Hands on learning for Homeschoolers
3 books I recommend for Kids to learn more about the V & A Waterfront
As a homeschool mom I firmly believe that homeschooling is a lifestyle choice, much more than a curriculum option.
I also believe that my children need to learn about their own town, city, province and country before we start teaching them about a bigger world.
With this belief many of our outings or lessons are hands on at a landmark, museum or enjoying a local excersion.
I’ve traveled and explored as much as our budget would allow with Hamish, over the last few years and this year, his last year in foundation phase, with the gentle introduction of History and Geography in his text books, I chose to fully emerse ourselves in learning more about Cape Town, her history and her people.
The first place we started, as we make weekly visits there, is the V and A Waterfront.
About the V and A Waterfront
Not only is the V and A Waterfront a popular tourist destination, it is also the oldest working harbour in the Southern Hemisphere.
With Table Mountain as it’s background, the Waterfront is the perfect place to visit, explore,eat, play or shop.
Amidst the fun activities like boat rides, the aquarium, giant ferris wheels and Aquatic buses, lies a rich history of Cape Town.
History
Once covered under water, it was here that Jan Van Riebeeck had a small jetty built in 1654 to accomadate the ships passing and in 1860, HRH prince Alfred, Queen Victoria’s second son , tipped the first stones in order to start the construction of the breakwater for Cape Town’s new Harbour.
Over the years, this area played a central part in the history of the Cape.
In 1988, the V & A Waterfront as we know it, was first established, with a strong focus on retail, tourism, residential living within the working Harbour.
Why hands on study
Scientists have discovered it takes a child 400 repetitions to learn something new, unless it is done in play, in which case it only takes 10 to 20.
When a child is engaged in a fun activity, that does not feel like learning, they are often more focused, more interested, more engaged in the activity, have a longer attention span, ask more questions and walk away not only with a great core memory but retain a lot more information as they can now speak on the topic with personal experience.
It’s also fun and a great way for parents /teachers to bond with their kids/students.
BOOKS
Now, Hamish won’t remember all the facts of every outing we go on but that is why we follow up with great books.
As we read and followed the fun activities in the following books he certainly learnt more about our beautiful city, it’s history, the nature and most importantly the rich diversity of people who make up the Capes population.
My top 3 book suggestions to help your child learn more about the
V & A Waterfront
1. Kids passport – This cute passport is available at the information desk at the Waterfront.
Each place has a fun activity at the Waterfront, like visiting the aquarium or scratch patch.
The pages also have places to record your child’s visit and at each activity they collect a sticker.
We love the map included and the space to add our own activities as well. Suitable for kids of all ages
2.Waterfront Walkabout by Suzie Joubert – published by Art publishers
This book covers an easy walk around the Waterfront of about 2 -3 hours .
This self guided book is full of beautiful photos and covers history, culture and every day life.
It’s easy to read with lots of questions, stickers and activities. We Enjoyed this book but found much of it outdated. We are hoping there is an updated version written soon.
Suitable for kids age 6 – 12
3. Kids Cape Town Guidebook by Jeanne Bonnema & Emma Flew worth- published by Penguin kids sa
This beautifully illustrated book is our favourite. Hamish loved the hands on activities about his favourite Cape Town destinations.
The book covers 6 of Cape Town’s top destinations and shares things to do, what to pack, stories, trivia, puzzles, secret codes, games and more.
Suitable for kids age 6 – 12
Other resources
Marine walk
It’s interesting to note that kids of all ages can also enjoy a free marine walk on the Waterfront website. For this they walk around the Waterfront looking for animal cut outs and learn more about the nature around the Waterfront.
Audio tour
Older kids, from about 8 years, can enjoy a free audio tour also available in the V & A Waterfront website.
The tour takes 45 minutes to an hour and you can get more information here
