Long Overdue....

* I preface this post by saying that I began writing this in Feb. 2017, due to life, which tends to just happen, I am just publishing this post in July 2017, forgiveness is requested.

I mentioned once before that Nairobi is the land of many malls.  Last weekend after the kids soccer practice we went to check out one of Nairobi's newest malls called Two Rivers Mall.  The mall is set on a huge land complex planned for multi-use development. Construction is ongoing and plans include hotels, housing, and commercial offices.

I was pleased to see ample parking as parking often seems to be an afterthought.  We chose the underground parking and found that finding a parking space was easy enough.  Security is heavy and one must be digitally scanned to enter.   Once inside one may feel as if they have stepped into a mall in the US.  The floor plan is well laid with open walkways and and plenty of light allowing for a bright open feel. 

 There is a nice apparel store at the mall equivalent to a H&M in the US.  The chain is called LC Waikiki and the prices are very reasonable.  I can see myself shopping there regularly for the children.  There was also a nice home goods store on the third floor that had quality items at a reasonable price.  I believe it was called Mr. Price Home.  The highlight of my visit though, was the Carrefour grocery store.  Carrefour is a French grocery chain that now has two locations in Kenya.  I discovered the first a couple of weeks ago and fell in love.

  The Carrefour is similar to a Walmart Super Center in that it is a supermarket as well as a department store all under one roof.   This is not the first of it's type here in Kenya.  One of the older more known supercenters or hypermarkets in Kenya is called Nakumatt.  It has a similar concept, but to me, the feel is very different and this is how:  

(1)The Carrefour has a large, open produce area with a selection of local and imported produce all at reasonable costs. Nakumatt stores generally have smaller produce areas and often have limited produce selection.  However, neither Carrefour nor Nakumatt match Zucchini Market or even Chandarana's variety and quality of produce.  For those of you in the states and abroad, Zucchini Market is specifically a produce market catering to upscale clientele and Chandarana is another grocery store chain.

(2) Upright freezers  for easy viewing of abundant convenience items at reasonable prices.  Nakumatt has freezers you look down into and convenience items are often priced at a premium.

(3) Large cheese and luncheon meat deli, bakery, and prepared food area. The availability of some of these departments are not consistent across all the Nakumatt stores and when available and are smaller (less selection).

(4) The Carrefour offered sale items and reasonable prices for items that I buy regularly. 

(5) Selections are wide and are consistent across both the Carrefour store locations that I've visited where as Nakumatt's inventory varies depending on the store location.

In a nutshell the three big advantages that I feel one will experience while shopping at Carrefour is consistency, value, and a great shopping experience.   As a side note, I tried to take a photo inside the Carrefour grocery store, and a guard stopped me stating they don't allow photos to be taken.  Below  is a photo that I found online.

As stated at the start of this post, several months have passed since I started this post.  I continue to visit Two Rivers Mall regularly.  We frequently shop at Carrefour on Saturdays and visit again for the "food court" area after church on Sundays.   Burger King is one of the dining choices that the kids enjoy as a little taste of home.  They also enjoy watching the water show set to music and playing along the river front. 

For those in Nairobi, have you visited Two Rivers Mall?  What are your thoughts?  For those abroad, does this mall remind you of any near you?

Gotta love those promotions!  This may actually be taken in the Karen Hub location.

The water show on the river in the evening with lights and music

Love the bright open feel.

                             

Mini-water park at Two Rivers Mall.

Back In The Swing of Things!

We started school again last week.  Some of us struggled to get back in the swing of things while others dived right in head first.  By the end of the week we were all back on track.  For the girls we started  the year with a quick review of the Revolutionary War and now on to the War of 1812.  The four books we are currently reading integrate well into the curriculum and the girls are enjoying them.

                             

 Their curriculum, Trail guide to Learning  (Paths of Settlement)  is inclusive of all subjects except foreign language and math.  It's really nice because everything they are learning ties in and relates to one another.  For example, while they were learning about The Revolutionary War, they did copywork and dictation from the Constitution and Patrick Henry's famous "Give me freedom or give me death " speech.  They read books about John Adams, Abigail Adams, and George Washington to name a few.  I found a nice add on book at a trunk sale during coop that nicely showed King George's perspective during that tumultuous time.  For those of you who may be covering the Revolutionary War, the book is titled "Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?" by Jean Fritz.

   They learned about the different branches of government and their roles by way of the Constitution.  They are learning about each of the 50 states.  As battles and events are taking place in the books they are reading, they learn about the geography of where these things occurred and how the geography may have shaped the outcome of events.  Spelling and vocabulary words largely come from the books we are reading.  For art they are exploring water color.  They've painted landscapes depicting the vast expanses of the developing US at the time.  They have also cooked recipes of popular dishes from the states they have studied.  I can go on and on, but I'll save that for a review of the curriculum which I will do at the end of this school year.

  For the little one, I've continued with a work plan system that I nabbed from What DID we do all day? Click here to see her post.  I believe she found it by way of another homeschooler.  The system allows my little one to visualize what work he has done for the day and what he still needs to do.  It also allows him to see the bigger picture as far as what I expect him to cover throughout the week. Each time he completes a task, he can move the corresponding paper clip from the left side to the right side of the work plan.   I like this system so much, that I even created one for each of the girls for things that I expect them to do daily and weekly that are not included in their curriculum.  All three enjoy the visual aid and the fact that they need to physically move the paperclip.  I imagine there is a sense of accomplishment that they feel when all the paperclips have been moved.

All in all it has been a great start to a new year.  We are back in the swing of things and enjoying

So, what's a co-op anyway?

       When we decided we were definitely going to homeschool here in Nairobi, our next concern became how to plug into the homeschooling network here in Nairobi.  Searching on the Internet for information about homeschooling in Nairobi yielded little results in the way of finding a homeschooling community.  Mostly we found information about tutors who could come to your home to tutor/teach your children.

       There was one predominant name that I kept seeing online.  Mary Muriuki's name was in one article after another on issues dealing with homeschooling in Kenya.  I knew she would be the person to reach out to for information regarding a network of families who were homeschooling in Nairobi.  Try as I might, I could not find an email address, or Facebook page for her anywhere.  It wasn't until we arrived in Kenya that my husband got a hold of her number and called her.  From there things moved quickly.  My husband spoke with several families who were homeschooling that very day!

        We found out about a co-op group that was having their first meeting of the term on that Wednesday and another that met on other days during the week.  We chose the co-op meeting on Wednesday's because of it's location.  That Wednesday we went to the co-op.  The kids loved it, we loved it, and we have been there ever since.   The co-op itself does not have a Facebook page or website, but there is now a Facebook page for homeschooling families in Nairobi.

       So....what is a co-op you ask.  A homeschool co-op is a group of homeschooling families that in cooperation come together to provide social and educational activities for their kids.  In our case we meet weekly.  However a coop can meet twice per week, every two weeks, or even once per month.     During this term the older children had a drama class, for which they prepared and performed a play, a Kenyan history class, a gym class, and a bible study class (optional).  While the kindergartners and preschoolers have art, story time and gym.  The classes may change a bit for next term.

      There are many benefits of taking part in a co-op.  First the children get to meet with other children regularly and in this way they are able to develop friendships.  We parents also are able to socialize and develop friendships as well.  Secondly, resources are pooled, so the cost is relatively low when considering the cost that these classes and activities would cost per individual family.  Another benefit is having your child be taught by another adult other than yourself.  Although we tailor our teaching styles to our children's needs, a major benefit of homeschooling, sometimes they may find someone else who teaches perfectly to their learning style, no tailoring needed!

      Co op is currently finished for the term, but we will resume in January.  The children have really enjoyed the coop experience and are looking forward to starting again in the new year!

Scene from the Christmas play

Another Scene (the children painted the backdrop and made some of the props)

                                   
                                   

Gym class for the middle grades led by Ambassadors Sports

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Our First Halloween in Kenya

       My kids LOVE Halloween.  I mean what kid doesn't love costumes and candy?   Halloween is one of the few nights in the year that I allow them to freely eat candy.  On Halloween night, after trick -or- treating the kids come home and pick out 5-6 pieces of candy and have at it.
      Monday was our first Halloween away from the US.  In the US, Halloween is a big deal.  Even people with no children make sure they have a supply of candy when their neighbors' children come knocking on their doors for trick-or-treating.  It is always so fun to see all the children in their cute costumes.  Even though we are away from home, I wanted the kids to have as much fun as they usually do for Halloween.  A friend recommended a Halloween function at a popular mall here in Nairobi called Village Market.  The function cost Ksh 500 ($5.00) per child and adults paid the same.  The flyer promised a great time and trick- or- treating.  So, on Saturday evening we loaded the kids up in the car all dressed up in there Halloween costumes and headed for Village Market.
      When we arrived, there were so many children all dressed up running about the mall.  We were so excited!  We went up to the roof parking area where the event was being held.  Once there, we found that there were about five or six jumping castles and some hay bale seating.  The kids seemed excited so we paid the fee and entered.  After ten minutes the kids were sweaty and tired of bouncing, but there wasn't much more to do.  They had a DJ that was playing uncensored music (the B word was heard more than once).  The MC began to announce all the things they had for sale: cotton candy, ice-cream, popcorn, face painting, and get this, Halloween candy!  I couldn't believe they wanted us to pay for Halloween candy on Halloween at a Halloween party that we'd just paid to enter!   They announced a costume contest and a pinata was soon to follow.   I took one look at the tiny pinata and then another at the large crowd of children and opted to head for the food court for dinner instead.  There, we enjoyed fresh air and a nice dinner.  I was a little confused and felt the whole point of Halloween for the kids was lost upon the organizers of the party, but I left that evening looking forward to another event we'd been invited to.
       On Monday we attended a Halloween party that we'd been invited to by one of the co op families.  The party was at their Church.  There was a pot-luck dinner, and then trick -or -treating.  The church building was perfect because there were many doors to which the children could come and knock and say trick- or- treat.  Each family who attended  had a parent stand behind a door to greet the trick -or- treaters and hand out candy.  It was perfect!  The kids enjoyed trick or treating with their friends.  The kids left happy and I was satisfied that they had a good time.

Carved pumpkins and watermelon!  You really learn to be ingenuitive.

Enjoying their candy