by Aubrey Elliot
Abantu by Martin West and Jean Morris

The Nguni Speakers

The Nguni Speakers section of All About South Africa (South African History) would fit into Tapestry of Grace Y1.

Before I started with Tapestry of Grace, a friend and I did some homeschool unit studies on South Africa with our 6 children. Now that I am using TOG, I would do one of two things. First, South Africa has 40 weeks in their school year, while TOG only does 36, so I could take a week away from TOG here and there and add in a week of SA History. But if my year is too busy, I would just take the time to read the section in All About South Africa and add one of the books to read, if I have it.

Ideas to Incorporate:

• Make a Zulu shield out of fake fur and wooden skewers
• Make an African Drum
• Make Mealie Meal Bread (see recipe below) or Pap, and serve with chicken and pumpkin
• Learn about Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi
• Learn about Nguni cattle
• Study the Iron Age
• Place a picture of each of the people groups on the appropriate place on a South African map
• Talk about the roles of women and men in the Nguni culture. Have children dramatize.

Field Trip:

Lesedi Cultural Village (Gauteng)
Guests are divided into smaller groups and taken on a guided tour of our five homesteads: Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho, Ndebele and Pedi

Recipe:

Early South Africans were mostly hunter-gatherers. They depended on foods such as tortoises, crayfish, coconuts, and squash to survive. The practice of modern agriculture was introduced by the Bantu, natives of northern Africa. They taught inhabitants to grow vegetables such as corn ("mealies"), squash, and sweet potatoes.

It is customary for children to eat from the same dish, usually a big basin. This derives from a "share what you have" belief which is part of ubuntu (humane) philosophy.

Mealie Meal Bread (I got this recipe years ago - not sure where I got it from!)

1 ½ cups Milk
2 cups Mealie Meal
1 tsp Salt 
4 tbsp Butter (or Margarine) 
3 Eggs, beaten 
2 tsp Baking Powder 

Heat 1 cup of the milk and then blend the other ½ cup of milk together with the mealie meal. Then add the mealie meal, salt and butter to the cup of hot milk and mix well. Cool and then add the beaten eggs and baking powder. Blend well and turn in to a greased loaf tin. Bake at 180’C/350’F/Gas Mark 4 for 30 to 40 minutes.

Links:

The Xhosa People
The Zulu People
Nguni
Nguni Cattle

Iron Age 
Traditional African Clothing
African Jewelry
Swazi
African Farmers

Field Trips:
Lesedi Cultural Village (Gauteng)

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

Zulu Traditions and Cultures by Aubrey Elliot
The Xhosa and their Traditional Way of Life by Aubrey Elliot
Looking at the Zulu by Roger and Pat de la Harpe
Looking at the Xhosa by Roger and Pat de la Harpe
The Abundant Herds: A Celebration of the Nguni Cattle of the Zulu People by Leigh Voigt

The San and the KhoiKhoi

The San and the KhoiKhoi section of All About South Africa (South African History) would fit into Tapestry of Grace Y1.

Before I started with Tapestry of Grace, a friend and I did some homeschool unit studies on South Africa with our 6 children. Now that I am using TOG, I would do one of two things. First, South Africa has 40 weeks in their school year, while TOG only does 36, so I could take a week away from TOG here and there and add in a week of SA History. But if my year is too busy, I would just take the time to read the section in All About South Africa and add one of the books to read, if I have it.

Ideas to Incorporate:

• Read the section on San and the KhoiKhoi
• Learn about nomads.
• When reading the sections on KhoiKhoi Houses, The Strandlopers, Hottentots Holland Mountains and The KhoiKhoi are dispossessed, locate the areas referred to and mark one of them on a map of South Africa with a picture of a KhoiKhoi hunter.
• Read creation account from Genesis and make a creation wheel.
• Re-create a miniature model of a Khoi home with plaster of paris and brown paint.
• Learn about and practice rock art.
• Study about Ostrich.
• Have ostrich steaks or game for dinner.  Make a fire and sit around it and eat.
• Make a San hut with long grass.
• Locate the Kalahari on the South African map and mark it with a picture of a praying mantis. 
• Study the praying mantis.
• Make a reed flute

Links:

South Africa History Online - Arrival of KhoiKhoi

Creating Your Own Rock Art

The Khoi Hut

Creation Wheel
Bushmen
San Bushmen
Praying Mantis

Field Trips:

Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History (Gauteng)

The National Cultural History Museum explores South Africa’s cultural diversity in various permanent and temporary exhibitions. Exhibitions include rock paintings and engravings of the San people; thousand year old Iron Age figurines from Schroda in the Limpopo Province (described as "the best known artifacts indicating ritual behaviour in the Early Iron Age"); the Art Gallery presents an overview of South African culture through time, using cultural objects, crafts, sculpture and paintings and an exhibition on Marabastad is a true example of a cosmopolitan and fully integrated rainbow nation before apartheid. Visit our new shop. 

Books to look for: 
I have had some success in finding SA books by watching on bidorbuy.co.za

The Far-away Valley by Jenny Seed

Men of Men by Candy Malherbe

These Small People by Candy Malherbe

The New Fire by Jenny Seed

The Cave by Peter Slingsby
Nama Kwa’s Garden by Mary Clanahan

Come Over to my House by Theo Leisig

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

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