Exploring Cape Town and the Garden Route with our two teens in tow turned out to be one of our best holidays for years. If you’re looking for a bit of adventure, it’s the perfect destination. From hand-in-trunk elephant encounters to fat biking through dunes to kayaking along river canyons, there are so many options for truly unique experiences. Add to this, stunning scenery, delicious food and great prices, and it’s a country not to be missed. We stayed in three different locations: Knysna and Hermanus on the Garden Route, and Kalk Bay, a gorgeous seaside spot near Cape Town. It was very eas ..read more

This year, my New Year’s goal planning was given a new lease of life, thanks to an amazing suggestion by my wise friend. I started with how I wanted the year to feel in different areas, rather than specific goals. For example, under the relationship section, I wrote, “Individual special, mutually supportive and joyful connections with Rosie and Harry.” And hence was born the idea of monthly ‘date’ days, with my teens, individually, to nurture our special bonds. On our Herbal Remedies Course last summer As my children mature and grow in independence, they need me less and less. I feel this espe ..read more

If you’ve ever wondered what life was like as a homeschooler, please check out my new post at Simple Homeschool: A Homeschool Day in the Life (with a -13 and -14 year old). It’s a peek into our world, warts and all! Enjoy! And here’s how our lives have changed over the years: A Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 12- and 11-year old) A homeschool day in the life (with an 11- and 10-year-old) A homeschool day in the life (with a 10- and 9-year-old) A day in the life of a worldschooler (with an 8- and 9-year old) A day in the life of a homeschooler (with a 7 & 8 year old) The post A Homescho ..read more

I’m so excited to be writing for the amazing homeschooling blog, Simple Homeschool, a site I’ve followed and loved for many years. My first ever post is live on their site here: Not Only a Homeschool Mum. It’s a super vulnerable poem I wrote to remind me that my role in life is not just the multi-faceted duties of a homeschool mum of two. I’m also a woman with her own needs, interests and passions. I hope you enjoy it and can relate! The post My First Post at Simple Homeschool! appeared first on An Adventurous Education ..read more

My Mistake Yesterday I had to humble myself and admit to my 14-year-old daughter that I was completely wrong. A year previously, her judgement had been much sounder and wiser than my own. Honestly, I’d behaved like a petulant child, and she the adult. I’m embarrassed by my behaviour but on the basis that we all make mistakes, I will openly share here. She’d applied for a part in a play, which formed part of Connections, the National Theatre’s annual, nationwide youth theatre festival. I’m sure you can guess what happened! Although she felt the audition went positively, she didn’t get a role. S ..read more

At the tender age of 44, I have finally come to appreciate that managing my mental wellbeing is as important as my physical health. Maybe it’s the looming threat of the dreaded menopause but I now take proactive steps to enrich my mental state. At the other end of the age spectrum, teens are also experiencing a significant change in their hormone levels. They too can hugely benefit from a positive proactive approach to managing their mental health. There is so much advice out there for how to maintain good physical health. Eat the right foods. Drink plenty of water. Do enough exercise. Wear s ..read more

Beautiful white sand beaches, crystal clear water, all-inclusive hotels and honeymooners. This is often people’s initial impression of St Lucia. And whilst this special island has all of these in abundance (and wonderful they are too), there is another, more adventurous side to St. Lucia. Perfect for families who struggle to sit still for too long and like exploring. We primarily chose St Lucia because the children were desperate to complete their PADI Open Water diving certificate. Researching the reviews, this looked to be a very safe place to do the qualification combined with having a stun ..read more

At just 8 & 9-years-old, the kids had their first taster of breathing underwater. On the protected pristine reef of a remote island in Indonesia, they completed their Bubblemaker PADI SCUBA diving course (see this post). From turtles, sea snakes, brightly coloured fish wherever you looked, to an array of different types of corals and sponges, it’s unsurprising they fell in love with this world! Now older, the children were keen to learn how to SCUBA dive properly. This post looks at some of the many adventures we had along the way. He looks so little in this photo! They had their heart set ..read more

Have you ever felt frustrated by not being able to do something as well as you’d like? Or anxious because you feel you should be able to do it better? Do you actively avoid situations/scenarios which might highlight your lack of skills/knowledge? Me too! All the time! And I suspect this is true for most of us. And although we think we’re being kind to ourselves by not facing what we don’t feel competent achieving, this avoidance strategy is feeding our anxiety. So not only is it inhibiting our personal growth, it’s also subconsciously making us feel worse inside. Consciously embracing areas of ..read more

This summer with my son very much otherwise engaged on the cricket pitch, it left my beautiful teenage girl and me free to go adventuring together. And many an escapade we had From scaling tors on Dartmoor to hanging upside down in an aerial hoop class to sleeping in a wooden shepherd’s hut with mice running around our heads, adrenaline flowed, and comfort zones were challenged (mostly mine). But there was also so much laughter, joy and special conversations. A suitcase full of magical lifelong memories. Adventuring with my teenage girl is an absolute privilege. As my baby grows up and ente ..read more