“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”
Greek Proverb
It is beautifully miraculous to nurture a child and watch them grow. There is so much of you in them, and yet they are totally and uniquely their own. The trick as a parent is knowing when to instruct and when to refrain. I believe one of the biggest challenges is raising a child the way they are uniquely designed to be versus raising the child the way we would have liked to be. There is no better place to experience a child's unique personality and passion than in a creative capacity. Our annual local Youth Market displays the children's creativity perfectly.
I love wandering from table to table appreciating the creativity. The atmosphere is electric. The tables prettily display each child's work. Some of the older children have already built a business for themselves. Hand weaving, soaps and woodwork that they are selling in country markets or little road stalls in the greater area.
Sisters with a passion for horses are sewing lovely stuffed toys. Horses of course. And then there's the brother and sister duo who are being homeschooled on a protea farm. They are learning to roast coffee. Naturally the constantly brewing stall was a hit.
The children are mostly homeschoolers and the ages vary. The very young enthusiasts are assisted by a parent, grandparent or older sibling.
Smaller children sold pesto, cookies, fudge and even our famous South African vetkoek stuffed with curry. Teenage friends fried flapjacks and the queue blocked the doorway as hungry customers ordered the sweet treat.
Speciality breads, chai tea, seedlings, essential oils or leatherwork. The variety was as varied and wonderful as each child. I was delighted to see the support of people coming far and wide to honour the ingenuity of the next generation.
Many young artists sold cards, bookmarks and even pillows that had been individually painted with African wildlife.
How do other communities support their future generations? Let me know how your culture nurtures your children, especially on this beautiful winter's #marketfriday. Thank you @dswigle for such a fun and educational community.
The Youth Market day was a roaring success. Hats off to each special child. May their passion never be stifled and may their creativity inspire both the older generation and those to come.
What a great job putting this all together, it is a job in itself getting all on the same timeline, along with the parents... What a great space and the advertising/word of mouth really paid off well. Such a great crowd! I like the idea of the pancakes as you walk in! Nice warm-up for the things to come.
It is so easy to want to support an endeavor like this, isn't it? I am not sure if you told us how it got set up last year when they did this. I remember it was a great success then also. Anyone would be very pleased to have such a turnout. This is such a great incentive to the homeschoolers themselves, knowing how to utilize a skill like this.
Our homeschool group[ was in a coop, so it made organizing different groups of kids for certain things easier. Plus, having the coop, with like-minded people was a huge plus when we were looking to get together for sports, music lessons, and the like.
Congratulations! This looks great!!!
#MarketFriday began as a way to reach out across the globe and learn about different cultures through their markets, especially local markets and farmers' markets, and eventually branched out and evolved over time from straight shopping to a cultural affair as it highlights how we differ and then again, how much we are alike. We have become a melting pot of culture, but it is still the Rituals, Festivals, food, architecture, and even your language/languages that separate us... Along with the fact that these things are normal for us. There are unwritten rules that rule our social behaviors. I see this as allowing for increased tolerance between cultures and nations, and opportunities to come together on an even playing ground. A strong culture can be beneficial to a country as it promotes unity, especially during a crisis, peaceful debate, and open dialogue. I have learned so much about all of you and it has been an amazing experience. I can only hope that learning about each other can help us work together for a peaceful world.
Thank you for being a part of #MarketFriday
Supposedly I'm sitting with my foot up and yet, I still don't get to write or read as I would like. So so sorry for the delay sweet lady, but thank you, as always for such a consistently thoughtful comment. The idea was a friend of mine a couple years ago. She put huge effort into getting it launched last year, despite initial skepticism. I honestly don't know how she pulled it off but last year was a roaring success. I preferred the venue last year, in one of our local coffeeshops. This year they used the town hall. The atmosphere was totally different and not as cozy. The children still loved it and the feedback was great. I love the coop set-up as you have described to me. It seems to be more challenging to do regular (weekly or monthly) activities here. We cover a huge farm/country area and while inflation is international we have added local issues that is forcing families to stay home. Sad. But wonderful when something like this annual youth market is so successful
A decent little market there with home made items. The best and biggest market in SA is in Sedgefield in Garden Route every Saturday.
Reputably so. I think Sedgefield's Market has grown exponentially over the years. But for now we'll stick with the children's JeugMark
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That is fantastic, what a clever idea having somewhere the kids can showcase and sell their wares!
Those horses ... too cute!
Aren't they! I thought my horse loving daughter would want to take them all home!
Incredible. I'm not sure Australian kids could tie their shoelaces. How cool that they are making such diverse, wonderful and useful things!
I love what you say at the start. Part of you, but uniquely themselves. X
Sadly @riverflows, I think that is the case for many kids this side too. IMO the difference is in the homeschooling. The children are just different
I have no children but I believe that rasing a child is the most difficult job for parents. And I think you are a great mother.
Thank you. That is such a beautiful comment