Hands up if you'd rather be in the office

In home ed, every child is unique

Yup, some days are hard

They're abandoned, sprawling, chaotic. And somewhere, somehow, we'll learn something from them.

We don't take anyone's wisdom for granted

And we never receive a wisdom passively, without thought, or without question. No, we can't do that. We expect to experiment, and discover it for ourselves. I call that learning; the children call it having fun.

If it's not fun, we're not interested.

You can bet that if there was no fun to be had, even from having accomplished something scary, we wouldn't do it. Would you?

Our 3Rs

Responsibility. Resourcefulness. Respect. We find we can apply one of those to most circumstances.

Determination...

...sometimes requires courage, not to be knocked off-course. And sometimes what we have to do is easy, and blindingly obvious.

Self motivation...

...is a quality we value highly. You never know where it will lead, nor what will come from it. And to me, that is wonderful; like living a surprise every day of your life.

The problem with home ed kids?

You can't tell how bright and sure they are, until you track them down, spend time, and talk to them. They sure don't present themselves to you, telling you how good they are at going to school and passing tests.

Children are resolute learners

When they really want to find out something, they do. Stop them at your peril.

Curiosity is wonderful

And we can follow that impulse, wherever it leads us.

I'm able to follow my own ambitions

That's what this home educated child says is the best thing about her days.

Won't ever stop learning

Thanks to museums, galleries, discovery centres, places to explore. And showing that home educators take their resources from everyplace, everywhere.

Socialisation?

Bring people together, hire a room, talk to an education officer, plan an activity. Or join a club, make a date, arrange a place, create an event, find a group, talk about what's around, arrange to meet, ask if anyone's coming along, say we'll meet you there. Is that how social people organise themselves? Home educators are no different.

You don't have to work in a school to be a teacher

Once a child is out of school, they find the world is filled with teachers. And every one of you is a teacher. You teach about life, people, society, humanity, attitude.

If there's a problem?

We try and fix it. We rely on our intelligence, perception, understanding, awareness. We do not rely on armies of staff to sort the problem for us. We work together, travel as far as we can, and seek help when we genuinely need. That is how we take responsibility.

Inspiring and creative lessons, home ed style

Stopwatch at the ready? Just follow our lead. Home educators are, everyday, inspiring children to think, plan, observe, discuss, enjoy. For that, we don't need walls or a pre-set test.

We imagined how to live differently

And then we started on the journey.

Home ed: the heart of the family

You can make a classroom, anywhere

A holiday can be any day you want

Sit where you're told?

With so much of this world to explore, staying in the same field might be an achievement.

In an average school, how much time is spent waiting?

So if anyone's interested in maximising productivity in the learning environment, then really, there's no competition. Home ed is 100% learning 100% of the time.

You want formal lessons?

Then go ahead and set them up, one-to-one or with a group. There are plenty of teachers out here who choose to teach rather than manage 30 kids locked in an institution all day long.

Kids must wait hours before playtime?

Nope. Round here, learning is playtime and playtime is learning.

Election day 2010

Our kids came too, asking questions about the law, the tellers, the ballot papers, the procedure. I think, this far, we taught them well.

Did someone say home ed kids are only taught by their parents?

But one thing I'll say in praise of the ignorant. Every week they give me a real good bellylaugh.

And then we talked about the Stuarts...

...discussed the events leading up to the Civil War, and joked about the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660. But you could never tell by looking. Now to anyone who looks, and just sees kids 'out of school', remember that appearances deceive.

You want to know how we study geology?

Then this is how we begin.

What a beautiful classroom we live in

Anyone want to join us?

Bedtime at 7pm?

Not for us. No need to rise at 7am to wash and breakfast by 8 and out the house at 8.15. We take advantage of longer nights; play out until dark, come in, read, sleep sound, wake unhurried, without bells. We made that decision - to reject the timetable made for us by school, and find our own routine. Who wouldn't want that freedom?