San Bushmen House & Village 3D Model

I am happy to share my 3rd, and currently my favourite, 3D paper model of traditional African houses and villages ~ A San Bushman House and Village.

The San, also known as Bushmen, are the oldest native tribe that live in the vast Kalahari Desert regions of South West Africa. They lived in southern Africa long before European settlers and other Bantu tribes arrived. They are nomadic hunter-gatherers, and they set up temporary camps as a family-based society.

The 3D model of a San Bushman grass hut and the Kalahari Desert camp background triorama page (1-page triorama which forms a triangle/ pyramid-shaped folded page) is a 6-page purchase package download that includes both black & white outline illustrations as well as coloured-in pages. These illustrations include clear assembly instructions and some extra cultural details. I included some additional basic historical background information as well as Internet reference links. 

This grass hut template may look complex, but I have designed it so that most middle-school-aged children should manage to assemble the hut on their own.

Colouring-in, cutting out and creating these 3D houses and village models are a wonderful activity while mom reads-aloud. You can view details of the other African houses in the series — Zulu House & Village and the Xhosa House & Village which are excellent hands-on activities that fit perfectly with Footprints in our Land, our South African, literature-based Social Studies curriculum.

These South African house and village downloads are purchase packages and I really appreciate your support, but I would love to share a freebie with you. Each house comes with a triorama background. A triorama forms a wonderful 3D pyramid shape with a base. It requires just 2 folds and a snip to make, so it’s very simple, but looks dramatic!

Here, once again, is a free, blank Triorama template ~TrioramaDownload

Please pop over to my Packages page to order your download. Thank you for your support.

Blessings, Nadene

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Xhosa House & Village 3D Model

Last week I shared my new Zulu House & Village, the first in a a series of my new paper models of African houses similar to those we used during our Footprints in our Land. Colouring-in, cutting out and creating models are wonderful hands-on activities while mom reads-aloud.

These South African house and village downloads are purchase packages and I really appreciate your support, but I would love to share a freebie with you. Each house comes with a triorama background. A triorama forms a wonderful 3D pyramid shape with a base. It requires just 2 folds and a snip to make, so it’s very simple, but looks dramatic!

Here, once again, is a free, blank Triorama template ~TrioramaDownload

This week I would like to introduce my 3D paper model featuring a traditional Xhosa House and Xhosa Village.

This 6-page purchase package download of a 3D model of a Xhosa house and traditional Xhosa village includes both black & white outline illustrations as well as coloured-in pages. The Xhosa village background page is a 1-page triorama which forms a triangle/ pyramid-shaped folded page. The illustrations include clear assembly instructions and some extra cultural details. I included some additional basic historical background information as well as Internet reference links. 

Please pop over to my Packages page to order your download. Thank you for your support.

Blessings, Nadene

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Zulu House & Village 3D Model

Children love to make paper models. These are a wonderful hands-on activities. My children enjoyed colouring in, cutting out and making things while I read-aloud. We made African houses while we did our Footprints in our Land and built paper models while we studied American History and World History.

Here my granddaughters, Emma, 5 and Kara, 4, are painting their triorama backgrounds.

I decided to create a series of African houses each with a triorama background. A triorama forms a wonderful 3D pyramid shape with a base. It requires just 2 folds and a snip to make, so it’s very simple, but looks dramatic!

Here is a free, blank Triorama template ~TrioramaDownload

Here is a look at the first African house in my series download ~ a Zulu rondavel with a traditional Zulu village and kraal background.

This 6-page purchase package download of a 3D model of a Zulu house and traditional Zulu village includes both black & white outline illustrations as well as coloured-in pages. The Zulu village background page is a 1-page Triorama which forms a triangle/ pyramid-shaped folded page. The illustrations include clear assembly instructions and some extra cultural details. I included some additional basic historical background information as well as Internet reference links. Please pop over to my Packages page to order your download.

Thank you for your support.

Blessings, Nadene

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Teaching Afrikaans phonics with “Alfabet Pret!”

Looking for a fun way to teach your child their Afrikaans phonetic alphabet?

Op soek na ‘n prettige manier om u kind sy Afrikaanse fonetiese alfabet te leer?

I have created “Alfabet Pret!” alphabet cards with the correct Afrikaans phonetic clues inside each letter shape.  These picture clues help your child recognize the phonetic sound of each letter and this helps him/her to learn to read easily.  Included in the download are fun activities and games that your child can use to learn to recognize their letter sounds and then use to start to build words.  To purchase this quality phonics download, please place an order on my Packages page.

Ek het “Alfabet Pret!” alfabetkaarte met die korrekte Afrikaanse fonetiese leidraad in elke lettervorm geskep.  Die prentjies binne-in elke letter help u kind om die fonetiese kank van die letter te identifiseer.  Dit maak dit dan vir jou kind maklik om te leer lees.  Instruksies vir prettige aktiwiteite en speletjies waar jou kind die alfabet kaartjies gebruik om die letterklanke te oefen  en om woorde begin te bou, is in die aflaai .  Plaas  aseblief jou bestelling op my Packages bladsy om hierdie kwaliteit aflaai  te koop.

How to teach the phonetic alphabet using “Alfabet Pret!” ~

1. Present a letter to your child and ask what picture they can recognize inside the letter shape.
2. Say the sound of the picture and then the name of the picture like ~ “a” as in “apple”, “b” as in “ball”.
3. Use only the phonetic sounds of the alphabet and do not say the official name of the alphabet, such as the sound “a” not “ay” and the sound “ba” not “bee”.
4. Repeat the phonetic sound of the letter and its picture again and ask your child to repeat the letter sound and the name of the picture.
5. Teach only one or two letters in a lesson, maybe a row of letters at a time.
6. Revise the previous lesson’s letters and then add a few new letters each lesson until your child knows the whole alphabet.

Print and laminate the 3 pages of the phonic letters and print, cut out and laminate 2 sets of the phonic cards for the activities and games.

Hoe om die fonetiese alfabet aan u kind te leer ~ 

1. Wys ‘n letter vir jou kind en vra hom/haar watter prentjie hy/sy in die letter kan sien.
2. Sê eers die klank van die letter en dan die prentjie wat met daardie klank begin. Bv. “a vir appel” en “b vir bal”.
3. Gebruik die fonetiese klank vir die letter en nie die amptelike alfabet-naam van die klank nie. Met ander woorde gebruik “ô” en nie “oo” nie, of die klank “mm” en nie die naam “em” nie.
4. Herhaal dit en vra dan u kind om die klank en prentjienaam agter u aan te sê.
5. Doen slegs een of twee letters, of dalk ‘n ry, op ‘n slag.
6. Hersien elke keer die vorige les se letters, voordat u voortgaan met een of twee nuwe letters in die volgende les. Gaan so voort todat u kind die hele alfabet ken.

Druk en lamineer die 3 bladsye van die letterklanke en druk, knip uit en lamineer 2 stelle kaartjies vir die aktiwiteite en speletjies.

The individual cards are perfect for playing games! Playing fun games such as “Snap!”, “Bingo!” or “Memory” is a wonderful and effective way to practice recognizing and learning the alphabet.

Die individuele kaarte is perfek om speletjies mee te speel.  Speletjies soos “Snap!”, “Bingo!” en “Lotto!” is ‘n wonderlike en effektiewe manier om die herkenning van die klanke en letters in te oefen.

Whether your child is learning to read in their mother language or learning a 2nd language, “Alfabet Pret!“ is a fabulous fun way to teach them their phonic alphabet!

Of u kind in hul moedertaal leer lees of ‘n 2de taal aanleer, is “Alfabet Pret!” ‘n wonderlike prettige manier om hulle hul fonetiese alfabet te leer!

Please pop over to my Packages page to order this amazing, quality phonics download!

Plaas  aseblief jou bestelling op my Packages bladsy om hierdie kwaliteit aflaai  te koop.

Blessings, Nadene

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PS. Afrikaans is one of South African’s 11 official languages, the third most spoken language, with its roots from the Dutch language which evolved when Dutch settlers settled in the Cape in the 18th Century.

Afrikaans is een van Suid-Afrika se 11 amptelike tale, die derde mees gesproke taal, met sy oorsprong uit die Nederlandse taal wat ontwikkel het toe Nederlandse setlaars hulle in die 18de eeu in die Kaap gevestig het.

Traditional African Houses

In our Footprints On Our Land (South African History studies), we have joined the 1820 British Settlers who settled along the Eastern Frontier, to the land where the Xhosa people lived.

The frontier with allotted farms, c. 1835 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This section of History covers aspects of the Frontier Wars between the Xhosa and the settlers and the British government.

Tensions were so great that a neutral territory was created between the Great Fish River and the Kei River to prevent the Xhosa crossing over to steal cattle and burn settler farms, and the retaliatory raids to recapture stolen cattle.

These issues come to life as I read wonderful living books, and our current story “Strangers in the Land“.

While I read, my young daughter cut and created these African homes from postcards that I had collected long ago in my teaching days.

She displayed all the different houses on the bookshelf, each house in its own ‘village’, separated by a book pulled out slightly.

We will focus on the Zulu in the next theme. This is what their traditional house looks like.Many of my readers may have seen the brightly colored, geometric designs the Ndebele use to decorate their homes on African-themed designs.  Theirs is truly the most colorful homes!

Below is a Venda home, also painted and decorated, but they use more earthy, natural colored paints.

And this Sotho house completes this collection:

Blessings,

Fun History!

What a shock my kids had when I walked into the room like this!

(Excuse the slightly blurred photo.  My 10-year-old was giggling too much to focus the camera properly!)

It was a great way to introduce the British Occupation at the Cape and the 1820 British Settlers for our Footprints On Our Land history curriculum.

All Miss.L10’s narrations were done with the mask and a most ‘proper’ British accent!

(And lots of giggles from Miss.K13 studying in the background!)

Some novelty and fun makes History fresh and exciting!

Hope you and your kids have fun now and then!

Blessings,

Freedom Homeschooling Brings?

Would these be good reasons to homeschool?

• provide intimate learning relationship between children & parents
• nurture a child’s love to learn
  

  a unique hollow log “garden” with wild flowers, moss and mushrooms that my 12-year-old created one afternoon

• maintain a “one-life” unity of life & learning
• encourage spiritual discipleship
• nurture character mentorship
• do school in pajamas, or comfy clothes
• start school as early or as late as suits you and your family
• do short official school lessons – sometimes 5 to 10 minutes!
• finish all school work after just a few hours of work
• lazily read under a tree or snuggled up on a couch instead of filling in workbooks
• focus on arts, creativity and “non-essential” subjects
• progress in maths, spelling and writing at their own pace
• it is tailor-made for each child
• meets the dynamic needs of the children as they develop
• live free of peer-pressure, bullying and labelling
• allow children to be unique and different
• express unusual and unpopular thoughts and views
• focus on life skills, family business, hobbies, and entrepreneurial activities rather than grades and standards
• reduce stress – no need to drive through pre-school traffic
• save on costs – no school fees, fund-raisers, uniforms, long stationary lists
  

  nurturing a baby wild hare rescued in the fields

• eat healthy food instead of school lunches
• house-cleaning, cooking, baking, gardening, chores and routine is all part of school
• encourage a new creative flair and foster a passion or interest
• provide the opportunities for entrepreneurship and young businesses
• provide and nurture relationships with all ages, all types of people
• become missions-orientated
• connect with community and the needy
• get involved with church, ministry or charity

Yes!  All these and more!

I see most of these homeschooling choices as the freedom that homeschooling brings.

When the kids are small, it makes perfect sense to homeschool. And it is fun, free-style and fabulous!

Over the past few years we have had to change our homeschool emphasis as we navigate the High School years.  There are now time and subject requirements.  Learning takes longer, and lessons are more academic.  My high school children have to learn how to study for and write exams.

My role changed from the mom-learning-alongside in discovery and delight, to the tutor-mom.

I now focus on specific subjects with my high school children, teaching maths, or geography or subjects that are more academic.

Generally my high schoolers manage their learning and work quite independently.  I sometimes feel nostalgic. I long for those warm, intimate learning days.

So enjoy the early years!

Take your time!

Look for tadpoles and watch butterflies.

Read, read, read aloud.

Do art, singing and poetry.

Make the time for the fine arts.

Go on educational outings, take trips, plan those picnics.

Enjoy your homeschooling!

What freedoms do you enjoy most in your homeschooling? Feel free to share in the comments.

Blessings,

This post was written and submitted for the upcoming South African Carnival of Homeschooling’s topic ~ ‘Beyond Homeschooling‘

Read Books ~ When All Else Fails

Living Books are the

“golden threads” in our learning.

This past week I had an epiphany ~

good books have provided my children the most valuable education!

But, let me go back a little and explain …

Earlier this year my 12-year-old-now-nearly-13-teen floundered in my ‘wonderful’ Charlotte Mason education.  I wrote about our stresses and struggles and how I felt like such a failure.

Your kind comments overwhelmed me.

I simply relieved my daughter from some CM subjects and she focussed purely on her academics. (She no longer actively takes part in many of the Fine Arts lessons, but I’m sure that she absorbs her younger sister’s music and art appreciation lessons, the poetry and the Shakespeare plays.)

Most of her Footprints Into the 21st Century curriculum is literature-based. She spends many hours simply reading good books.

But, still, I worried.  I was still unhappy to see her listlessly “going through the motions” instead of connecting with her subject, let alone savoring it! (And I’m not alone. Jimmie also shared of her daughter’s changed approach.)

Would she be ready for the standards and approaches used in our Delta correspondence high school curriculum next year?

Last week, when she completed her Maths textbook I went to a local academic book store to find a new Grade 8 textbook.

To my dismay, they only supplied textbooks for the current OBE education in the South African government schools.  (This system – Outcomes Based Education – has been an absolute failure … but let me not digress.)
After 20 minutes I chose the one which seemed the best.

When I got home and took my time looking through the book, I was appalled.

It was complete drivel. Total twaddle. Not one single mathematical concept explained. Not a single theory, principle, or equation in the book. Not a single example followed by an exercise.  How does anyone learn maths from this?

I would not keep the book and the store would not refund me.  I had to exchange it for any other book from the same publishers.  Despite their thick catalogue, and much more careful examination of the sample books on the bookstore’s shelves, I could not find anything worth exchanging.

Their Social Studies book dismayed me.

Not a single photograph or accurate map …  instead they had fuzzy pencil sketch copies of photos.

Not a single quote …  just ridiculous, over-simplified explanations of the period in history summed up in 3 paragraphs, followed by 3 questions &/or activities to be done with a friend or in a group OBE-style.

This is when it stuck me!

My children know much more about the historical events, the culture, lifestyle, and important people from their living books!

Even if my junior-high daughter just ticks off her schedule and completes her tasks, simply because she reads excellent books, she will have absorbed 1000 times more than a child who has read a textbook.

And I should have given more credit to the power of reading!

I’ve written that read alouds are the Homeschool Glue.

I have seen the power of reading an excellent book to ignite thoughts, inspire the imagination, develop vocabulary, motivate action, and define character.

At its most basic, if our children read living books, they will grow and learn!

This is why I love a Charlotte Mason-inspired-literature-based education.

How have living books taught your children? Any thoughts about textbooks? Share with us in the comments.

Blessings,

This post is part of the upcoming Charlotte Mason Carnival ~  “What we love most about a Charlotte Mason education“.  To join the carnival, visit Amy at Fisher Academy International this Tuesday, September 4.

• 

Foreign Language the CM Way

A foreign language is best learnt by

using it

Here in South Africa we teach our children our second language ~

Afrikaans.

Afrikaans in the world (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To teach a foreign language, these approaches work well:

• Let your child play with/ talk to/ listen to other children who only speak Afrikaans.

• Talk Afrikaans (or whatever chosen foreign language) one whole day a week (or better – even more often) at home for everything.

• Read aloud easy-to-understand-books in Afrikaans and explain & discuss vocabulary and let the child use those words in sentences.

• Play Afrikaans audio stories, dramas, or plays or watch Afrikaans educational television shows or listen to Afrikaans radio stations.  Talk about it afterwards in Afrikaans of course!

• Build vocabulary in themes and do oral lessons with loads of repetition.  Use fun methods like finger puppets, interviews, plays and drama.

• Use workbooks, textbooks, grammar & spelling lessons.
• Check out Learning the Afrikaans Language Squidoo lens with stacks of suggested software, videos and links
  

Charlotte Mason’s approach to teaching a foreign language was ~

1. Oral – learn the words orally.  Preferably by an authentic speaker – a French-speaking person teaching French.  Alternatively use an audio program.  Start when young.  Name things around them. Build up vocabulary.
   
2. Read & write in the language – Miss. Mason expected children between 9 and 14 years to speak and understand French and be able to read an easy French book.  She suggested a child translate a little passage, re-read it in the foreign language and then narrate it.  Read from a book and the child narrates it in the foreign language.  Older children learnt lists of 40 phrases every 60 school days.
   
3. Grammar for older children, with spelling and essay writing.

We all usually understand much more of a new language than we can speak, and we are shy of making mistakes.

I am not as bilingual as I want to be, but I am working on it daily.  I speak Afrikaans much more on the phone and with clients in our Lucerne Tree Farm business.  But I still don’t enjoy reading Afrikaans newspapers and magazines as much as I do with English reading as it is hard work!

Perhaps I should apply Miss. Mason’s methods to my language studies and take out some Afrikaans books from the library and read aloud, look up, write down and translate new words, and then write a narration of the passage I read.

Ultimately we all need this motivation to learn a new language – to use it for effective communication.

What methods/ approaches do you use that works well for your children?  Please share in the comments.

Blessings,

This post was submitted to the upcoming CM Carnival.

Fun Ideas for Creative Homeschooling

Welcome to our 3rd SACH Carnival of 2012!

Join South African homeschool moms

as we share our

inspiring

creative

fun activities

in our homeschooling.

Taryn of Hayes Happenings shares a whole host of creative homeschooling activities, many of these shared with their homeschool group called the “Lunch Bunch”.  They have so much fun, don’t you wish you could join them too?

• crafting Egyptian style
• Egypt Day @ Lunch Bunch
• Passover @ Lunch Bunch
• Easter / Passover 2011
• Tutorial: Hobby Horses
• Craft: Lunch Bunch’s rain sticks
• Afrikaans fun

Here at Practical Pages I have written several posts of our fun and creative lessons!  Here are a few of my kid’s favorites:

• Tunnel books made our narration 3 dimensional
• Learning Geography with “Simon Says“
• 3D Model of Seurat’s “Bathers at Asnieres”
• Lego hole-punched pictures for narrations

Trixi from Trixi’s HomeEd Academy has found lapbooks have brought the joy of learning to her homeschooling days.  She shares some her creative posts:

• Kitchen Maths with some videos of their creative learning
• Misha’s first attempt at lapbooking
• Big Box Little Box Lapbook
• South Africa Lapbook
• Solar System Lapbook

Donette of The Journey wrote her post specially for the carnival and shared the fun and creative ideas for her children who are all under 6.

Thanks to all who shared in this carnival!

I’m sure you all have creative, fun activities that stand out as your homeschooling highlights.

Would you care to share them too?  Write a comment and leave a link to your post.

Blessings,