Home Study

[lamoseley]

Hi everyone,

Did you, can you recommend a home study group? Pro's & cons! Just looking for a bit of guidance really.

Not sure whether I am panicking or whether this may be a good solution for us
13 yr old dd been deregistered 2 weeks...have been telling her to relax and to de stress from the trauma she went through at school for the last 4 months.

Now she is bored and highly sprung..driving me crazy!
We have been going for long walks on the beach, lots of cooking and reading.

I am desperately trying to get involved with our local HE group but it seems quiet (maybe because of the time of year??)as I would love to meet others for advice and for dd to make friends with some new people, and have sent off emails for horse riding and has just started a new youth club that she was not impressed about.

I am trying to think of the first steps to take in January and I am struggling of knowing where to start especially with maths and english....I am hoping for a eurika moment!

Just come across wolsey hall oxford, would this set me on the right tracks!

I feel terribly guilty that she is bored (Or just needs to learn how to relax!) but she is very much like me and needs structure and organisation or ends up feeling stressed when there is no plan in place.

Oh god...I feel so out of my depth!

Any advice

[julienoshoes]

I don't know anything about a home study group-my children didn't want anything like that...others may know more.
Local HE groups do go quiet at this time of year...we all get wrapped up in other stuff.

What does she want to do...it IS very hard at first to get used to not being spoon fed with what she has to do next.
What would she do if on holiday from school?
When our children declared they were bored (which they did at first) we just kept reflecting back to them, what did they want to do next.
We made lists of all the things they would be interested in doing over the coming months, but I didn't direct them.
Eventually they came through the boredom and started to come up with stuff...

There is a book (I bet everyone who has read posts from me knows what I am going to say) called "The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education" by Grace Llewellyn.
Written for teens, I'd suggest she reads it first and then you...to give you ideas of the freedoms and opportunities that HE can bring.
Even if she chooses to put a structure into her HE life, this may well give her ideas.....

there is also [[http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0952270579/ref=s9_simh_bw_p14_d1_i3?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0B3JZQC8M70SQJTQVBSW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=327376667&pf_rd_i=266239&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 "Unqualified Education: A Practical Guide to Learning at Home Age 11-18" by Gareth Lewis and his family...all home educators

One review says "Beautifully illustrated by Bethan, Wendy and Samuel Lewis, Unqualified Education continues in a similar friendly, down-to-earth, and approachable style to One-to-One: A Practical Guide to Learning at Home, Age 0-11 (watch out for the review and excerpt in the next issue).
Unqualified Education is both a parent's guide to home education with an emphasis on self-directed, self-motivated and enthusiastic learning, and a mini-text book, complete with lesson plans, reminiscent of the excellent Waldorf Oak Meadow curriculum books.
Gareth covers every subject and offers useful teaching advice, helpful hints, lesson guides, practical information, and clear guidelines that will enrich the learning experience. The fantastic black and white line drawings are delightful and will encourage children to use this book.
Ideas and information for studies in Literature, History, Geography, Languages, Science, Technology, Music, Mathematics, Art and Craft can be used as a springboard to further explorations, with Cooking and Gardening covered in two separate chapters. Gareth peppers the text with sensible home educating advice and tips, a devotes a final chapter to practical matters such as Timetables, Curriculum, Qualifications, Work and Employment. Unlike many home education books which list specific resources, the chapter Educational Resources covers the basics, such as the Internet, television, libraries, etc, and how they can be used to enhance your learning program."

[julienoshoes]

"Unqualified Education: A Practical Guide to Learning at Home Age 11-18"

[lamoseley]

Thank you Julie...you are no end of help!

I have tried ordering the book by Grace Llewellyn, but all my orders come back saying that they do not have it in stock! errghh!

I think I was having a bad day yesterday as today seems better and I have not heard the bored phrase today! hooray (I am sure I will tomorrow)

Dd completed some work sheets on maths and english today on edplace just to to keep her busy for an hour and we come across the power of 10 so we looked further into this as I am a bit rusty on these types of things. So we both learnt something new (I doubt we will ever need it!! but I just wanted to show her that its good to look up something that your not sure of.

Dd did say today she would like to learn about Egypt and to do a project...so yes you are right, she is starting to think for herself.

I have also had a look at Little Arthur as that seems to have some good reviews, possibly something to look at in the new year.

Thanks for mentioning the second book...now off to try and order that.
I am not too sure where all these books that will be arriving in January will go!

[Saracen]

I agree with everything Julie says.

Boredom is a useful stage. It won't do your daughter any harm. Ride it out and she will find interesting things to do. This is primarily her responsibility. You can make suggestions and offer to take her places, but at the end of the day it's not your job to entertain her, only to facilitate her own attempts to entertain herself (aka learn).

My 13yo sometimes mooches around saying, "I'm hungry but I can't think what I want to eat." I usually suggest a few things and then tell her to figure it out. I put it to her that if she can't think of anything she wants to eat then maybe she isn't actually very hungry yet. When she gets hungry enough, the food in our kitchen will start to seem more appealing or she will get the ambition to prepare something.

[lamoseley]

I wish I could be bored myself! That would be nice.

Saracen, thats interesting. Its nice hearing of different ways it can be swung around for their own benefit of thinking for themselves.

I must admit I need to stop running around for her as I can see I am not helping her stand on her own feet

That is another of her favourite sayings "I am so hungry"...although not for the last few days as dd has had a brace fitted...so I am not having to share the quality street!