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

Home School Curriculum Missionary Discounts

I home schooled for a few years before I became aware of the fact that many curriculum providers offer discounts to missionaries (and many are also for those in full time ministry)! I thought I would highlight some of them here. As Steve Demme stated, "This is my way of encouraging those of you on the front lines." I'm sure there are others I'm not aware of. I have decided that it can't hurt to ask, so if you are in full time ministry and there is someone you want to order curriculum from, ask if they have discounts available. The worst that they can do is say no!

There are different policies for each company as to how to go about ordering with their missionary discount. Some of the companies state their policies on how to order on their website, others you may need to email or phone directly.

• Tapestry of Grace - 40% discount
• Math U See - 50% discount (Phone office or email Steve Demme)
• Easy Grammar - Free up to $100
• Apologia - 35% - 40% Discount
• Letter of the Week (Preschool Curriculum) - Free Download - The author states in the sidebar of this link "If you are a missionary, please contact me before buying the LOTW!"
• Sonlight - 25% discount
• Abeka - We do offer a 10% discount for all of our child and parent kits for K4-6th grade. This is already factored in the price for you because you purchase the books as a unit and not individually. We also offer a 5% discount on subject kits for grades 1-6. 
• Rainbow Resource - 15% Discount - Contact them at info@rainbowresource.com
• Heart of Dakota - We are pleased to offer a discount for active military families and for missionary families who raise their own support. Simply contact us by email at carmikeaustin@msn.com or by telephone at 605-428-4068 to receive your discount.
• Institute for Excellence in Writing - 10% discount

Normal shipping charges apply.

If you know of other curriculum suppliers that offer discounts, please post in the comments! This has been such a blessing to my family that I want to pass the information on to others.

Wants

The weather in Toti is cooling off a little. Today is overcast and VERY windy. I am really enjoying it more! Still sticky from the humidity. I wonder if it ever goes away! I'm sure the lower the temp gets, the less the humidity effects you.

The kids are enjoying being here for the most part. Marissa and Mya have lots of friends, and love playing with the neighbors and swimming in their pool. Today they went swimming with them, and then joined their family on a trip to a nature reserve. When they got home, they came and played at our house and now they are back swimming again!

Brandon has really missed Joburg. He misses our home there and he misses his friends. He has enjoyed the youth here, and is making new friends, but it takes longer to make close friends as a 13 year old boy than it does for a 5 or 10 year old girl. :) He LOVES the ocean. We don't spend enough time there in his opinion (mine, too). Just yesterday he said it was calling him.

I have been lonely for a close friendship, as well. It will come with time, I'm sure! I have loved meeting new people, and especially love our new church, Grace Baptist Church in Amanzimtoti. The people are friendly, the messages are sound, and I love singing in church again. I have played my flute in church for the last 11 years and I didn't realize how much I missed singing in the services. And there's just something about worshipping in a church where I can sing my heart out and I don't stand out in the crowd because there are lots of people and the sound is full enough to drown me out.

People keep asking me how I feel about the move and if I'm settling in and I don't really know how to answer them. I am content to be wherever God wants me. I am glad I have my family together. I love the ocean. But that doesn't make it easy.

When I left Joburg, a good friend helped me put things into perspective. People kept asking me if I was excited. If I was completely truthful, I would have answered, "I don't know!" I couldn't figure it all out. And she simply said that I must be experiencing the same emotions as when I left the US and came to South Africa. She hit the nail on the head. I didn't know what to expect in Durban.

I hate goodbyes. I hate being far away from those I love. I would love to live close enough that I could pop over to one of my sibling's houses and spend time baking together or playing games and laughing. I want to live near a close friend who loves my children and will babysit at the drop of a hat. A friend who desires to spend time with me as much as I desire to spend time with them. I want to be able to have a meal with my Mom or go shopping together. I want....

But I  have found that I can't allow myself to dwell on "I want". Because, for now, that's not what I have. And it's not what I REALLY want. What I really want is to do whatever I can to point others to the cross of Christ. And if being in a close proximity to my family and dear friends isn't the best way to accomplish that, then it's not what I really want. It would be hard, anyway, as they are scattered from South Africa to Switzerland, Ireland to Alaska, and everywhere in between!

So, for now, I will continue praying for one dear friend here in Durban. One who will laugh with me, cry with me and prod me to walk closer to Christ. And I will continue to love those of you that are far away with all of my heart, because it's the only way I know how.

I am grateful for my husband and children, and the close bond that we have and the way that we can minister together. I am looking forward to the day that we can all worship together in Heaven.

Read More Books! (cont.)

We are trying to read at least one "new" book each day. We have LOTS of books and haven't read them all to Marissa & Mya. Here's our list of "new" books we read this week!

We Help Daddy

Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia!

Miss Nelson is Missing!

The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story

Chicka Chicka ABC

Swimmy

Getting Healthy

As I have reached an all time high weight for me, I have once again gotten serious about getting healthy. I am tired of the yo-yo struggle I have experienced with discipline in this area of my life. It's a good thing that God gives grace and mercy, and loves me no matter what shape I am!

I started this journey only a week ago. I have removed wheat, rice, and potatoes from my diet. The last time I did this it proved to be very successful and I had quick results. However, previously I also removed white/brown sugar as well and replaced it with sweetener. In the meantime, I have decided not to use artificial sweetener, so I haven't cut down as much on sugar from my diet this time.

I am eating fewer than 1200 calories and I have also been exercising at least every other day. It's been kind of fun to track everything on My Fitness Pal. I know it's only been one week, but I weighed myself today and there has been no change. :(

I am not going to give up. I can do this! Just wondering if I need to get more extreme. No sugar in my tea (which would probably mean no tea)? A lower calorie limit for the day? Or is it just that my 40 year old body takes longer to respond.... I think one answer is more exercise.

I have half-heartedly started a couch to 5k program. Guess it's time to get serious about that, too. Here we go!

This fun little tool will keep track of my progress:

MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

Read More Books!!!

I have accepted a new challenge - read my kids a new book every day. I used to read a lot to Brandon, but as life gets busier I realize I haven't read as much to Marissa, and even less to Mya, with the exception of school read alouds. I have a lot of kids books and want to start purging a few, so my thoughts are that I will read a new book each day and let them each pick a book to read as well. This way I will know which books are their favorites so I know which ones to keep! I thought it might be fun (and keep me accountable) to blog which books we are reading.

Bonus: cuddle time with my "babies".

Here's the first two:

Amelia Bedelia

Guess How Much I Love You

Games, Train & Rain

I really enjoyed our day. It was busy, yet laid back. Just a go with the flow kind of day!

I headed out early this morning and saw a train stopped on the bridge over the Manzimtoti River, along with at least 15 different kinds of emergency vehicles - Police, Emergency Rescue, Hazmat, etc. I was SO curious, but you couldn't see anything because of the buildings and trees, so I just carried on my way.

I was in & out in the morning, but while I was home, I worked on taking out Mya's twists. She ever so sweetly twisted my arm into playing a game of Candy Land. Gotta love that girl! We had fun and laughed a little.

The neighbor kids - Marissa's new constant playmates - suggested going down to see the train that fell off the tracks (first I had heard about what actually happened) and I was right on that - I had been curious all day!

We rushed off to the beach - they knew where to park so we could walk down and get a good look. And just as we got to the beach it started to rain, but I still enjoyed the walk. Have I told you how much I love the beach?

Here are some pictures. They aren't the best as they were taken with my phone in the rain!

The river has been so strong that it has washed away an area of the beach where it meets the ocean. Our neighbour, Barry, said he has lived here 30 years and never seen it like this. It washed away the ground right up to and under the tracks, and as the train went through it just tipped right over. What you see is two engines and a lumber car. There were 4 men manning the engines, but they escaped with minor injuries.

 These pictures were taken when the tide was low, but if you look at the picture at the bottom of the post you'll see much more clearly how high the water can get.

Mya, Amy Jo & Marissa

 

Mya

This photo is a link to an article about the accident:

And this is a photo of what it normally looks like from behind. You'll note the train tracks on the bottom and the green vegetation to the right that has all been washed away.