Saturday 24 November 2012

Roshni and the school community

We are extremely lucky to have the support of R's previous school as we venture into homeschooling.
R attended First Steps pre school followed by Green Meadows Primary School in Goa, which are both run by a very special lady, Mrs Robbie Panesar.
R has always had a very special relationship with Mrs Robbie, based on mutual respect and understanding. Mrs Robbie could see right from the beginning how difficult  found the school environment and helped her with patience and understanding, allowing R to grow in confidence at her own pace.
She never pushed R and never made an issue out of her sensitivity. As a result, school became a safe place for her to grow in confidence and ability and provided her with a real sense of belonging.
It was not an easy decision to take R out of school but we are able to maintain our relationship with Mrs Robbie and her school by taking part in school library lessons, extra curricular activities, shows and events. This allows R to see her teachers and friends on a regular basis and keep up to date with what everyone is doing in school.
Today R took part in a sponsored walk, along with her school friends, to raise funds for the school library. Knowing that her contribution benefits herself, her friends and the school is an invaluable lesson in how important we each are, as individuals, to the community.


In a country where the education system is outdated and schools generally have a closed door policy it is refreshing to find a school with a more open minded approach towards education and a warm, understanding attitude towards its students.
R may have chosen to walk her own path with regards to her future education, but the foundation for that path is based on a continuing, supportive relationship with those people who have helped to guide her and encourage her this far.
Thankyou to Mrs Robbie Panesar and staff of Green Meadows for helping R to see that the things which make her different are what make her strong and that choosing to follow a different path does not mean that she has to be alone.
For more information about Green Meadows Primary school, Goa  please visit their website at http://www.greenmeadowsschool.com/


Friday 16 November 2012

Maintaining school links.

R may be homeschooling now, but we still value our relationships with her previous schools.
When R was a baby, we were in UK, renovating my old house and for 9 months R attended a nursery part time. R may not remember much about her days there as she was so small, but she loves looking through all her records and keepsakes and often asks questions about the school and her teachers.


See Saw Day Nursery was run by Mark and Sarah Whelan who now run Saint Georges Preparatory school in Boston. I make a point of staying in touch with them and have followed the progress of their new project over the last year. Following the forest school concept, St Georges Preparatory School  aims to provide  holistic education to its students with emphasis on outdoor play and learning through nature.
With an outstanding Ofsted report and Best New Business Award to their name, this small school is proving that education does not have to be confined to the classroom and that school curriculums do not have to be limiting to the pupil.
The kids at this forest school wrap up warm and go out to play in the cold weather, get their hands dirty, and breathe fresh air every school day.
Our mutually supportive relationship with Saint Georges Preparatory School  provides R with invaluable links to her roots and insight into what her peers are learning in UK. We exchange photos, letters and emails, share ideas and plan to have a live chat with the forest school pupils on skype in the near future.
Thankyou Saint Georges Preparatory School for supporting R's homeschooling!

If you would like to learn more about this school please check out their website at http://www.saintgeorgesprep.co.uk/ .

In my next post I shall be writing about R's continuing  relationship with her previous primary school.


Tuesday 13 November 2012

Narkasur and Diwali.

In Goa, the evening before Diwali, giant, home made statues of Narkasur are displayed in the streets. Narcassur was a demon king who suffered defeat at the hands of Krishna. This is a classic story of good overcoming evil and is celebrated with the burning of the statues,  followed by the lighting of Diwali lamps early in the morning, of the first day of Diwali. This year, as in other years, we went for a drive around to see the statues in the villages before they were loaded onto the backs of trucks and taken to parade through the streets of Mapusa and Panaji.



At 4am the next morning R got up to help light the diyas and lanterns around the outside, front of our house.


We went back to bed until daylight then joined the family for a breakfast of various sweet dishes.




R and friends then decided to make divali decorations using scrap paper we had lying around the house. They spent hours sitting and chatting while they looped strips of paper and linked them together to make paper chains.



Later R came inside and hung some of her paper chains up. I think they look great!



Saturday 10 November 2012

The healing power of pets.

I couldnt write a blog about Roshni's homeschooling without mentioning her best homeschooling friend, Biba.
Biba is a German shepherd cross who we rescued as a puppy. She is now a year old and is R's best friend.
Whenever R feels upset, angry, frustrated or confused a hug from Biba seems to be all thats needed to heal her soul.
The above picture was taken during R's last days of school when she had completed her exams. She was in such a rush to tell Biba that exams were over that she didnt even get changed out of her school uniform before playing with her beloved pet.
We all experience times as parents when we are at a loss as to how to help our children. When they are emotional, especially when the child has difficulty in expressing their feelings. Sometimes kids just dont have the words to describe how they feel.  A hug, some quiet time and reassurance is often what is needed, but if the child is very sensitive it can be quite difficult for them to move on. For me, its at times like this when Biba comes to my rescue.
Some time spent with Biba seems to erase all of R's worries.
Animals have presence and children connect with them naturally when a healthy attitude towards animals is fostered by the parents.
I feel having a pet enriches a childs life immensely and allows an opportunity for the child to initiate communication and healing for themselves.
If your child is asking for a pet you should be sure to choose carefully, taking into consideration your home environment and be sure that the child understands that any animal requires a commitment from them for their daily care. You should also consider the financial implications of owning a pet.
Having a pet can be rewarding for the whole family but children are the ones who will reap the most benefits.
We would not be without Biba and we cant imagine life without her now. She is with us to stay and is R's forever friend.

Friday 9 November 2012

Thursday 8 November 2012

Crafty with clay

R tried pottery a couple of years ago and loved it. She really wants to try it again so until I can line up some classes for her I thought she might enjoy decorating some ready made clay pots.
We took a trip to Mapusa market and bought a variety of different clay items. Just being there amongst all though clay pots was, for R, exciting in itself!
We took them home and R called her little sister and cousin to come and decorate some of the items. It was like her own little art school. Everyone had a great time and are very proud of their work.

Sunday 4 November 2012

Research,reflection and inspiration.


Well as R had just completed exams at the end of the last school term and was looking forward to her long Divali holidays I am taking this time to do my research and R is enjoying a well deserved rest (de-schooling!) before we begin with the homeschooling.
I have found a wealth of information on the internet but I have been bookmarking my favourite pages so I thought i would share them with you.

First Ive listed some of the pages which have inspired and encouraged me to take up homeschooling.

http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/

http://besthomeschooling.org/index.html

http://homeschoolers.in/collaborative-learning/?fb_action_ids=10151097692733225&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

http://sandradodd.com/unschooling

http://www.mommy-labs.com/holistic_living/unschooling-homeschooling-india-natural-learning-children/

http://www.alternativeeducationindia.net/articles/home-educating

http://joyfullyrejoycing.com/

http://zenhabits.net/unschool/

http://www.livingjoyfully.ca/