Poetry teatime is my absolute favourite part of the Brave Writer lifestyle. We enjoyed one this morning. Here’s what we did. Setting the scene I lit a candle and put a posy of summer flowers as a centrepiece. Often we gather flowers from the garden. Today I grabbed the fake flowers that normally live in … Continue reading How we do Poetry Teatime
I love poems, and reading poetry aloud with children brings it alive in a way it hasn’t been since I used to read “Daddy Fell into the Pond” to my little sister when I was a child. Last week we were excited to receive our own copy of The Puffin Book Of Utterly Brilliant Poetry, … Continue reading Poetry Tea
Busy days, and things to mull over which have also been occupying my head space leaving no room for blogging. So for today mainly photos and a little about what we’ve been doing. Last year we hardly ate in the garden at all. I’m not sure why. Maybe life was too busy when our weekdays … Continue reading Crocs, Rugby And Poetry Tea
Midsummer’s Night is my favourite night of the whole year. I don’t much like holidays or even birthdays, when there’s pressure to do certain things. But on Midsummer’s Night there are no expectations. I feel a connection with the earth, and ancient people (of which I am, ironically, reminded when I see traffic signs warning … Continue reading Celebrating Midsummer with Poetry
With the whole world suddenly homeschooling thanks to Covid-19, a few people have asked me to to share my experiences from our family’s 10 years’ homeschooling. My aim is to offer you fun learning activities you can do with kids of most ages. And I’ll throw in a few tips for how to stay sane … Continue reading How to Homeschool – A Few Ideas From Our 10 Years’ Experience
Have you ever wondered why there are so few blogs about homeschooling older children? I used to. Then my kids became tweens. We’re still unschoolers, but the hands-on activities that used to make up our day are gradually being replaced by independent projects, reading and outside classes. And photos of tweens reading, watching YouTube or even quietly … Continue reading What’s it like Homeschooling an 11 and 12 Year Old?
Did you know that an aeroplane is only on its correct course for about two per cent of each flight? The pilot knows where he needs to get the plane to. By regularly checking where the aircraft is, and making many tiny course-corrections along the way, the pilot successfully guides the plane to its destination. Flying a homeschool (Don’t worry, … Continue reading A week in the life of a British homeschooling family – Friday
We had a fabulous Easter break. The weather was mild and sunny. Not hot, but temperatures of about 16C (60F) didn’t stop my kids getting wet at every opportunity. (1) This birthday banner was inspired by the Colwell Crew – thanks Angie, J(9) loved it. (2) & (4) J(9) asked for a cake based on his Minecraft skin so … Continue reading Easter Holidays
The Aztecs dominated Central America from the 14th to 16th centuries. They founded the magnificent floating city of Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) and – more importantly – were among the first people to make chocolate. We haven’t done much hands-on history lately, but discovering that the Aztecs used cacao beans as money captured our imaginations, … Continue reading Hands-on Aztec History
Each day of the week is very different for us. Some days we’re with friends all day, or we might spend a whole day immersed in a hands-on science project. But the day I’m sharing here – Thursday – follows a similar pattern each week. Because we’re out over lunch, there’s no time for big … Continue reading A Day in the Life of our Homeschool – With an 8 year old and a 10 year old
