EOS Mag Issue 5 December 2011 by Education Outside School Magazine

EOS Remember to Stop and Smell the Roses Live life in the present!

Science At Home Home Education on a Budget

Work and HE

Two views on the finances of home education

Continuing our series!

Patch of Puddles

Activities, Cookery, Project Ideas and more!

Life as a home educating family

Plus

CONTENTS Welcome

Home Education on a Budget:

Letters and News

The BIG Question

‘Do You Think Home Education is Going to be Expensive?’ By Ross Mountney

Patch of Puddles Life as a Home Educating Family By Merry Raymond

‘Providing an Efficient Education with Little (or no!) Money By Yvonne Frost

The Big Project - Chinese New Year

Remember to Stop and Smell the Roses By Paula Cleary

Science at Home

Cooking Up an Treat Cookery Resources

Children’s Pages

Home Education and Working

Reviews and Recommendations

Home Education Guidance The legal stuff!

Websites and Groups

Contacting Us: If you’d like to submit an article, please email: articles@educationoutsideschool.co.uk If you’d like to advertise, please email: advertising@educationoutsideschool.co.uk To contact the Editors, please email: editor@educationoutsideschool.co.uk EDITORIAL POLICY The editors have the final say in deciding if contributions are printed and in which issue. There will sometimes be a need for editing contributions, for reasons of space or otherwise. COPYRIGHT All attempts have been made to find copyright owners and are acknowledged if found; if you think yours has been breached please email us. DISCLAIMER Education Outside School is an independent publication, not allied with any home education group or organisation. Any opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the editors. All contributions (including advertisements) have been accepted in good faith and have not been in any way endorsed by EOS, which cannot be held responsible for the consequences of responding to any of them.

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Welcome to Education Outside School Magazine!

This is our first issue since the Spring of this year and we are so pleased to be back! We took a short break in publication to refine what we were doing with EOS Magazine and we are excited to announce that we have now set up the project as a social enterprise. The magazine will still aim to support and encourage home educators in the UK and provide a window into home education for those who are considering it, while any profits made will be ploughed back into the home education community. How are we going to do this? Well, it is early days yet, but we are working on some ideas at the moment and plan to ask our readers for their input in the not too distant future. Please consider subscribing to our email newsletter, our Twitter feed or ‘friending’ us on Facebook so we can keep you informed. This issue is a little bigger than usual and still packed full! We have articles from our wonderful writers again; Paula Cleary discusses the importance of celebrating and enjoying life as we are living it rather than focusing too heavily on a future of which we know very little; both Ross Mountney and Yvonne Frost give insights into the costs of home education, both mythical and in reality, and how to reduce them - very apt for our current climate! Also Merry is back with a glimpse into life in a home educating family with ‘Patch of Puddles’. We have some exciting news on page 4 about the paths of two home educated young people. Plus we have ideas for cooking and science, while the Big Project gives suggestions on how to plan some activities around Chinese New Year, which takes place in January. As ever, we welcome your comments and feedback and are always looking to hear from you if you’d like to write for us, whether it’s a complete article, a short review, a personal tale of how you came to home educate or how it works for you. Our contact details are on page 2. Enjoy!

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Meet the Editors Jane has four children currently aged 18, 15, 13 and 10. They been home educating for ten years. They dip into all approaches from autonomous to structured, depending on the child, the subject and how everyone is feeling! Her eldest is now at college while her youngest decided to give school at go so at the moment they have a foot in both camps. Outside of EOS you can find her on her blog at http://manydifferentdrums.blogspot.com/

Lorena has two children aged 8 and 2. The eldest reads well and has turned to maths, mainly calculating how many Remote Control cars he can buy and how minutes and hours work. The youngest is rapidly learning new sentences all the time and how to operate the computer. You can contact us via the email addresses on page 2!!

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Letters and News Here at EOS we are always on the alert for items of news that we think you might want to hear. Whether it’s some new development in the education world, or a big success by a home educated young person, we aim to share it with you. If you have a success to broadcast, come shout it out here! Contact us at editor@educationoutsideschool.co.uk, or write to the address on page 2.

How home educating led to setting up a business with an eco-ethos Retrovert is based in the beautiful city of Cambridge. Jane and Sophie have been friends for years and set up the business as an outlet for their creative skills, in line with their desire to live and work more sustainably.

Sophie is now studying for her degree in Textiles and Photography at home through Open College of the Arts. Jane’s first degree is in Textiles and she is now studying for an MA in Printmaking at Cambridge School of Art.

Handmade © Sophie Collins - Retrovert

Sophie and Jane met 10 years ago through Cambridge Home Educating Families, when Jane was home educating her son, Gabriel, and Sophie had just left school to be taught by her parents, Sue and Ian. One of the benefits of being part of a home educating community was being able to swap skills. Jane taught art to Sophie, whilst Sue helped Gabriel with maths and history. Both families took an autonomous approach to learning.

Working autonomously, Sophie was able to pursue her own interest. Retro One of these was architecture, which she explored with her Dad. This eventually led to the family building an ecohouse in their back garden. Choosing to build an ecohouse was partly a result of Sue’s work in environmental policy and partly from the family’s own interest in sustainability. This ethos has carried through into the setting up of Sophie and Jane’s business. As a result of brainstorming at Jane’s kitchen table they decided they wanted to use their creative skills to start up a business with a low impact on the environment that they could enjoy and have fun with. Sophie and Jane’s business, Retrovert, can now be found every Monday on Cambridge Market selling an eclectic collection of retro homewares and lovingly handmade goods. Sourcing locally and making by hand is central to their green credentials, as is reusing and upcycling. This eco thread runs through every aspect, from their recycled packaging to their led lighting. In the New Year all their transport will be by bicycle and trailer. Their website, beautifully designed by Sophie, can be found at www.retrovert.co.uk. As a web designer Sophie is completely self-taught. Her home ed experience has taught her that learning is an integral part of life. You can find Jane and Sophie on their stall in Cambridge Market every Monday from 10am - 4pm, or visit their website at www.retrovert.co.uk 4

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Home Educated Emilia Releases Album at 14! Still only 14, Emilia Quinn has just released her first commercial album, ‘Decisions’, which was recorded in professional studios in Quebec, Canada. Home educated since she was nine, Emilia has been playing the piano since she was six and more recently has added keyboard and guitar to her skills. She wrote her first song when she was just 11. With that much talent, it is hardly surprising that she won the Under 12s section of Ipswich Idol in 2010 and has gone on to perform at various events such as the Framlingham Food, Drink and Music Festival this year. Emilia is particularly proud of performing at The Regent Theatre in Ipswich two years ago, which was a fund raising event for EACH, East Anglian Children’s Hospices, and was to a crowd of 1500! She has also appeared on BBC Radio Suffolk, Felixstowe Radio and Town 102FM. Emilia’s first album was called 'My Melody'. It was recorded at home and in a studio in Colchester and was made for family and friends, but it was being introduced to Robert Messier that led to her recording her second album, this one commercial. Emilia explained “Robert programmed the Ketron Audya, the keyboard that I am using. He is also a producer and as we got on well, my parents offered me the opportunity to record my second album in his studio in Quebec, Canada. As I am part French, Quebec was a fantastic place to use my bilingual skills.” Spending nine days working in a professional studio was, she said, hard work. “I discovered a lot about music and about myself.” Being home educated has helped. “I have a lot more time to focus on my music,” she explained. “If I have evening gigs, it does not affect my studies as my timetable is flexible. When I write a song, I can put everything else on hold until I have finished; there are no time restrictions on my writing which means I can produce work that I am satisfied with. I feel very lucky to be home educated and have these opportunities.” Emilia is however very realistic about her musical future. “I hope that music will always stay in my life but it is never certain in the music business that you will 'make it'. So, at the moment I am just going to play it by ear (pun intended!) and see where it goes. I have a keen interest in Biology and hope to work as a marine biologist one day.” We have a feeling that Emilia could make a success of whatever she puts her mind to!

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The BIG Question...???

uestions. They just come with the territory when you home educate! We’ve all been there, from the family gatherings when you’ve been gearing yourself up to tell everyone that you’re taking your children out of school, or that you won’t be sending them in the first place, through to those ‘at-the-supermarket-checkout’ moments when you find yourself so interrogated you’re looking around for the Mastermind black chair!

These questions are sometimes born of disbelief and horror that you could even consider such a strange idea, occasionally they are honestly curious and interested, but almost always demonstrate that the questioner has pretty much no comprehension of what home education is, is entrenched in a system and believes that this system must be ‘the right way’. We’ve been featuring those common questions to find out how you answer them! What do you say? Does it depend on the questioner, or their attitude? Does it depend on why you chose to home educate in the first place? Does it depend on how long you’ve been home educating? Have you answered these questions so many times that you have a quick one-liner all prepared! In the last issue we asked:

Why aren’t you at school?

Replies from parents: I’m afraid that sometimes I just can’t be bothered with the whole “Spanish Inquisition” I know will follow so we tell a little ‘white lie’ and mutter something about a dentist appointment. I’m confident in what we’re doing and I don’t feel the need to justify it!

My daughter normally announces ‘I’m home educated!’, loud and proud! It does sometimes lead to more questions that I don’t always have the time or inclination to answer, but at least she’s confident enough to say so!

I actually relish these opportunities to explain about home education and spread the word, so I’m happy for my children to answer honestly. I have my little speech prepared ready for further questions and am often disappointed if the person doesn’t ask any more!

And from the children: Because I don't need to go to school, I learn lots with my mummy!

I will go to school if I need to, but I can learn faster and more interesting things at home and with my friends

I am - I'm learning maths while I’m shopping!

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Patch of Puddles Home Educating the PuddleChicks. Living without our Baby Boy.

Our regular column from Merry Raymond, illustrating life in a home educating family. Merry owns the website www.muddlepuddle.co.uk, from which came the very popular Yahoo group EarlyYearsHE. She also blogs at www.patchofpuddles.co.uk and was a finalist this year in the MAD Blog Awards (www.the-mads.com) On top of all this Merry runs her own business, Play Merrily Toy Shop, at www.playmerrilytoys.co.uk and its sister site www.craftmerrily.co.uk

fter being a home educating family for 9 years, our eldest daughter made the move to senior school this Autumn; a place became available at a school we had forgotten she had applied to. It had been the one school that interested her at 11 and when she didn't get a place, she didn't want to go anywhere else. The week before the offer arrived, she had been remarking on how HE suited her and how much she couldn't imagine changing direction now. Home education has given my children a confidence to be ready for new experiences and see what a situation can offer them. Fran felt she should go and visit the school again and see if this moment was life offering her a chance when it was right for her. We went along and all of us felt very positive about the environment. It's a relatively new academy school, highly thought of and run in a positive and businesslike manner, with the rewards for effort very visible. It was as close to my ideal school as I felt we could reasonably achieve and Fran felt so too. Over the years our HE philosophy has always been to work on building academic skills on a regular basis, to work smart and then to use the bulk of their time in a child led way. We've valued play, art and free time enormously but we've never been an unschooling household, as none of the girls thrive without some form of structure. It's relatively hard to trust a middle road policy in that way, hoping that some structure will not produce rebellion, but that only limited formal work will give

them everything they need. As they've grown, they've become enquiring and interested kids, happy to explore, discuss and think through problems, but it has always been clear, because we've used some National Curriculum resources along the way, that the pace and development of their learning and skill building has been very different from a forced school pace. Some things develop more quickly, in some places they appear 'behind' for a while, notably reading. All my girls are now good and avid readers, but the eldest two didn't begin to read until they were 8.

When Fran considered school at age 11, she was clearly still going to be out of step with her peers in this way, which worried me. Starting at 13, in a school where they begin GCSE preparation that year, she has clearly levelled out. It was extremely encouraging, from the point of view of that age old doubt 'will HE work?' to find that she went straight into top sets and coped ably, with a positive attitude and a desire to learn that has pleased everyone. To see that achieved on 9 years of relaxed education and a huge amount of playing

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and freedom, is thrilling - and fills me with confidence for the education of the remaining children. Surprisingly, the school have also been positive about our input, allowing her afternoons at home with me to study a GCSE they couldn't offer her. So, what does this mean for our home education journey? Will we now become schoolers? No, I don't think so. None of the others have felt compelled to rush off to do the same - the homework puts them off for a start! - although they are now building into their future the idea that at some point school might feel right for them. For my part I miss my daughter and her company, but I'm thrilled to see the confidence and ease with which she has gone from a home ed family of 4 to a school of 2500. I think we've put that 'how will they learn to cope with real life?' myth firmly to bed. There are places where she needs a fast injection of some specific skills, such as writing succinct and structure exam style answers, but she is learning fast. In fact we've found some great aspects to her being in school; she comes home with interesting videos to tell us about, finds science clips on YouTube that she knows her sisters will like and has not only been able to carry on some elements of our HE life on free afternoons, but has also enthused us to find out about some

of the topics she has done in class and explore them at home too. Over the last 9 years I've been full of all the reasons why I didn't want school in our life. I think we've been fortunate to find an excellent one but I also think that home education has been proved to be an amazing preparation; Fran stepped into a new way of life with barely a flicker. She's made friends, she gets on well with her teachers and her overall philosophy, to make the most of the opportunity to learn, build and grow, seems to be a massive advantage to her. When asked if she regretted her non-school years, she said HE had made her who she was and because of that she was able to excel at school at this point. That seems to me to be the highest praise that home education could ask for.

HESFES SATURDAY 21st TO SATURDAY 28TH JULY 2012 Stoneham Barns, Suffolk HESFES is the Home Educators' Summer Festival. 7 Nights Camping with All Facilities, Entertainment, Activities and Workshops included in the ticket price. Children who are in school are very welcome. HESFES is non profit making and entirely self funding. Non commercial with very few stalls. Now in its 15th year the event will once again see people from all over the UK and abroad come together for a week of fun. Tickets on sale from late January. For more details go to www.hesfes.co.uk

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Chinese New Year A Big Project Idea from EOS The Big Project idea is simple. We take a theme and suggest as many activities as we can think of that tie in with that theme. It’s an approach used by home educators everywhere and can be a very enjoyable way to cover tons of different skills in a multi-disciplinary fashion. The activities chosen are for different ages and abilities, use different resources and cover different areas of interest. Feel free to pick and choose the ones you like, change them to suit yourselves. The most successful projects are often those in which you start with a rough plan but go with the flow and let your children direct the action! We would love any feedback you would care to give, especially photos of what you achieved!

The Chinese New Year begins on January 23rd 2012 and this time it’s the Year of the Dragon! The Chinese New Year is a great time to initiate a project. There are so many interesting and fun activities you can have a go at! And while doing them you can’t help but learn things about the country and culture, history, myths and legends, astrology, food and more. Here are a few suggestions to help you plan some great activities to see you through the winter. We hope you’ll be inspired to try some and add more of your own!

What’s It All About? A Chinese proverb states that all creations are reborn on New Year’s day. The Chinese New Year is a celebration of change ... out with the old and in with the new! The Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year because it is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. It is celebrated in late January to early February (depending on the year). Chinese New Year starts on a New Moon and ends with the lantern festival on the full moon 15 days later. In the Far East, this is also the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Farmers take this opportunity to welcome spring as they plant for the new harvest. Thus, the Lunar New Year is also called the Spring Festival. In 2012, Chinese New Year is celebrated on January 23. In the Chinese calendar, it is the year 4709, and the Year of the Dragon.

Food Why not try cooking some simple Chinese dishes? Check out the legendary Ken Hom OBE, who has been cooking on TV since his first BBC series in 1984. The book from that series, Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery, is still in print, or you can easily find used copies. Or why not browse his website: www.kenhom.com. Many Chinese recipes are quick and easy and most ingredients these days are simple enough to find. Of, if you’re exhausted after trying out all the activities on these pages, you could always order in. Whatever you choose, it’s always fun to have a try at eating with chopsticks!

Everything associated with the New Year's Day should represent good fortune. More Big Project ideas on Page 10!!

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The Big Project continued......!!

Chinese Writing You could invest in a kit such as the one on the left, available for around £15.00 on Ebay, or try other websites or your local stationers. Alternatively, just buy some Chinese brushes and use black paint or ink. You could use ordinary paint brushes at a push, but Chinese ones are better as they are designed to create the ‘thick and thin’ lines that are essential in Chinese characters. Try this website to get some inspiration for choosing what to write: http://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-writing-symbols.html Combine this activity with the one over the page to produce some Chinese New Year banners! Have a go at the BBC website’s Chinese Character Game: www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/games/characters.shtml

Disney’s Mulan Gaining a score of 86% on www.rottentomatoes.com, ‘Mulan’ is a well regarded Disney animation that tells the tale of Fa Mulan, the only daughter of aged warrior Fa Zhou, who impersonates a man and takes her father's place during a general conscription to counter a fictitious Hun invasion. Depending on the ages of your children, there are several ways you could use this film. Ÿ Notice the Ancient Chinese inventions appearing throughout: gunpowder, fireworks, paper, kites, umbrellas, ink, hand cannon, silk. Explore Chinese history, culture and traditions: the Great Wall; honouring the ancestors; tea drinking; warriors; architecture. This is a useful site: http://camp-wuzhong.livejournal.com/1741.html Ÿ Explore the themes of honour, family responsibility, gender stereotyping Ÿ Explore the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan on which the story is based. You could start with the page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan and read the English translation of the poem here: www.chinapage.com/mulan-e.html Ÿ Film-making - how does the animation style reflect the topic of the movie? Have the facts of the legend been changed in the film - is it more westernised? Are different periods of history portrayed together or out of place? Why has this been done and is it acceptable?

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Learning through Gaming If your children love their PC games (are there any that don’t?!), why not use that in your project planning? is a game in which you are tasked with designing, building and maintaining a city in Ancient China, taking care of its inhabitants, growing crops, appeasing the Ancestors and fighting off enemy armies. Starting with a tutorial to learn the basics, campaigns become increasingly difficult. Impressively, “Foodstuffs, technologies, and religions evolve over the centuries, closely matching the actual history of Chinese culture” (www.wikipedia.org)

Chinese Zodiac The Chinese astrology is one of the oldest form of astrologies that is practiced today. The Chinese zodiac sign of an individual is determined by his year of birth; twelve animals represent the twelve zodiac signs. Each animal has a set of attributes that determine the personality of an individual born under it. Find out more about the Chinese zodiac and the story behind the animals included here: www.topmarks.co.uk/chinesenewyear/ZodiacStory.aspx

New Year Celebrations If you can, it’s well worth attending the New Year celebrations in London’s Chinatown which will take place on Sunday January 29th 2012. For more information go to: www.chinatownlondon.org/activity_calendar.php?acid=14

If you can’t make it to London there are bound to be celebrations in a city or town near you - check the local press closer to the time or search the internet.

More Big Project ideas on Page 12!!

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The Big Project continued......!!

Easy Paper Lanterns These simple paper lanterns are very suitable for young children, while older children can expand on the idea by making several in different colours or in different sizes, or by decorating them. You could simulate flames by placing loosely scrumpled orange or yellow tissue paper inside. For a traditional Chinese New Year look, use red and gold paper. You’ll find instructions for making these on many websites. We looked at http://crafts.kaboose.com/lantern1.html

Chinese New Year Banners At New Year houses are decorated with banners for good luck. Traditional colours of red and gold are used, or red with black writing. They can be long rectangles as in the picture here, or each character can be written on a diamond shape. The characters chosen are those that represent good luck such as ‘Fu’ meaning ‘Prosperity’ or ‘Da Ji’ meaning ‘Good Fortune’. Have a go at making your own. You could see this website for suggestions of which character to write: http://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-new-year-crafts.html

Chinese Dragons Seeing as it is the Year of the Dragon, why not make some? Here’s one from: http://www.topmarks.co.uk/chinesenewyear/chinesedragon.aspx

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Remember to stop and smell the roses! By Paula Cleary

I’ve been thinking a lot just recently about the ‘future’. I seem to have been preparing for it my whole life. At school, I was busily being prepared for it by knuckling down and memorising facts and figures I’ve long since forgotten. I struggled through university because I believed my parents and tutors who told me I’d be ‘nothing’ without my degree - that if I quit I would be unemployable, in their words I’d be “just another ‘nobody’”. I was even threatened with ostracization by my father if I dared to give up on it! As you can imagine it was a pretty stressful time - feeling like a waste, a let-down, a disappointment to everyone. The plain fact of the matter was that I simply didn’t for me want to follow what was supposedly any more. I wanted to carve a very different path for myself, one as yet unknown to me, one where was in the driving seat and was finally doing what felt good, natural and fun. My bubble had finally burst and I wanted to reclaim my future as

my own. I didn’t want to succeed where others had failed, to make up for my parent’s lack of a degree. I wanted to break free. And I did. I have never looked back. When I really think about it though, there seems to have been a carrot dangling in front of me - just ever so tantalizingly out of reach - throughout my adult life too. Whether it’s been the next rung on the career ladder, or the countdown to being mortgage free, or to a time when the children would be easier to care for/behave more responsibly/be more self-disciplined, it’s always been there, intangibly, just slightly out of reach. It follows me around like a shadow. I have spent years reaching for it, dreaming of it, looking forward to it, as I’m sure many of us do. That little patch of greener grass just the other side of here. I worry about my children’s future, asking myself what they will be like as teenagers, or young men. Preparing them for a future which is as mysterious and unpredictable as any future. We don’t seem to be able to predict the weather from one week to the next so imagining what they might need in 5 or 10 years time is pretty unfathomable really. Yet people are already asking us about exams. About whether they’ll go to college or not. I don’t know the answers to these questions but I don’t

Cont’d on page 21

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Science at Home “How on earth are you going to manage Science?!” People often believe that Science is only possible in a fully stocked school laboratory with a trained and qualified teacher to explain the mysteries, but in fact it is quite straight forward to tackle Biology, Chemistry, Physics and even less common sciences as Astronomy from home, right up to GCSE level. Much of the time it is all going on around us every day and just requires a bit of noticing and thinking! Try these ideas.......

Photo by Marko Cvejic on Flikr used under CC-BY licence

Robert Krampf - The Happy Scientist There are many home educators who will enthuse about Robert Krampf! Fascinated with science from his childhood in Memphis, Tennessee, Mr Krampf has made a career as a science educator. He is well known in the US for travelling with his entertaining science shows, particularly his high voltage electricity show, centered on a one million volt Tesla coil!

He now has a comprehensive website to bring his passion to wider audiences. Full access to his videos and experiments requires a subscription, currently $20 a year, which works out at a little under £13, so still good value. But there are also freebies on the site, including his Experiment of the Week Newsletter, which is said to go out to 180,000 households in more than 95 countries* with Krampf's sign-off "Have a wonder-filled week!” Have a look at his resources and sign up for the newsletter at www.krampf.com.

BBC Bitesize As its name suggests, the BBC Bitesize site comprises chunks of interactive learning content such as videos, games and quizzes. It’s aimed at school students so it’s separated into categories for the Key Stages, for Scotland and for Wales and everything closely mirrors the National Curriculum. Tons of stuff for English, Maths and Science up to KS3, and lots more at GCSE level. Use it for structured sessions, for introductions or revision, as resources if you’re tackling GCSEs. Also great to dip into for interest, to help explain something that’s a current topic of conversation, or for the children to just browse through - and of course they can cross the age ranges as they wish! A couple of examples - how about looking at the KS3 activities on Acids, Bases and Alkalis to back up the experiment opposite? Or try the ‘Questionaut’ game in the KS2 section - lovely!!

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Acid or Alkali? We took on an allotment recently and were keen to find out whether our soil was acidic or alkaline. So, we took a sample and tested it. Then we tested some other household substances, just for fun. It’s a really simple and cheap experiment to do.

Age Guide: 8 and upwards

In schools, the concept of acids and alkalis is introduced in Key Stage 3 (11-14 years) but you’ll probably find that children much younger are often interested and able to understand what’s going on.

Take a sample of the substance you want to test

2 Add it to some water in a flask or other suitable container. Mix well to dissolve - this will create a solution. If it won’t dissolve, combine as well as possible.

Try other substances!

3 Take a strip of Universal Indicator Paper and dip it in.

The pH Scale Acidity and alkalinity are measured on the pH scale. This runs from pH 0 (strongly acid) to pH 14 (strongly alkaline). A pH of 7 is neutral.

4 Compare the colour with the chart included with the indicator paper to read off the pH value and discover whether your substance is an acid or an alkali.

Safety!!

Indicator Papers

Always make sure you have safety aspects covered. In this experiment, explain that substances around the home can be dangerous, particularly things like household cleaners. Read the instructions on any substance you test. Use common sense - don’t put substances unsuitable for human consumption in drinking glasses etc. Clear away properly when you’ve finished.

Universal Indicator Paper or Litmus Paper are both used to test acids and alkalis. They change colour according to the type of substance they come into contact with. They available online for just a few pounds. Try sites such as Ebay. They usually comes with a chart which explains what each colour represents. Litmus Paper generally indicates whether something is acid, alkali or neutral, while Universal Indicator Paper gives more detail and can indicate the pH value of a substance.

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Cooking Up a Treat! www.sortedfood.com When my children asked if they could go and make me a snack one evening I was, as you can imagine, very pleased. I was even more impressed when they came back just ten minutes later with a freshly made cake! It appears that they had discovered a new recipe to add to their collection, a ‘Cake in a Mug’, which is mixed in a mug, baked in a microwave in a matter of minutes and delicious. You’ll find the recipe opposite. I had to find out where the idea had come from and the children pointed me towards their new favourite cooking website, www.sortedfood.com. I had a look and found tons of interesting recipes, accompanied with ‘How To’ videos and realised that it mirrors a lot of what home education is often about – the emphasis on fun and the inventive, creative and resourceful approach to cooking.

SORTED’s mission is “to become the hub for young cooks with an appetite for top notch grub and a healthy dose of banter.”

I got in touch with Ben Ebrell, chef at SORTED, to find out more. He told me, “SORTED is about real life, real people and real food. It’s all about getting into the kitchen with your mates and knocking up plenty of simple, cheap and tasty grub - heavily seasoned with banter. Cooking shouldn’t be a chore. SORTED show this by knocking down the barriers around food and making it fun and accessible to all novice cooks!” Ben told me that SORTED prides itself on being an inclusive community where anybody can join in. Users share their successes with friends by uploading photos to Facebook, can ‘Ask the Chef’ a foodie question, request a specific recipe for Ben to cook, or create their very own personal cookbook on the website. He pointed out that there are over a hundred other quick, simple recipes to try out on the site. I think it seems a great resource for all those budding home educated cooks out there!

Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer The recipe for Little House Pancakes (opposite) is from a book called "Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer" by Jane Brocket, which is expensive to buy but you can get from the library. It's an interesting book researching recipes from various children's stories. I really liked the idea, and the recipes seem authentic as far as they can be. This recipe though, and others like it, I think should have been measured in cups to suit the country of origin at least! I recommend the book also for its chatty discussion of many children's classics, so it can be used as a reference for books as much as recipes.

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Children’s Pages Chocolate Cake in a Mug 2 tbsp SR flour (not heaped or level – but in between) 2 tbsp castor sugar 1 tbsp cocoa 1 tsp instant coffee powder 1 small egg 1 tbsp milk 1 tbsp sunflower oil

grab a large mug.

few choc buttons

spoon the dry ingredients into the mug and mix well. crack in the egg and whisk to combine with a fork. drizzle in the milk and oil and stir.

Recipe from www.sortedfood.com - see opposite page!

drop in a few choc buttons. place into a microwave and cook for 2 ½ mins on full power. leave to rest for 1 minute then eat with lashings of cream or ice cream. Makes 1 large pudding... a generous dessert or ample to share

Little House Pancake Men 75g butter 300ml milk 2 eggs

melt butter into the milk.

180g flour

beat the eggs and add to the milk mixture

1tbsp caster sugar

mix flour, salt, sugar and baking powder together

4 tsp baking powder

add the milk mixture and stir until incorporated

1/2 tsp salt

drop onto a buttered griddle (or frying pan!) shaping into a man with five drops - one large drop, two smaller for legs, two for arms and the head

Recipe from ‘Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer’ see opposite page!

fry until golden

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Got a couple of days to fill before Christmas? Or do you need an emergency extra present? Try these ideas!

Garlands: (out of anything!) Popcorn; squares of fabric scraps; felt pieces; tiny fabric triangles to make tiny bunting; cranberries, dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks!

Salt Dough Decorations: 2 cups ﬂour ¾ cup salt ¼ cup ground cinnamon 2 tbsp ground nutmeg 2 tbsp ground ginger ¾ 1 cup warm water Combine all the dry ingredients, slowly mix in the water, and knead to form a dough. Roll out the dough to ¼” thickness and cut desired shapes. Make a small hole for threading ribbon or string to hang. Push in seeds, herbs etc for decoration.Bake at 125C for about 1 hour. Leave them ﬂat for approximately two days or until completely hardened.

Felt Decorations: Hearts, angels, santa and snowmen! Find a pattern online, cut it out of felt and decorate with the simplest stitches. Step by step instructions here: http://www.makeitandmendit.com/2011/12/01/how-to-make-felt-christmas-decorations/

Handwarmers:

Cut two 4” squares of plain cotton, stitch together three sides. Half ﬁll with baking beans or rice and close the 4th side. Cut two 4½” felt squares, embroider or appliqué on one or both sides. Stitch together 3 sides, insert the cotton bag, and close the 4th side. Heat brieﬂy (eg in a microwave) and keep in your pocket when you go out on a cold day! 18

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Easy Soapflake Decorations:

Jam Jar Lanterns:

Using soapﬂakes with a little water, mould them into snowmen (and snowladies!) Use twigs and scraps of fabric for arms and clothes. You can also grate your favourite soap and mould into shape; or use cookie cutters to make other shapes.

Carefully wash and dry used jam jars. 1: glue on tissue paper for a stained glass window effect 2: use glass paints and stencils for pictures 3: use simple white paper for cut out designs such as snowﬂakes Tealights work well inside. Do not give to young children. Do not leave candles unattended.

(Grated soap and soapﬂakes will collapse if used; so make your own soap if you want a solid bar)

A great gift idea for a recipe is to print it out in an interesting font and give it wrapped up with a vintage teacup and saucer. (Check the cup size matches a measuring cup by pouring water from one to another, but most teacups do). The saucer can be used as a spoon rest while baking.

Gift Tags: For free downloadable gift tags see: http://www.weebirdy.com/2011/12/free-wee-birdy-christmas-gift-tags-2011.html But, have you got an old typewriter? Use it to write Christmas messages on brown paper, cut out to look like old luggage tags. Or create handwritten ones. Use vintage ribbon, or make your own with strips of material for a lovely crafty vintage look.

Gingerbread: Sift together and set aside: 3 cups plain flour ½ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp baking powder Beat ½ cup butter ½ cup packed darkbrown sugar until fluffy Mix in 2 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp finely ground pepper Then mix in 1 large egg and ½ cup molasses Add flour mixture gradually until just combined. Wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. Roll out to a ¼” thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes. Space well apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, refrigerate until firm (15 minutes). Bake at 175°C until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks. Decorate with icing. www.educationoutsideschool.co.uk

Automotive Wordsearch Find the words in the grid. Words can go horizontally, vertically and diagonally in all eight directions. BRAKES BUMPER DOORS ENGINE GEARS HANDBRAKE HEADLIGHTS INDICATOR PETROL ROOF SPEDOMOTET STEERING TYRES WHEELS This puzzle was made by Xander Hodgson for EOS readers using 1-2-3 WordSearch Maker ™

Last Issue’s Logic Problems & Answers ns so e o th w o t ur of e t th d th o bir e h h of s an . l t a m e n tur sa on wi in na the e m not t ach e a v o n s a m re e m n g born the y we a tim e? a f e o sb m i wo ere y o t th s t A o w e da . Bu ces ld th s!! c let r h u p w sam yea o a co i tr n w e re me ad Ho w sa he h ey s Th A:

a year, es once in What com ery month, four v twice in e k, and six very wee very e in s e m ti ach and e times in e end? e w ek tter ‘e A: The le

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rly er clea ck driv ay street, u tr a er saw own a one-w not? e offic A polic wrong way d p him. Why sto the going did not try to g! t u b walkin e wa s h e s u a A: Bec

There was a man in a solid ceme in and no w nt room, th ay out. The ere was no re w wa y from a table as nothing else In the room apart . H o w did he esca (this one ne pe? eds REALL Y lateral th inking!) A: He rubs his hands u ntil they’re and cuts th sore. He ta e table in h kes the saw a climbs thro lf. Two halves make a ugh the hole whole. He and h I know, it’s dreadful - so e’s out. rry!!

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Cont’d from page 13

He continues:

want to get hung up on them too much. I don’t want to play that game - I want to enjoy being here now. Ken Robinson explains the phenomena in his talk entitled

carrot-dangling

“When we went to school, we were kept there with a story which was if you worked hard and did well and got a college degree, you would have a job. Our kids don’t believe that. And they’re right not to........They’re better off having a degree than not but it’s not a guarantee any more, and particularly not if the route to it marginalizes all the things you think are important about yourself.”

“The apparent sudden forgetting of school knowledge (and the mental skills that went with it), after people have left, does not show that they didn’t learn them properly in the first place. It means what they learnt stayed indexed to school-like conditions, and won’t come to mind until those conditions are re-created”. Given that a very tiny percentage of school-leavers go on to become teachers or lecturers, it’s fair to conclude that really, much of what we learn in lesson time turns out to be redundant and not much use for the future. I think the most valuable lessons we learn at school actually occur outside the classroom, in break-times, on the lunch hour, on the journey to and from school, and outside of school hours. It’s all about friendships.

This sacrificing of ‘fringe’ subjects and interests Put rather simplistically, I think school essentially really upset me during my teenage years. I divides children into two camps : Camp A consists remember having to choose between drama and of those who rather like the routines, the rules, the art, since there was only room timetables, keeping the status on my timetable to study one quo, playing it safe, thinking or the other but not both. and acting as they’ve been “When we went to school, we Equally I couldn’t study both trained to think and act. geography history were kept there with a story because I was doing a second which was if you worked hard But Group B have other ideas. language. One had to go. and did well and got a college They might be breakaways from There were also lots of social Group A, or they might have degree, you would have a job. gatherings that I wasn’t been in this camp from Day Our kids don’t believe that.” allowed to attend because One. They’re smart, subtly school was everything. My outfoxing the teachers at every Sir Ken Robinson studies were everything. My opportunity. Because they’re future was everything. Now smart they often appear to be was not important. The allplaying by the rules but they’re important social stuff, I was constantly told by my working it all to their advantage, collaborating parents, was not all-important. And yet it really amongst themselves, creatively finding ways to get was all-important. round this or that regulation. Some have greater strength of character and conviction, being bold, So it’s pretty ironic really that so much of that stuff fearless and confrontational, unapologetically living I was painfully made to learn has turned out to be by their rules, doing it their way. Group B are the pretty irrelevant in my post-school years! All those sub-culture, battling the system and but often dates, facts and figures - useless!!! their schooling, as a side-line thriving almost. They may have fame and social standing Professor Guy Claxton sums up the school which is completely un-noticed or perhaps despised experience in his book by their teachers - maybe they’re entertaining, when he observes that charming performers - the class ‘clown’, or maybe “Being in school is very much ‘on-the-job’, full they’re white-hot at say, beat-boxing. They might of peculiar tasks, settings and reasons. The have a flair for fashion, or hair braiding or fixing problem is that the job you are on, in school, people’s motors, or wheeler-dealing. Generally is not going to be very much like the jobs you these things are unlikely to be celebrated, or find yourself engaged with elsewhere (unless considered worthy enough as stand-alone skills you are set on becoming a teacher or a on a par with maths or science or English skills. lecturer)” They’re probably steered away from these since there’s no tick box for them anywhere on the

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curriculum. These things would only make it onto school report cards in the context of perhaps being annoying habits, distractions from the serious and all-important stuff. Sadly most group B kids will most likely go on to earn less and will perhaps spend their lives forever being labelled as underachievers or ‘non-academic’ - in that two tier layer cake of worthiness that exists in our society.

music, history and geography, beatboxing and maths - they can do it all. They have time to find out what they’re good at, what they shine at, what makes them happy. We shouldn’t simply be preparing our children for a future which may not even turn out how any of us imagined. Their childhood is now. As unschooler Sandra Dodd puts : it in her blog

Some of those dreamers, clowns and doodlers have gone on to be pretty successful though! Check out the school report cards below!

“We don’t know what will happen today. Plans change. Unexpected things happen, and we don’t even know whether they will be pleasant surprises or oopsies. Life can be mysterious. Learn to love surprises”.

A combination of meeting the right people at the right time, having thick skin, working hard and being determined seemed to be successful strategy enough for this lot! They have succeeded in their their schooling. own rightAs home educators we are in a perfect position to encourage and celebrate the talents and flairs that might have ended up as bitchy comments on a school report card like the examples above. Our children don’t have to choose between drama and

Of course not all surprises are nice ones. Alongside the serendipitous and the fortunate, sometimes tragedies can occur - brutal, life-changing, catastrophic changes. My mother-in-law Bernadette Cleary knows this only too well. As the founder of the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, which cares for terminally ill children and their families, she has personally sat with over 300 children in their last moments. She doesn’t see

These students may have caused their teachers some frustrations, but it’s just as well they were able to brush off their school reports and forge ahead with their dreams! John Lennon “Certainly on the road to failure ... hopeless ...... rather a clown in class .... wasting other pupils’ time.” Nick Park “Nicholas is inclined to be lazy. He is an artistic child and produces beautiful drawings and writing.” “Inclined to dream. Could do better if he tried.” Stephen Fry “He has glaring faults and they have certainly glared at us this term” Eric Morecombe “This boy will never get anywhere in life” Michael Palin “I too have noticed ...a slightly put on manner of affectation, perhaps a sort of aftermath of his fine performance in the school play. We’re all for a bit of jollity and mild eye-flashing business, but he must not try to get away altogether with this slightly facile manner” Dame Judi Dench “Judi would be a very good pupil if she lived in this world” A.A.Milne “Has done ill, showing little or no ambition, even in mathematics.” Siegfried Sassoon “Lacks power of concentration, shows no particular intelligence or aptitude for any branch of his work, seems unlikely to adopt any special career.” From the book

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their lives so much in the context of being ‘cut short’ - but rather as whole and complete for that time they lived. When we were discussing the premise for this article, she said to me quite simply “If this was the last time your child could smile at you, would tomorrow matter?” True to Bernadette’s philosophy, for Christmas last year, she gave us a collector’s plate with a quote from Michael Caine. It says “Smile today. Life is not a rehearsal” 5. She should know. I say these things not to frighten or encourage over-protection. We can no more cocoon or protect our children from life’s random or cruel events than we can control the weather or the seasons. Shit happens. Amazing, wonderful things happen. We just can’t tell what the future has in store. But today really is all we ever have. Let’s not wish our children’s childhood away or get caught up in the school rat-race mentality, forever thinking of their future, forever concentrating on what skills they have too much. Since writing this article I was looking in my inbox and there was another excellent piece of wisdom from unschooler Sandra Dodd. She writes : “Be where your child is... Parents need to stop looking into the future and live more in the moment with their real child. BEING with a child is being where the child is, emotionally and spititually and physically and musically and artistically. Seeing where the child “is” rather than seeing a thousand or even a dozen places she is not.”

Waldo Emerson once said “ We are always getting ready to live but never living” 6. I couldn’t agree more. Let’s live today and be nice and have an and that will be enough interesting life foundation for tomorrow to take care of itself. Being a flexible, adaptable, life-long learner is a state of mind that will serve our young people better in their future than a head full of facts. Worrying won’t add anything positive and why spoil the ride on the way? Let’s experience with our children the exhilaration of letting them fly on the power of following their dreams - who knows where it might take them? References: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

The past is equally out of reach and if we look backwards too much this can equally steal from us what’s happening now, holding us back from fully embracing what’s right under our noses. Let’s see our children as perfect and whole exactly as they are now. They are not on the path to becoming, they already are. They may have flaws, so too do we all. ‘Real life’ doesn’t begin for a person when they reach school leaving age. It starts now. Ralph

by Prof Guy Claxton edited by Catherine Hurley , blog by Sandra Dodd http://justaddlightandstir.blogspot.com/2011/07/b e-where-your-child-is.html 5

http://shop.whateverittakes.org

http://www.quotegarden.com/carpe-diem.html

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HE and Working Working at home while home educating has its challenges, mostly practical, but it has its benefits too. Continuing the series on "how to do it", as promised last time, here's the first interview - so you can see how one person actually gets by and the problems they face (and hopefully how they overcome them!) For our first interview, I (Lorena) talked to Jane! We thought it would be interesting for readers to see more about us too. Q: We know you home educate, but, to be blunt, how do you get an income?

L: Good point. Every parent needs to learn to juggle their time. How have you done it?

L: That is certainly being flexible - something many people are having to do now even if they didn't before. What jobs do you do?

Q: It must be difficult to work at home with the children there! How do you find the time?

L: Yes, time management again!

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L: So you fitted in plenty of hours, just at "unusual" times. How about now?

L: I think it's great that it's actually becoming part of their education. Time management, planning, all very useful stuff. Q: How do you find the space at home?

Q: Do you need to go to meetings, how would that work?

I'd like to thank Jane and her family very much for this insight into their life. I think flexibility is the key for home educating families more so perhaps than schooling families. Having the ability to plan your own timetable, and that of your children, not only allows you to work, but allows them to learn life skills that perhaps aren't taught in school where they are given a timetable to work to. (Also the parent has to stick to the school's planned day). If, however, parents are currently in full-time jobs that have to be 9 to 5, or cannot be done at home, then there are perhaps sacrifices to be made of a drop in salary or a gap in a career, as, although working at home is more acceptable than it used to be, it is still not an option for many jobs; and jobs that are created to be done from home often pay less, even taking into account such costs as travel and office space. Perhaps then a choice has to be made to facilitate home education, and of course only you and your family can make that choice. I would like to hear from parents who have managed either to keep their 9 to 5 jobs, or who have managed the career break, successfully returning after a few years at home. If anyone would like to be interviewed, please do get in touch. It would be great to be able to build up a portfolio of examples to show the creativity of parents when it comes to educating their children, and maintaining an income to do so.

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Reviews & Recommendations Enjoyed Something Recently? Here at EOS we are always interested in hearing about your favourite books, websites, computer games, DVDs, TV programmes, places to visit, shops and online stores........anything that you think other readers might want to hear about! Please do send them to: editor@educationoutsideschool.co.uk. Don’t forget to let us know if you have a website, blog etc that we can mention as a thank-you!

“Bambert’s Book of Missing Stories” by Reinhardt Jung, Illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark This is a wonderful book, fabulously illustrated. Within the book we are introduced to Bambert, one of life’s unfortunates. Deformed at birth and tortured with medical procedures that ultimately didn’t help, he lives his life away from society and creates his own worlds and friends through his stories. We read these stories as they return to Bambert, who has sent them floating away on small balloons to find their own settings. Only one story is unwritten and Bambert hopes that this story will not only find its own setting but also write itself. Mr Bloom, Bambert’s only friend is the shopkeeper of the grocer’s shop above which Bambert lives. Mr Bloom receives orders for food and resources from Bambert and he sends them up in a little lift to Bambert’s flat. Mr Bloom had known Bambert’s parents and had promised to look after him after their death. He does this and delivers the returning letters containing Bambert’s stories through the same little lift that he sends Bambert’s groceries. As the stories return Bambert becomes both excited about their return from their mysterious new settings and anxious about the final story yet unwritten. As they return we read Bambert’s modern fairy tales. They are beautiful, cheerful, challenging and in some cases tragic. The stories will give younger and older readers alike, fantastic scope to discover different issues from poverty, war, racial tension as well as sheer exhilarating excitement. As a teacher reading this book it gives plenty of opportunity to discuss those PSHE issues mentioned and how they might affect us today. As a parent reading to his children I found that the children enjoyed the stories for themselves but that they also invested in the small and vulnerable Bambert. Perhaps, seeing him as a kindred spirit, trapped in a small body and struggling to find his place in society. Imagination releases him as it does for many children. As we all wait for the final story to return and the completion of Bambert’s, now Book of Missing Stories, the tension and anticipation grows. The conclusion is both challenging and beautiful and again offers plenty of room for discussion about greater issues. I would recommend this book to all with children to read with them and share the discussions it generates. Reviewing Peterborough Cathedral 26

was Mark Tomlins, Education and Schools Officer at www.educationoutsideschool.co.uk

“My Name Is Mina” by David Almond The 2011 Guardian Children's Fiction prize shortlist includes David Almond, a wonderful, poetic story depicting home education.

, by

is a rare book - beautifully written using language in an almost hypnotic way, quirky and with an instinctive understanding of unschooling/autonomous/informal education. Written as Mina's diary, it reflects the main character's creativity and curiosity. Mina loves words - the sound of them, their flow and patterns, reflected in the wonderful use of words, fonts and space throughout the book. She has a uncompromising sense of wonder at the world around her - from the blackbird chicks in her tree, to the sheer immensity of the universe. As a result Mina does not fit in at school. She is unwilling or unable to lose herself and her world of words and ideas in order to meet the requirements of school or fit in with the other children. So her mother takes her out of school to be home educated. The diary tells of her experiences leading up to leaving school, her coming to terms with the loss of her father and dealing with having been a square peg in a round hole, until eventually she comes to a place where she can reconnect with the world again. The descriptions of the quiet moments of contemplation and the time spent round the kitchen table making and talking with her Mum are something that will strike a chord with many home educators. Reviewing

was Katherine Norman http://www.katherine.teknohippy.net/

Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom This is a PC game in which you are tasked with designing, building and maintaining a city in Ancient China, taking care of its inhabitants, growing crops, appeasing the Ancestors and fighting off enemy armies. Starting with a tutorial to learn the basics, campaigns become increasingly difficult. Impressively, “Foodstuffs, technologies, and religions evolve over the centuries, closely matching the actual history of Chinese culture” (www.wikipedia.org) is not a new game, so don’t expect the graphics First released in 2002, to meet the standard of today’s offerings. However, as a strategy game it has been one of the most enjoyed in our family. It’s attention to detail means the Chinese culture and history included is authentic, such as growing rice and millet, hunting pheasant, making paper and weaving silk. Oh, and the music is lovely! Downsides? Well, this game may not impress older or more demanding gamers (although you never know!). Also there is a lot of text involved, so if your non-readers are keen to play you may be resigning yourself to hours of helping understand instructions and messages, but, hey, it may be just the catalyst they need to motivate their reading skills! At the time of writing, the game is retailing at under £5.00, so it’s certainly worth a try!

Reviewing

was EOS co-editor Jane Levicki www.educationoutsideschool.co.uk

More Reviews & Recommendations!! “Layers”, written by Pendella Buchanan, illustrated by Isabel Buchanan is a children's story, for 4 to 10 year olds, by Pendella Buchanan and illustrated by her 6-year-old daughter, Isabel. Written in rhyming verse, the story is about girl called Grace who befriends a monster whom she finds up a tree. Grace helps the monster to feel understood by identifying his feelings and offering to help him meet his needs. Through Grace’s empathy with his emotions, the monster shares his feelings and is able to peel off his negative “layers” and feel better. Buchanan, a home-educating mother of two, adds “through the monster, Layers demonstrates that feelings are like flags, showing us what our needs are. By identifying our needs we can move creatively towards fulfilling them.” can be read for simple fun or to open conversations about empathy, feelings and friendship. www.pendellabuchanan.com

Pokemon Black for Nintendo DS My children have loved Pokemon for quite a few years now. It started with my eldest and has filtered into the younger three too. For his birthday my youngest son was given Pokemon Black for his Nintendo DS. I know that there are many parents out there that don’t like their children playing video games but I think the Pokemon games are quite fun and educational. Pokemon are mainly based on animals and their journey of evolution but the game also covers their special powers and which places they inhabit. This game has taught my son so many new words and taken him on different challenges where he has had to do some hard thinking, logical challenges and learn to care, nurture and train his Pokemon. There is a lot of competition from other more popular video games but I think that Pokemon will continue to be a favorite in our house. Reviewing

was Zoe Barras, www.barrasschoolofexcellence.blogspot.com

“Abney and Teal” on Cbeebies and BBC iPlayer We don't have a TV, but we do use iPlayer. My daughter is just two and has discovered that laptops play whatever she wants! DVDs are getting very scratched (how come my first child didn't wreck them so much?!) We have therefore started using iPlayer for something to watch sometimes. It can be a bit random as we don't see adverts for new shows, and have to choose programs, rather than discover them when we turn the TV on, so it's quite possible you all know of this one already! However I'd like to recommend Abney and Teal. It's a really sweetly drawn animation, with carefree characters in their own world, but within a recognisable area of ours. They live on an island in a lake, with traffic and a city in the distance. I particularly like the way the little girl character, Teal, bounces around and just does what she wants, and it always works out! Just as small children expect! There are odd characters, of course, but they all have a reason to be there and help the stories. I'm sure they've done an analysis of what works and what characters need to do, but it didn't feel like that like some cartoons do! Reviewing 28

was EOS Co-Editor Lorena Hodgson www.educationoutsideschool.co.uk

Home Educating on a Budget There’s no getting away from tales of recession and financial caution these days, but those of us who home educate tend to be used to financial caution. Contrary to a common misconception that home educators are all well off families able to live very well on one parent’s high salary while the other lavishes expensive resources on the children, the truth is that we come from a huge variety of backgrounds and most of us have to stick carefully to a budget and be very canny in our spending. There are plenty of opportunities and temptations to spend, spend, spend though, so we at EOS thought an article on frugle home educating would be useful and timely, so we put the word out to our lovely writers. Lo and behold, we received two! However, Ross and Yvonne have interestingly taken different angles on the issue, although there are common threads running through both, so after much consideration we have decided to include both in their entirety. Enjoy!

Do you think home education is going to cost a lot of money? By Ross Mountney

hink again! Like many aspects of life, it can cost as much or as little as you want it to. And also like life, just because you’re not spending it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not going to be good. You can easily home educate on a budget. Advertising is very powerful. So is social conditioning. Both make us buy things we think we can’t live without. It also makes us buy into all sorts of behaviours too. It is particularly powerful when emotions are involved and parenting and education are emotive subjects. How many of us bought baby products because thanks to clever advertising we thought we’d be less of a parent if we didn’t? Advertising builds misconceptions about how much money we need to raise a child. And it’s the same

with education. We are conditioned to believe that without huge stacks of cash, books, work schemes, materials, equipment and other costly resources we wouldn’t be able to provide a good education. This is nonsense. You can provide a good education on a small budget using much of what you have already. Your Best Resource When you have a baby the best thing it can have is something money can’t buy; a caring attentive parent. In school the best resource children can have over and above all sorts of other flash equipment and pretty classrooms is caring and interested teachers. When you home educate, the absolute best resource your child can have is a caring attentive person. Your time and input is probably the most costly resource you could provide in terms of loss of work hours. But it’s the best resource because children become educated when they are attended to. If they are listened to, conversed with, inspired, encouraged, nurtured and stimulated by an adult. Conversation, which is free, provides the backbone of understanding; whether that is for language,

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maths or science. By talking you can begin the foundations of vocabulary, reading, understanding number, measurement, time, the world around us. You can do all that without cost, even before a book or a computer are involved.

You can talk when you’re shopping, washing, eating, working, walking, watching programmes together, cooking, giving opinions and observations, posing questions, whatever. Giving kids your time and attention is educative in itself. They learn masses from the adults around them. Someone’s time, attention, support is the most valuable resource over and above other costly purchases. What about work books, schemes of work, equipment? Another idea that we’ve been conditioned to accept is that children won’t become educated without schemes of work, graded workbooks, readers, text books and complicated equipment. Children in schools have to be kept busy. This is usually achieved by making them complete academic exercises all at the same time irrespective of whether they’re appropriate to the individual. This is so one teacher can ‘teach’ thirty kids at once. In one hour that means each child will get two minutes of teacher time. Hopefully as a home educating parent you will have lots more time than two minutes to focus on your child. Your time is more valuable than any scheme or workbook. Workbooks or graded syllabi can be useful. They give you activities to do with your child to help teach a particular concept. But you can just as easily find them on the internet (look at the BBC Learning website as a start). Or invent them yourself. There are all sorts of experiences that will teach your primary child about numbers and maths, or reading and writing, or scientific concepts without any expense involved. Schools need to advertise what good schools they are. They often do this with flash equipment. Flash equipment is great but it’s no substitute for poor quality teacher time. We don’t need to buy into it unless we specifically need it. Here are some simple ideas for low cost things to do yourself: Simple maths The best way for a child to understand the concept it. That’s of number or maths is to 30

actually true of all subjects; learning that relates to their real world is learning that stays with them. Around the house are all kinds of things to count; toys, DVDs, pasta, socks (pairing is a great introduction to times tables). You can just count – add up and take away, or you can group which provides multiplication and division experiences. You can go onto do this with bigger numbers using things like small pasta or lentils or something like Lego to illustrate larger numbers, e.g. one piece can represent ten. Move onto simple notation by writing down the sums after physically seeing that two bricks plus three bricks make five. Or six lots of three make eighteen. Use and count real money. You can

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make colourful bar charts to record your collections. Then more complicated graphs.

newspapers and magazines. Print is all around. You can make your own.

You can weigh, measure, and introduce the idea of volume with whatever you have to hand. Your kitchen scales are a start. The tape measure from the tool cupboard. You can make a metre stick out of an old cane and calibrate it yourself. Collect and use bottles and a measuring jug and get them playing with water and litres. Feel the weight of the packets from your cupboard. Notice weight and measurement and quantity in the shops. Talk about fractions when you’re dividing the pizza. Make play pastry or dough to cut up and demonstrate parts of things introducing fractions, percentages and decimals this way. Make play dough shapes. Making a shop with whatever is to hand keeps the children learning for ages.

Having books around your home, enjoying books together is the best thing to do to encourage reading. The library is free, so you never need to be short of a supply of books. Thinking you should stick with basic readers is another con. Your child can read anything they want. (Many prefer nonfiction). Simple one line picture books are a good start, the library will provide them. Children can pick their own reading material. The most important thing is that they enjoy books and stories, even ‘pretend’ reading. Reading will blossom from there. With writing it’s the same. Children can write what they want to write in order to practise their writing. They can copy your writing. By being read to they will begin to see how things are written. They can write their own books, stories, letters, lists, diaries, jokes, dialogues. Writing and English does not have to be confined to expensive but often boring workbooks. You can check these out in W H Smiths; then devise your own writing experiences. Look online for ideas. Don’t think that you have to spend lots, it’s not necessary. The most important thing is encouragement and demonstration – you might have to take up writing yourself!

Once your child has an idea of the real physicality of maths, the notation (written sums) will follow it easily. Providing these hands-on experiences will give a good mathematical grounding for more complicated mental maths later on. Reading and writing The foundations of reading and writing come from hearing language. That is why reading stories and rhymes to children is so important.

Science

It doesn’t matter how much you read the same story, it still has value. Children understand about the use of language from hearing it, from seeing people around them using it, from gradual familiarisation with the way language is used, spoken and written (texts count too). But you don’t need expensive reading materials or schemes or readers to do this. reading material will do; the print on the cornflakes, the words on the computer games, the adverts on the buses,

This is probably the area that you think will be the most expensive. It doesn’t have to be, especially not at the start.

Science is about our everyday world. What’s in it. How it works. How it’s classified. Why things happen. But you don’t need costly equipment for your child to understand that. You need to understand some of it yourself but even that is not as complicated as you think at the start. You only have to scan through the Primary Science Curriculum to see that. It covers subjects such as Ourselves, Growing, Light, Materials, etc. These are things you can observe and question and discuss at home with things you have around. Again, the BBC Learning site gives you lots of ideas. Science is about discovery, analysis and understanding; i.e. looking at things, talking about what happens, working out why. It is a practical subject, much more than a workbook subject. It’s around you all of the time and it doesn’t have to be formal. Watching a programme on the telly or YouTube is just as educational. It’s amazing what you can find on there.

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We are conditioned to believe science is terrifying, terribly complicated, beyond us. But the early stages are far from it. It is simply a child learning about their world. You just have to be bold, inventive and have confidence with it. Using what’s around you integrates science into their actual world which reinforces learning and makes it real. Look for opportunities to do so.

together ready designed bits thought out by other people (business people who want you to spend). Starting from scratch, being inventive with whatever materials you have in your home - or garden - develops those vital thinking skills that are transferable to all subjects. Just remember; true creativity is not tidy, sometimes not even pretty!

Creativity and Art As your child grows This is another subject that you may think is costly. But you can be creative with anything you have and don’t necessarily need expensive art materials. . What’s important is that the kids get Why? If they’re creating, they’re thinking. Thinking develops intelligence. Cutting and handling materials develops hand-eye coordination (needed in writing etc). Lots of skills develop while children are being creative. Making pictures, collages, models, dens, dressing up, role play, can all be achieved with the things you have in your home. You can make a picture , it doesn’t have to be or a model with expensive stuff from The Early Learning Centre for example. Think creatively yourself. Start collecting bits and bobs for your child to use for their creative expression. Recycle. Groups can join recycling organisations for a minimal fee and gain access to wonderful materials to create with from paint to plastic, cardboard to fabric.

So far I’ve talked about learning with younger children. So, does it get more expensive as they get older? Not always. It depends what they want to do and what you do about it. You can still approach their learning using the resources you have to hand. You may find you need more books to help you, equally you can find information and resources online. Exams, and the resources for them, are probably the biggest expense. But perhaps no more expensive than the money you would have needed for school uniforms or trips over the years. You can combine resources with other home educators or swap skills, get groups going to share costs. Not all home educators opt to take exams, some use colleges of Further Education for this purpose where courses for exams are mostly funded.

Craft is another area that has become big business. You can buy no end of costly packets of readymade stuff to create with. But the real educational value . Not just sticking of art comes in the

Money does not equal education Neither is the opposite true; working to a budget mean a poorer education. does And a costly education does not guarantee an educated person either. True education is about as a person not what you have. what you Successful home education is the exactly that.

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Providing an Efficient Education with little (or no) money! By Yvonne Frost

he decision to home educate often coincides with a parent giving up work or reducing their working hours to teach their children. As a result, the initial worry of a drop in income can be a big concern to parents who want to give their children the best possible learning experience but feel they haven’t the means to supply all the resources and work books teachers have to hand. Most experienced home educators will tell you that there is no need to worry. Firstly, your children have the benefit of one to one support (something of which children in schools have very little). This allows you to adapt your teaching style to the individual and enables you to work with their strengths and weaknesses. Secondly, children learn better when the subject matter is relevant to them; so you can study Guy Fawkes on November 5th, the Armistice on Remembrance Day and the planets when an eclipse occurs, and so on. Thirdly, you can offer your children the opportunity to learn beyond the class room, without the health and safety restrictions imposed on teachers. Taking frequent day trips and overnight excursions becomes not only possible, but can be part of the every day learning experience.

Many parents, myself included, make the mistake, in their initial panic, of buying brand new resources to replicate the materials school can provide, in order to demonstrate their “planned curriculum” before the Local Authority contacts them. Then, often weeks or months later, they find that these books and games have been shoved to the back of a drawer collecting dust as they don’t suit their child’s learning style. That’s not to say you shouldn’t buy anything, but if you do feel you have to buy some age related text books why not check out free sites like www.readitswapit.co.uk or www.ilovefreegle.org first, or buy them cheaply in charity shops or car boot sales? You will soon find that although the format of each may be different, the content is often almost the same, as they tend to follow the cope of the National Curriculum. An unexpected bonus for me in my drop in income was that it led to a rise in creativity and ‘thinking outside the box’ when it came to planning educational activities. The first rule is to keep your eyes and ears open: learning opportunities are never far away if you are looking for them! The best ones often pop up unexpectedly which makes learning vital and exciting, just as it should be! Here are some of the ideas I have come across to start you off, but there are many more you will discover for yourselves which are either free or very cheap. Free Open Days Every year there are various open days and opportunities to visit places nationally for which you would normally have to pay a fee to get in. Notable ones include: Heritage Open Days www.heritageopendays.org.uk Open Farm Sunday www.farmsunday.org/ofs/home.eb National School Films Week At which you can book free cinema tickets. www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

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Art Initiatives

Use Your Friends

Community art initiatives are another great way to experience art projects which you may not normally be able to afford. My children have been lucky enough to participate in an Animation Workshop run by BBC 21st Century Classroom and The Big Animated Draw which was filmed and posted on Vimeo. We also obtained free tickets for both the National Science Museum road show and a local drama group production (sadly these are no longer available at our local theatre due to the financial climate and it may be the same where you are, but it is worth making enquiries). We have also visited art and photo exhibitions at our local museum and library and are involved in a community choir and orchestra for all ages and abilities providing opportunities to learn and perform at very little cost. Check out ‘Art and Culture’ on your Local Authority website and follow the links for more ideas in your area.

One of the most memorable history lessons my children ever had was when a friend of mine came to stay and listened as I read them a story about the Second World War. As the story closed my friend quietly asked my children if they would like to hear about his own experience as a child in London during World War II. He proceeded to describe the barrage balloons and tell how his house had been bombed and he was forced to move in with his grandparents. The experience taught me that our friends can be a great source of information. I also realised that people love to be asked about subjects in which they have a specialist interest and are usually only to happy to share their knowledge. We have since learned about snakes, studied a stuffed otter at a neighbour’s and learned about taxidermy. I also have a German friend who talks away in her native tongue when my son visits and friends in Australia and Turkey who regularly send us photographs and information about the areas in which they live. One friend even returned from a business trip with newspapers from Kuala Lumpar and Australia! We have them well trained!

Use Things Around You! Learning opportunities are all around us. This week we received a leaflet through the door about a public consultation on the building of a proposed power station powered by biomass on the site of an old gas powered station. This led to research on biomass, reading books on the subject, watching a documentary on ‘green energy alternatives’ and watching a video on You Tube designed for children, all of which happened spontaneously. Earlier in the year we completed our census form together and had discussions about the referendum on electoral reform which was recently held. Local festivals can be a great source of inspiration too. Each year we have a Dickensian Weekend where we dress up as a Victorian family, learn about a Victorian Christmas and experience the sounds and smells of a Victorian town. Similarly our local torch light procession presents the opportunity to make a paper lantern from bamboo and tissue paper which has counted as an art project in our home education schedule. If you are stuck for inspiration the national news can often by a starting point. When there were tsunamis in Japan and floods in Bangkok we were

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able to go down to our local beach during the high tides and imagine what it must be like to be threatened by rising water. We were also able to watch the flood barrages being built. T.V and Media Experiences Although we often hear of the negative aspects of children being exposed to too much television and computer gaming they can be a very positive educational experience, especially if you do your homework and record programmes for use in your curriculum. www.commonsensemedia.org is a useful website with parent and child reviews on all sorts of media from computer games to DVDs. The History Channel has provided some excellent reconstructions, notably the eruption of Pompeii, the 1928 San Francisco earthquake and Hiroshima, all of which are invaluable if you have a child who learns by watching. Similarly programmes like Human Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and Discovery Atlas cover many aspects of Geography in a fascinating way. Websites like www.khanacademy.org and www.mathszone.co.k for maths, BBC Bitesize for games and You Tube for just about every subject imaginable, plus home education websites like www.muddlepuddle.co.uk, have been some of our favourites and you will soon add to your own list. Don’t underestimate the power of films either. We watched “Oliver” to learn about Victorian poor houses, “Valiant” to illustrate carrier pigeons during the war, “The Kings Speech” to find out about George VI and “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” to learn about the Holocaust and concentration camps. Watching films has also instilled an intense interest in animation and film production which my son has used to develop his computer skills. Everyday Occurrences It’s easy to forget that everyday tasks, which we often take for granted, can teach vital living and business skills to children. My son currently has his eye on an Xbox game and needs to make some money so we have agreed an hourly rate and he has helped me to strip wallpaper in a house we are renovating. On goes the stop watch and every ten minutes or so he will stop it, round the amount of minutes up or down and multiply them by the rate per minute. This is then recorded until we have finished, whereupon he tallies up the total and I

hand over the cash. During the course of our work we covered overtime, redundancy and work contracts, not to mention maths many topics which most 11 year olds would never experience in school. Plus it has taught my son the important lesson that if you want something you have to work for it. There was not a text book in sight but my son had a real purpose and motivation to learn. Cooking and gardening provide similar opportunities. Never underestimate their importance in the real world. I hope that I have inspired you to find important educational skills from all aspects of life and have helped to dispel the myth that education depends on having money. Instead it is important to have an enthusiasm and zest to enjoy life and learn about the things which happen around us. A questioning mind is after all a sign of intelligence, which is not simply about getting good grades or testing well. There is no right or wrong way to home educate but one thing is certain: home education has changed my perspective of life and whether or not you have much money it can change yours too! About the Author: Yvonne lives in the Lake District with husband Graham and three wonderful children Mikey, Evie and Jamie. She has given up her job as a lawyer and is living the ‘good life’ writing freelance whilst autonomously home educating Jamie who has Aspergers syndrome. You can find her blog at: http://yvonnes-ruralramblings.blogspot.com/

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Education is Compulsory, Schooling is Not The specific legalities of home educating in the UK differ somewhat between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as much as they do in countries throughout the rest of the world. The national organisations listed to the right go into this in detail and are a good place to go if you are unsure or have specific queries. However, some things are clear: YOU DO NOT need to be a qualified teacher to educate your child at home YOU ARE NOT obliged to follow the National Curriculum or take national tests YOU DO NOT need to observe school hours, days or terms YOU DO NOT need to have a fixed timetable, nor give formal lessons THERE IS NO FUNDING directly available from central government for parents who decide to educate their children THERE IS NO WRONG WAY to home educate. There are many different approaches, from the autonomous or child-led to the highly structured, through a myriad of hybrids in between. In fact it has been said that there are as many different approaches to home education as there are families doing it.

The above is a swift ‘FAQ’ style list; basically, if you’re thinking of HE, and your children aren’t registered at a school, just keep them home. Talk to them. Research what they could do, and discuss with them how they’d like to learn. Then just do it. Go out, enjoy. (Museums, playgrounds, everywhere, are much quieter in school time!)

If they are at school, send a letter to the head teacher, use recorded delivery; say you will be home educating, and that’s it. Nothing else is required of you. You are the parent, you are responsibile for your child’s education, as you are responsible for other aspects of their life.

If you do your research, you will find yourself impressed and maybe amazed at what children can do outside of school. They really can learn very successfully! Don’t Panic. Research, and enjoy.

Local Authority information and actions differ wildly, but the facts remain as above. If they wish to speak with you, check out the websites of HE organisations for suggestions on how to do this first. LAs are interested in making sure your children are receiving a good enough education, they are allowed to check if it seems they’re not.

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Home Education Websites and Groups There are many home education groups, national and local, all over the UK. Most websites and lists are full of very valuable free information provided by other home educators. A few charge a subscription. EOS Magazine is not affiliated to and does not recommend any particular group over another and they have been listed in no particular order - please use your own discretion and follow your own home ed path! Any omissions are purely due to our own human fallibility! If you run a website or a group that you would like to see featured here, or if you know of one that you feel should be here, please contact us and tell us.

National AHEd Action for Home Education www.ahed.org.uk PO Box 7324, Derby, DE1 0GT Education Otherwise www.education-otherwise.org PO Box 325, Kings Lynn, PE34 3XW Freedom In Education www.freedom-in-education.co.uk HE-Special Home Education in the UK - Special Educational Needs www.he-special.org.uk HE-UK Home Education UK www.home-education.org.uk HEdNI Home Education in Northern Ireland www.hedni.org Home Education Advisory Service www.heas.org.uk Home Education in the UK www.home-ed.info Home Educated Youth Council An independent voice for home educated young people heyc.org.uk MuddlePuddle A site aimed particularly at the 0-8 age range. www.muddlepuddle.co.uk Schoolhouse For home education in Scotland www.schoolhouse.org.uk PO Box 18044, Glenrothes, Fife KY7 9AD Tel: 01307 463120

THEN UK The Home Education Network www.thenuk.com PO Box 388, St Helens, WA10 9BS admin@thenuk.com

Regional North East North Yorkshire www.nyhe.co.uk http://groups.yahoo.com/group/henney/ (Home Education Network North East Yorkshire). A monthly meeting in a local village hall and a montly meeting out and about somewhere in the local area

South West Bristol www.bristolhomeeducation.org.uk Dorset www.he-ed.org.uk Somerset www.homeeducationcentre.org.uk Wiltshire www.nwilts-he.org.uk Wales North West www.creativelearningandsupport.co.uk

West Yorkshire wyheal.wordpress.com East Midlands Leicestershire www.he-al.org.uk Northamptonshire www.iflow.org.uk www.northantshe.org.uk West Midlands Worcestershire www.worcestershire-homeeducators.co.uk East Cambridgeshire www.cambridgehomeeducators.org.uk South East Berkshire www.heroesberkshire.co.uk Isle of Wight www.iwlearningzone.co.uk Kent www.flags-education.org.uk www.ukhome-educators.co.uk Surrey www.pact-he.org.uk www.swsurrey-home-ed.co.uk

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Home Ed Gymnastics Group Mansfield, Nottinghamshire The group is open to all home educated children aged between 4-16 years old, subject to the availability of places. We meet on Friday afternoons during term time and half term holidays (but not during Easter, summer and Christmas holidays) from 3pm-4pm. For further details, contact Alexandra or Martin at martin.gray6@ntlworld.com or on 01623 477922 or 07923 496701.

Famous Quotes on Education Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.

All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. W I have never let schooling interfere with my education.

Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.

I suppose it is because nearly all children go to school nowadays, and have things arranged for them, that they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas.

Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education.

School is the advertising agency which makes you believe that you need society as it is.

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.

What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, not knowledge in pursuit of the child. G I learned most, not from those who taught me but from those who talked with me.

Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.

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