Category Archives: Teaching and learning

The end of Bloke School?

Posted on June 20, 2015 by

When my friends decided to return their kids to school, my eldest boy was angry and upset. His (probably legitimate) complaint was that we would never see them again. This is not the first friend he has lost. His great … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

When its time to stop homeschooling

Posted on May 20, 2015 by

I was a bit saddened and a bit disappointed to hear that after a year and a half of homeschooling, a friend of mine is sending her kids back to school. Like the decision to start homeschooling, there are lots of … Continue reading →

Posted in Life experiences, Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Are monsters real?

Posted on May 13, 2015 by

We have been reading a lot of mythological stories from Ancient Greece lately. I have always found them to be great adventure stories, and have read countless translations and retellings over the years. In all the magic, nobility and high … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Building your own curriculum under strict guidelines

Posted on May 6, 2015 by

A large part of the reasons behind why we chose to homeschool was that it allowed for individualised teaching. Even working within the guidelines, there is still a good deal more flexibility to work around the rules than it initially seems. … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Return of the assessor

Posted on April 21, 2015 by

As part of the requirements for homeschooling where I live, we are visited by a government assessor every year or two. This is frequently the cause of a great deal of angst for people. I have heard frequent complaints from … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The cost of homeschooling

Posted on April 15, 2015 by

The most recent figures I could find show that where I live, the state spends just over $14,000 p.a. educating a primary school child. This idea of ‘How much does education cost?’ comes up often enough in homeschooling forums. The numbers change … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

On the tools

Posted on March 30, 2015 by

We have been taking things pretty easy from a purely academic point of view lately. Even though our year runs to a general kind of plan, it is not rigidly fixed. We are actually ahead of schedule on the bits … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In and around Ubud.

Posted on February 12, 2015 by

It is a struggle to pick my boys up and carry them around anymore. They are both extremely large for their age and also very articulate. I often forget that at six and four years old, they are still only … Continue reading →

Posted in Life experiences, Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The opening days of Bali

Posted on February 7, 2015 by

So we are over at Bali. Simply getting here was an adventure in itself. It was an eighteen hour day of driving, hanging out in airports, and a six hour flight. Despite a few dramas, the boys handled it a … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Life experiences, Nature, Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

A regular day

Posted on January 8, 2015 by

My boys consider ‘homeschooling’ sitting down with a textbook. I consider it a much broader application of skills. This means we sometimes arrive at the end of an exhausting day, only to have my boy say ‘Yeah, we didn’t do … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , | 2 Comments