Here is our ed phil that we sent in 7 years ago - it has kept our LA quiet as we haven't had any contact since :D We kept it reasonably brief - I do think you have to be careful not to spell out too much what you are planning to do as they can come back and hold you to it, whereas your style may have evolved away from that subject etc, so keep it more describing what you are doing rather than what you plan to do.
Our Educational Philosophy
As our approach to M.'s education is largely opportunity based, child
centred and flexible, it is not possible to submit a timetable, or to
specify in advance the activities we will be undertaking.
We strive to keep a balance between child centred and directed learning. On
the whole we aim to facilitate learning through M's interests rather than
to
contrive situations in order to reach pre-determined outcomes. However we
are always on the look out for any gap that may arise and we make the
necessary adjustments to ensure that such gaps are filled. We usually tend
to look at topics in the form of a theme or project, usually taken from
some
interest expressed by M. These topics can last anywhere from a few hours up
to months depending upon the amount of interest and variety of activities
we
can link in to the theme. We find that we can start off by looking at one
topic and move on to several linked topics very quickly.
In addition to actual activities and projects much time is spent in
preparation and consolidation of work done. Discussion plays a great part
in
our approach.
Our highest priority is to instil a love of learning and a desire and
confidence to find out for herself. Our approach is a holistic one: we are
concerned with the development of the whole person. M is always encouraged
to take part in decisions regarding her education and her own future. She
is
also encouraged to use her own initiative and to make her own judgements.
M. has almost unlimited access to PC, Internet, telephone, television,
video, radio, audio equipment, and a huge variety of craft materials and
equipment. We have an extensive library of appropriate literature, computer
software etc.
Whilst we can isolate some aspects of the various subjects, many of our
activities, projects etc. cover a wide range of subjects. We tend to look
upon M's education as a whole rather than dividing her knowledge into
subject headings.
As an example, M.'s current interest in dinosaurs includes elements of
Maths, Science, C.D.T., History, Geography, English, Archaeology, Natural
History, etc. M has had experience of finding fossils, taking rubbings from
fossils and looking at books about dinosaurs and prehistory. She has
discussed evolution, measured out the lengths of dinosaurs, counted
dinosaurs, cooked dinosaur biscuits, made models in paper, clay, papier
mache, visited the National Stone Centre, watched several videos and many
other activities under the general umbrella of "Dinosaur".
Similarly we recently had a project of "growing things", where M saw how
plants and animals grow and develop. Some of the activities we included
were
growing cress on a plate in the shape of her initials, these were later
eaten in a salad. Sprouting mung beans which were then included in a meal
made to celebrate Chinese New Year which we ate with chopsticks. Wearing
Chinese clothes, this led on to drawing dragons, making dragon masks,
learning how to say Happy New year in Chinese and making lucky red
envelopes
for the traditional Chinese new year gift of money, which the children then
took to a local school fair to spend.
We grew potatoes in a bucket, then harvested them and made some into oven
crisps and did potato prints with the rest. We watched carrot tops grow and
made them into a jungle plate garden. A primula was chosen from a local
garden centre and brought home to feature in a still life drawing. M made a
cress head by decorating a yoghurt pot with a face and growing cress in it
for hair. M has her own patch in the garden where she chose to plant some
flower seeds and tended them until they bloomed. We regularly visit local
farms and animal centres. We were lucky enough to watch a chicken hatching
out of an egg, which fitted in very well with our theme.
We regularly go for walks in the woods to look for flowers and wildlife and
have discussed the changes over the seasons. We made a huge flower mural
covering the wall in our hall. We made flower bracelets out of felt. We
made
flowers out of hot beads, tissue, clay, paper, etc. We read book after book
on related topics. We grew nasturtiums and eaten the horn off the flower in
salads. We harvested fruit from our own garden and from pick-your-own farms
and made juice and pies with it.
Accompanying all these activities was conversation and the appropriate
weighing, measuring, recording etc. Most of these activities were
undertaken
in the company of other children. M regularly attends home-education group
meetings as well as meeting friends on a daily basis.
One of our main aims is to fit M for life in the real world. We encourage
basic skills such as reading and writing, use of computer and calculator,
house and garden maintenance, personal safety, self discipline, respect and
care for others, for animals, for the immediate community and environment
and for the world as a whole.
We consider that M is learning all her waking hours and we strive to
provide
a fertile learning environment at all hours of the day.
This is just intended as an illustration of the variety and breadth of
activities we undertake, all of which is accompanied by hours of
discussions
ranging far and wide. We do not follow a curriculum and our studies are
subject to change without notice, however we have found from our previous
experience with our son that children are very good at learning all that
they need to know if trusted to do so.