Perth Wk3 Home Schooling and Freedom

2 - 8th May 2011

This week started with our adventure with home-schooling. We did home-schooling everyday this week, to see how it would go. We would start in the morning at 9am and finished about 12.30, and because it was directed one on one learning it meant we could learn in the morning and have fun outings and activities in the afternoon.

We had learned before we came to Perth that schooling in Australia was different to New Zealand. Kindy in Australia started at age 4, pre-primary age 5 and school year one started at the age of 6. We weren’t sure how Alysha would cope with going back to Kindy (pre-primary) so we decided to prepare to home school her if we need to, so before we arrived Anna had created and gathered resources and put together a program to home-school Alysha who is now 5 ½. yrs old..

So we have Home-schooled everyday this week, Alysha and Anna have both enjoyed it, of course both Hyrum and Gracie think its great too and join in from time to time.
Anna has enjoyed it so much that she is now thinking to getting her teaching degree and becoming a primary teacher when all the kids have grown up a little and gone to school.

In this past week we have learned alot about Alysha, she is a very bright cookie and loves learning, she couldn’t wait to learn new things, she is also very good at keeping on task, and being able to concentrate on the task until it was finished. She has so many strengths and they were all bought to light through this experience of Home-Schooling.

The one thing that was missing is Alysha is also very social, and missing her friends and family in NZ very much, she desperately wants to go to school here to make new friends. so this coming week we will be checking out the pre-primary to see how it all goes.

After not having a car for two weeks, Anna was determined that we would buy a car this week. The Auctions are our only real opportunity to see many cars in one go and Wednesday night was the night. I had gone the previous week and checked it out, so this week was our time to buy. I had a list of about 7 or 8 cars that could have been good for us, but some were old cheapies we could dump when we left, and others a little more expensive. Also, we weren’t 100% on whether we wanted a 4 seater sedan or whether we really needed a people mover for the extra freedom. We did have our eye on a people mover, a 2001 Kia Carnival but weren’t sure how much it would go for. We ended up being top bidders and although meeting reserve, the auctioneers were very surprised that it did not go higher. I guess it was meant to be a blessing just for us. . Seems like a good deal - the insurance companies ‘agreed value’ for it is 50% more than what we payed for it.

Anna was super excited to have a car and now means she is mobile (anything to help her be a happier over here). On Thursday, Anna could hardly wait for the freedom and flexibility to go out at night to the shopping mall (window shopping of course :-). I guess small things mean a lot.

On Friday evening Anna enjoyed the opportunity to go to the Perth temple, it is one of the smaller temples, she had a lovely time there, very beautiful and faith promoting. She learned we should look for ways to help others in need.

Yesterday we drove to the Perth Zoo and had a fantastic afternoon there. As soon as we got there we had our lunch and we were lucky enough to see an elephant going for their daily stroll right by where we were eating. Was pretty cool to see an elephant up close like that. We wanted to make sure we saw the ‘Australian’ animals we might not see in New Zealand, so the first section we looked at were the Australian reptiles, which had snakes and lizards in it - Fascinating! We saw a number of snakes and on the info sheets showed where they are found, we were happy (not) to see that most of them were found in Perth and WA. There was a warning to visitors to be sure they do not try to remove snakes from their properties themselves but to call a snake handler - Anna was quick to enter their number on her mobile - just in case... We saw an absolutely humongous, vicious-looking salt water crocodile, we saw a emus, a number of kangaroos and we were looking forward to seeing koalas too, but they weren’t on display. Gracie absolutely loved the bears. Anna loved the ‘miniture monkeys’, Hyrum liked the monkeys and the crocodiles, I thought the ghost bats were cool, and Alysha seemed to like everything, but thought it was too long.

After the zoo, I thought we should drive to the beach since we have been here a number of weeks and not seen the apparently beautiful beaches. We drove to Cottesloe Beach - which is apparently supposed to be one of the nicest, and got flashed by a speed camera on the way (but will not talk about that). It was a very beautiful beach on the Indian Ocean and we got there as the sun was lower in the sky about to set. The kids enjoyed the sand. The sand is white, very fine, very few shells and a texture like brown sugar (that you think would dissolve if water on it).

We took a number of photos trying to capture the moment. Anna absolutely loves sunsets and I think she even thought it was a little romantic.

I thought I’d try and drive a different way home, but after some time, and without a map (and my phone having died) we realised we were pretty much lost in Perth. We had to ask for directions a few times, but made it home in the end (probably like 45 mins after we should have).

Today was Mother’s day and Alysha is old enough to really want to do something for her mum for the occasion. So, we got up early, made Anna a card and made her breakfast in bed. The kids and I had been out shopping the day before and brought a few things, and I think they really enjoyed making a fuss of there ‘mum’. Alysha tried very hard all day to be ‘extra good’ because it was mothers day. We have really do have fantastic kids and I’m sure is because they have a wonderful mum!

We were having problems with the kids reverence in church. For Family Home Evening on Monday, Anna decided to put on a workshop dvd of The Polkadots (the kids absolutely love the Polkadots) and just as they were getting into it, Anna started talking really loud and crying, and distracting them from watching what they wanted to watch, the kids were really shocked by this and got alittle frustrated! Anna then likened it to church where people come to listen to the speakers because they want to learn about Jesus Christ and be uplifted, and when we are noisy, they cant hear. But by being quiet and reverent they will be able to hear the speakers in church, just like if mum is quiet now you will be able to watch and hear the Polkadots workshop. I thought that was a very good thing to do. It must have worked because the kids were much better behaved at church today.

After church today we meet Uncle Martin, Aunty Claire, David, Gretchen and their two children at a big reserve boarding the swan river, it was very beautiful and full of other families enjoying being together on Mothers day. We all enjoyed being together, and especially the kids loved playing with their new found cousins Bruce and Katelyn, they all get on so well and love being together.

The kids say funny things all the time, and if we can remember we will share them with you.

Last sunday Alysha knew her parents where fasting, so she decied that she wanted to fast too, and said she wasn’t going to eat any lunch or snacks that day, because we were walking home from church we had packed a picnic lunch for the kids, while we were getting out the food Alysha once again reminded up that she was fasting. then as soon as we blessed the food, she said ‘i think one sandwich would be ok for me to eat’. (too funny)

Alysha said to Anna his week ‘Mum why cant you be beautiful like me. (got to love it)

Hyrum after playing with his sisters came down stairs and said, ‘I’m going to marry a Prince when i get big’ ( we think Hyrum may need another brother to play with).

till next time.....