so a couple of questions

[busygirl]

im really thinking to homeschool dd(started reception last september).so what do you actually DO during the day?what are "projects" and where do you take the ideas for them?
how confident are you of your ability to teach your dc?how/where do you start?i get the idea,but i'm a bit lost on the practicalities!
thanks

[Velvetbee]

Hello Busygirl,
There are as many types of HE as there are home educators. Some follow the national curriculum and have set hours (say 2 hours in the mornings) when they work. Others follow the childs lead completely, facilitating learning by answering questions etc, much as you would do pre-school.

I do a mixture as the eldest 2 are working towards GCSE's whilst the younger 2 are at the 'poking stuff with sticks and drawing a picture of it' stage.

The younger ones read to me in the morning then entertain themselves whilst I set up the other 2. The 5 year old went to my mums to make hot cross buns today while the 7 year old did some maths on the computer, drew a jet and built a jade palace out of lego.

For projects I like seasonal stuff, we did a mini project on St George last year or choose a period of history/country/environment. We did masses of stuff on the Olympics. www. Activityvillage is good for colouring/worksheets on various topics , www. enchantedlearning is american and you have to subscribe to get access to the whole site but it has lots of ideas.
You could also google free ....printables for kids. so free jubilee printables or free spring printables...

Do I feel confident? I've been doing it for 8 years now so 'yes' but I have had wobbly moments. Kids are inclined to thrive though, trust yourself, you and dd will have a ball.

[Saracen]

We're on the autonomous end of the spectrum, so we do whatever the kids want to do. When they are young, for most children that usually means playing. Among other things, today my 6yo played in the bath, played with dolls, played a logic game on the computer, watched science documentaries, played at the neighbours' house, pestered me into making cupcakes with her, invented a gadget for changing dolly nappies, drew, went to the local shop, worked on a scrapbook (inspired by Paddington Bear's habit) and wrestled with her teenaged sister in bed.

My 13yo spent much of the day drawing geometric shapes while listening to a Harry Potter audiobook. She also played guitar a bit, chatted with a friend on Skype, took her little sister for a walk, got me to show her the basic idea of trigonometry, helped dad fix the car, posted on an online forum for people who draw cartoons, asked about the causes of the American revolution and then watched a TV drama and a documentary which were both related to that subject. (When I started to write this paragraph I was going to say all she did was listen to the audiobook and draw. You don't always notice all the other stuff unless you sit down to list it! It just happens...)

It's rarely me who thinks up projects, though if I hear of a good place to go or a museum event etc then I might initiate something. In our house, setting the agenda is the kids' job.

Confident? Yes. Initially that came from reassuring myself that since some countries only start formal education around the age of seven and their kids do well, there was no need to stress until my dd was older than that. Then my confidence increased through seeing so many older home educated kids who were thriving in all their beautifully diverse ways. Finally it was cemented by noticing how much my own children had learned already.

[busygirl]

Thanks for ur answers.DD is interested in the human body at the mo,bones,digestive system etc.I'm giving her books to look at and showing her some kids videos about that.can/should I do something more?

[gallicgirl]

Have you tried looking at the Early Years Framework? Perhaps someone can post a link.
Kids learn in so many different ways. For example, my 2 year old is currently playing with duplo but I know she's learning about colours, numbers, size, comparisons and hand eye coordination.
I've not looked at the national curriculum for primary age but it might give you confidence that your child is covering a broad range of skills.

Perhaps you can Google activities to cover your child's interests, human body can lead onto nutrition and exercise or even evolution.

Are you planning on your child entering school at some point or sitting formal exams, because that might have to influence your teaching at some point.

[busygirl]

if it doesn't work for us i ll send her back to school.formal exams(GSCE etc)yes i would want her to have that qualifications

[gallicgirl]

Might be a good idea to follow national curriculum then, even if only roughly. Don't listen to Gove under any circumstances