As you can imagine, our first school year was not your typical land-based year. For starters, it commenced in August 2016 and ended almost 14 months later September 29, 2017. As we made our way down to the East Coast of Canada a year ago, we were pretty diligent about sticking to the books on most of our calm travel days. However, from November to March, we were consumed with boat projects, trip planning, provisioning, weather watching, socializing, and ocean travel. Any school routine we had got thrown out to sea. In those five months, we logged 30 school days compared to 90 days their land-based buddies had completed. Yikes... I had most of the books and materials prepared for the year, but I had not quite mastered how to weave all the subjects into a varied and interesting school day. It seemed all I could do some days was to get them to read, write something and complete some math before some boat chore took over our life. Sadly, science, social studies, music and French waited in the sidelines for their entrance.
Volcano models after visiting Montserrat
Focusing on project
Art
By April 2017, we got back into stride and developed more of a daily routine. School was held in the morning, and afternoon was left for playing with friends, dinghy sailing, and onshore trips. Science, social studies and music made the cut and got back on the roster. French occurred when we were in French-speaking places and with Francophone friends. I was able to leave schoolwork with the kids and John to go grocery shopping or run errands. It was strange in June when school was out for most kids, and we were in the swing of our second half of the year.
Despite what your mother tells you, it helps to do math lying on your stomach
Science class
Building bridges
Geometry with sticky tack and toothpicks
Once we got to our "summering" spot here in Grenada, school became easier as our new boat friends were schooling each morning and were eager to meet at the beach when school was over. During our home stretch, we did 31 days of school in a row without a break. Wavey even managed to squeeze in her "Pioneer Day" where she simulated life of the early settlers by washing her own clothes, making butter, baking corn bread and mending clothes.
Washing her clothes
(Well, maybe the early settlers did not wash with their feet while wearing a bikini)
Making cornbread
Making butter by shaking cream in a jar
Spreading homemade butter on freshly baked corn bread. Yum!
Second last day of Grades 3 and 6. Spelling tests and lunch at Grenada Yacht Club
We ended "classes" on Sept 29th, a few days before John's Mom Lois and sister Liane arrived. We had a lunch out, got reports cards, and celebrated with our friends.
Last day of school. Having a smoothie at the mall
Taco night on Nahanni V with Millie, Sienna, Nathan and Mac
Mac, Simon, and Nathan chilling out at the Tiki Bar in Prickly Bay waiting for their pizza
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Bomeschool Stats School Year 2016-2017
"Staff" on site: 2
Student to teacher ratio: 1:1
Days absent: 0
Days late: 24 (I know...really!)
Days of school completed: 186
Average time of daily instruction: 3 hours
Number of Fieldtrips: 58
Number of hissy fits - Students: 112 Teachers: 36
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After a wonderful visit with John's family (more on this visit on next blog), we spent a week doing some chores and hanging out. Our two week fall vacation was fantastic!
Visit with Lois and Liane
On October 17, 2017 we got back at it. Simon moved into Grade 7 and Wavey into Grade 4. Books that arrived with Granny cracked opened and we transitioned to using a few new e-books on the iPad. For me it was a continuation of writing lesson plans, scheduling units and marking. The kids were thrilled that teacher Daddy is picking up more Science and Coding for this coming year.
Really Simon, school starts today!
Class photo - First row from left to right: Wavey and Simon
Class photo - Last row from left to right: Simon and Wavey
We are proud of the kids' accomplishments and look forward to our next Bomeschool adventures!
While I have been (unintentionally) neglecting this blog, Wavey has been busy with her own writing. She wrote diligently as part of her school assignments, and then they got stuck in well...my pile. Patient and persistent girl that she is, she did her final edits today and published two posts in Wavey's Words.
The hype about Carnival was already building when we got to Grenada in July. There were ads, Jump-Ups (street parties) and news about the upcoming events. From the boat, we could hear music and parties along the shore, playing well into most nights. It was clear that something was happening. We weren't sure if we wanted to partake in the Carnival festivities. We heard some reports, that streets could get rowdy and there was disagreement about whether it would be suitable to take kids to some events. Some of the stadium shows were a little pricey and the kids weren't sure about attending the parade. They enjoyed the Carnival in St. Maarten back in April, but they found the music deafening. After doing a bit of research, we decided to attend a Carnival event called J'Ouvert held on August 14th. J'Ouvert literally means, "daybreak", or the opening of the day. This event revs up at 4:00 am and marks that beginning of the two days of Carnival. This is where the "Jab Jab" or devil-like creatures emerge from the night and parade through the streets. The official Carnival website, www.spicemasgrenada.com/jouvert sets the scene for this event:
"Blackened with stale molasses, tar, grease, creosote or mud, and wearing little more than their horned helmets, these masqueraders in previous times set out to terrify onlookers with their grotesque appearance and repulsive dances.
In modern times, the traditional Jab-Molassi have mutated into other creatures of colour, with Blue, Yellow and Green Devils joining in the early morning parade. These colourful devils are much more playful in character, wanting only to dab a bit of their body paint onto unsuspecting bystanders, as they dance through the streets to the rhythms of the accompanying drums, steel bands and calypsos from huge DJ trucks."
Despite our concerns that this event might freak the kids out, we decided to join the festivities around 5:00 am. Our plan was to take the dinghy to the Grenada Yacht Club and stand behind the gates to watch if it looked too ominous for our crew.
We donned old clothes and covered our heads to keep our hair clean. The kids decked themselves out in glow sticks and John and I took a couple shots of Jab Jab rum to ease the pain of getting up at 4:30 am. We jumped into the dinghy as the soca beats drifted towards us.
Not quite awake
A little rum at 4:30 am? Sure!
On our way into St. George's
We walked through the Yacht Club and stepped over the remnants of a party that looked like it had broken up minutes before. We went beyond the security guards and were hit with the heady smells of chocolate, motor oil, rum and sweat. Odd looking people coated in black oil walked by with horned helmets. We looked out of place, like we'd been plopped into a dark nightclub oblivious to the dress code.
Onto the street. Looking very clean and scared.
"Mom, what are we doing here?"
First glimpse of Jab Jab covered in motor oil
Jab Jabs
Oil hugs
Crowd is getting bigger at dawn
I wasn't so sure I wanted my family to get coated in motor oil, but we couldn't walk around in our pristine outfits. We returned to the Yacht Club where they had an alternative--vats of chocolate to use instead. It was hard for the kids to dip in and cover themselves with chocolate. (I am sure they had my voice in their heads not to get food on their clothes.) However, it didn't take long until we looked a little less alien.
Return to Yacht Club to get chocolated
Ready to hit the street
Chocolate is good, but paint is better!
Stopping at dawn for a drink of coconut water
Jab Jab heating up
The streets kept getting fuller and the bands could be heard making their way towards us. We decided to make our way above the street to get a better view. We found a great place to watch and hang out with some colour-loving friends.
Simon getting his gold on
Now we are feelin' it
In the crowd, our friends from Maple found us and joined us above the street. Ella and Iris arrived looking much like our kids had two hours earlier, but it didn't take them much time to get into the carnival spirit with their parents, Janet and Darryl. When the kids could see someone on the street with a can of paint, they would scurry down to the road, make quick friends, score some paint, and come back to share.
Pre-paint Ella and Iris
Iris getting paint
Kids warming up to this whole idea
Are these the same kids?
Adding the silver touches
Darryl and Janet from Maple
Adding a few shades of chocolate
Steel drum band
J'Ouvert is a celebration of freedom. Since emancipation from slavery in 1834, J'Ouvert has been a way for people to push societal limits, get attention, and have a ton of fun. Despite the heavy drinking everywhere, the crowd was orderly, friendly and welcoming. The slick "devils" dragging chains, with spiky horns were scary-looking but not threatening. They were likely the same polite, well-dressed Grenadians we meet in stores, banks and restaurants the rest of the year.
The fire breathing Jab Jab was mesmerizing. I was impressed when he chugged motor oil to blow his flame. (That much motor oil can't be good for you.)
Silver paint!
This guy came running up the hill pretending to give Simon a hug. All in good fun.
Green paint transformed kids into surgeons
Family carnival shot
We started to feel a little tired mid-morning with the sun blazing down on us. We grabbed some street food and yawned our way back to the boat.
BBQ chicken for breakfast
Simon driving us home
Time for nap!
Before boarding Nahanni V, we jumped overboard and washed our clothes and bodies. The chocolate mostly washed out, but the colour stayed fast leaving us with vibrant memories of our first J'Ouvert.
A few weeks back on August 17th, we celebrated one year of cruising. This is the date, one year ago, when we left Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario and started our journey east and then south. It's funny to think that the oppressive heat wave we departed in, is now normal temperatures for us in Grenada. Every anniversary bears some reflection. As I look back at the past year, our family has experienced significant change in every way we live. For our family of four, we live off the power of five solar panels, consume a total of about 25 litres of water a day, and eat more beans and rice than ever before. We hold school in a variety of classroom configurations, and phys-ed and art can mean swimming to the beach and building a sand city. Going to work for me can mean figuring out the buses to find a good markets for shopping, preparing school lessons and marking schoolwork. For John, perhaps less change has occurred for him overall; house or boat, he continues to renovate and repair as he's done for decades! Upon reflecting on our past year on Nahanni V, I felt a need to take stock of what I've learned since leaving home: I like being warm
After leaving Halifax in December with 4 C temperatures and sailing in the cold North Atlantic, I have no desire to be cold again. I prefer sweating to freezing, especially if I can jump over the side several times a day to cool off. Multiple layers under foul weather gear holds no appeal for me anymore. I no longer like wearing shoes. I love wearing by bathing suit all day. I can't fathom wearing something made of fleece. (Of course, as I write these words, part of me screams, "But you love Canadian winters!" For now, I am packing that part of me up in the locker with my boots, toques and gloves.)
Homeschooling is not for wimps
I love that I see my kids everyday and that I get to be the imparter of knowledge to them. Every hour has a teachable moment, that is, if I have the energy or creativity to use the moment, and if my kids stop arguing for the moment to actually hear me. I love witnessing those aha moments when they occur, that is, if I am not trying to figure out how to teach leaf and stem plots or get the dishes done. Balance is what it is all about and as long as everyone is learning, school rocks. (Unless of course, it is in the literal sense, and then we stop school or else we get seasick.)
Good friends are in every port
The sailing community is vast and we never know who we will meet. One afternoon on the beach can leave you feeling tingly that you have found a new friend who gets this sailing lifestyle and all that goes with it. I learn something from everyone I meet and am blessed by new friends, even if they are sailing away the next day.
Wherever you go, you are there
I learned this lesson when I travelled in my 20's, but the lesson bears repeating. I used to think that just because I was in an exotic location, free from the stresses of home, I would always be happy. We have good days and bad days wherever we are. I can be grumpy in my Grimsby kitchen or lying on a Caribbean beach. (OK, that might be a stretch, but you get the point.) I recognize that I need to be mindful of what is happening around me and be grateful for all my points of sail.
My kids are amazing
OK, every parent thinks their kids are awesome, but mine really are. They are adaptable, flexible, funny and creative. They are great little sailors with an eagerness to explore and navigate their way out here. Oh yes, they drive me wild at times, but I admire both of them immensely: Simon for his ingenuity, his overflowing enthusiasm and his barely containable energy. Wavey for her intuitiveness, her quick wit and her curiosity about everything and everyone around her. Both kids complement each other and are great friends. It is fulfilling (and also a little scary) to see them venture off more independently now and put into practice things they have learned from us and the world. I can't believe we lucked out and have the privilege of parenting these two extraordinary children. My partner in life and sailing is well...
I can't think of a single word to describe John. For over 17 years, we have refit boats and houses together, crossed oceans, worked and lived in close quarters, and planned this family sailing adventure. John is visionary, passionate, and quietly daring. He is also the most patient person I know (he lives with me after all.) He is resourceful and smart and I would not be on a boat anywhere without him. Blogging is harder than I thought it would be I love the idea of writing blogs as things happen; to share our experiences as they unfold. I have learned that for a blog to occur, I need discipline, time, and a good internet connection. Sadly, these three things align less often lately, despite my good intentions. I have a lot more to learn
Despite our one year of family cruising (plus four years pre-kids), I still feel like a newbie. I do not feel that I have got this yet, and somehow, that's OK. Everyday on a sailboat is an adventure. We change and grow in ways we can't predict. Gratitude comes in waves
We have a great deal to be grateful for. Full moons, sunsets, and pristine beaches. Dinghy engines that start, full propane tanks, and breezes through the cabin. After seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in so many places we hold dear, we are thankful to be safe and afloat.
