Friday

Another mango day today!  The kids picked another wheelbarrow full and though there is plenty of fruit still on the tree we are just working within our limits.  Once our “need to” jobs were all done, including sorting/grading the mangoes we headed off to the other side of town where to deliver the Mangoes.  I think I have said before that the kids are donating the mangoes to this family who are picking/sorting/packing mangoes and selling to raise funds for Open Doors.  We arrived just as they were starting up in the packing shed after lunch so we got to see them sapping and rinsing the mangoes, and then polishing and grading and packing.  The kids were particularly taken with the weighted conveyor belt that drops mangoes into the weight-relevant packing bin.  They spent ages trying to guess which bin the mango would be dropped into as it came along the conveyor belt.  It was a good math lesson in “hefting” (weight estimation).

Saturday

Our big activity for Saturday was that Josh and Jess went to a youth group.  This was a first time for them.  First time for Jess due to her age but first time for Josh because we seem to be out of the loop a bit and only hear about the activities after they happen!  But that is going to change and next year it looks like they will go along. 

I am a bit neither her or there about youth groups but this is an outreach youth group and it will give them good contacts with the kids in the town which they don’t otherwise have.  It will also give them an opportunity to be spiritual leaders amongst the youth where they are the oldest “kids” in town, who believe in Jesus.  So that is exciting.

They went mud sliding!  Jessica had to clarify what that would be – she couldn’t imagine it was what it sounded like!  But it was!  She ended up having a fun time though she received a fat lip in the process.  They played all sort of games – invariably in the mud – but a lot of fun.  The evening ended up with a BBQ tea.

Meanwhile Nomi, Daniel and I went visiting friends and stayed on in town, at their invite, for tea before we picked up the older kids.

Sunday

Just in reflection over this last week I have to note a few things.

First up, is Daniel.  He has been a lot calmer this week. He has played with his Lego constantly this week.  I have been really excited about this development as I know in my heart that Daniel is a little boy who loves to build and Lego seems to fit right there but he has struggled with it for so long.  His lack of stick-ability in playing with Lego is one of the things that helped in my assessment before I went to the OT.  She had the answer – he has fine motor delay.  So it is very exciting to see him play for hours over this last week.  Admittedly Nomi has played with him for a lot of that time and that deals with his need for company but it has also given us a platform to help him play by himself when she is not available, and he has risen to this as well.

Secondly, with Daniel was his commitment to drawing while we were out bush earlier in the week.  While the other kids were off clambering around the rocks he sat very quietly, very focused on his drawing.  He also took photos of what he was seeing so he could come home and finish the drawing. 

The third observation I wanted to share was really an observation from Jess.  She said, as we were discussing some study changes I plan to make for next year, she said, “The more independent studies we grow into the busier you get and we don’t get to the read alouds.”  She has a point.  Even though they are independent in a lot of their studies I need to be careful not to take on too much in what appears to be my now “Free time”.  They still need me for direction, for discussion, for guidance, and I guess the number one big one that gets cut out all the time is reading aloud.  So there is a goal for me!