If you are interested I have been writing about our Home Education Journey from the beginning. Not because I have to but I want to. I think it will be really interesting to look back on it and see how we grow and develop. I hope it may also be useful to others, but that’s not primarily the case. Each home educator takes a difference approach to their journey this is just ours.
Monday 18th June
I wasn’t long awake when teen came home and needed a lift to school. He thought we hadn’t topped up his bus pass – we had. But this meant a 16 mile drive to his school and another 16 miles back to make sure he was there on time. My husband thinks I should have made him go in late but I just don’t think it is worth the extra hassle. Problem is he has lost yet another mobile phone. We have since given him his brother’s old handset and his brother’s sim card (which his brother is not happy about!) When we got back the boys had done little bits of work but really not a lot and neither were in the mood for doing any. I suggested we take some things to the park so it wasn’t stuffy indoor learning but still their hearts just weren’t in it. I end up taking them to the local soft play home education session and home for dinner and The Sensory Seeker’s swimming lesson. He has been really tired for swimming lately so I got him to have a short nap before it started this week to see if that helps. Taking a new approach I organised some things to do for the next day around the topic of Vikings. Some researching from books and writing, and other more fun and crafty stuff.
Tuesday 19th June
At first I didn’t think the boys were going to be will to do anything but they did get stuck into all things Viking: word searches, colouring, questions to answer utilising books and a bit of the internet. They worked both alone and together to find answer to the questions and other tasks set. Our online food shopping arrived and they helped me bring it in and put it away. The things we ordered for my husband’s nan were too heavy to take around on bikes so I let the 10 year old cycle on his own and myself and The Sensory Seeker went around in the car. The boys then made their own lunch before going to their Explore session. There was a 15 minute gap and then The Sensory Seeker had an 11+ taster session.
Wednesday 20th June
I woke up to find the boys cuddled up reading a Fortnite book together. We then made our family coat of arms on shields utilising some pictures from The English Heritage Website and shields that they had let us take from one of our library sessions. The boys then both did some work online on verbal and non-verbal questions. They then chilled out with some television before the 10 year old made lunch. We then went to home education sports – and the 10 year old had to help me orientate our way their as lots of the roads were closed. The 10 year old forgot to bring things to do whilst his brother was in an Explore session so he went in too (we have carried over extra sessions from when we have been away). The 10year old then made dinner before going off to his 11+ session.
Thursday 21st June
It was a beautiful sunny day so we headed to Legoland Windsor before going to a creative writing session at Explore Learning.
Friday 22nd June
In the morning we did some more Viking work and again the boys seemed to work much better after a day out. We then went to collect the 10 year old’s new glasses before heading to the library (where we had our first late fine of 10p). Whilst there I saw that there are free sewing classes in the summer so I signed the boys up to those. We went home and I cooked a roast dinner. Whilst looking at The Sensory Seeker’s EHCP I saw that following instructions was one of his things to work on – so I let him build and play with the two new LEGO Dimensions sets I had just bought him from the pound shop (they were £5 each). The boys then played Fortnite but when school was out someone was really nasty to The Sensory Seeker, so he played something else and the 10 year old made some tarts (on his own just following a recipe)
Saturday 23rd June
I had the worst hangover but got a good time at Parkrun. The day was then mostly spent with the boys tidying up, and playing computer games. We did have a family board game too.
Sunday 24th June
It was lovely weather so (eventually) we headed for Thorpe Park.