I just love, love, love our home schooling community. We are made up of so many different families and backgrounds – race, religion, creed, home schooling styles, personalities – you name it, we’ve got it. And the best part is that, because we’re all in the same boat, there’s a wonderful sense of community, despite our differences. This is fuelled by online communities like our Facebook group Homeschool Western Cape where moms (and dads!) share ideas, curricula, outings and virtual shoulders to cry on. I love it.
And out of this community, every now and again, a mom is inspired to do something fun and creative, and invites us all to join. Cape Explorers is just such a thing. Karen D hails originally from Zimbabwe. Their family have lived here in Cape Town for just a few years, so she thought it was time to really explore the Cape and get to know the places around her. Long story short, she started an outing club called Cape Explorers. Within minutes of announcing the club at HWC, Cape Explorers reached capacity and now has a super duper long waiting list. Was I ever so glad that for once I didn’t um and ah. We made the cut!
Karen began things with a meet-and-greet-paint-some-t-shirts day at her home. Families got to meet, play games and then create their own Cape Explorers t-shirts.
Despite the rainy weather…
…they all had a great time, especially when the sun came out just in time for the get-to-know-you games.
The kids dived head first into the painting fun. The littlies were encouraged to do handprints only (to discourage the muddy mess they usually end up with). My boys were having none of that – thankfully, their creativity this time around was, well, creative! Sam insisted on doing a volcano, despite there being no such thing in the Cape…
And Micah, 3, ever following in his brother’s footsteps, wanted to do an earthquake. His interpretation included a handprint after seeing all the other kids’ awesome creations:
The girls got stuck into their projects…
As did all the other kids…
Karen had them all create an agreement of how they want to interact with each other and everyone around them…
All made official with multiple signings…
By the time we had to leave, the kids were amped for our next outing in two weeks: a visit to Cape Union Mart for some real outdoor experiences all recreated indoors…
Karen is a natural leader and group organiser. She had all the kids’ rapt attention. And the Cape Union Mart team did a sterling job of showing us around. We split into a few groups and moved from station to station…
For some that meant entering the –17 degree Celsius sub-zero chamber to build an igloo out of giant ice cubes…
Testing out the cold weather gear is the plan for this room, but our kids just had loads and loads of squealing fun in the icy temperatures.
Next up – rain and mist room…
The climbing wall was a huge hit. Kiera ended up being the only one of our lot who tried it, although Katie had wanted to. Kiera scaled up there like she’s been doing it all her life, and went back for more and more. Oh dear – another new love, me foresees.
Next up? Scorpions and Spiders. This dude is not poisonous at all. The bigger the pincers, the less poisonous, simply because the pincers do the killing.
This guy, however, is poisonous. See that big fat tail? Stay far, far away. Fascinating, though, was how he shines under UV light…
See? He shone up like a glow stick.
Next up? Spiders! Argh.
Our spider guy, Norman, was fearless and thoroughly enjoyed handling these guys. Yes, that is a spider climbing up his shirt. Ew!
I kept my distance, behind the lens, while some of the kids and moms braved the experience…
Moving onto more familiar territory: pitching tents…
All the learning and hard work culminated in hot chocolate and a party pack. Yum yum!
What did those kids think of all that fun? We love Cape Explorers!
Thanks again to Karen for her amazing hard work. And may I encourage others in our community to start something similar? This is the sort of thing that can be duplicated with a couple of willing moms spearheading the process. Go on! It’s fun!
click here to read more from homeschooling mom Taryn at Hayes Happenings
