At the university I was convinced teaching is what I will end up doing. British history, English as a foreign language, psychology. All this in the curriculum was getting me prepared for the job, except I changed my mind.
There was plenty of reasons for it but the main one was probably quite an important one. I discovered my patience is very limited when surrounded by kids. Babies? Love them. They smell of cotton, look cute, smile at everything you do. They are portable. They fit under your arm. You can take them to Starbucks and they nap. Kids? They are on earth to test us and I was about to embark on a full time journey where I would be surrounded by them every day. I bailed.
Fast forward twenty years, and here we are, in a position where home schooling our own offsprings is looking unavoidable.
And trust me, I gave avoiding it a good go.
But need is must, sooo where do we start?
First and foremost, we need to realise that it’s not a “second best” option.
“Start by not trying to do school!!
I home ed’d my two for 18 months when they were 6 and 10 and we did around an hour a day of actual work – some reading, some maths, some of whatever I was inspired by. Not every day – some days there were other things that were just more important than sitting at a table.
They learn thrgouh doing, so cooking, baking, making a shop, experiments, treasure hunts “can you find 10 things that are magnetic/ have a computer in them / will float/sink etc.” are great ideas.
Make it fun! Do what they are interested in – they are more likely to engage and be keen to keep learning. My oldest is all about science, my youngest is art and creativity.
Use food whenever possible to demonstrate things! Mine still remember the phases of the moon based on eating Oreo cookies. And throwing eggs from height to show gravity. And then trying to make them a parachute so they don’t break!!
I was inspired a lot by a good friend of mine who has always homeschooled her tribe – her blog is http://mummyteacher.blogspot.com/ and has loads of interesting ideas on it. She’s been doing it for YEARS and is so brilliant!
Oh – oldest got all As and above in GCSEs last year, and now predicted all as in a-levels (maths, physics, biology). Missing a bit of school isn’t going to hold them back. It might even inspire them to pursue their own interests and find out what they like!”
Emma Sohl, blogger, traveller and photographer
I put together a list of resources for you guys, gathered from people who do this on regular basis. Let’s hope it helps.
How to get started.
how to get started when you are super clueless.
All in one website for all ages. Worksheets, activities and even cooking / baking recipes to follow!
Greatschools.org
I am loving this site. Easy to navigate and after specifying your child’s grade, you have a clear list of resources.
It’s like kids magazine, but online. Great for the curious. Animals, science, history, geography, it’s all there!
This is the holy Grail of your homeschooling. You will find everything from art, to music to languages. Many worksheets to print out, games, progress tracker, guided lessons and more.
A-mazing. Fun, informative, colourful. Your kids will love it.
More Educational You Tube Channels for home schooling
There is a lot, go through the list of over a hundred to choose from, pick the ones you love. huuuge resource.
When locked in, it’s more important than ever to keep moving as much as possible. Great for cabin fever.
Less structured online learning for curious kids.
Structured but fun learning for all ages.In line with school educational objectives. Easy to navigate.
Virtual classroom and reading stories out loud, what’s not to like.
Used by many schools in the country, it’s a huge resource of worksheets for children of all ages. Use code UKTWINKLHELPS to get free resources during the COVID-19 crisis.
Books read by celebrities. I genuinely enjoyed this website when doing a research. Possibly a bit too much. This story about Matisse and Picasso especially caught my eye.
Website sorted by grade level, incorporating games, videos, math, science and books.
Great for animals loving kids. Loads of games, hours of fun. I found this animal feeding game really good.
Great list of educational Netflix programmes.
Great blog with some teatime poetry ideas and reading inspiration.
Great resource with a list of many Art youtube channels.
Khan Academy for homeschooling
I am a huge fan of Khan academy. This blog post tells you how to use it as a home schooling resource.
Ted.com
Must watch Ted talks for Homeschoolers.
Books That Will Change The Way You homeschool
What is says on the box. three books worth reading.
Home schooling tips and tricks
Great source of websites and first hand advice.
Not really into home schooling, more interested in surviving the lock down with kids? Check out this page for fun ideas.
“Nobody said it would be easy. They just promised it would be worth it.”
May the force be with you guys xx
Love and contact free hugs,
Maggie
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