Top Tips for Making Homeschooling Work Well A Homeschool as unique as you  Every homeschooling family home educates differently. In many ways homeschools are as unique as the people who teach and learn within them. What works for your neighbour or the homeschool family you see on Pinterest, are not neccessarily the same things that will work for your unique family. Amidst the variety, there are however some classic, tried and true tips that can help make homeschooling run more smoothly. The following tips are things that homeschooling families who are thriving often have in common, and th ..read more

Why School is a Box When I say school is a box I do not necessarily mean it as a criticism. In a free country, individuals are free to educate their children exactly as they see fit. Many people want to send their children to school, and it is certainly not for me to tell them not to. When I say school is a box, I am simply making an observation, as an ex- teacher and a homeschooling parent. School in some senses MUST be a box. How can it function otherwise? The fact that there are a large number of children being cared for by a smaller number of adults, inevitably creates a situation where ..read more

Homeschooling and socialisation Many stereotypes exist about homeschooling, and some of them are very far from the truth, so let’s explore some of them here. One of the most common concerns I hear from parents is “Won’t my child miss out on socialisation if I homeschool?”. It’s almost as if people think that homeschooling only ever occurs at home, in isolation, without any access to other children. While this sounds remarkably familar to what many experienced with lockdown “schooling at home”, real homeschooling couldn’t be further from the truth. “Won’t my child miss out on socialisation and ..read more

So you have decided to homeschool. Congratulations! Although this might seem like a big step change (and it is), and a big departure from all you have known before, especially if you have left a mainstream school, I guarantee you will never look back. Most parents feel some amount of fear or uncertainty when first starting out, and that’s entirely normal. Like anything new, it pushes us out of our comfort zone initially. It can seem like there is a lot to learn, and a lot of choices to make, but once you find your feet, your children will settle in too, and you will find your new tribe of home ..read more

Homeschoolers have far more choices and educational freedoms than children in mainstream schooling, and will generally spend far less time on exams, tests, assessments and assignments. The emphasis is not so much on proving their learning, or providing work for assessments and comparisons with other children, as it is in engaging with the learning opportunities presented to them. Homeschoolers will however keep samples of their learning and experiences, both for themselves to look back on later, and also perhaps to show their moderator. There are many different styles of learning that homescho ..read more