Can I ask what you actually ^do^ with you HE dc in the course of day....

[becaroo]

....its day 3 now and things are going ok...had a bad day today with a screaming teething toddler but other than that, my son seems happy.

Can I ask a question re: how you home ed...I realise that there are loads of different ways to approach it..autonomous, school at home etc, If I give you a run down of what I am doing, could you give me your opnions please? (good and bad!!)

My son is 6 and has really struggled with literacy (basically he wasnt ready to learn at 3/4 and they have labelled him as "struggling" and he was put on an IEP - without our knowledge! I had him assessed for dyslexia and he was found to be low risk) He enjoys numeracy. He is a very clever little boy with a vocabulary of a child much older...he can answer questions well verbally but struggles when asked to write them down on paper or read questions (in school workbooks for example!) He was on the lowest ability table which was supposed to have a TA with them but of course in practise this doesnt happen He was also supposed to ba a frequent reader (x3 week) but that didnt happen in practise either.

He was on ORT reading stage 6 (most of class on stage 8/9/10) but we found the books can be very boring, particularly the non fiction ones, and I dont blame him for being less than enthusiastic about them!

I suppose my worry is that I should be doing a reading scheme with him but dont want to do ORT and not sure we can afford it anyway. Also, what about words to learn and spellings????

At the moment we are doing a couple of pages from a numeracy workbook and a couple of a literacy one in the mornings. I have also started to get him to write a diary extract every day (not long) about what he has done that day to practise his writing and spelling.

The plan is to do "projects" or "topics" that he wants to learn about in the afternoons (baby permitting!) but havent got round to that yet!

Does that sound ok for now???

More formal than we do.

Our days are all different.

Some days might involve nothing written or formal of any kind. Lots of starfall.com or pbskids or whoever, always an expedition out somewhere (because I am in fact a victorian nanny and believe that fresh air is very important...) even if it's just the local shop for milk or something. Purposive conversation as we go about our day, and as we are on our expedition - just answering questions, being ready to interact with children, getting them to take control of as much of the expedition as they are ready to do (e.g. with a 6 year old, that could mean reading the map at your local petting farm, or having £2 spending money to look after and doing the business transaction with the lady; or it could mean writing a shopping list and then going to the shop and ticking off the list as you go along - all sorts of things)

Every day involves lots of play :-)

We do a lot of crafty type things - painting and colouring and drawing - but that's just the preferences of the people involved. We hardly do anything with glue for example, but I know some families where sticking is a major part of their creativity. And I know other families who don't do anything crafty at all, really. Horses for courses.

And some days, at children's choice, a workbook of some kind comes out, not usually used in the way the workbook compilers probably had in mind. We picked up a cool shapes one in a charity shop yesterday for 20p, not even touched, and it was aimed at 3 year olds, but actually we were able to use it to discover that the child using it could read all sorts of words that I had absolutely no idea they knew how to read (there were blank places for stickers to go, with captions, and the child was reading the captions).

We often have friends to play, or meet up with friends at a HE group or at a park or similar. That is just as educational as adult-led stuff

And it's worth checking out the local "attractions" - National Trust type places, or museums, zoos, petting farms etc etc etc. We have a small number of such places that we go to again and again, sometimes twice or more in a week, and once you've got a season ticket, you can really suck the marrow out of a favourite place. And for all these things, you don't need to do a worksheet about farm animals, you just have a conversation with the nice lady at the farm shop, or whatever - learning doesn't have to happen on paper!

Just allow yourselves to take time to get into your rhythm. Some HEers are really really busy, here there and everywhere every day. Some live very quietly. Some produce a lot of written material; others produce very little.

I would say that it is worth having a carrier bag hung up somewhere, and every time your child does anything that has a product that could be thought of as educational, just shove it in the bag. No judgement, no keeping the best stuff, just shove anything and everything in there. It's nice watching the bag gradually get fuller, and it's potential evidence for the LA if you need it/are prepared to use it in that way.

Becaroo - I suggest you order a copy of Read With Me: An Apprenticeship Approach to Reading by Liz Waterland. Out of print but you can get it on amazon easily very cheaply. Will give you a lot of confidence wrt reading.

I avoid reading schemes at all costs - I don't want to put my Dds off reading!

Our days are random. I plan a couple of activities for if they're needed, but only with a 'because it's fun' motivation, rather than a 'because it's educational'.

At the moment, I insist on no screens until after lunch, or we all get 'stuck' on them and do nothing else all day and get ratty and bicker etc. In the morning I promise them I'll do things with them, that I'll prepare or they can request or whatever. Baking, workbooks, cutting, sticking, craft, sciency things, music. Seriously, it's whatever takes our fancy.

There are often things on in the afternoons - HE groups, or specialist things like a singing group or DD1 was going to a spanish club and a french club before they stopped.

We run errands, play games, read together, watch tv, play on the wii.......

Playing is so, so important to children's learning - my DDs will often play out the things we've been talking about, or the things they've watched on tv.

We visit museums, or go to organised childrne's activities etc.

Not sure if that's helpful!

Hi both.

I will look at that book, thanks FB. Just wish I knew where I have failed the poor little boy I did all the things you are supposed to...read to him from him being about 3 months old, filled the house with books, always read to him....where did I go wrong?

Our day was rather more fun than I perhaps made it sound!!
We watched dvds first thing whilst waking up, getting breakfast sorted and changing nappies etc (usually animal/wildlfe ones but this morning it was Wallace and Grommit for some reason) then when ds2 was napping we did the "work" in the workbooks, then lunch, then I took both boys on their sled to the shops which they really enjoyed (me not so much so!!!) and then when we got home had a snowball fight in the backgarden which was great fun.

Ds1 and I then baked some oat biscuits but by then ds2 was having tantrums (teething) so after ds1 did his diary extract we didnt do anything else except play with toys til my dh got home and then its "all jump on daddy time" and lots of rougher play that I dont get involved in!!!!

Have been emailing like mad the local events organisers and there is lots going on within a 10 mile radius which is fab...going to 2 meet ups next week all being well and hope to make them regular.

Thanks for your input ladies x

Hi beccaroo - Im newish too he too (but not as you as you, we began in August so Im obviously an old hand now, NOT!)

I agree with t'others - avoid reading schemes they are all dire. Go to the library and bring home what your kids like the look off.
For actually learning to read I reccomend Jolly phonics (your ds is beyond that though)

We do about an hour a day of workbook type stuff.
The rest of the day is pretty much as they dictate. Masses of reading, jigsaws, card games, board games, art activities, cooking, gardening, science projects as they choose.

We are a mixture of autonomous and structure. Autonomous in that they choose most of what goes on and when. Structured in that there is an underlying plan - ie I know roughly what history and science topics we will work on this year.

The main thing I am struggling with atm is the vast quantity of resources available - the internet is vast. The number of HE websites is seemingly endless!!!!

There are some great websites if you do want to buy 'stuff' - though try to resist for now until you get an idea what you want - nudge me if you want to know my personal favourites!

I HE my 6 yo boy and have a 3 yo and 22mo as well. We do very little formal stuff. We get lots of learning to read type books out the library, from different reading schemes and I try to do maybe 5-10 mins with him most - but certainly not every day. I read other books to him every day - fiction and non-fiction, but not for v long, as toddler won't allow it. Today he spent most of the day playing lego with 2 other HE boys and then they all played in the snow. We did about 3 minutes of MEP maths (free scheme from University of Plymouth, that I like but he's not that keen on, so we don't do much, but there's a website if you're interested, with lesson plans and worksheets etc).
Highly recommend HE groups and he goes to about 3 a week and they are v reassuring for me, as there's such wide range of approaches to HE, its really useful to talk to other parents.
We really do v little formal stuff. Only writing if he wants to write a note to someone or a list (not frequent). Lots of talking about whatever comes up. He sometimes plays on something like Education City website, or one of the free ones. We try to do something crafty, or just drawing a picture every day. Go out a lot for walks with other HE'ders, arranged HE outings or groups. Most of his other time seems to be taken up by lego. I'm hoping that this will be developing his fine motor skills and so writing will be easier, when he's interested.
I was so worried when we first started about doing something tangible every day, but I think he's learnt so much just by having the time and space to have lots of conversations, with me and all the other children and adults he encounters by being out and about. Maybe a conversation will need to us needing to investigate further and looking something up on the internet or in a book.
We also do cooking, gardening, board or card games (toddlers permitting), calculating the cost of things from lego catalogue etc.
You might want to have a look at the home ed blog ring to get an idea of different approaches.

Becaroo - I'm going to shout this, and you must promise to shout it at yourself periodically:

YOUR LITTLE BOY IS ONLY SIX!!!! In many other countries he would not even be starting to learn to read yet, nor with a Steiner education. You have not failed him. He will learn to read, but may be put off further with more pressure.

The problem is that children are started reading so young. If they're not ready, it's stressful and unpleasant for them, and they learn that reading = pain so they stop. Just stop thinking about him learning to read, and start thinking about him learning to enjoy books. Get him using the computer a lot (I'm sure my DD1 learnt a lot of her first reading skills from playing on the computer). Have lots of words around the place. Play 'naming' games - write out words of things in your house on labels and play sticking them up in the right place, but DON'T TEST HIM. Just say 'this says 'table', shall we stick it there?'. It takes up a bit of time and my DDs enjoy doing it, then you can leave them up for a few weeks after you've done it. Buy him magazines and comics. Whatever he likes. Ignore age suggestions on books, and get him whatever books he wants. Write stories with him - my DDs enjoy drawing pictures to make into a book (I sew or staple the pages together) - sometimes they write and sometimes I write the words. The point is, they're enjoying literature.

Do lots of drawing - good for learning to write. Don't put pressure on, don't put pressure on, don't put pressure on!

Alan Thomas' newish book has good information about learning to read and write - How Children Learn At Home. Also John Holt's Learning All The Time is good for literacy and numeracy.

Thank you!!

Felt very low last night....but as you say he is only 6 which I have been telling school for ages but they didnt seem to think that mattered when other kids younger than him were on a higher reading stage.....oh my god, have you read any of those ORT books??? Mind numbingly boring....poor ds

We went to the library today and got some books out..one about a leopard (story book) a winnie the pooh book and some non ficiton books on the victorians (we are thinking about studying tem as out 1st "topic")

Am hoping to go to 2 HE get togehters next week (weather permitting!)

Thanks again for all your help and encouragement...gos knows I need it!

B x

Hi, I agree with lots of the advice already given about taking your time, especially if your ds has already had some bad experiences with learning to read.
I find my ds1 (who is 5) enjoys games involving words/letters, so I try to come up with some to help his reading skills without him realising that is my aim! We play hangman, fishing for magnetic words (he usually then tries to read his without me pushing him to), treasure hunts with word clues.
Someone told me about a book called "Games for Reading" by Peggy Kaye. She also does ones for writing and numeracy. They have simple games in which you can make yourself with just pen and paper. She has a website with a few of the games on, to give you an idea.
I also look at games for sale and either try to find ebay bargains or make something like them myself. Orchard Toys & LDA Educational are 2 companies which do a lot of literacy games. We have "Slug in a Jug" (Orchard) which teaches rhymes and helps with reading/spelling. LDAs games "Cosmic Critters" and "Ice Cream Party" involve building words and look good fun - I want to get one of those next.
Other than than we read lots of books to him and find that he wants to read signs / menus / food packets etc. wherever we go. I think that is just as good a way to learn as those dreaded reading schemes.....