So homeschooling high schoolers is a very different thing to homeschooling primary school kids and when it comes to things like science experiments we are ..read more

One of my favourite family outings ever, was a visit to the Zeitz MOCAA Art Gallery. I loved everything about it: the space, the art ..read more

The Bayview Trilogy by Karen M. McManus Have you read the Bayview High series? It is really very good older teen reading. If you want to understand the world of teenagers then this series for you. While your biggest teenage fear might have been who looked at you twice during lunch break, these teens have that and so much more, all the bullying that goes on online, all the behind the scenes stalking and trolling. If you want a non-confrontational peak into your teen’s world, download the audible versions (they are full cast and superb) and listen while you drive together, trust me it will ope ..read more

This has been an exceptionally good year of reading for me… book after book is being read and I am finally learning the art of letting go of the terrible, getting through the ordinary and embracing the very best ones. This book stack is one of the many book stacks I have been reading through, it is astonishing how much you can get through, just reading a chapter here and there. My Book of the Year I know we are only half way through the year but this was my favourite book in ages and immediately became my book of the year. So much so, that I read it and then got the audible so that I could l ..read more

I haven’t blogged about homeschooling for ages, I guess when you are in the thick of it, and you forget that your life experience is not everyone else’s. I have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed homeschooling my high schoolers. But recently I was asked: What happens to homeschoolers after high school? That is a good question. And like all homeschool questions, it can seem like a massive hurdle, until you find someone else who has walked this road before you. With five of our eight kids finished with high school, I have walked that road a couple of times and I am happy to share our journey ..read more

There is a new bird book on the block and it is fantastic. The latest version of Newman’s Birds Book By Colour is brilliant, and perfect for birders at every level. Newman’s Birds by Colour by Kenneth Newman and updated by Nicholas Newman Instead of bird illustrations this book is packed with full colour photographs of birds shade, of every size and of every shape. The book has a fantastic introduction, describing details and clear illustrations, that will help you navigate your way through bird identification. Then the book explores from the black section and the “White-Rumped Swift” all th ..read more

We have just celebrated World Ocean’s Day and there is a stunning new local book out an it is all about the wild and wonderful ocean in Cape Town. A book about the wonderful wildlife found in False Bay. Sandi and the Salty Sea Dogs False Bay Adventure By Monique Fallows Illustrations by David ‘Ed’ Edwards This is the story of three adorable dogs that live in False Bay, in Cape Town: Sandi, Brownie and Lucy. The author works in ecotourism and they started to take their dogs with them to work… and the rest, as they say is history. Lot’s of lovely stories, lots of lovely photographs and genera ..read more

This stack of fresh new picture books will inspire you to snuggle up with a little person and read away. From sweet stories to factual facts books, there is something for everyone in this book stack. The first book is a five star read and definitely one of my favourite science books for little people. It is followed by the most beautiful wander throught the countryside, and a glorious picture book classic in the making. Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales written by Catherine Cawthorne illustrated by Sarah Ogilvie You think you might know the story of The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella, Ha ..read more

If you enjoyed “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” not only the book but the entire series, then you will rejoice with me, because Holly Jackson is back with something new. If you are not a Holly Jackson fan yet, then get onto it… young adult reads reads that are fast and furious, they are written to grab your attention “away from your screen,” and they do. The books read fast, but if you are not a reader and you are looking to a share a good story with your older teens and enter their world of crime podcasts and cybercrime, then grab the audible versions and listen while you are lifting to and ..read more

If you are settling in for a weekend read and you loved Eragon and the Inheritance Cycle, then grab Murtagh, settle in and enjoy the read. Murtagh by Christopher Paolini This book requires some dedicated time… and that is why it took me forever to find the right time, and then I got started and just couldn’t stop. If you loved Eragon and the Dragon Rider Series then you are going to love this one. And you are going to love the magical, mystical maps by Paolini in between the main sections of the book. It is the fifth book in the Inheritance Cycle, it stands alone and it has had me gripped fo ..read more