Reposted with proper editing...
"I believe that children learn best through experience and by engaging with real world tasks ? in fact, some of the best lessons can be learnt when a child is unaware they are learning anything at all.
I have chosen to home educate as I believe it allows X to develop at her own pace, and work on things that interest her and hold true meaning for her. The child-led way in which we work together will encourage her to be self-motivated to learn throughout her life, something which I feel is not encouraged by school education.
The value of play is not recognised to the extent I feel it should be in the school system, and X learns an enormous amount through playing both alone, and with other children or adults.
It is also a choice that suits our lifestyle, as we like to travel and spend time away from home when it suits us. The decision to home educate is one that I will review periodically to ensure it is still the best decision for X and that I am able to meet her needs as she grows up.
We are well supported by family and friends, and are members of Education Otherwise. X and I attend various activities for home educators together, and also socialise with a wide variety of people in our daily life. This gives X a breadth of social experience that is missing from a school setting, and means she is able to communicate well with people of all ages and from all walks of life.
I do not use any curriculum but instead follow X?s interests as far as possible, and I am constantly surprised at the breadth of subjects a simple enquiry can encompass. For example, when X asked a question about the Pyramids, this led us down a journey of discovery that included making a mummy and sarcophagus, learning where internal organs are sited in the body, making models of the Pyramids, visits to Egypt galleries in two museums, discussions on religion and gods, using an abacus to perform calculations, and much more. As a result, we worked on Maths, Biology, Religious Studies, Art, and History.
We do not follow any timetable. X is learning new skills and information every waking moment, even when not engaged in what would be considered ?work? within a school setting.
We use a wide variety of resources ? including the local library, the internet, documentary programmes, museums, organised educational visits, and also the knowledge and skills of our family and friends.
The way we work does not lend itself to classification, but to ease the assessment of my educational provision I have attempted to compile a list of work we have done since September. It is by no means exhaustive.
?We read aloud to each other every day, and X is a keen reader of short stories, factual books, and The Beano
?Handwriting is something we are working hard on ? through daily practise and pattern drawing to encourage correct letter formation
?Writing for different purposes ? letters, adverts, and stories
?Learning how alphabetical classification works in order to use reference books and index systems, also how to find the books we want in the library
?Using an abacus
?Calculations using + and ?
?Simple fractions (1/2, 1/3, ¼)
?Counting money into bank bags, and working out what coins to use to pay for things ? X knows how many coins of each denomination make £1
?Times tables ? she is learning these by heart, and so far we have done the 2, 5, and 10 times table
?Weighing ingredients when cooking, often doubling or halving quantities
?Where internal organs are sited in the body and the functions of the major organs
?Took part in the British Waterways annual Wildlife Survey, involving a walk down the canal, listing species we saw, and discussing habitats
?Magnets ? what do they stick to, what are they made of? Making a simple electromagnet and a compass with a floating needle
?Dinosaurs, and how they became extinct
?Fossils and how they are made
?Gardening, making compost, growing vegetables
?Cooking ? cakes, bread, pancakes ? X is able to cook pancakes herself using a small frying pan
?Mummifying Barbie in traditional Egyptian style
?Drawing and painting
?Modelling with plasticene and salt dough
?Making cardboard buildings and towns
?Learning about different religions and belief systems (Christianity, Paganism, Judaism and Egyptian god/desses)
?Gypsy culture and lifestyle
?Learning to knit
?Riding a 2 wheeled bike
?Regular swimming with grandparents
?Horse riding and sessions on pony care
Over the coming year I intend to continue working in the same way. I have full confidence that this will interest and encourage X, and that she will continue to learn at a pace that is right for her."