Carnival Opens Gesses MK school

September 12th, 2011 marked the first official day of school.  After arriving back from Addis, Joel and Jonas were both sick and so school was delayed by a couple of days.  Everyone enjoyed a watermelon (brought from Addis) and then the games began.  I was somewhat crippled in taking proper pictures with a baby in hand but we wanted to share these with you. 

The bean bag toss was enjoyed by all ages including the 1 and 2 year olds.  We just brought the bucket in really close for a successful throw.

The kids attempted to keep their balloons in the air as long as possible.  An added incentive was if the balloon fell on a rock, it would pop.

I am not sure what this game was called but the kids got points for throwing the beanbag through the tire swing.  The older kids added some difficulty by having the tire move.

After about 10 different activities, the children received pencils, notebooks and stickers from their teacher and beaded medals (prepared by Kalia and Emily)

 The kindergarten duo were thrilled with their notebooks and stickers.  The plan is for Jonas and Ariana to have one formal hour with Nicole each morning and then they do some informal activities or join the older kids at times.  Since Ariana is keen on learning, she spends some time at home each day doing her reading and writing.

Joel and Emily are in Grade 2 together and Kalia is in Grade 4.  Nicole is working at getting them comfortable and effective at doing some things independently and then does certain things with them all together.  I do some extra things on the side for Kalia, help with homework in the afternoon (if they didn't concentrate in the morning) and do specials.  I am teaching piano to the older kids and doing a music class for all the kids together. 

The month of September was a trial month and Nicole and I are discovering what works well and areas of weakness.

One of the challenges is space at the moment and so Barry & Rolf worked on building a homeschool room this past week.   You may notice the iron studs at the end and sides of the building.  It took some time to cut the iron to the proper lengths and secure them to the existing cement around the edges.  Previously this was a carport with termite eaten wooden poles holding the roof up.

At the end of the week, the floor was poured and it will get the finishing layer on this week (hopefully).

Then the plywood will be attached, the windows installed and front wall prepared. Hopefully by the end of October, the kids will have a bit more space.  Presently, the children work at the Schwenk's kitchen table and she takes kids into a small room for specific teaching times.