The hardest thing about Home Education for me is what I guess is referred to as Unschooling. For me it is this notion that between 9-3 I must be teaching my children things (with the exception of break and lunchtime). I keep worrying that the boys aren’t doing enough (but people keeping telling me we are doing loads!). That actually the boys are learning things outside of these hours so I don’t know why I feel that I have to do things during “school” hours is silly really. Especially when it is considered how much of that time they would be actually learning if they were at school. In fact recognising when they need down time or optimal for learning is probably the key to the success of home education in my opinion. In fact it was my husband that recognised that we all could do with some down time and suggested a chill day. In fact I believe that they worked harder still the following day.
Tuesday Home Education Chill Day
We had been trying to get in at the cinema at the weekend to watch the new Marvel film and thought that actually we stood a better chance when most people were at work and school (we were not wrong). We popped to McDonalds for breakfast first. There the lady behind the counter asked me if I actually taught them anything and where I was shocked at the stares! Honestly the guy on the table behind and the woman at the next table just kept staring right at the boys – I am glad that they just didn’t seem to notice! Next we got some sweets for the film – and of course my boys were the only children there. They did a good job of making the balance between not being too noisy and talking about the film (explaining to me who was who, and from which previous film!) After the film we discussed what we thought and why certain things happened the way they did.
The boys were delighted to be able to play Fortnite when they got home (and there happened to be a new update for it!). It was really nice to hear them telling their friends what a good day they had had. I have heard about concerns from the NSPCC about the chat feature on this game but after speaking again to my son I am happy that he is muting the chat feature and ignoring any written text. He is aware of the dangers and we continue to have a conversation about it. It is good for them to be able to vocally communicate with their friends and I think restricting this will only mean that they are not aware of the dangers.
Then it was time for the 10 year old to have his swimming lesson, and The Sensory Seeker snuggled down with me and listened to another chapter of Harry Potter.