By Kirsty James A couple of years ago I organised for a small group of 7- to 12-year-olds to come to our house and learn about Africa with my daughter. I’m a huge fan of picture books, and I knew there were some wonderful books about the continent that we could enjoy together. We met for a few hours once a week. About two-thirds
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 Dr John Peacock Anna Wintour, when she was editor of the British ‘Vogue” magazine, claimed to be able to spend quality time with her children at some un-godly hour in the morning and still be at the office before anyone else. Quality time seems to be the buzz excuse these days for mothers harassed into the work force by cynical governments and social
One of the hardest things I find about home educating is juggling the differing needs of my four children. The challenge is to be able to engage children of very different ages. I have found that the older they get, the easier it is. It is the toddler I find the most challenging! To make my life easier, I have tailored the different curricula
Reading is a perennial topic amongst home educators. Many find that children do pick up reading quite naturally in the normal course of a home learning situation. Others are adamant proponents of a phonics method. ‘Late’ reading is not uncommon amongst home educated children. In school late reading is considered a problem and can result in children falling behind in all areas of the
