June 2020 - Ballito Umhlanga

they flourish. We don’t really have toys.
I don’t buy them. Instead, the children
make things, and they barely ever say
they are bored.” Not being bored is
the key to learning, says Natalia, so to
prevent the “b”-word from creeping in,
she constantly adapts their learning
methods to keep “school” interesting,
which keeps her on her toes too.
“Moms often tell me I’m brave
because I home school my kids. I don’t
think I am. Home schooling is not
the solution for everyone, but don’t
be intimidated by the idea because
you think you have to be a teacher to
home school. You just need your kids
to believe they can learn whatever
they want to and make learning fun. It
is all about learning together really.”
Details: https://www.differentisgood.
co.za/, Facebook: differentisgoodSA or
WhatsApp 063 715 1004.
from school to swimming to dancing to homework, constantly pushing and
competing with others, you end up with a ten-year-old who is stressed out.
If school work is done effectively and efficiently, homework should not be
necessary. Time at home should allow children to play and enjoy spending time
with their family. I am all for competition but compete as yourself.” Individualism
inspired the name for her online, education business, Different is Good, which
focuses on making educational tools for parents and teachers to use to
encourage engaged learning.
“Most schools teach using the visual sense only and through repetition. Imagine
having to write the letter ‘A’ 50 times… how boring?! When your mind is not
engaged, you become bored and you are not going to learn. We have five
senses and we learn much better if we use all of them.”
To stimulate the mind and engage all the senses, Natalia’s first product is a
colourful, interactive, All About Farm Animals flash card set complete with the
matching animal figurines, the names of all the family members for each animal
and the different body parts. “This fun learning tool stimulates visual, tactile and
auditory learning, builds fine motor and cognitive skills and encourages problem
solving.” The best part is that you can also choose in which language your kids
are going to learn. “Learning a language is probably the best way to develop
cognitive skills and we are best suited to learn a language before the age of six,”
says the trilingual mom who speaks French, Spanish and English to her children.
She added the language feature because she realised that many moms want
their kids to be exposed to different languages, but don’t know how to go about
it. “The cards are linked to a downloadable audio guide that allows your child to
learn in Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, French, Spanish, English and German!” She also
recently added the Dinosaur Adventure Activity Set.
“I firmly believe in learning through playing. We were taught by society that if
you don’t put information in your head from a book you are not learning. It’s
important to know certain things, but it’s the way you react to the info and use
it that makes the difference.” Instead, the mom follows a holistic approach to
learning which is not restricted to classroom time. “Just by living, you are learning.
If you go hiking, you are learning. Schooling doesn’t just happen in a classroom
with a teacher. Being told what and how to do everything doesn’t teach
innovative and inventive thinking. I’ve seen it with my kids - when they are free,
June 2020 Get It • Ballito Umhlanga 25