Western Cape Home Schooling Association Wes-Kaapse Tuisonderwys Vereniging 
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Western Cape
Homeschooling Association

Next event – 30 June : Winter workshop - 
Keynote Speaker – Martie du Plessis  
Homeschooling Seminar 
Family Consultations 
Report on AGM 
Meet the WCHSA committee 
Activities for winter 
Network corner 
Future events 
Publish & advertise in this newsletter   
Family profile  
Life’s like that !  
Membership 
Legal aspects 

Editor’s note :

In response to the call for volunteers to edit this newsletter, we had two offers for assistance. This newsletter has been compiled by Averil. We have also secured advertising to cover some of the costs – please support the advertisers !!! Thanks to all who contributed and assisted – we hope this newsletter will grow !!

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An opportunity to connect with other homeschoolers; learn about various aspects of home education and view a variety of home education curricula available in South Africa.

DATE: 30 June 2001.

VENUE: Rosebank Primary School, Moolenberg Road, Rondebosch.

PROGRAMME:

13:00 – 13:30 Registration
13:30 – 14:30 How do I train my child for the 21 st century?

Martie du Plessis, Dynamis

14:30 – 15:15 "Preparing your child for the University entrance exam."
Suzanne Blanche Admissions Department, University of Stellenbosch

15:15 – 15:45 Tea.
15:45 - 16:30 Topic to be confirmed

COST : members of WCHSA – no charge

Non-members – R20 per adult or R40 per family

"The BIG picture of Home Education in South Africa"…
---- learning styles, discipline, curricula, legal aspects, matric support ----

Date : 30 June

Programme :

8:00 Registration

8:30 First session

10:00 to 10:30 Tea

10:30 to 12:30 Second session

COST : R100 per family               Back to top

Please note that the seminar and consultations are run by Dynamis.        Back to top

 Report on AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the WCHSA was held on 17 March 2001. The event was well supported by vendors, and some 35 members of the association who enjoyed the presentations. There was also a call for volunteers to take part in research for a thesis to be submitted for a Master’s in Education by Stephanie Mearns. More about this in the next newsletter.

The committee for 2001 was elected – see later in this newsletter for an introduction to the members. All in all, a successful event – but where were YOU ??? The association is YOU – and we’d like to see YOU at the next event – 30 June !!!                        Back to top

This year the committee is made up of families from a variety of backgrounds at different stages in their home school experiences. Here they are:

Brian and Anne-Marie have been married for 12 years, and have been blessed with 5 children: Simon 11, Luke 8, Monica 6, Joseph 3, and Thomas 10 months. "We started home schooling 3 years ago and follow a classical approach. Our vision is to empower our children and other children and families to reach their full potential through love, service and bringing glory to God. We are active committed Catholics, enjoy living life to the full, and love outdoor activities particularly hiking and camping."

Brian is the Chairman of the committee.     Back to top

 Kevin and Henriette Bruton

 Kevin and Henriette are home educating in Plumstead. They have 3 children, Matthew 6, Kathryn 4, and Juliette 15 months. Henriette is a junior primary teacher but has been a happy homemaker for the last 7 years. "I feel so privileged to have the had the opportunity to be at home with our children for all these years." Kevin has been self- employed for 12 years having owned an orthodontic laboratory and supplying orthodontic consumables to dental professionals. With changes in the market place the Bruton’s home-based business has become electronic in nature and now focuses on assisting working Moms create income from home. They place a high value on strong family relationships. "Home education is a way of life which we as a family all thoroughly enjoy." Kevin and Henriette are acting as the Treasurer for the committee.    Back to top

Reggie and Sandra are formerly from Durban. They have been living in Cape Town for the past 8 months. They have been married for 12 years and have two daughters: Simone 10, and Denise 6. "We began home schooling at the beginning of this year" . Reggie has been in the short term insurance field for the past 14 years. He was part of the church youth leadership in Durban, and he enjoys helping people release their full potential. Having been involved in the children’s church, Sandra loves to teach children and is very creative. "We love the outdoors, and love doing things together as a family. Simone and Denise love and dancing and doing creative things. They enjoy every moment of homeschooling."    Back to top

Originally from Germany, Manfred and Friedrun Jung arrived in Cape Town some eleven years ago as Missionaries with SIM. Manfred works now as a consultant for SIM in Southern Africa. Their three daughters Hanna (8), Rebecca (6) and Sarah (3) where born since. About home education they say: "Raising their children bilingual (German and English) demanded a curriculum that would allow the children to relate to the South African situation as well as being able to perhaps one day to study in a German university. Home education provided exactly that opportunity with the added bonus of inputting in the lives of our children in a wonderful way. Manfred and Friedrun assists with the address database for the committee and the mailing of the newsletter.     Back to top

Catherine is teaching kindergarten to Paige 5, and usually coping with Arran 2. She is happily married to Grant who is self-employed in the building trade. He is a very creative, talented craftsman with a wide range of skills from making beautiful wooden furniture to building magnificent houses. He started his career as a clothing designer. Grant loves adventure, sport and has tried them all. He is always ready to conquer a new challenge. Catherine juggles committee involvement with teaching, running her home, training her puppy (and kids), Church activities and the odd burst of soap making, candle making or pottery painting when she can squeeze it in. "We enjoy camping and hiking and occasionally run informal camps for kids." Catherine is passionate about home schooling and will eagerly share this enthusiasm with anyone who cares to listen. "We believe it to be the best way to train our children up in the ways of the Lord as well as give them an excellent education, instilling a love for learning at the same time."   Back to top

Juliette acts as the representative of the Christian Home Educator’s Network on the committee. She has been married to Paul for 14 wonderful years and they have two daughters, Kyla 12, and Joanna 9. They have been homeschooling for 3 years. Juliette is a visionary. She enjoys encouraging and recognizing strengths in others. She pays close attention to emotional detail. Paul is a Goldsmith and runs a family business from home. He is artistic, musical and plays in their Church band. Their eldest daughter, Kyla, is efficient, helpful and enjoys dancing! Joanna is very creative, lovingly demonstrative and enjoys playing the piano. "We have really enjoyed the support of the Christian Home Education Network!"    Back to top

 Leo and Christina Miller

Leo and Christina have been married for 15 years and are living in Wellington. Their 4 children are: Benjamin 13, Kirsten-Jessica 10, Tobias 7, and Amy 5. Leo is a Database Administrator with one of South Africa’s top 6 banks. Christina grew up in Germany and came to South Africa with her family when she was 18. She qualified as a graphic design artist in South Africa. Leo and Christina have been home schooling their children for the last 4 years. "We are a close-knit family who enjoy doing things together. We typically all help make supper, bake and work in the garden. We also spend a lot of time playing games together and normally add our own rules to improve the educational value. We see everything as an opportunity to learn. With the wide variety of skills we have there is always a new project on the go, including building dog boxes; making blankets/ candles/ presents; building model planes; breeding guinea pigs; planting a kitchen garden; and planning and making renovations to the house. Although text books still form the basis of our curriculum, we believe in a ‘home education’ which involves more than just what comes out of the books we have selected."   Back to top

Averil has been nominated as the secretary of the committee. She is happily married to Tim, … "the most wonderful man in the world!" They have three children so far: Julie 6, Amber 3, and Adam 18 months. Averil has successfully home tutored grades 10, 11, and 12 using the T.C.E. system. She is currently home educating her own children and thoroughly enjoying it. Tim is a recently qualified CA and has the most amazing mathematical brain. "We enjoy working together as a family. Lately we have enjoyed trying to plant and grow grass (semi-successfully) in my mother-in-law’s garden. It has been a family project with everyone participating, including our one year old. Tim’s family is Jewish so we celebrate the Sabbath meal every Friday evening and go to Church every Sunday. Our children have grown up celebrating Passover and Easter, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Christmas. It has been a privilege watching the Gospel being unknowingly celebrated in a Jewish home. We hope our children will grow up to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in every aspect of their lives. This is our main motivation for choosing to home educate our children."    Back to top

Feeling cold and blue? Wondering what to do all cooped up with little ones in the rainy weather? Need a break from the same old schedule? Here are ten ideas to inspire you:

1. Invite another home schooling family over and make waffles or pancakes. Let the kids help.

2. Tape large sheets of paper over your kitchen cupboards, put newspaper on the floor, hand out the paint pots and get creative.

3. Pile into the car and pay a visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium, museum, Imax, indoor play center, Honeybee Foundation, library, art gallery, the castle, Josephine Mill, Scratch Patch or if you’re desperate, the shopping mall.

4. Dress up with the kids and present a play – better if you can find an audience. Go all the way and dramatize what you are learning about.

5. Have a block- or lego – building competition.

6. Put on some loud music, clear the furniture out of the way and dance with your children.

7. All snuggle in your bed with some hot chocolate or a cup of soup and have a good read aloud.

8. Have an indoor toy car-, crawling-, running-, or paper aeroplane-racing competition up the passage.

9. Teach your children a new craft or hobby: make candles, weave placemats, learn to knit or sew, model clay, model planes, decoupage, make soap, origami, batik or tie-dying. Let your imagination lead you (or a good library book).

10. BEST OF ALL – Don raincoats, umbrellas and boots and splash in every puddle that you can find. Have a nice warm bath afterwards.

By Catherine Wood     Back to top

A great time was had by all at our Sports Day held on 24 March 2001. We hired a field from St Anne’s School for the morning, set out the lines and away we went. Everyone participated, from the tiniest toddler to the biggest dad. The day was well organized thanks to Henriette Bruton. We had straight running-; three legged-; egg and spoon-; relay-; piggy back-; and sack-races as well as a few bouts of tug-a-war. The grandparents who came to cheer enjoyed the antics. We ended off with yummy ice-creams and happy hearts all round.

Teen Activitiez:

Yeah, us guys from the Noordhoek-, Fish Hoek- and Kommetjie area really fought it out. We are:Adrian, Geoff, Geo, Steve, Rikus, Pieka, Etienne, David, Taryn, Michelle, Matthew, and David Laing. We had a blazt fighting over topics like AIDS and death penalties. Each team got three turns of about three minutes per turn to speak. After they had had their turns, the audience voted for the winners. Everybody put up a great performance, congrats guys!

Thursdays we hit the squash courts near Sun Valley from 2:00 – 3:00pm. We exhaust ourselves trying to get to the top of the ladder. We started out as only 7 people or so, but now there’s about 14 or more of us. Squash is really a fun sport and relatively easy to learn. It’s also a good way to get to know new people, although the echo properties of the courts tend to get in the way of conversation. Next term we’re gonna have another debate, so if you can get a few teams together or you wanna play squash, come’n join us. Drop us a line: (021) 789-1447

Pieka Grobbelaar.                      Back to top

  Tableview Christian Home Educator’s Network

A real pine needle, refreshing and exciting educational outing. 7 families camped in tents, slept in a bungalow, swung from trees, glided on a fufi-slide and bounced on the back of a bakkie (see photograph above). There was also a gentler side: careful building of a river raft and a team spirit needed as eager sailors proved their abilities. Families paired and laboured fervently taking the challenge of making the best POTJIE ! The English families learned a lot and we gladly put our pride in our pocket as we instinctively knew the final product would make us drool if we obeyed every command.

Seven families of our home school support group went to the Grabouw pine plantation and I thought it was great!

When we got there all the kids started exploring while all the grown-ups set up the tents. I was surprised that our first meal was a big one (it was hot dogs) for I always thought ‘good meals last’. At 6:00ish we played a spy game which went on for hours. When it got dark we kicked off with stalk the lantern (for which I waited all day) and had a ride in the bakkie (which was scary because you couldn’t see a thing except these black stripes passing in front of your face.)

The day started with prayers and songs (not to mention breakfast) and then we hiked down to the foofie slide. I was stunned because it was enormous (36m long, 1 ½ story’s fall into freezing water…) . We then did an obstacle course (which was actually practical puzzles). That night’s dinner was a ‘potjiekos competition’ dinner.

Sunday we started the 2^nd part of the obstacle course (this one I liked more – it was tightrope walking). That morning I kept asking the owner if we could still build a raft and in the end, she agreed. First we learned to build a raft and then we were off! In the end we found out that the girls and the boys couldn’t go all at the same time so the girls went first and the boys went second. Still, it was pretty heavy so we had to put a tyre under the raft.

Just before we went home we made a big bonfire (which the kids started from hot coals, and fed with pine needles) and we found some pine cones to take home. When we climbed in the car, I wondered: "Did this really happen?"

Driaan Louw.

Many thanks to Holly Austen for being prepared to start the ball rolling in Muizenberg. Due to her selfless commitment to many varied worthy causes, she has asked to be relieved of this responsibility. Sheena Wootten, after prayer and careful consideration, has kindly accepted the offer.

The Muizenberg Network intends to get together on the first Monday of each month at the Tokai Arboretum at 13:30. If the weather is bad, the get-together takes place at the Tokai Library. All are welcome. Monthly walks have also been arranged.

For more information regarding the Christian Home Educator’s Network in your area, contact Juliette at (021) 689-9695.

Is your network planning anything special in the next few months? Write a report after the event and e-mail it to Averil Resnekov at timr@iafrica.com . It may appear in the next WCHSA newsletter!

22 SEPTEMBER: Spring Fair. A day of fun, sports, and much more for the whole family.

1 DECEMBER: Prize giving and recognition of achievements.       Back to top

Would you like to submit an article, picture, etc for this newsletter? Put it in electronic format and e-mail it to Averil Resnekov at timr@iafrica.com . All submissions will be acknowledged. The same deadlines as for advertising apply.

Calling all curriculum providers, activity centers and all other interested parties: Reach all WCHSA members and newcomer’s to the home education market by advertising in the WCHSA Newsletter. For more information as to the sizes available, cost and submission dates please contact Averil Resnekov at timr@iafrica.com . The following are provisional deadlines for submissions. (Please note that they may be changed.)

October newsletter: 15 August 2001.

January newsletter: 15 October 2001.                                  Back to top

Exciting news: We are looking to introduce a Family Profile section in the WCHSA Newsletter. Any home schooling family who would be willing to send a family photograph and a short summary of who they are and why they have chosen to home school their children. Why not share a happy family story with us as well?!? All submissions will be acknowledged and published, subject to available space. For more information contact Averil Resnekov at (021) 683-9945.

The WCHSA continues to recommend that families inform themselves of their legal rights and duties, and we strongly suggest that families join the Pestalozzi Trust. There have been interesting developments in the North West province, and ominous developments in Kwazulu Natal. The Kwazulu Natal education department has released regulations which are draconian, and potentially in violation of the constitution. They seem to extend from what we have here in the Western Cape. The trust is monitoring these developments closely. If you would like to know more, email wchsa@e3mil.com, or join the email discussion group "tuisonderwys", and read the emails on the web page www.yahoogroups.com/groups/tuisonderwys. I don’t want to sound alarmist – but it is in everyone’s interests to keep yourself informed. Interestingly enough, on some USA email groups, I see stories of struggles with the education authorities even today – and they have the advantage of 40 or more years’ struggle behind them !!!! There are still cases of "undisciplined families" being held up as bad examples of homeschooling, and the mainstream home educators have to work hard to get good press on home education. Despite the difficulties, homeschooling is alive and well – and becoming mainstream. Several leading USA universities actively seek out homeschooled students. We’ve got a way to go yet in South Africa, but we’ve got lots of support from others all around the world, and we have much in our favour !!!!!             Back to top

Brian Goemans

I was driving home one day when my 5 year old asked me, "Mommy, what are triplets?" I explained that most times God only makes one baby at a time in a mommy’s womb. Sometimes He makes two babies at the same time and they are called twins. (She understood this as a relative of ours is currently pregnant with twins.) "Triplets," I went on to explain, "is when there are 3 babies are being made in a mommy’s womb at the same time." My daughter sat quietly for a while and then burst out: "Dear God, cancel the twins. Can we please have triplets instead? In Jesus’ name, Amen." And then she asked me why I was laughing !!!!

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