Work all day

Today has been very difficult. I have been ill and had to work. I have been running a presentation course for some people in the city. It was a huge success, and I have only just got in. I am now catching up with my daughters day. She has been on a fantastic art course run at Orleans House Gallery. She has made things out of clay and painted and made a mask. She hasn't missed me once. This has made me very happy as a concern of mine is that she becomes too dependant on me. I believe it is crucial to make sure we have time apart and then we can come back together tomorrow to enjoy each others company even more.

Current Affairs

I remember school as if it were yesterday. One thing I wasn't any good at was current affairs. I therefore make it my job to make sure that Isabella is aware of Presidents, Political Parties, Wars, Heads of State, Our Monarchy. Famous figures around the world. All of this information is invaluable, try reading First News to them, you can order it from your local newsagent.

So far we have covered Barack Obama, Robert Mugabe, Our Monarchy and political figures inlcuding our Mayor and Nelson Mandela. All they need is a small bit of information and then drip feed bits all the time.

Using a dictionary

I don't believe a child is ever too young to start using a dictionary or thesaurus. Isabellas spelling and reading have improved so much just from her being able to look thing up and find out more about words. Once children understand patterns of sounds and start to get excited about what they can find out. Suddenly they realise the possibilities.

The only problem we have found from Isabella being able to read so well is "News Headlines." This is when the world becomes more exciting but also much more real. So far the worst I have had to explain is about the war in Iraq but I am not looking forward to headlines such as "rape" or "murder".

A film

Most children love performing, even if it is just to mum and dad. Why not create your own short film. If you don't have a video camera, let them take photos and create a story using a story board. If you can video it, get them to think about their story first, then write a script with a friend or improvise. They will love watching this back.

On this note I have a friend who has started her own company called roohooproductions.com, she makes bespoke films as keepsakes for you of your children. They are amazing, we have just had one done of Isabella. She will take them of your child doing anything or it could be a special occasion. She was with us all day and Isabella had such fun. It really is worth it.

Don't leave everything to the school

If you have time this half term really try and think of something new to do with your children. Set up an activity and workon it with them. It is much more fun to work on something with them rather than leave them to it. I suggest create a witchy wordsearch. Or create a collage using nature. Or go nature spotting and then come home and try and remember everything you saw or play the memory game where you have everything on a tray and then cover it up and try and remember what was on it. Or finally why not have ago at drawing you objects that you have found. Use chalks or pastels or pencils and pens. There are so many wonderful things to try.

A little too much.

We have been very busy these last few days, filming mostly and now I am working solidly for 15 hours tomorrow. Then Friday is a day to fit everything in before we fly on Saturday. We are all feeling pretty shattered and the clocks changing hasn't helped. I love the wintery evenings but it does cut short the day. So I have a suggestion about how to fill those long evenings with the children. Create a word bank around a theme, we are doing spells (halloween etc) Then get them to use those relevant words to make up a story or a play or a poem. It is such fun and will get the children thinking creatively without them feeling that they are working. The idea is to keep everything fun. So start to think of words that describe a witch or what a witch might put into her spell. Then take the lead from the children to where they want to take the idea next.

Isabellas poem: Howling Holly,

Howling Holly went to school,
She learnt to fly so high,
with her witchy ways and happy days,
she waved her wand "Goodbye".

Why?

I know it may seem obvious but when Isabella asks me things I always try and explain them. I thought this was being a good mother and teacher. However it has been proven that instead of explaining everything we should first ask them the question back. If we ask them "Why do you think?" It starts to get them to think and use both sides of the brain. Then if they are not sure we can give them the explanation. I have started to train myself to do this and it does work.

A slight problem.

I have had feedback today from the Director that Isabella isn't concentrating. She knows her lines and is performing well but inbetween shots isn't listening or concentrating. Just a tiny part of me wonders whether she is not used to having to concentrate for long periods of time anymore. However she does have french for 1 1/2 hours non stop and tennis for half an hour etc and most of these require concentration for the whole time. So is it possible that even though I don't agree with many things school has to offer at this stage, it does teach the children how to concentrate in one space for six hours?

Or is it just because this time is different, now we no longer have school. Or is it because she is now 6 and her behaviour is starting to change and she is experimenting with her behaviour?

I don't know, but it is something to keep an eye on.

Negativity.

Yesterday we were practising Isabellas lines and she got them all right. The trouble is I have noticed that she doesn't like to be right all the time. What I mean by this is that even when she has done something right she likes to say "But I nearly forgot it, or I nearly got that wrong" as if she likes to be negative. I am not sure if this has something to do with not wanting any attention for being good or whether she wants attention for being bad. Does anyone have any suggestions. I am trying to get her to understand that she needs to feel proud of herself if she does things right.

The Brain

I have just read an excellent book all about the brain and how it effects children's learning capabilities. It states that if their heart is not in it then they won't learn it so effectively. I can see that this is true. It also states that children learn better through sound, rhythm and song. The best idea so far to help children remember facts is by creating a neural net. You physically create a net and then make the objects and signs to go in it around your chosen subject matter. Start with the big section of writing and then choose the main theme within it and make that your starting point, then choose the ideas around it, it is similar to a spidergram but much more effective for children as it is visual.

A Classic line.

I have always thought of reading as crucial for any childs development and therefore when Isabella could read I was thrilled. However today this was a problem for her, as we sat in the car on a journey, her words were " Mummy I am going to have to close my eyes as I am having to read everything!"

She can't help but read road signs and lorry signs and anything else that might be close to her, it all got a bit much!!!!!!!!

A manic few weeks

We are going to be maxed out over the next few weeks and therefore I am so pleased that we made the decision to home school. We have half term activities, five days of filming and then our trip to Chicago and New York. I can't wait. Isabellas education for the next three weeks will work differently because there won't be the time to sit and do school work at a desk.

This inspires me to find different ways of teaching. We will be learning about our environment and the places we are visiting. We will play games and write a diary etc. I suppose I find that instead of learning how to read and write in the conventional way, we tend to put the ideas of reading and writing into everyday life straight away. So instead of learning how to read and then maybe learn about spelling and then maybe discuss the language, all ideas get put into one and everything is learned about as a whole, not in sections. History becomes, English, Geography and Maths all together instead of thinking of them as seperate subjects.

Spelling

Isabella has also decided to spell in grown up language not phonetically. It is very funny to hear her spell words and a great way to learn how to spell.

Spelling everything out!

Isabella has become obsessed with spelling, not only during reading or our spelling tests but also in everyday speech. Instead of saying " Mummy I will help you today" She says " m u m m y i w i l l h e l p y o u ." Every single word is spelt out. It is great for her spelling but does mean that our conversation can be very slow!

Getting used to the idea

Most people are now used to the idea that we home school Isabella. I was even approached the other day about setting up my own mini school. I was asked whether I would teach their two children and create the home schooling effect for them. I have two lines of thought, one is, doesn't that defeat the whole idea of home schooling for these other children if they are not with their parents? On the other hand would that be lovely for Isabella to have a couple of friends with her during the day.

The outcome is that I believe I want to dedicate my time to my child to enable her to recieve the best. I do however think maybe one day a week schooling with a group could be fun!

Tuesday already.

Where does the time go. I am just not sure. How can it be Tuesday again. I can't believe I was worried about maybe not finding enough to do with Isabella for the year. I have to say I am really looking forward to having some time next year when her filming slows down.

I have been put in touch with a couple of home schooling groups in the area and it seems that more and more people are taking the home schooling route. If you have a group or would like to join one please let me know as I can pass on details.

Self doubt

I am going through a small phase of self doubt. Am I doing the right thing? Have I taken on too much? Am I being a good Mum?

This isn't easy but it is fun. I wouldn't change anything for the world.

I read an interesting article however on "Pressures of modern life driving people over the edge"
I am not saying I feel pressurised as such but I do feel there is more to life than working and money. It states " What we are missing in our society isn't the wealth that we typically crave but meaning."This to me is the crucial part, meaning. What is my meaning? What is Isabellas meaning. Even though we are not at school, I still want her to work hard and achieve certain things.....but Why? Why do I work and try to achieve things? What is my meaning?

I do feel a certain amount of pressure, (completely instigated by me) to find this meaning for both me and Isabella.

This week

We have a lovely relaxed week this week. We have tried not to fill it too much so that we can make sure that we have enough time in the morning to relax and do our work in our pyjamas. This week is also focusing on learning her scripts for this weekend. We are learning about autumn, habitats and squirrels. We are so lucky to be involved in such an interesting programme. This weeks free gift on the Cbeebies magazine was a spotters kit for The Green Balloon Club. Isabella has loved using this and spotting things.

Today

Today was a good day. Isabella has worked very well. I am finding a few things frustrating though, firstly she is not getting the most simple of things and I want to hit my head against a wall. I have to learn to not get so frustrated. Secondly, when do I switch off from teacher to Mummy. It is all merging into one. I have to remember that this has to be fun as well as educational.

We were in the playground and there was a snake with numbers on the floor. We spent about half an hour playing number games on this. Instead of writing the answers to maths problems, she went and stood on a number. So we have decided to chalk out a number line on the path outside and do our maths on this.

Great fun.

A Baby

Isabella has decided she would like a baby sister for Christmas. How this is possible I don't know. Normally I can get things on order for her. This however I just don't think even I can do.

So the question arises about a sibling. Do some children thrive from having them? Is it cruel to not let your child have siblings? Do children gain more when they don't have siblings? I cannot answer these questions. I love our little family at the moment just being three but am I being selfish?

Let me know your thoughts, please.

She is still so little.

I keep forgetting that Isabella is still so little. We can all forget that six years on this planet is not very many. I have very high expectations and forget she is only small. Being at home with her is really making me re-evaluate the way I treat her and talk to her. I am having to learn to not worry about keeping up with the school work if one day we don't do any, or worry about whether she has learnt enought that day. The point of being at home is to be a child, play and have that quality time with Mummy or Daddy or if fortunate enough, time with both.

Is everything a possibility?

Just a question, is it possible to do whatever you want to do?

We would love to go travelling and see some amazing sights. Is this possible? Or is this how life is supposed to be, jobs, earning money and working. I am sure there must be more. We only have one go at this and it is already speeding past us too quickly. I am feeling very frustrated this weekend. I find myself getting caught up with silly worries and thoughts that are trivial. When actually I should be remembering the wonderful opportunities out there.

I ran Sunday school this morning and I find going to church is always a very good leveller if I am feeling down. It makes me realise how much I have and how lucky we are. Today though, I have been thinking more than ever about jacking it all in and just going around the world travelling.

I am not unhappy with my lot. I feel more than ever very settled knowing that Isabella is at home with me and we do not have to rush here, there and everywhere. I just have this feeling that something bigger is out there for us, I just don't know what yet. Does anyone else ever feel like this or is it just me?

A Nature Table

We are going to go and collect nature. We will take it home and place it on a table, we will label the items, then draw the items and then research them. The nature today is amazing, the colours of the leaves are so gorgeous, inorder to keep the leaves fresh, try and laminate them, then hang them up.

A beautiful day

Today we are at the stables where Isabella has her riding lessons. It is the most beautiful day and the sun is shining. We are here for a couple of hours and will then go off for lunch and do our school work. I can't stress enough about the importance of having that time away as a parent. This morning wasn't rushed and we are both feeling very positive about the day.

Most children are either on half term this week or next and I really thought I would notice this term dragging, but when you start to forget about term times, the year becomes one long open time with a huge amount of possibilites.

Isabella won't have a half term as such because we are not exhausted or stressed out from the term. There was an article in the paper this morning about children having holidays that are too long. It stated that the long holidays mean the children go back to school having forgotten everything. The books that I have written would stop this from happening but I also feel the holidays are too long and the children are subjected to too much in too short a time during the term.

Good News

I am nearing the end of writing my other childrens home education books, yippee. I am thinking that I will have managed them by Half term, for those of us not following the school calendar that is two weeks.

I am so excited!!!!!!!!!

A childrens party

I have been asked to direct a childrens party. I will direct a piece of theatre for 18 children and they will put a show on at the end of the two hours. How much fun does that sound! I can't wait. The trouble is Isabella wants to come and also wants me to do this for her birthday party. Oh dear I think I am building a rod for my own back.

The day got better

After a rough start my day got better. We went to swimming and then just came back home and played with playdough. She then went to Gymnastics and we had time out for an hour. This is so important for both of us. Then this evening I have been able to go to the theatre to watch my friend in Oedipus at The National. It was brilliant and although I will be tired tomorrow, it was lovely to be out and have that time away doing something different.

Tomorrow will be a better day and I can't wait to get my morning hug from Isabella.

Frustration

I am officially the worst mummy in the world. Today I lost the plot. I was working on some maths and Isabella didn't understand the easiest of problems. I got so frustrated and shouted and made her cry. I am so embarrassed by my behaviour. I spent the rest of the day saying sorry to her and she spent the rest of the day saying "Its alright mummy, I forgive you." I have called lots of friends telling them how horrible I am.

I have spoken to a fellow home schooler and the advice I have been given is to close the book and do something completely different. So I am going to listen to this advice tomorrow.

It can be very difficult being calm all the time and understanding. It is a huge lesson to learn. I asked her which school she would like to go back to when she returns into education and she said "But you are homeschooling me until I am 14" At least she can't hate me that much!

Science made easy

I am not one for science, so when I noticed an article in Isabellas newspaper about the human heart, I thought I would talk to her about it. It was all about how stem cells are being used to recreate a human heart etc. I asked her " How do you think a heart is made?" I was ready to talk about the science when she said " a heart is made with love." How can I argue with that!

Spider dreams

Does anyone out their understand dreams?

I have been dreaming alot about spiders and creepy crawlies and I wake up and try to get them out of my bed, the other night I also got up and walked around the kitchen, after about four minutes I got back into bed as if nothing had happened.

What does this mean?

Slowing down

I have had to relook at our diary as I am trying to do too much. The weeks are flying by so quickly and each morning since we got back from Spain we have been going somewhere. So today I am changing this. I am making sure that each morning we stay inside until at least 11am without having to rush off.

I am also going to have a day off on Saturday which will be hard as I am so used to being with Isabella but will enable me to do my work and get sorted for the week. It is also important that Isabella gets to spend some quality time with her Daddy.

Another home schooling family

Yesterday we met another family that homeschool. They invited us into their home and Isabella and I experienced an alternative way of home schooling. Even though we do things very differently to them we both homeschool for the same reasons: The feeling of freedom, the benefits of being with your children and also to remove day to day stress of running around.

The main difference with this family is that the father and mother share responsibilites for home schooling. So even though some people think it should be the mother that stays at home it shows that it can be any loving parent.

A very busy weekend

This is ridiculous. I don't know where the time goes. My lists are getting bigger!
Isabella has filmed this weekend and therefore we have missed out on the amazing weather. So on Sunday evening I felt slightly depressed as we made our way home. Isabella suddenly told us that she didn't want to go home, so we asked her what she wanted to do. It was the usual "Embankment."So at 5 O'clock we found ourselves scootering around The South Bank. We popped into galleries and St Pauls Cathedral and had supper. It was the amazing feeling of freedom that made the evening so enjoyable. She went to bed at 9 O'clock having had a wonderful time.

Back to school

A programme called wife swap was on the other day, it was about two families, one that had children in school and one that homeschooled children. When they swapped the mothers, the homeschooled children were sent to school by the mother of the schooled children. Three things arose from this experience. The homeschooled children became very bored at school, they didn’t want to work all day in a classroom and finally they weren’t used to having to work to a strict timeframe, as they could normally spend all day working on something if they wished. I think this is very important as in the real world there are time restraints as well as office environments.

The positive lesson that became apparent from this experiment was that the homeschooled children were a very close family and loved being together and spending time together, they had two loving role models.

This then makes me question the role models for our children and who they should be, teachers or parents or both?

Routines are important

My daughter has taken this idea to its limit. A year ago it used to be that I would tell my daughter a story and give her some warm milk and she would fall asleep. Oh no, not anymore. Gradually each grandma has kindly donated another idea to our bedtime routine. So it then went from two ideas to three, tickling her back, then adding a fourth idea, singing a song whilst tickling her back. Now she has added a fifth idea, I have to kiss Rabbit and hug him before she goes to sleep (rabbit is her favourite toy and goes everywhere with us.) Then she added in the words “you are the best mama in the world and tell dada he is the best dada in the world.” To top it all off we now have another question, “what time shall I wake up in the morning and what time shall I ask for a drink.” So all in all our routine consists of seven ideas and bedtime now takes up to half an hour. I draw the line at anything else being added!

Education at a young age

Catherine, Isabellas dance teacher, said that she couldn’t tell Isabella was being home schooled as she was so sociable. I believe this is because of the lead up to homeschooling that Isabella has had. When she was 2 I had to work in a school and we decided to put her into the nursery part of a prep school. I believe this was the making of her. She had the most wonderful Headteacher called Mrs Warner. At 2 years old Isabella would come home and discuss metamorphosis. Children are sponges at this age and I believe the best education Isabella has received was in these former years. She then left there at 3 and went to a nursery in London and spent two years there, followed by reception year at her first school. These formative years taught her social skills and the basic skills needed to start reading and writing.

It surprised me then how my feelings changed towards education having had such positive experiences so far. I felt school became too institutionalised too quickly. Don’t get me wrong I love school and when Isabella returns she will gain as much from it as I did. Friendships, team games and school trips. But when we choose that school it will be the one for her whole educational experience as too much change is not good. Before she settles into that way though I am sure that there is so much of the world to see. Once Isabella leaves school and starts UNI or a job then time is so constrained. My husband gets 25 days off a year. What is that all about? All he gets is 1/12th of a year off (not including weekends) to be with his family. How is he ever going to see the world. Unless you are a travel journalist!

School competition

My friend commented on the competitive nature of school, she said that "competition was a good thing as this was what it was like in the real world." She also reminded me that I have put my daughter into the most competitive field out there, acting. I have to say I agree, but is it right to have this competition at school, if we do what we’ve always done we will always get what we’ve always got! Isn’t it time for a change. Maybe the competition does not need to start at such a young age. I am playing devils advocate as I think competition is healthy and I am the first one on the side of the sports day line shouting for my daughter to win. The best competitive experience we have had was when we entered a drama festival, Isabella learnt in the space of one hour that you only get one go at her section, you don’t always win and you need to realise that some people are better at certain things than you.

By homeschooling Isabella am I removing the knowledge of where Isabella fits within the class ranking. At the moment Isabella will always be good at things because there are no children to compare her to. When is it healthy that activities stop being fun and start becoming competitive.? I really am not sure. A last thought, is it the parents that make everything competitive and not the children?

Living in London

I would love to hear from other people about their homeschooling experiences in different areas other than London. I believe we have everything on our doorstep in London, we have lots on offer but it does come at a cost. What is it like homeschooling in a village?

Have help!!

We have returned from our holiday slightly refreshed considering our six hour delay yesterday. We arrived home last night at 1am. This morning I awoke to the usual, a house that needed the womens touch! I have also been to work for two hours, unpacked, tidied and put on several washes. Now Isabella is playing with toys that she has not seen for ten days.

My point is that I am not wondermum but I did arrange for her to have a lesson this morning for two hours enabling me to keep my sanity. So my point is that you do not have to do everything yourself. Get help in when it is necessary and also if you can pay for someone to assist with the specialised subjects it helps you get some time back and helps your child to see a different face.

Miserable Mummy

Today I have felt miserable. It took my daughter to turn to me and say " Your not smiling much today Mummy" to snap me out of it. I suppose I should be grateful that it wasn't the other wa round " Your smiling today Mummy!" I think I have been feeling funny knowing that we are going home tomorrow. It is a shame because the weather is so wonderful, you can't help but wake up with a smile on your face.

My passion is my job

I am lucky that I have been able to turn my passion into a job, my drama, my writing and acting. All I can hope is that Isabella ends up going to work and loving it as much as I do.

Going back into the norm!

This doesn’t mean to say that we are abnormal in homeschooling but the fact is, it is not the norm. So when Isabella does return to school, will she find this transition difficult. Is she not going to be trendy enough, know the right music, or wear the right clothes in order to fit in. I think being different and independent is important but when you are at school it is hard if you can’t fit in. I am hoping because we are young parents this won’t be a problem, I remember school as if it were yesterday. We have to take this responsibility seriously.

Ten days

We have been able to work so hard all week due to no other distractions. It will be different when we come back to England as I have work and Isabella has all her activities. I think the year is going by too quickly. We are looking forward to going home and seeing Charlie for lunch during the week as he has not seen Isabella for ten days. I also have my mother coming to stay whilst I work for a charity. My mother is brilliant with Isabella and will have already planned some amazing art activities. There is also the education event on at Olympia on Friday which we will pop along to. Then Isabella is filming this weekend. So back to a very busy week.

Rhymes and songs

Rhymes and songs.

Just a tip to help children learn how to spell. If you create a rhythm for words like RIGHT sounded out as R-I-G-H-T phonetically and spoken quite fast, it means they will pick it up quicker, you can then do the same with doubt D-O-U-B-T, Ought O-U-G-H-T and could C-O-U-L-D.

Also “because” is spelt using big elephants can always understand small elephants. Also beautiful is Mr b Mr e Mr a u t Mr I Mr f u l and difficulty is Mrs d Mrs I Mrs ffi Mrs c Mrs u Mrs lty.

Experiences before the age of 7.

What is it that makes a person who they are? I think for women and men it’s a very different journey. So I wonder if I had a boy would I have home schooled him? I can’t answer the question because I don’t have a son, but if the circumstances had been the same then maybe we would have chosen home schooling.

So far Isabellas experiences have been phenomenal and she is a very lucky lady. Which makes me then question what my point of being on this planet is? Was it to reproduce and have my daughter and show her everything that is available to her using all the experiences I had and didn’t have. The path of life is a funny thing. Is Isabella going to end up being a mum, if yes then I hope she will have experienced a huge amount that she can pass on to her children. If not and she wants a career, then I hope it might be a career in something that she has experienced from her childhood and been able to continue as her passion. Whichever journey she chooses, I know it will be based on her experiences from her childhood.

Thinking too much!

I think my problem at the moment is that I am thinking too much! This may shock some people who know me! It’s true, I am spending so much time worrying about whether home schooling is right or whether this is actually our ideas being forced on Isabella, (when she was perfectly happy at school.) Then I keep remembering why we made this decision in the first place and all the positive effects it is already having on her. I think I will need to take the signs from Isabella, if she is unhappy or becoming socially quiet then we need to relook at our decision. For now I have full belief in what we’re doing. (In two years time I will let you know whether it was the right decision)

Have I actually done anything.

I watched The Pride of Britain Awards last night on holiday and cried throughout. I don't think I could have felt more inadequate than I did at the end of it. I can't believe people can go through so much and still come out being so positive. It made me realise even more how I must enjoy my daughter and not get stressed by the little things like, we have not done enough work today or she didn't do something first time. Our time together is so precious because you never know what is around the corner.

Yesterday.

Yesterday I was a horrible mummy! I lost the plot and got very cross because my daughter wouldn't do what I wanted her to do. I wanted her to play in the sea and take photos with her underwater camera. She wouldn't get in because she said it was too cold ( it was bloody freezing!) But I told her she had too. What right do I have to force my daughter to do something when she has made a fair choice not to. This was a huge lesson for me in understanding that she is developing into her own person with her own character and her own choices.

WOW!

A light bulb moment!

We have had a wonderful day today and I wanted to share it, but then I thought why would you be interested in the following: She got in the very cold swimming pool and swam, also she has played tennis with a group of spanish children all speaking Spanish and no English for one hour. This is only interesting to me as her mother. So it made me realise why I get so excited about things she does and why I want to share them. It is not because I think she is any better than any other child or more capable, it is just that that moment is so precious to me as a mother. Do you remember the first time your child walked or talked, were you there? This is the same, instead of her being at school and the teachers seeing the firsts of everything, I get to be there and see her firsts!

For the moment I want to be there for as much as I can when she does things, so that I can be part of that memory, sooner or later she won't want me there any more, so I am going to grab those moments whilst I can.