Agghhh...............

Yesterday, I decided I had had enough and they were going back to school (ignoring the slight problem that it's the holidays).  I even emailed dear husband to request this.  However.....

over dinner last night I had really good conversations with the children about this.  My beautiful, intelligent, articulate (almost) 13 year old put forward a very strong case for why we should continue on this journey.  I was blown away by her reflectiveness and ability to present her reasons.  Clearly then, some learning is taking place.  I just didn't realise that it's ALL of us who are learning!

Merry Christmas!
angela x

The Family Meeting

Family meeting

Q. what do you think is going well about home education?
No homework
Q. Do you want to continue at home?
We think so.....
Q. What do you think Mum finds the hardest about having you all at home?
We don't know.....

I'll tell you: the lack if interest in LEARNING is a major bug bear, considering we are HOME EDUCATING. The lack on interest in anything other than TELEVISION is quite concerning.  The lack of interest in personal RESPONSIBILITY for being PART of the process is particularly frustrating.

Conclusion to meeting: A new time-table to be planned for the Spring half-term with everyone's input. Application of learning in the home environment.  A bigger effort from all to participate.  Otherwise its BACK TO SCHOOL.

Family meeting over.

Staying in and facing the storm....

So, Lily got offered a place at an Independent School (with posh people and not 'chavs' is her description) but after much reflection we have decided to stay at home all together.  Now I know that should make me jump up and down with glee (at least for saving £1600 a month!!!!) but school is sometimes so convenient.....

Right now it is 12 days until Christmas; normally by now I am super organised, the presents are wrapped, cards posted and I sit in slightly smug satisfaction that I have Christmas sorted.  NOT this year; with three children at home nothing I really plan to achieve happens as I plan it..... so with 12 days to go I am feeling slightly worried.  I have however found a fantastic cure.  Red wine.  A bottle normally does the trick.

So we are staying on our journey together and hopefully there will be calm after the storm.......

Anyway, really should share some home-learning with you all: a couple of weeks ago Lily did her baking project: she had to plan, advertise and manage her 'Lily's Little Bakery' idea and then produce and sell her wares at her dads work.  This is her busy:

And this is the finished product (which she bagged and tagged with ribbon)

Total profit of > £20.  A very pleased young lady.

Angela x

Ups and Downs....

I have not blogged here for a while; the last few weeks have been quite tough with more lows than highs in our home-ed journey.

I have, in truth, found myself to be feeling quite suffocated of late. 24 hours a day with three children is full on and more difficult than I had hoped; I guess I should have known really, but still - you can only live in hope!!

We always try to talk openly as a family and I have expressed how I feel and we are trying things a bit differently, with more time out and about, everyone supporting me more in my work, and trying not too 'worry' about the small things too much.  We are feeling a bit better and the last week has felt much more positive and I feel more energised to continue with our journey.

I read some other home-ed parent blogs which helped me too; I realised that I was trying to hard to compartmentalise our day, and that actually home education is much more 'organic' than that.  The washing is part of the learning, cooking and chores are part of learning, arguing is part of learning! Trying to separate and consistently 'plan' a curriculum feels like too much of a school day and was being resented by all.  Sophie is really keen now to manage her own learning and is beginning to really shine, whilst Noah just really wants to play and play.  He is 8; 8 year olds boys should be playing and not sat 'learning' for hours on end!

Lily on the other hand is on a whole different route at present and has sat an entrance exam for a local independent school.  Although this does not sit with our home-edding philosophy I can see that this may suit her, so we are just seeing what happens really.  Lily has also been an managing a great project this week which she will blog on soon - watch this space!

Angela x

on a role- kind of !

just like any normal children we took the advantage of the school half term to have a break from learning... not that we were doing as much as we could be as we are still trying to get into more of a routine. the day is becoming very predictable; in a good way!!! every morning we have breakfast and then mum says : ' what do you think is going well?'. i think she is getting worried that we are getting bored and are looking for more things to do, wich sometimes happens but i think that happens with every child. we have been quite busy recently. i have started horseriding and we have been rock-climbing with other home ed children wich is very fun !!!!!!
i dont think i have anything else to say ... maybe exept

' PINCH PUNCH, FIRST OF THE MONTH AND NO RETURN' !!!!

hahaha

written by sophie horler ( but you can call me bob) x

Our first 'half-term' ends....

We have survived our first half-term!  It has been a bit of a roller-coster, but in all we are really enjoying it.  In the words of the children.....

The best bits:

"Art!"
"Not having a time-table"
"Being able to have lots of fun"
"No uniform - and sleeping in!"
"Doing work when we want to"
"Choosing what we want to learn about"

The worst bits:

"Not seeing my friends as much"

We have tried different things and ways of doing 'work' and are slowly realising that home-edding is a very 'organic' process; that is, what works for a while might not continue to suit our needs, and that there is no 'right' way. 

We spend a lot of time chatting about what works and what doesn't and listen to each other about how we are feeling.  For me, perhaps the most important lesson we are learning is this:

One size doesn't fit all; rhythms are more important than routine; learning occurs all the time; relationships and friends nurtures us; life is a journey that ebbs and flows -  it does not always fit into a 9 - 3 day, or just at the weekend; things don't always go to plan and laughter and cuddles are the best cures for any mishap.

The Horlers x

Home School Learning Environments!

We have had quite a lot of fun creating different learning environments:

The garden class-room.....

 The Kitchen Class-room.....

The wood-felling lesson.....

The Masonry Lesson.......

The Agricultural Lesson.......

I don't think we could have had these experiences in a 'formal class-room'!

The Horlers

Finding our feet...

We have, in all honesty, been quite slack on the blogging front (as noted by some people).  Apologies!  Over the past 5 weeks we have been trying to 'find our feet' as we start this new phase in our lives.

The largest challenge - by far -  has been learning to be around each other for such large amounts of time.  There have been lots (lots!) of arguments and bickering between the children, and I have had some days where its all been a bit too much.... but slowly, slowly I am starting to see glimmers of light and love in my family.  The children playing alongside each other; an older sister helping a younger brother; sisters working on a science project together; the ability to manage for more than a day without Facebook or texting.  And those glimmers fill me with hope and joy, and a growing confidence that things will get better!

We have tried to be open and honest with each other, and have talked about what is working and what is not.  The children felt they needed some more 'structure', so I have done a plan for the month based on a topic they wanted to explore, plus we have been working on some National Curriculum workbooks.  We have been out and about too, and met some other families which is brilliant, as well as talking to existing friends who home-ed and being reassured by their 'expertise'!

The best things so far has been getting to know my children again and slowing things down.  We have all had time to take an interest in personal hobbies (I am a knitting Nora!); walk in the Sunshine; visit places of interest with no crowds; pick conkers; eat home-made cake with a hot cup of tea, and BREATHE.  No home-work; no 'have you made your packed lunch'; no ' turn the TV off'; no 'we haven't got time'; no 'I know your tired but it's time to get up'. 

We plan to upload some photos soon - but technology was not on my side today - plus the children all need to do a post each per month as part of their learning...... watch this space!

Thanks for reading
angela x

today school starts again... but in a new form!!

last wednesday i was starting school again... i was going into year 8! i was so exited. i knew lily and noah where going to be staying at home to be home educated, but it didnt really bother me knowing that i would be getting up at half 6 for school and they would be tucked up in bed or that it would just be me and dad having breakfast together.what did bother me was that they would be going out on trips, going for coffee. all the small little things.
 The following monday i decided to take the day off to see what it would be like to be home ed. the moment i woke up i knew that it was the right thing to do, to leave school and be taught by mum! i only told one friend because i wasnt really sure what to say to everyone else. what would they think? that it was unfair or that i was a lazy girl for not bothering to turn up at school. i thought it might be easier if my friend told them, but it came with complications.. questions after questions. how will you learn? will you take your g.c.s.e's?? will you go to prom?? all these question, i was starting to wonder if i had made the wrong decsicion. mum always said follow your heart and that what i did. when i came to look at the bigger picture i relised that i waould still be able to see my friends, its not as if i was moving, i could still go the partys (if my friends remembered to invite me) and if they were my true friends they would support me and still try to include me in what they where doing.
only one thing has changed. no more school!!

Day one in the Horler Home-Ed House......

Ummm..... achieved today:

1) Lily baked cookies (Math and Science)
2) Postnatal visit (Biology)
3) Trip to shops to purchase some books (Budgeting)
4) Visit to the library (Literacy and research)
5) Built Lego cars (Geometry)
6) Laid the dinner table (Home economics)
7) Read books (Self-guided reading)
8) Played Wii Sport (Physical Education)

Pretty good day all in all with most of the core subjects covered! :-)

Angela

Life so far.........

So far life with out school hasn’t been very different although I am enjoying the feeling of having no homework as I imagine many school children are.  Noah and I have been doing lots of arts and crafts with are new art things also I have been doing lots of yummy cooking, which I enjoy doing very much.

Whilst around the table at dinner we have discussed many ideas for projects which we will carryout during the year starting with the biggest one, making Christmas presents. Too many people this wouldn’t seem like learning but really you can learn many skills for example sewing, knitting, cooking even learning how to use a sewing machine!  Through out the last few weeks of school members of class would ask me questions like which day will you start? Which lessons you will do? Even who will be teaching you? To most questions I just gave the simplest answer or shrugged my shoulders because for even the smartest children in my Class they would still get confused as they are so used to formal education!

Some times I wish children would just open their minds up and think that there other ways to learn! What are they being taught these days?

Written by lily Horler