By Annie Regan When I was a primary school teacher, one of my main philosophies was about helping all students learn to read. I still believe in the importance of reading, however, I now see it as a lifelong skill and not something that needs to be learnt by age six, and not a skill that needs to be actively taught. My three children
By Heather Haines Recently, when my son Samuel fulfilled a long term ambition by sky diving, it felt to me the culmination of our home education journey. All those years ago, I took a leap of faith in pulling him out of school, and here he is a capable young man confidently pursuing his interests. Sky diving seemed uncannily appropriate. Samuel started school
Everyone Continue to comply with over-arching requirements: Practice good hand hygiene Stay home if anyone in the family is unwell Adults must remain 1.5 metres from people you don’t live with. Indoor events must have 4 square metres per person. Victoria From Midnight 5th August Do not organise or attend home ed gatherings until the restrictions are lifted. More details. Other States Check the
With schools returning, many home educators are beginning to ask whether they can resume their normal home ed meetups. No, home ed groups are not schools and cannot resume if their numbers and venue exceed the current limits. However, you may begin any activity that lies within the current restrictions on gatherings. Why Schools involve the same set of children gathering at the
By Sue Wight We are standing at a unique moment in history Globally, an astonishing 1.4 billion children have come home for their education — something unthinkable a few months ago. While some concerns have been raised that children could “miss a year of education”, in reality kids learn wherever they are and parents are highly adept at facilitating learning. For millennia, all children
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Most children being kept home from school due to the pandemic will miss their friends and routine, they may also be scared about what’s happening around the world. The most important thing is to ensure that we support kids’ mental, as well as physical, health. Here are some ideas to help you as adapt to the ‘new normal’. Also some recent media articles to
By Susan Wight You’ve made the decision not to send the children to school this year and the relatives are recovering from the shock…Now, where to start? Having made the decision to leave the school system, you now have the freedom to choose your own education. Spend some time thinking about what education is. What would the ideal education look like? What would you
UPDATE: 31/3/2020 All in-person groups and events MUST cease until the social distancing laws permit them. March 15: In the current climate, HEN strongly recommends the suspension of all gatherings. While children seem less susceptible to Coronavirus than adults, home ed gatherings involve both. In addition, some doctors warn that children (while remaining well themselves) can transmit the virus to others. Earlier action will
The Coronavirus has many families assessing the safety of school attendance at present, and HEN has been contacted by families considering home education for this reason. For most people who wish their child to return to school as soon as they consider it safe, registering for home education is not necessary. School absence doesn’t have to mean home education If COVID-19 is your only
By Judy Ephraums ‘Once you turn your back on the school system, everything’s up for grabs.’ So said one of the first home educating mums I met, at one of the first home education gatherings my young daughter and I attended. She was an experienced home educator, and a friendly and welcoming face at the gathering; we went on to become firm friends. More
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By Sue Wight Like Fanny Price, I have to admit to being an unabashed novel reader. A good novel is a type of madness for me, and I sometimes become so emotionally involved that wrenching myself away can be devastating. I was once on a plane which had the temerity to land when Jane Eyre had just left Thornfield. How could I abandon her
By Catherine Durant Art appreciation is a topic we love to explore in our house. Alannah (10), Max (8) and Eloise (3) always enjoy delving into the life of an artist. I have been amazed at how much the kids take in. There has been many a time that they have pointed to a print on a wall or in a book and told
By Marnie Black We withdrew our eldest two sons, Anthony and Mitchell, from school back in 2000. What a leap of faith that was! We had to get out of the system after the havoc it had wreaked on our boys. Even our pre-schooler, Jeff, had been negatively affected as most of his life had been lived in a family under stress. We agonised
