tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-376232002008-10-12T09:33:48.715+01:00.. and I get chance to write about my children's autonomous home education. The political rants and philosophical ramblings are elsewhere now.Gillnoreply@blogger.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-76555389809629125622008-10-07T12:40:00.002+01:002008-10-07T13:16:51.518+01:00

said Lyddie a few days ago. I quite agree - I've been thinking it for years. We're not religious people here, but we miss the feast days. The question is, if we want them back, which ones do we choose? None of the major religions' feast days really speaks to me, and the children say they feel the same way. What we want, basically, is a way to mark the seasons. "Set the calendar in order and

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-32708925711047699642008-10-02T09:40:00.002+01:002008-10-02T10:11:05.967+01:00

Hmmm... how do you answer that in a way that a six-year old can understand, when you suspect you might only have a 95% understanding of the situation yourself? And all first thing in the morning? We talked about revolutions, and the civil war. King Charles getting his head cut off. The French, cutting nearly everyone's heads off. The Russians, just shooting theirs. The Battle of Hastings.

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-47718527534035811862008-09-30T06:40:00.010+01:002008-09-30T09:18:20.756+01:00

Here are my instinctive thoughts on the rest of the draft Revised Statutory Guidance for local authorities in England to identify children not receiving a suitable education - amongst other things! This is not my consultation response, or even a draft of it, which I haven't begun to formulate yet. If you want to read a draft response you can find Dani's here and Carlotta's here. 6.11.

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-89505092693096547382008-09-28T12:51:00.009+01:002008-09-29T16:42:43.623+01:00

I blogged a few weeks ago about a consultation on the DFES's Revised Statutory Guidance for local authorities in England to identify children not receiving a suitable education. What I didn't realise then, and would like to thank a certain very perceptive lady in Wales for pointing out now, is that this new guidance, being statutory, will supercede the much more legally accurate and

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-18547231085013001212008-09-26T07:25:00.004+01:002008-09-26T17:55:31.944+01:00

I used to think hierarchies were all manmade phenomena - with the emphasis on the man - that they were artificial devices built for the express convenience of those at the top of the pile, as a way of keeping the lower orders in line. But it can no longer escape my notice that something strange is happening around here that might be proving me wrong. It seems that my younger son will take

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-29206792623734939132008-09-21T09:27:00.003+01:002008-09-21T09:32:13.068+01:00

"Darling will have to take urgent, painful action to reverse the splurge of recent expenditure — welcomed by financially ignorant Labour MPs — on public services, in particular health and education." [My emphasis.] - Peter Oborne Because, in my opinion, the best kind of education is free.

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-23857494491035711642008-09-17T16:38:00.010+01:002008-09-17T21:28:32.708+01:00

... as they say. ("Who's they?" "Um... autonomous educators? Or should that be: educators of autonomous learners? Unschoolers, y'know.. those kinds of people.") Anyway, here's some of the learning that's been going on here in the past day or two: Watching the path that water takes - always the one of least resistance. "The water isn't strong enough to move the

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-27758963296433708572008-09-14T09:30:00.003+01:002008-09-14T09:37:53.658+01:00

Lyddie: [yesterday, having just got dressed to go out] "There. Do I look fashionable?" Me: "Ooh yes. Not that I know much about fashion, being an old mother.." Her: "You're not an old mother! I've only had you for..." *counts on fingers* ".. six years, so you're not old at all!" And the baby, this morning, running outside onto cold tarmac in bare feet... Me: "Wait a minute! Shoes?" Her: "

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-5062036807547825602008-09-07T08:49:00.010+01:002008-09-07T13:43:33.331+01:00

We've been doing some very schooly home ed 'work' here, this past week. It all started with the back-to-school stuff in the shops and Lyddie asking about it and coveting some of the colourful folders and pens. (Even if we manage to escape the system, it seems we can't escape its influence.) I answered her questions. ("You can go too, if you like," I said. "Nooooo thank you," she replied very

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-16674381094161013522008-08-30T06:52:00.017+01:002008-08-31T06:25:08.312+01:00

FIVE (five) Days to go to school Then you have the weekend And that’s the rule ... says rap 5 on CBeebies. (Why oh why do I let my children watch such state-sponsored brainwashing rubbish?? Sometimes I think autonomy's not all it's cracked up to be. Catchy tune, though.) The government also requires us to ingest five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Look! There's even a 5 a day community!

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-53776391008611696302008-08-23T15:52:00.007+01:002008-08-24T00:18:47.796+01:00

It seems to me that August is always a bit of a strange time in home ed land. The rest of the world (involving children) is gearing up to the start of the new term: be it returning to school or college or starting new ones. Exam results are out. Some home educators have results; others don't. Some home educated offspring are off to college; others aren't. Many of the usual meetings and activities

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-48433633841597455612008-08-20T20:47:00.002+01:002008-08-20T20:48:35.710+01:00

Lyddie, nearly 6, cutting a piece off an apple: "Mum, can you help? I want the skin off but I don't know how to delete it!"

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-15845159025603710392008-08-14T06:23:00.011+01:002008-08-14T09:39:43.306+01:00

In yet another public consultation relating to home education (Revised Statutory Guidance for local authorities in England to identify children not receiving a suitable education, closing date: Friday 24th October 2008) home educated children are quite bizarrely listed, along with children who have been bullied, children who have been trafficked to or within the UK, children at risk of forced

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-43959129720889961212008-07-16T08:35:00.002+01:002008-07-16T09:17:20.396+01:00

Last night, Zara asked me to teach her how to do I Ching. I was very pleased to be asked, because I think it's good knowledge to pass on, but it's not something you can tell a person when they don't want to know. (Is there anything you can tell a person when they don't want to know?) It means she has an efficient analytical tool to guide her through problems for the rest of her life now, which

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-11008221940812548882008-06-29T07:48:00.003+01:002008-06-29T07:51:12.076+01:00

Playing 'hangman': And: how do zips work?

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-1762054077843035752008-06-22T21:18:00.009+01:002008-06-22T22:17:40.615+01:00

It's Ali's 18th birthday today! Following hot on the heels of his brother, I somehow don't think he'd appreciate the same kind of birthday treat I recently gave to his sister. But.. well, what's the harm in a few photos between friends? ;-) He was a Solstice baby, born after what the doctors euphemistically called a 'trial of labour' - meaning: they didn't expect him to be born

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-85381024455165784122008-06-17T07:15:00.002+01:002008-06-17T08:31:51.928+01:00

As I've blogged before (November 2006: Letterland, March 2007: Learning to read & type with The Sims and May 2008: What *do* we do?) Lyddie has, for some time, been learning how to read. Last night we went to bed as usual with her choice of book for me to read to her. On this occasion it happened to be this one: - which contains lengthy narrative on the left pages and a more concise version

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-38414741080113101292008-06-03T10:25:00.005+01:002008-06-03T10:47:09.341+01:00

You know you've done something right when your 17 year-old son comes to you for instructions in how to work an alarm clock. He's never needed one before and I'm so glad about this - they were the bane of my life when I was a child. No child should need to know how to work one, in my opinion. People should sleep until they naturally wake up, and go to sleep when they're tired. That's

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-24446235166987948322008-05-29T11:17:00.003+01:002008-05-29T12:03:11.766+01:00

Well, 16 years ago today, I gave birth to my first beautiful baby daughter. How did she get from that to this? Let me show you how. First, she developed her exquisite taste in clothes.. Oops, sorry - wrong one! Not that exquisite taste in clothes! This one ;-) She always was a tiara girl. When she'd grown out of the frilly hats :-

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-14628996450101650512008-05-22T07:48:00.002+01:002008-05-22T08:28:13.454+01:00

"You live and learn." It's a trite statement, mentioned often in conversation (certainly here in Yorkshire), but it often strikes me as being much more than that. Because what we do here isn't really deliberate learning in artificially contrived situations - it's just living. And the educating I do is just normal, attentive parenting. We're people who like to learn - who doesn't? - so the house

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-18015562320932572222008-05-15T08:06:00.002+01:002008-05-15T08:58:36.083+01:00

Some new home educating friends of ours who use much more 'schooly' methods of educating were recently asking what we actually did in our home education. I don't think they meant the question as a criticism - I think they were genuinely curious to find out how it happens when you don't impose a learning regime or stick rigidly to prescribed curricula in sets of workbooks. Sensing that a wiffly:

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-78668592742589119382008-05-08T07:08:00.004+01:002008-05-08T09:10:38.669+01:00

Lyddie has just started being aware of the existence of other countries and languages. This is something else I love about home educating - the pleasure and privilege of actually being there to witness my children's minds developing and opening up to encompass new ideas. Two months ago she had no conception of a place that wasn't like this place, where people might do things differently. But

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-65911390707802975202008-04-29T08:20:00.004+01:002008-04-29T08:33:25.912+01:00

Well, not exactly a crisis - just me being out of action for a few days, ill in bed. But Zara was away and the boys don't usually take a major part in the childrearing/home educating/ babysitting/ running the house kind of jobs, and I was a bit concerned that we might not manage. But, "like the Royal Engineers", (as my Dad said, quite bizarrely..) they swung into action when needed. (Is that

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-67535989791310914312008-04-24T08:42:00.004+01:002008-04-24T08:59:40.298+01:00

Our weekly home ed meetings have started again now that the floor is fixed. Here are some of the children playing a game of their own invention: I don't quite understand the rules of this one, but I think it might be based on the one called: "Can we cross your golden bridge?" though heavily adapted, of course. I don't know whether you can make it out from the picture there, but

Gillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623200.post-31040175513882429842008-04-22T08:47:00.002+01:002008-04-22T09:22:53.658+01:00

I think Lyddie is finally moving on from The Sims, as she has now discovered... - which is a different kind of game altogether. It's meant to be a strategy game, but she's not using the combat scenarios - just the economic freeplay option. So there's no enemy and no fighting. It's all about town-building, the way she's currently playing it. So first there's a bit of reading and typing

Gillnoreply@blogger.com