When do you consider a child to be 'home educated'?

[VioletBaudelaire]

I have friends with two children aged 3 and 2. They describe themselved as home educating their children.
The eldest goes to nursery twice a week.
They do all the things most parents do with little ones - walks in the park, painting, meeting up with other families etc.
They are also looking at local schools, in case they decide to send their children there - which again is fine, as it makes sense to look at all the options.
I am a little confused though - why do they refer to themselves as home educators? So far they have only done what every other family does.
Doesn't home education really start when the oldest child doesn't enrol at school along with their peers?
Not looking to be inflamatory - just interested.

We have known we were going to HE ds from when he was about 2 and I got involved with HE groups from that point. I think it can help to present an assertive case to the world about your plans to HE as it is so easy to get bogged down in criticism otherwise. I imagine they feel strongly about it as a philosophy, perhaps?

Thank you for your replies.
I can quite understand choosing the home educating route from the moment you decide to have a family.
This particular family don't go to HE groups, or meet up with other HE families, but I suppose everyone does what is best for them.
I also see your point about being assertive about your choices due to criticism - I hadn't considered that, TBH - although we are all supportive of their family, irrespective of how their children are educated.
I suppose I just couldn't really see a difference between what they do with their young family, and what other people with pre-school children do.

VB, I don't think there is one, really, is there? Are you thinking that they are being a bit smug and pretentious about it? You may well be right...

They're not smug or pretentious, but I think that deep down they know they are probably going to send their children to school when the time comes. The father certainly seems more keen on this as time goes on.
Which is absolutely fine - but I can't work out why they make such a fuss of being home educators, although it may explain why they don't integrate with any other home ed families.
Have read about flexi-schooling on these HE threads, so I might mention about that to them - it is something they might be interested in pursuing.
Thanks for the replies.

Only my eldest is school-age, and, given that we knew we would be educating them mainly at home since we got married, we consider that we've been doing it for ages. We're not involved in any HE groups right now either.

Perhaps this is a category mistake. Maybe everyone home-educates until a certain arbitrary age when our society decides to formalize things? SO HE is the default position..

Education isnt compulsory until age 5....but most parents send their children to pre-schools or nurseries & start them at age 4 in reception classes......so saying you are Home educating is quite apt imo for children who stay at home rather attending these institutions....

...saying that though I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that we have been home educating our DS (32 months) since he was born. He wont be going to school but will be learning at home in an autonomous style so we wont be doing anything different when he is 5....just getting on with life with him absorbing information & learning through living.

i don't know why this family call themselves HErs, every family is different

ds is 3.5, he has a very late august birthday and bizarely, round here should be in school, albeit nursery. Come september he should be in reception.

He is actually in a small steiner kindergarten 2 days a week, though I, and his sister, stay with him

I am very aware that we will probably end up HEing and do identify myself as a HEr, I think to mark myself out in the sand. Its a big decision and easier IMO if people get used to it over time (in theory-my PIL apart )

I do socialise with a few other HE'd families though and a key reason for me to out myself is to build up a support network.