How to ‘home ed’ like a boss during an enforced school break
Now schools have formally been ordered to close, Kate Bussmann reveals ways to keep your child’s education on track
Does the thought of being stuck at home with the kids fill you with terror, or even just leave you wondering how you’re going to fill all that time? For a whole community of home-educating families, a life away from classrooms is the normality. As the motto of organisation Education Otherwise states: “Education is compulsory – school is optional.”
Jenny Eaves, from central Scotland, has two children aged eight and six, neither of whom has ever attended school. “I chose to homeschool as I didn’t think my eldest would cope well in a school environment,” says Jenny, who blogs at monkeyandmouse.co.uk.
Tim and Ruth Freed, from Northamptonshire, who have three children aged 12, 11 and nine, have been home-educating for seven years. While Tim runs his own business (a magazine for parents called Toddle About), Ruth is an ex-primary schoolteacher.
“For us, a typical day involves formal work in the morning – such as maths, English or science – as pre-planned by Mum, with free play in the afternoon, which might include reading, writing stories, drawing or role play. And some chores,” says Tim. Both join up with other ‘home ed’ families for group activities such as drama and music.
Author Simon Webb, from Essex, educated his daughter Simone, now 26, at home from day one. “It never really occurred to me to put her into the school system,” says Simon. “I prefer to take responsibility for my child – she started reading when she was 15 months. She read Lord of the Rings by the time she was five – sending her to school would have been damaging to her education.” His method was relatively formal by comparison, sticking closely to the curriculum.
Want proof that you don’t need schools to have a high achiever in the family? Simone is now finishing a doctorate, after graduating with a first in PPE from Oxford, and teaches philosophy at Kings and UCL.
Here are their tips on how to keep kids busy – and stimulated – at home.
Explosive fun
Good for younger ones. Kitchen science is a big hit for both families. “The kids’ favourite activity is making volcanoes (think playdough, papiermâché, sand or soil), and then adding bicarbonate of soda and vinegar for it to erupt,” says Jenny.
Another favourite experiment in the Freed household can get just as messy: “Use juice from red cabbage to create a ph indicator,” says Tim. “It changes colour when you add acid (such as lemon juice or lemonade) or alkali (bicarbonate of soda dissolved in water).”
For more ideas, “Pinterest is your friend,” adds Jenny.
Travel the world… in your kitchen
A simple bit of cooking can form the apex of a cross-curricular activity. “Baking and cooking are English, maths and potentially geography all in one delicious exercise,” says Jenny.
“Plan an adventure (and work out how to get there, where to visit, what local foods there are (choose one to cook) and learn some of the language. Working out a potential budget, too, so both maths and English are used.”
Quiz time
Tim says: “Use your own general knowledge to ask questions about geography, science, nature, history, etc. Get your children to ‘buzz in’, putting their hands up when they have an answer. We often give multiple choice answers to help embed the learning.”
Story time
“Our children love writing stories,” says Tim. “Fold several sheets of paper in half and staple them together on the ‘spine’ to create a blank book. Then let their imaginations go.
“In a similar vein, writing a diary or writing letters to friends are good fun ways to encourage writing and literacy.”
Resort to the telly
“There are so many fantastic programmes for learning,” says Jenny. “We have worked our way through all the Blue Planet and similar documentaries, but there are also Horrible Histories (my youngest finds it too scary in places, but for less sensitive kids it’s great) and the Magic School Bus is rather funny.”
Know your child
When it comes to teenagers who are studying for GCSE and A-level exams, parents should understand what will work best for them. In a UCAS study guide, the National Extension College (NEC) advises students to be frank about how they learn best.
Ros Morpeth, chief executive of NEC, says: “The headline tip would be: know your child.” If they need motivation, set them tasks such as past exam papers or TV documentaries (for example, BBC’S Secrets of the Museum).
As well as text books, use online resources, including the Wellcome Trust, Tate Museums and subjectspecific associations.
Educate yourself
Ensuring your child sticks to the exam curriculum is straightforward, says Simon Webb. “Find out which exam board it is and search online for ‘subject specifications’ and previous papers – it will tell you everything they need to know.”
The school will probably be setting work through apps like Show My Homework and Google Classroom.
‘Baking and cooking are English, maths and potentially geography all in one’