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Home ed

Find advice from other parents on our Homeschool forum. You may also find our round up of the best online learning resources useful.

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Original poster

did you send your dc to nursery?

12 replies

workstostaysane · 09/04/2008 13:43

i'm thinking about a nursery place for dc. she is incredibly sociable - when i take her to one, she runs for the toys and other kids and only rarely comes back to show me what she's up to.
i'd like to send her only for 1 day a week but most nurseries insist on at least 2. i feel a bit sad at not having her around for 2 full days a week though. dc2 is due soon and it might be good to have some time just with new baby.

i'm planning to home ed eventually so am just wondering if anyone else did this or anythng similar.
thanks!

OP posts:

Lazycow · 09/04/2008 13:47

Why not send her for 2or 3 half days a week - say 9-1pm or something like that. That way she is going more than once a week so will settle better but the sessions will be shorter so easier on her.

Lazycow · 09/04/2008 13:47

sorry meant to say so 'easier on you

BeNimble · 09/04/2008 16:56

my children go.
they only attend x1 2 hour session... it's worked for us, and gives them an idea of what school might be like!!! "ish"!
they don't want to go more often though enjoy it when there.
©

Original poster

workstostaysane · 09/04/2008 18:19

hi there,
do you both HE other children? i am thinking of morning sesssions only. i don't think she'll have a problem settling, but i think i'll miss her!

OP posts:

FrannyandZooey · 09/04/2008 18:24

ds still (at age 5) goes to very laid back nursery
he started one day a week initially and now goes 2
we will be home edding officially from Sept when legally he needs to be having some kind of education

another HE family did say to me "but WHY?" when she heard ds was at nursery - but it was nice for us both to have another place he could go to play and meet people, and I needed the childcare recently

Home ed doesn't mean the children are at home all the time, it just means they receive an education elsewhere other than school

FrannyandZooey · 09/04/2008 18:25

oh sorry I meant 2 sessions not 2 days
the session is from 9.30 to 12
why do they have to go all day? that's quite unusual IME

Original poster

workstostaysane · 09/04/2008 18:32

ooh frannyand zooey, wise words!
i would like her to experience being with other children without me, not least because i think she will enjoy herself.

i also am planning to have lots of extended family members and others help with HE, so am keen for her to learn from others. i know 2 is young but i do think she may be ready for it.
i guess i will just have to find the right place and give it a try. we don't have to continue if it doesn't work right?

OP posts:

FrannyandZooey · 09/04/2008 18:35

oh she is 2! I thought you meant like a pre school type nursery

well I think home ed doesn't preclude other forms of childcare, not for all families anyway

for me it isn't about wanting to have my dc with me all day every day, it is about wanting them to experience different forms of educations / life experience other than school

and tbh knowing that he may be at home with me for the majority of the week for the foreseeable future, makes me damn sure I want to get relationships going with other people and opportunities for me to have a break!

ds was 3 and a bit when he went, though, as he personally would not have been ready sooner

Original poster

workstostaysane · 09/04/2008 20:07

'for me it isn't about wanting to have my dc with me all day every day, it is about wanting them to experience different forms of educations / life experience other than school

that is pretty much exactly how i feel. i think 2 is young, but as i say, she is extremely sociable. she loves going into a nursery setting with all the toys and other children around. (we've been to see a couple recently) i thought about trying to find a home ed group in my area for younger children that i could start taking her to but havent' found anything.

also, i'd really like to take and antenatal yoga class once a week!!

i guess i'm just speaking this out loud to find out how i feel, so thanks so much for offering up your advice and views.

OP posts:

terramum · 09/04/2008 20:20

Apart from the odd day/evening out I haven't been apart from DS at all since he was born (he is 3.8 years old). We are both happy with that & have no need or plans for any childcare atm. He's had no need for extra social interaction either so far his Nana is a childminder so he has a nice group of friends he sees regularly round there when we visit every week. Other than that he has gotten a lot of play value out of toddler group or simply going down to the playground fairly often.

If the nursery won't have your DD for the sessions you want would another? Or would finding a local childminder be worth looking at? That way she would get the time away from you that you want & exposure to children of different ages. My DSs friends through my MIL range from 2 years to 9 years & tbh I think he's gotten a lot more out of playing with the older & younger children that he would have with others his own age.

Original poster

workstostaysane · 09/04/2008 20:53

i don't know if anywhere round here will take her for less than 2 days. i'm still looking round to find out. but 2 full days is way too much for me i think.

OP posts:

Lazycow · 10/04/2008 10:50

A lot of nurseries do half days. The one my ds goes to offers very flexible sessions and they only take 2-5 year olds - no babies.

You can do anything from 8am to 6pm. The sessions tend to be 9-12 (or 1pm if you want them to stay for lunch) and 2-5pm, but they can stay all day or any part of the day. You do have to pay though. I think a 3 hour session is about £15-20 and you don't get any discount on that until they are 3 years old.

I do think a lot of daycare type nurseries are less flexible than this though and will generally offer either full (8/9 - 5/6pm or half days (2-5/6pm) only.

Lots of local playgroups will take children from 21/2 years old and they tend to offer the normal 21/2 hour sessions. My ds was offered a place at the nursery attached to a local school for two afternoon sessions a week (12.40- 2.50pm). I did have to apply for that about 6 months before hand though.

Your local authority should do a list of all the ofsted registered playgroups/nurseries etc. Why not get a list and call a few local ones to see what they offer and then visit the?.

In answer to your HE question, I don't HE but a fairly good friend of mine does for her 7 children. She generally has put all her children in for 2-4 playgroup/nursery type sessions a week from the age of 21/2 onwards until they get to shcool age.

She says it gives her more time to ensure the older ones get enough attention on the schooling front and also saves the younger ones spending their whole time in the car while she ferries the slightly older ones around. The very oldest couple are now teenagers and tend to get to places by themselves now. She has homeschooled all of them and none have ever been to any school but as I say they all (apart from the first one I think) did attend nursery sessions a few times a week.

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