Home Education: One Scottish Mum’s first-hand experience
- Learning Resources Posted On Aug 25, 2016 | Learn
How did you make the decision to home educate?
When my eldest was a year old I had begun to have thoughts about schooling and whether it would be right for our family. I met a local home education group when he was 18 months old and decided there and then that home education would be the way forward for us.How have you prepared your child to be ready for homeeducation?
We technically already home educate from a young age. Our children learn how to speak, learn their colours and numbers from us and of course they then begin exploring the world around them, learning as they go. So we’re not really preparing anything, we’re simply continuing to aid our son in his own exploration and learning.How do you encourage your children to socialise with their peers?
This is always the big question for anyone who doesn’t know how the home educated world works. When really it should be the other way round! Who doesn’t remember a teacher telling them in class that they’re ‘not here to socialise’! Or maybe that was just me being a chatterbox?! We attend different home educated groups every week, meet with local friends who are home educated or playing with kids on the street when everyone else has finished school or at weekends. Our five year old will also be joining a few clubs in the evenings too, but he’s still deciding which ones he would like to do.At the moment our five year old has always preferred to play his owngames, keeping away from other kids play. However, very recently I have noticed him going off to join in with other children’s games and playing happily with them, which makes me very proud at how far he’s come.What support networks do you have in place?
We have lots of home educated friends in the local area, including one of our five year olds best friends. We are also a part of several home education Facebook groups, which are great for any questions we have and meeting new people.Are there any websites or information sources that you would recommend for other home educating parents?
In Scotland there is Schoolhouse, which has a lot of information about Scottish Home Education (certain things are slightly different to English Home Education). If you simply Google home education in your area or search for home education groups on Facebook you will find someone nearby who can point you in the direction you need.How have you planned the learning areas you will be focusing on?
We aren’t planning any area, instead we will focus on our five year olds interests and go from there. For example one day he might want to read about the planets (English and Science) and we will take a day trip to the Glasgow Science Centre to visit the planetarium (English, Science, Maths), we might make Saturn collages (Art and Science) and in the evening go outside to look for planets and identify constellations (Science). Of course the next day he might simply want to be Rocky from Paw Patrol, but that’s ok as children need to be able to just play too.
Will you be following the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence?
No, we intend to mostly take the unschooling path (which is when you let your child learn with no set programme and with as much freedom as you can give).What do you feel are the benefits of home education?
It’s the smallest 'class’ size as you’re going to get! Our eldest will only need to compete for attention with his brother, not with a whole class of children. If there are any problems then he can get help straight away and he will not be pushed on to learn something when he’s not ready or be kept back when he’s ahead.He is free to enjoy learning and has the freedom to learn using what interests him, whether it be space, horses or wizardry. It’s surprising how easily all the different topics can be brought into a day’s fun.There’s so much freedom to enjoy life without restrictions of school, childhood is short and it’s great to be able to learn through play for as long as they wantto.
How will you help your children to differentiate between‘education time’ and ‘home time’?
There won’t be a definition, learning should be fun, if my son enjoys learning he will want to do it whenever he feels like or he may not even realise it’s learning!What kind of resources have you stocked up on to supportyour child’s learning at home?
I have made sure we have a fully stocked art cupboard and baking cupboard for any projects we need. I also like to have lots of items for exploration such as magnets, maps, magnifying glasses, bug catchers and torches. We have a variety of educational 'toys’ including the Robot Mouse, Gears, Gears, Gears Set and Subscope from Learning Resources. Our other vital piece of equipment is a library card, which opens up a huge world of learning.
What advice would you give other parents thinking about home educating?
Follow your gut instinct, if you think your child would benefit from home education then go for it.
Celebrate the end of term!
What a year this has been! While this end of term may be different, teachers, parents, and children have accomplished many milestones along the way and there’s so much to celebrate!
Whether it’s a special dinner or a mini ceremony, we encourage you to find a way to celebrate the end of term and your family's home learning success. To inspire you, we've created photo signs, certificates and easy graduation activities to set up your own ceremony. Why not print out the certificates and hang them on your child’s bedroom door, the fridge, or any other highly visible place. PS. Parents, you've earned one, too! Congratulations on the end of term.
Share your home learning story with us! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and tag us in your end of term celebration posts. Don't forget to share these printables with friends and family to join in the fun.
Photo prop cut-outs
End-of-term certificates
Graduation hat craft
PS. Looking for fun ways to enjoy the summer holidays at home? Our Home Learning Summer Camp is launching soon!
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How to balance home learning expectations
For the first time in recent history, most parents across the UK have had to step into the role of being home educators during this season of school closures. For the majority, this wasn’t a choice and they perhaps feel overwhelmed with how to balance home learning expectations.
Some face added pressures including being furloughed, possibly being made redundant (or not earning an income as freelancer/self-employed) and others continue to try and juggle teaching their children with working from home.
Many parents feel ill-equipped to suddenly fill this new role. With the lockdown deadline extended and uncertainty as to when UK schools will open again, families have mixed feelings about what they should achieve during this time.
In this guest blog, Becca Tooth, an experienced primary teacher, home educator, parent and blogger at Pears and Chocolate Sauce shares some advice to help you and your family work through this time and keep your head above water.
Home educating in a pandemic
If your child is usually educated in school, then what you’re experiencing now isn’t a typical example of home educating. You’ve been thrown in at the deep end, and for many of you home educating may never have crossed your mind.
In addition, many of the resources those of us who do home educate would usually access - libraries, museums, home school groups, and so on - are currently unavailable. We are all having to find our new normal, considering both our children’s and our own wellbeing.
Image: AleksandarNakic/Getty Images
Have realistic expectations
- Don’t feel you have to ‘recreate’ school. You don’t have to start at 9am or end at 3pm. You can do it at the weekend. You can do more some days, and less others. You don’t have to record everything (and nor do they). Do what works for you and your children. That might be reading over breakfast. It could be putting on a show. It might be as simple as a conversation or finding out something together. There may also be days when emotions are running high (particularly given the current circumstances) and what might work best is just to spend the day doing whatever brings you and your children some comfort.
- My experience is that my own children can be far more resistant to what I ask them to do than most children I’ve taught. This is normal. However, it can make things difficult when you’re pulling in opposite directions. Try letting them choose when to do things. Instead of saying, “It’s time for maths now,” give them a list of tasks for the day or the week and let them choose the order. This way, you’re still setting the expectations, but they can exercise some control.
- Home education can be more ‘intensive’, by which I mean that I can do the same kind of activity with my daughter that I may have with a class, but because she has my full attention (well, almost - she does have two younger brothers!), both the teaching and the activity often take less time. So, don’t feel your children have to be doing ‘schoolwork’ all day. I’d say three or four 15-30-minute bursts, depending on their age, would be plenty for most children.
Image: MartinPrescott/Getty Images
Keeping up with school expectations
Some families are finding it hard to keep up with the sheer volume of work that has come in from the schools. If this is the case, speak to your child’s teacher to clarify what their expectations are. Some families will want to be given more to do than others, and so schools will be trying to cater for those parents who want lots for their child to do, but they probably don’t expect everyone to do everything.
Let them know what you’re struggling with and ask for advice. In these difficult times, the priority is your child’s wellbeing. If it’s causing friction at home trying to get everything done, then take a step back. Do what feels manageable - that might just be some reading and a craft activity some days.
Remember that your children will be learning as they play, and there’s lot to be learned from day-to-day activities such as cooking, gardening, and helping around the house. Alternatively, you may find it works better to choose a topic that your child is particularly interested in and do your own thing.
Managing younger children
If you have younger children, it can be difficult to find time to work with older ones, do your own work, or get jobs done around the house. Firstly, try and find a routine that works for you. No two sets of circumstances are the same, so nor will our routines be.
I am constantly tweaking our routine to try and make it work best for the family at any given time. I shared some pointers a few weeks ago on how to create a routine that works for your family - it can be as strict or as loose as you want; whatever suits you.
Secondly, have some things in mind that your child can do fairly independently - something that really engages them. For example, one of my children loves using scissors. He will sit quite happily cutting up a piece of paper or an empty cereal box for quite a while.
Playdough [Ed’s note: try our Playfoam for non-drying, non-sticky, squishing, sculpting fun] is another one which goes down very well with my kids, or a tub of containers and scoops with some pompoms, beads, oats or lentils. Don’t feel bad about putting the TV on, either, if that’s what works for you.
Image: gradyreese/Getty Images
What if the schools only reopen in September?
While we’d all love to get back to normal sooner, we have a responsibility to stay at home for as long as necessary. When schools do reopen, there is going to have to be a huge focus on children’s wellbeing and coming to terms with all that has happened over the past however many months.
Teachers will also need to assess where children are at, so I hope the DfE are supportive in enabling schools to make meaningful assessments which prioritise the children’s wellbeing.
Have a healthy perspective on success
Try not to compare yourself to others - easier said than done, I know. I’ve seen a quote going around that says something like, “We’re all in the same storm, but not in the same boat”. Everyone’s circumstances are different. The variables include our workloads; number of children; financial situations; physical or mental health; and access to outdoor space amongst other things.
We don’t all have the same input and we cannot all have the same output. I find it helpful to have a rough plan in my mind of what I want to have done by the end of the day - not only what I want to have done with the children, but what else needs to happen for it to be a good day.
There will be some days when you get loads done and some days where it feels like nothing productive has happened. I think the key thing is wellbeing. If we all go to bed happy, the day has been a success.
 | About the author: Becca Tooth is a mum of three from London. She has taught across the primary age range over the last twelve years and is currently having a break from teaching while she cares for her children, including home educating her eldest, who is aged six. Becca is a big believer in the power of play as a tool for learning, and writes at Pears and Chocolate Sauce sharing practical ideas and insights to help parents and educators use play to nurture children’s natural curiosity and inspire a love of learning. |
Looking for more? Read about ways to stay feeling positive while staying at home. And keep visiting our blog, Facebook and Instagram pages to stay in touch - we're all in this together.
Main image: gradyreese/Getty Images
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How to Frame Your Child’s School Day Amid COVID-19
The collaboration between parents and teachers is crucial in keeping the wheels of education turning while children are at home during the COVID-19 shutdown over the next few weeks.
“The minutes and hours spent at school are critical to buildingknowledge and fostering motivation,” explains educator, Erin Albee. “But theseare unique times. All of us in education must work energetically to come upwith solutions. By recognising the partnership with parents at home, we willfind a way to get through this together.”
How we as parents structure our children’s time at home inthe coming days and weeks is not only important to our children but will provecrucial to our own sanity. Things may seem upside down in the beginning so it’sessential to put routines in place and let your children know what expectationswill be, and how the family will work together to make this time successful.
To help, we’ve put together an example of how you could planthe day. When thinking about a routine, keep in mind that children wouldn’tspend the entire day behind a desk. There’s a lot of non-academic activity thatgoes on including break time, play time, reading and more. While formallearning is important, it’s equally important to find a balance.
Teachers and creators of Learning Resources tacklingtables, Dennis and Margi Brown, recommend you draw up a timetable with your child that works for both of you. “Mornings are best for lively minds so perhaps block three or four sessions of 30-40 minutes and choose a subject for each. Focused learning is far more productive.
Participatein their learning. Look at what the lesson involves, make sure your childunderstands the expectation and then encourage them to workindependently. At the end of the session, go over what it is they’velearned/done and address any misconceptions.
Enjoy a break between sessions and ensure there’s variety in these sessions. Learning is fun especially if you share it!”
Image: Learning Resources Time Tracker Mini
Tip: To help keep to your schedule, try our Time Tracker Mini. Ideal for home and classroom use, it can be programmed from five minutes to up to two hours.
To get your planning started, here’s an example of how youcould structure the day…
Image: Getty Images
Before 09:00: Keep the before school routine as normal as possible. Eat breakfast, make beds, brush teeth and get dressed. Doing the everyday stuff will make things feel more normal.
09:00-10:00: It’s time to get moving! Go out and walk the family dog. Practise some yoga (try Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube). Ride a bike or throw a ball around. Getting the wiggles out is crucial before hitting the books.
10:00-11:00: Academic time! If your school is offering it, now is the time to hop online for e-learning assignments posted by the teacher. For younger children work on flashcards, sorting activities, or educational maths games. If you are floating between several children, remember that during a normal school day, your child is in a class with lots of kids. Your child’s teacher isn’t standing by their desk every second, and your child is used to working independently more than you realise.
11:00-12:00: Time to get creative. Dive into a STEM project. Draw or paint a picture. Bake some biscuits. Practice your instrument. Construct a craft or engineer a design.
Image: Getty Images
12:00-12:30: Everyone is hungry so let’s eat! Have children lend a hand for lunch. Don’t switch on the television or pass out tablets. Just like lunch at school, interact and chat while everyone is eating.
12:30-13:00: Let’s all pitch in and clean up after lunch. Take out the recycling, wipe down countertops, door handles, and light switches around the house.
13:00-14:30: Settle down for some quiet time. Take a nap, read a book quietly or work on a puzzle.
14:30-16:00: Back to academics. Finish any assignments from the morning.
16:00-17:00: Take in some afternoon fresh air. Head outside for a walk or play. Build an obstacle course or create a family treasure hunt.
17:00-18:00: Dinner time. Ask children to set the table or help make dinner. No electronics (naturally) during dinnertime. Talk about the day’s highs and lows. Set goals for tomorrow.
18:00-19:30: Children’s choice: play a family game or watch a funny TV programme together.
19:30 until bedtime: Wind down. Take a bath or shower (especially important to get rid of any germs). Read a book together.
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