Involving the Whole Family.

I felt that it was important for the entire family to take part in some Homeschooling project, including parents.

The Tuppence Game was the most involved educational game that we played as a whole family and it went on for years. As far as I can tell it started in 1997 and ended probably 2003.

Everyone played a part and everyone had a job or had a business, and did community work for others, and so on, as a normal community would. Tracy had a restaurant and other small business while also running her other business Sandbrook Banks. Rachel run Joe’s Workshop and fixed anything that broke down in town. Grace was too small to be too big a part and often she was Rachel’s helper.

Their mother, my wife, had various means of employment, helped at the courthouse, did administrative work, and chipped in here and there. I was the local law, the Police, the Judge, the Auction house owner as well, and sometimes an inspector of the businesses.

The children got the feel of society, the frustration of being broke and then the excitement of having money.

Tracy was very shrewd with her Tuppence (Money) and was always devising schemes to get money off the rest of us that sometimes got her into trouble as her young mind saw some thing as exciting they were a tad unethical, so I would have to explain what would happen in the real world, and that she would go to prison if society did not agree with her means of making money such as keeping prices for food too high.

Rachel would have to pay wages, Grace would have to accept her wage, and possibly go on strike if she felt that she deserved more. Rachel had to find tools and materials to fix stuff, and I donated some to her company. It was all very educational but also gave them an idea of what real life in such a materialistic society really was like.

Below is something Trace wrote about The Tuppence game (she started being Homeschooled in the beginning of 1997) . As far as I remember Tracy got the name for the game from Mary Poppins and the fact that they went on about Tuppence from time to time in the movie.

All the best from

James M Sandbrook.

25th of March, 2021.