Hampton Court House

This french speaking school in Bushy Park are offering part time school and flexi school. see www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk

the letter from the council

Only a year and a half too late. The council have written asking me if I am homeschooling Isabella?

Flexi school

Children will be able to go to school part time under plans unveiled by Ed Balls last week. As long as they still recieve a good education. What is good? I believe it is suitable to your childs and families needs, you have freedom and flexibility to teach whenever and however you want to. I do wish we had abit more support from the education system though.

Homeschooling article

In Angels and Urchins issue Autumn, there is a fab article about homeschoolers. We are on the increase, people are making more choices about their childs education. Also I am following homeschooling on Twitter.

The tutor

We are still having Katie our fantastic tutor twice a month, this is really helping teach Isabella the techniques that I might not know exist these days. I also feel it is important that we are still doing lots of extra curricular activities as well. We have so many amazing places on offer around us in London, our aim is to make the most of all the free galleries and museuma. Angels and Urchins is a fab magazine with lots of interesting things for you to do and see. Try the Autumn issue.

September

Well, we have hit September with our feet barely touching the ground. Isabella has been to lots of auditions and got a couple of them. Clubs are back up and running and filming is still taking place. It is not any harder or easier homeschooling. It is still fun and we are still please with our decision to take some time out. Isabella has three schools that we are considering for the year 3 intake. Lady Eleanor Holles, all girl private, Hampton Court House private flexi school and St Marys the local state school. We are going to try all three and see what we think. The other thing to consider is that we might move. So we may move to another part of England or another country. I think it is important for everyone to try different cultures. So a very exciting time for all of us.

The next school year

Lots of wonderful things planned for the next few weeks, lots of filming, a trip to Buckingham Palace and the butterfly Kingdom. Theatre trips to The Lion King and also other shows. Off to Roald Dahl museum and lots of art galleries.

Hampton Court House

Have just been for an interview and meeting with Hampton Court house. They are interested in starting part time or flexi learning for homeschoolers. It sounded very intriguing. Not sure if it is right but good to have options. All mothers are meeting to discuss this further.

Charity concert and swim

Isabellas riding teacher has had everything stolen, all her saddles etc. She wanted the children then to try and raise money to buy some new ones. So Isabella did a concert infront of 26 family and friends. She raised £300. This ma sounds like an easy thing for Isabella to do but she is incredibly shy when performing live. She gets very nervous so was a huge feat for her. She also raised money by taking part in a sponsored swim. She swam 4 big lengths (without any help).

Filming in Belfast

We have had lots of filming for Green Balloon Club over the past two weeks as well. Lily Roses garden and singing for two new songs. On Saturday we head off to Belfast for nine days of filming in Belfast zoo. The GBC team get to be zookeepers. Another amazing experience.

Adverts

Since we arrived back from America, Isabella has had three auditions for adverts. A dettol one, a hobbycraft one and today was an infomerical. She got the Dettol one, was recalled for Hobbcraft and we won't hear about the third one till later in the month. She has really come on in confidence though and you can see how the NYC course has really developed her personally.

The last few weeks

well, our feet have not touched the ground. NYC was fab, hot but amazing experience. Isabella met some wonderful people and has lots of new penfriends now. Each day consisted of us walking from 79th down to 43rd, she scootered and rollerbladed through central park. Then she started each day at 12 till 9pm. I hung around and used the internet or went shopping and Isabella made some lovely friends and met lots of agents. The parents also had classes to help with the industry. These were very useful.
Since we got back, Isabella has been on lots of fab courses. As I have said before due to Isabella not attending school, the holidays is when she meets friends on courses. Orleans House Gallery Art Course was wonderful. Gymnastics for the week was great and Sylvia Young theatre school was also fab. That consisted of lots of different classes.

Now it is tennis, there is another cute little boy called patrick and so him and Isabella are hanging out together.

Leaving for NYC

We leave for NYC in two days. We can't wait. Isabella has her acting course and they also have lessons for parents to help them in the industry. We have playdate arranged with her penpal. We are also going to see Wicked on Broadway, again!

Will let you know how it all goes.

The States

So far it is all going well. Isabella is up every morning for one hour doing maths, english and reading. I have also found a great new Key stage 1 book about science. Then we have been off seeing so many different places. Greenfield, the Henry Ford open air village. New Salem, again another open air village. You get to try school in the olden days, food, the childrens games etc. Isabella has also been fishing most mornings with her Barbie rod. Also experiencing going out to restaurants each night and trying differnt food. The most amazing thing was visiting The Arch in St Louis, we learnt all about Lewis and Clark the explorers. I love learning with her.

Dream catcher media

This is a course run locally in Richmond. The children get to create, direct and edit there own film. It sounds amazing. Isabella is on it all week.

Off to the states

All set for three weeks in the states. Isabella has been invited to do an acting course there. So it is travelling to see family for two weeks and then 10 days in NYC. Isabella is very excited.

The Femine Mistake by Leslie Bennets

Reading this book has so far given me a lot to think about especially when rasing little girls. Its all about being prepared in life to make your own money and not rely on a man. It may sound like common sense but as the book explains, lots of women give up their careers to have children and be at home and then when the husband leaves them, they have nothing. It gives a strong sided opinion for women to stay at work and not be stay at home mothers. I am only on chapter 5 so am interested to see what the outcomes are of the working mothers versus the stay at home mothers. Whether you can have both. I will update as I read more.

More filming

More filming, which is wonderful, can't believe they are still wanting to film more with Isabella. So we are still working on work books each day for an hour or so and still off travelling lots and inbetween filming series two Green balloon Club. We are still with the most wonderful team.

Raising girls

Have just read raising girls, a brilliant book. A real insight into how little girls feel and how one should treat them. The constant theme was self esteem and how important influences of both parents are in their life. It was a real eye opener and i am going to keep it to reread the section on puberty when it happens.

Ready for The States

We have to start thinking about New York and Chicago now, there is so much to arrange, the most important thing is a playdate with her american penpal that we met last time we were there. They have been emailing each other lots and we intend to get together lots.

Spain

It is time for Spain again. It always gives us lots of time for reflection when we are here. The day to day activities stop and we are able to try lots of new things. We are away with Isabellas cousin so there is so much playing going on all the time, it is wonderful. We have been on the beach and swimming lots, the fresh air is wonderful.

A routine

We are in a routine of sorts but not necessarily an academic one. I feel there is so much to offer children at all levels of living. We are looking into a sewing and knitting club also cooking. I could do with these life skills!

A change in legislation

I think it is terrible that no-one in a whole year has come to me to find out if my daughter is alive still. It would be lovely to feel there was a stronger support network provided with free resources etc. The trouble is if the councils start to get involved all common sense will be lost and they will have a right over parents decisions. That does not make sense. I believe I have the right as the parent to make decisions over how and what I teach but to have guidelines and help would be brilliant.

The holidays

With the holidays just around the corner. I have been finding out the best courses to go on. As a home schooler this is the time when I feel it is important for Isabella to mix lots. So other children recover from the term we are ready to play.

Richmond Business School are running a film editing and directing course all throughout the summer.

Dukes Meadow are offering golf and tennis throughout the summer.

Orleans House Gallery offer art courses for three weeks.

Sylvia youngs is offering a drama course

Richmond Gymnastics association offering gym course for the summer

All museums and Southbank areas have various activities for free on.

Things do seem to cost quite a bit however there are a number of cheaper options like Larks in the Parks around Richmond offering theatre outdoors.

Have fun this summer.

My job

It is getting harder working more and being with Isabella. But I wouldn't change it for the world. Filming commitments have really been so heavy over this year, it would have meant too much stress for us all if we hadn't taken this decision. I can't believe it has been a whole year though. Some people were very concerned with our decision. For me it has gone too quickly. We have all learnt so much about ourselves. There is still so much to learn and do. The next year will be even more exciting.

Places to visit

We are ticking off a few countries, Italy is next maybe in September. Then we have to prepare for a school exam in January. I believe in choices and so if Isabella tries for this school and gets in, we then have a choice with what we do September 2010. I still know there are lots of museums and galleries in London we still haven't visited. The Roald Dahl one is our main focus.

Summer Camps

There are so many wonderful things to do in our area in the summer. Due to Isabella not sociallising as if she were at school, the holidays are an important time for us to be with other children. Almost as if it were out term. SO we have booked Chicago and New York for three weeks. Then Orleans House Gallery have an amazing art course for the week. Then a week on a gymnastics course, run by Richmond Gymnastics association. Followed by a week of Tennis camp and the Golf camp at Dukes Meadow in Chiswick. Then I hate to think it but the summer hols will be over.

Life time experience

I can't explain how phenomenal this experience is. Isabella is working all day yet is seeing Seals, beautiful waterfalls, ponytrekking up mountains and visiting castles with amazing people and seeing things in a very different way. This is the best half term ever! I have no doubt that homeschooling at the moment has been the best decision I have ever made.

The crew

There are so many people needed to make this small childrens programme. The cost has had to be kept to minimum. It has still cost a lot but not compared with dramas or documentarys. We are all staying in hotels and hopefully able to experience them when we are not filming!

Isle of Arran

We have arrived in Glasgow. Fortunately we have not had school this week as it has been soooo busy. Isabella had her tutor on Monday and then filming at the flower show on Tuesday. Playdates on Wednesday and then Filming for a new programme on Thursday and an audition. Today we flew at 8.30am to Glasgow and now we are waiting for the ferry to take us to Isle of Arran. We are here for ten days filming. The Green Balloon Club go on holiday. Pony trekking, rock pooling, walking. Amazing experiences for a very lucky young lady.

Chelsea Flower Show

Off on the train at the moment. had a very busy few days. Off to the flower show today. Trouble is it is raining, never mind. I am writing this live on the train with a new computer and 3 internet stick. It is all very exciting. Filming all day. If you want to catch up on more of the things Isabella and I are up to. You can now go on to our twitter account under the name minx100 also two new blogs www.tweetschool.blogspot.com

Enjoy

Head shots

Had latest headshots taken for Isabella, they are so cute. Lets hope this year brings lots more exciting ventures. So far it has been an amazing year for both of us.

The poetry library

South bank has an amazing poetry library on third floor. Special childrens area. We spent over an hour there just reading poems. There is so much in London, we still haven't found it all.

Illustrations

Isabella is going to illustrate my childrens book and we are now making them a joint venture.

more filming

We are filming about Lily Roses garden on Thursday and then ten days on the Isle of Arran. I am worried it is going to be very wet and cold. Oh well fresh air never hurt anyone. We really couldn't have fitted school in this week. We are staying in a hotel for ten days so should be interesting!

Chelsea Flower show

Tuesday Isabella is filming with Alan Titchmarsh at the flower show. She is so into gardening. Bizarre as I just am not into it at all. I am trying though.

South bank

We have been to one of the many South Bank events today. It was a day of trying instruments and circus acts. Then the London Philharmonic Orchestra played. We saw Poi there. Lots of people recognised Isabella, still very surreal. Especially as Isabella is just not bothered. Also she played the harp and ended up performing a duet to a large group of people. She loved it, such an amazing instrument.

Tweeting

Wow so much has happened over the last week. Twitter has taken over my life! Isabella and I have become obsessed with this new way of communicating.

Time sharing

As I am now trying to work much more on various things lie my books, have a life and look after Isabella and educate her, I am having to really reschedule things. My time is very precious and so I am having to re-think how we run our day to day life. Hopefully the pink laptop that I have bought will help!

Bank Holiday

TheIsle of Wight was our destination for the bank holiday. It was lovely. The highlight was the miniature village. It was amazing.

School subjects

When I run my own school these are the core subjects:

Magic,
Cooking,
Sewing,
Gardening,
Science,
The Arts.

I wish I was at that school.

The cool head company

Try this amazing new company for children or women. It is based on finance and maths that is relevant to day to day living. Schools are loving them and I know when the time is right we will be on a summer course with them. Maths but fun....brilliant idea!

No more SATS

Sats will be stopped next year for older children and hopefully year after for the year 2's. This is a brilliant decision. I hope that children can now have a bit more freedom at school and not feel like they are being tested at every opporunity. Homework has also been on the agenda in most schools as a bone of contention for some parents. Some believe children have too much and others not enough. I think as I have said before that the whole structure of a school day should be altered anyway and there should be shorter more frequent holidays. Homework should be fun and set in a totally different way. Hands on visits to galleries and museums with parents should be more frequent as well.

Cooking with Granny

Isabella spent the day cooking with her granny the other day when I had to work away. Banana cake galore! Also made a decision on Friday that instead of spending the day working on Isabellas work we would go and visit family. So she spent a wonderful day on the farm with lambs, a foal two days old and her two year old cousin. They had a brilliant day. I was worried about the decision I had made but am now sure that it was the right one.

Lots of research

My book is at the stage now of a mock up. This needs to be finished in a couple of weeks. I am spending the days working on it with Isabella and she is designing covers and illustrating things for me. It is a very special project for us both.

May Fayre

A wonderful day at the May Fayre. It was very busy, but the children loved it. Face painters, rides, candy floss, ice cream and shows. Thus resulting in very tired over excited children.

Technology

I have joined Twitter now, I am minx100. I have no idea how it all works. The worrying thing is that Isabella knows more about twitter than I do. She understands how to do things with technology that I can't grasp. She also wants a twitter account. This is obviously not going to happen.

A question from a Mother

A mother the other day asked me if she should home school and how she would do it. I told her to do it is easy, you just tell the school that you are leaving. But if you are wanting to home school then you need to make sure you are fully prepared and have a support network near you. There are lots, just look in local family magazines. Also decide why you want to homeschool as there has to be a reason. Then if you are ever doubting yourself, this will remind you why you did it in the first place.

Growing up so quickly

I can't believe that it is coming up to nearly a year since we decided to remove Isabella from school. So much has happened and changed and developed. It has been the most wonderful year. We still have not done all the brilliant things that we wanted to do. So next term from September we are restructuring our timetable. There will be less activities in the week so that we can have at least two days off to go to museums and galleries. We still haven't made it to the Roald Dahl museum which we are desperate to go to.

Day to day

The day to day stuff is going very well still at the moment. We seem to have reduced any stress to nothing and are still achieving everything we wanted to. At tennis today we met a little girl that is 9 and she is training to become amazing at tennis. She is lovely and her parents are lovely as well. It is interesting to meet other very driven, focused parents but yet coming from a different proffession.

The Baftas

I went to the BAFTAS the other night. It was brilliant. I saw Isabellas director from Enid Blyton film and the little girl Ramona who she acted with. It was a wonderful event and met some very interesting people in the industry.

Off to Scotland

Green Balloon Club have now finished filming episodes and we will be working on one off specials. The next one is a trip to Scotland where the GBC team go on holiday. 10 days away filming. What fun.

A complete sort out

Spring is the time to clear out, so I have put all of our art things into the garden so that we can make and paint and draw etc in the garden. I just hope this weather continues.

Isabellas opinion

A friend of Isabellas asked her if school with her Mummy was hard. Isabella replied " Well its funny because we do work but I don't know that we're doing work as Mummy makes it fun!"
If I could have come up with an answer myself it would not have been as good as that.

Lots more home schoolers

There seems to be a huge amount of home schoolers that we are finding accidently now. It is always lovely to meet likeminded parents. The main issue they all seem to have though is, other peoples opinions. Isn't it strange how some people are so set in their ways they can't seem to do anything different. We should all be a little bit more understanding of peoples individual decisions.

Most amazing weather.

Now it feels like summer has arrived already. There are so many amazing places to visit and things to do outside. I just want to be outside everyday. Isabella and I are attempting to grow our own vegetable patch. I am no expert and Isabella has learnt lots from Gardeners world so far, so we may be able to produce something!

Gardening Club

Kew Gardening club is looking for more children. Every Tuesday from 4.15-5.30pm Kew Gardens £25 for the term. An adult has to stay but the child gets to plant things and learn all about growing vegetables etc. Please come if you can.

Mummy Daddy dilemma

It is always so difficult for children to know who to listen to. I spend all hours with Isabella and then when Daddy comes in and changes things it can be quite disruptive. It is very important to remain united when it is relevant but also to be flexible. Basically I am saying take each incident on its own merit and see what happens. None of us have all the answers, although I do have the odd friend who thinks they do! Parenting is soooooo tough. But Iwouldn't change it for the world.

New horizons

Green Balloon club stops filming in a week. It then all changes and the team go away on holiday together. The studio is being put away and the whole programme gets repeated with the children doing specials.

Isabellas article

Isabella wrote an article for First news and it has just been published, this week. Please do read it.

Being abroad

It is lovely being away from home as life does seem to slow up slightly. However wherever you are you can't help but get into a routine. Routines are very good for children and even though life is very different over here, we have created a lovely pattern in our day.

Adverts

We have a TV in Spain which is lovely. The only trouble is I didn't realise how receptive children are to adverts! To quote Isabella " Mummy why don't we use finish (in our dishwasher)" To which I replied " Why?" Her words were " Well Mummy its amazing how youthink your pots are clean but acually they are not and finish gets to work on them even more!"

Incredible

Back in Birmingham

We have flown in from Spain today to stay for two nights in order to film for Gardeners world tomorrow. It is such a lovely programme and Isabella is planting tomatoes among other things. It feels surreal to be back for such a small amount of time.

A new precedent has been set

In an area of Kent a family have decided to remove their children from school. This is due to the fact that the school has let the children down. There are too many in the class and the children are not benefiting at all. The parents have taken them out and are now home schooling them. They have asked the council for a grant to do this and have been granted a large amount of money for the years out of the school system. I hope other councils may feel like this as well. This is a huge break through for someone like me and I hope it means other people will realise that they have a choice as far as education is concerned.

Lessons so far

If I could offer any advice to anyone thinking about home schooling their child. So far this is what I would say.

Try and have a strong support network around you, friends or family.
Think about planning your year roughly.
Be prepared for negative comments as well as positive ones.
Relax, learn to relax and realise their are no time restraints or terms to stick to.
Think about why you have chosen to do this and believe in yoru decision as a parent.
Take photos or video footage, this time never comes back

Enjoy

Calmed down

Everything really has calmed down now, as far as everyones opinions to do with home schooling are concerned. We are in a lovely routine and really enjoying each others company. My work is going well and I feel able to go off and do this without feeling guilty that I am not doing enough with Isabella. The only thing we need to fit in more is seeing family. Where is the time going. I can't believe it is April already.

Publisher

I am meeting with a publisher again about something slightly different but along similar lines to my last books so fingers crossed.

Tutor

The tutor is working out very well and just means that Isabella is still learning the things tha school would be teaching her if she was still their, leavingme time to contine having fun with her and goin on lots of adventures.

Advert

I hope everyone has enjoyed Isabellas advert! She is filming Gardeners World in Birmingam on Tuesday. They are using Lily Rose to try and introduce gardening etc to the young and their parents and schools. I hope it works.

Teaching is instinctive

I can't help it, I am a teacher and will always be one. I want to teach, I enjoy teaching. The funny thing is Isabella is already becoming a teacher. She was reading Fantastic Mr Fox to a friend and came across a word that the little boy may not know and proceeded to stop and say, " Do you know what a flask is?" She then explained this to him. Then continued to read. It was wonderful.

Evidence enough

Coming back from riding the other day,Isabella said to me " Mummy when I have my children I want to home school them"
That is evidence enough that she is happy.

On holiday

Firstly going on holiday with friends can be a risky business. I have learnt this the hard way in the past. I have a very definite way that I do things and bring up my daughter. When you go on holiday you have to think about other people and so for Isabella and me to change our routine can be difficult. However we are away at the moment with a very good friend and her two boys. I cannot tell you how wonderfully well it is going. I am still able to have my routine as well as ensure everyone is happy and feeling relaxed. What is wonderful though is that this friend admires what I do with Isabella and understands our routine is there and can see the benefit of it to Isabella.

Bliss.

Sleep

I am dreading the clocks changing mid filming on Sunday. I am pleased our evenings get longer but I hope she doesn't get too tired. She has been sleeping quite badly recently due to wanting to get up and play all the time. She has this passion for life and unfortunately this means sleep and eating come very low down the scale. I am constantly trying to explain she needs both to be able to enjoy life.

Art

We had the most wonderful day in the garden two days ago. We took out seven canvases and I gave Isabella big tubes of paint and said go for it. What was interesting was that she wanted to be precise with her drawings and draw flowers etc. So to get her out of her comfort zone I told her to just splodge and make shapes and try different techniques with the different brushes. She found this very hard at first because children are always being told to be neat and stay in the lines etc. However when she realised she could do whatever, it really started working. She realised nothing was wrong and she could do anything.

They look like they are amazing pieces of modern art.

You can't change your children

I have a friend who has a child that is amazing at art. She is naturally gifted but the mother is not keen on her doing art. However we can't change our children and I believe if they have a natural skill then we need to go with it and feel proud of what they are good at. Whatever your child is good at, this should be celebrated. I know Isabella at the moment is never going to be a mathematician. So I am making sure she continues to use that skill but it is not a priority. A book I have been reading says children have skills in such different areas and we should celebrate their individual skills much more even from a young age as opposed to pushing them to do every subject if they are just not good at it. This does not mean however you stop them from doing science or maths! Just take the pressure of those subjects slightly.

Gardening club at Kew

I think this is a wonderful idea and wish garden centres did this everywhere. There is a gardening club at Kew and it is for children to nurture their skills that may already be there or to learn new skills. I am hopeless at gardening and can't wait for Isabella to be able to be among like minded people. She has an interest in it that is just naturally there.

The tutor

We have found a wonderful tutor called Katie, who is coming in just to put my mind at rest and make sure Isabella isn't slipping too far behind with her school work. She comes in twice a month at the moment and works on Maths and English. There are just some things that I don't know enough about and if Isabella is to head back into education (whenever that may be) I feel it is very important she keeps up to date with the curriculum.

Not ending

Hopefully The Green Balloon Club won't be stopping filming. Even though they are just going to repeat it, they are interested in doing some big one off specials. It will be very sad when we leave the studio for the last time in a month. It has been such a big part of our lives for a year. I do not know where that year has gone.

Filming today

We are off today to film with BBC with Helena Bonham Carter. We are both very excited to be experiencing something different. It will be interesting to see if things are done in a very different way to The Green Balloon Club.

Times Tables mobiles

Get some metal coat hangers and attach in a mobile way with strings, numbers.
Choose the times table you want your child to learn and then only attach the numbers in the times table to it. Get you child to colour them in and cut them out. So if it was the 2 times table you would just have a mobile with the numbers 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24 hanging down. The idea is that your child gets to visualise the numbers in a fun way and will then without realising it recognise which numbers belong to which times table.

Not just us

When you read my blog, there may be moments of " gosh I would never do that with my child." However the other day when speaking to a mother about what Isabella does, this mother stated "But does Isabella enjoy it, does she want to do it." Then when returning the conversation to her daughter it transpired that " We would like her to be in the Olympics next, she is so good at Gym and has a natural talent." Do you know what, I agree, her child is very good at Gym etc. My point is that this mother did not see that she was doing the exact same things with her child yet in a different medium. So I ask everyone who sits there in a judging way to actually look at what it is they want for their children and even though it may be different, deep down there are the same underlying themes. We all want them to do well and succeed in something they enjoy doing, we are just choosing different avenues and skill sets that our child has.

Enid Blyton

I am so proud of Isabella, she got a part in a ALDI Easter advert the other day which I believe is on TV at the moment. She has also just been given a small part in a BBC drama with Helena Bonham Carter all about Enids life. It is Isabella and Isabella alone that gets these parts, I do not have enough contacts to arrange this. She works hard and understands what this means if you do. She loves what she does and is experiencing something so amazing. We are very lucky to have also worked with some wonderful producers and directors, ones that are kind and thoughtful. I get to chaperone her on each trip and therefore can protect her from anything innappropriate (Not that there has been anything yet.) I also get to be part of her amaing experience which she writes about.

March Already

I actually can't believe it is March already. Where has the year gone. I can't wait for this time of year. It is the most wonderful time to just be outside and enjoy the world. I think the biggest difference in our lives so far from home schooling is the feeling of freedom. This morning, Isabella is sitting in my bed reading outloud some of her favourite books: Charlie and Lola. I am going off to work and she has a tutor coming in for two hours. This is instead of a babysitter! Then we have all afternoon at a playdate. What a wonderful day. Don't get me wrong though, there are still difficult days when maybe I am tired but generally we are both much more relaxed and really looking at things in different ways. It is a very weird feeling when something so regimental is removed from your life.

School places

Another article has come out, all about the lack of school places for five year olds in the next six years. I find this information very worrying and also enlightening. Do we not feel that it is therefore time for a change with an alternative being offered. We need a more holistic approach to education. We need to educate both children and parents. This could be the most perfect time for education to change and become interesting and part of our lives not that thing that runs our lives.

Paris

We have just returned from a four day tour of Paris. It was wonderful being with my mother and Isabella. We did all the touristy things: Eiffel Tour, Pompidou Centre, Le Louvre, Boat Trip and Notre Dame. We had the most beautiful weather as well. I won't pretend that I am the one that knows everything in order to teach Isabella. I often find that I didn't learn anything from school. The most exciting thing about our trips though is that we learn together. Also it does help having a mum that worked in a school and knows all sorts of things from History to Geography to Maths etc. We really had a fantastic time and can't wait to go back.

Me time

I have really understood the importance of me time. For everything to work well and for us to remain happy and independant this is essential. I always felt guilty with her being at school, that we didn't see each other enough or do enough together and now we can, I appreciate the time I have off so much more and do so much more with it. So that when we are together it is still fun and loving. It is a very difficult balance to get but I think we have worked it out.

Spring is here

With spring just around the corner I feel there are all sorts of opportunities arising. I am now appreciating even more the time with Isabella and how quickly it is going. I can't believe we will have been out of school for two terms. I do not know where it has gone. Everything has really started to fit together well. My work and her learning, our playing and her playing, family time and friends time. The pressure is off us and therefore we are enjoying life so much more yet also being productive. We are off to Paris on Thursday and as the song says " I love Paris in the spring time!"

Narrow mindedness

It is astounding as to how many people still comment in a negative way on the choice that we have made to home school our daughter.

Having had a couple of very busy weeks of filming and work etc it is still apparent to us that it was the right decision for us to take. We are very lucky that Isabella has just auditioned for a part and been succesful in getting a part that is working alongside Helena Bonham Carter. The experience she will gain from this is amazing. She has also just participated in a radio programme. At the moment Isabella is still enjoying everything she does so we will continue with our way until she lets us know that she is unhappy.

The Richmond Magazine

I have just read a wonderful article in this magazine all about home schooling.

There are over 0,00 children in the UK who are home schooled
There are between 500-1000 in surrey

It is refreshing to read an article that is so positive towards home schooling.

A youth theatre for everyone

There should be a free youth theatre for every town. Everyone could be involved and this would keep children of all ages off the streets! I just haven't figured out how this is funded yet!

Sex education

The other headline hitting the news at the moment is once again about sex education. When is it right to introduce your child to this. I don't have an issue with school telling my child about sex. I have an issue with them telling her about lots of things. The trouble is school puts everyone in the same zone. One child might be ready to hear about sex, another might not. Just because they are in the same year does not mean they are all ready at the same time to hear this information. Everyones child is different and the trouble with school is that it pigeon holes everyone. Everyone is expected to learn everything at the same time. I believe this is wrong. I think it is the parents that should be having extra lessons and advice on how to teach their children. Parents are the ones that need to start taking more responsibility for their children. I am obviously talking about a minority of parents that leave their children to fend for themselves. The trouble is this minority is getting bigger. It is up to us as the parents to help our children see what is right and wrong.

National Testing

Have you seen all the articles recently about National tests and that teachers and the government are arguing about whether they should be removed. My opinion, having read all the articles on the tests, is that school basically stops when tests occur. This is due to the fact that teachers have no other time to fit in other lessons and these tests take over. It also stated that other lessons such as history and geography and the arts are actually being forgotten about. There is not enough time to fit everything in.

So far though nothing has actually been sorted. I won't hold my breath.

The youngest golfer

There was a report in First News about a young golfer Rory McIlory. The 19 year old told First News how he believed that becoming the youngest golfer ever to enter the worlds top 50 was all down to his parents, how they've been the best parents in the world. He states they obviously wanted him to succeed through all their hard work and determination. People believe that it is down to alot of luck that people get where they are today. This is not the case, it is down to hard work and determination from parents and the child themselves. I ask the question what is so wrong in wanting this for your child if your child wants it too.

There were several children at The Tennis Academy today in Richmond that are homeschooled due to the fact that they aswell as their parents want them to be a success in the game.

I say Good Luck to them.

A very good day.

Today was brilliant, we have found an amazing tennis centre. I was able to play whilst Isabella had a lesson at the same time. Then the usual stuff and off to work. We had a wonderful time celebrating Shrove Tuesday. I need to research why it is called Shrove Tuesday and the meaning of the next few weeks. We are also going to try and give something up for Lent. Any suggestions?

Vomit from a bunk bed!

Isabella complained tonight of a tummy ache. I have therefore gone for the safe option of putting her in my bed, just incase she projectile vomits. As you can imagine this might not be a pretty sight!

A poorly friend

We have a friend at the moment who is dying of cancer. Death and illness is a very difficult issue to deal with. We all deal with these issues in different ways. An old friend of mine chose to tell her children about this illness and what was happening. I do not feel that this is necessary. I would not take my child at age 6 to a funeral but someone else might. This is what makes us all so interesting and different, seeing how we all deal with these situations differently. What it does make me do with Isabella is talk to her about how lucky and fortunate we are as a family to be be healthy and have so much. As long as she realises this and never forgets it then things can never be taken for granted.

I want to dedicate all my thoughts to my friend. xx

Strict

I am a very strict parent, I can't help it, it is a natural part of my parenting. However I saw a child the other day that was obviously not aware of even being told off and had no obvious boundaries. This child was behaving very badly and her mother could not cope with her and looked close to tears. All children need boundaries and once these are worked out it is amazing what can happen within them. This morning Isabella dealt with me very well! I was getting frustrated and so Isabella very calmly spoke to me and resolved the issues. Likewise this afternoon she got frustrated and we spoke about it and everything was resolved. Due to our understanding of boundaries and rules Isabella is a very thoughtful and kind young lady. At the moment what we are doing as parents is working out. I can't stress enough however though that in ten years time she might hate us and have a million piercings!! But that is life!

1,400

This is the number of people who have read my blog and I am averaging about 8 a day which isn't bad. I hope it is helping some people realise they have a choice in their childs future. We do not all need to follow the norm of school. In some countries children do not even go to school until they are 7/8. Who says what we do is right anyway. If you want to do something different don't be afraid to make that decision.

We are not perfect

This is a little message for all those mums out there who know they are not perfect but are trying their best. A very good friend of mine sent me a beautiful poem tonight all about Invisible mums and how we all put a huge amount of effort in to being a mum and don't expect anything back. We just do it because we love it. It is very hard work being a good mum. It is equally hard when we make mistakes, as long as we can realise our mistakes and realise we are not perfect but that we are doing our best. What more can our children ask for. So a slap on the back for all the mummies who read this and a huge well done.

Poetry Pie Launch

This was lovely, it was held at The South Bank and was attended by lots of children. It gave the children some brilliant ideas about writing poetry. They started with a favourite smell, a favourite food, a favourite place and a favourite sound. Then they put them all together in a poem.


My Favourite things by Isabella

I love the smell of Hyacinths, they smell like rosemary.
They look like earrings and droop so prettily.
My favourite food is salt and is crunchy like strawberry seeds,
You get it from the sea and it looks like crystal beads.
I love to go to London to see my Daddy for a cuddle,
He works for a company that is called Huddle.
I also love the sound of ants scuttling along the road.
They look like they're off to a ball to dance with a toad.

Paris

We are off to Paris with the granny soon. I read an article about Grannies not being as useful as child minders or nurseries. My mother is amazing with Isabella and although other grandparents might not be as proactive as my mother, the love that grandparents can give and knowledge should never be underestimated. I have seen some appalling nannies and therefore think it is unfair to say all grandparents are hopeless just as much as it is to say all nurseries and childminders are better. Everyone is different and each individual can bring something different to a childs life.

Work today

I have been able to work today and have planned meetings for tomorrow. It is surreal suddenly having a day spare when I have not had one for such a long time. It is still a lot of fun having Isabella off from school and we are both learning so much together.

We have decided to do some sewing. I am awful at this so we are going to learn together and make her doll some new clothes.

This could be a complete disaster or actually turn out OK!

4 days of filming

We have four days of filming coming up and are preparing for them each day. It is amazing how she remembers the lines. We try and do research around them so that she is able to talk more about the subject than is written down in the script. It also gives us a wonderful curriculum to follow.

Orleans Art Course

Today Isabella has been on an amazing art course. We try to do these every holiday. The Orleans Art Gallery run them once a week in the term time and for a couple of days in the holidays. They are such fun and the children come away with so many different things. Today they made aliens out of plaster of paris!

Happy Valentines Day

The first words uttered from Isabella this morning were "happy valentines day" I feel today I am very lucky to be waking up with a wonderful daughter who makes me proud of her everyday. I think Valentines day should be dedicated to everyone today and in the words of Isabella "Today is a day to love everyone" So to everyone who reads this and knows me I am sending you all huge love xx

Not enough time

I am still worrying about not being able to achieve everything we want to achieve in our year.It is amazing how quickly the time goes. I really appreciate the support my friends and family have given to us over this last year. Isabella is a very lucky young lady that is able to experience things that some people don't ever get to experience and is also surrounded by her loving family and friends. I hope to be able to go off next year as a family to somewhere that allows us to help other children who are less fortunate than Isabella. This will be another wonderful experience for her. As we all know some people can get taken up with the day to day things that aggravate them and maybe put too much time into issues that don't really need their attention when all over the world their are children that really need love and support from families that don't get it. If anyone has any particular charities or ideas that we can get involved with please let us know.

Roohoo Productions

A BBC producer has set up a company called Roohoo productions, she specialises in taking amazing videos of your child for a keepsake, they are not like normal and are an amazing thing to have done once a year or for a special occasion. If you tell her you got the info from me then you will recieve a 25% discount. Please google her. I know at least three of my friends have had them done and they couldn't be happier with the results.

Poetry Pie Launch

Poetry pie is a new programe starting on Cbeebies and they are launching it on Monday at the South Bank with a free event. It should be amazing. It starts at 2pm. Also all this week is the childrens festival at The Southbank with lots of free events.

Email address and penfriends

At the moment Isabella is collecting a couple of pen friends via writing letters and emails. It always astounds me how by just watching us or showing children once they suddenly know how to log on, type in passwords, get onto the internet etc etc becomes second nature to them.

Scripts

We have lots of scripts to learn at the moment for a four day shoot next weekend. five to be precise. They are so interesting though. They cover vibrations, foot prints, hyacinths and metamorphosis. Lots of work to cover so that Isabella understands what she is talking about.

A wonderful day

Friday was lovely and really reminded me why we are not at school. Having had a week in Spain and chilled out. It was lovely to come back to some brighter days. I dropped Isabella off at riding and then did the food shoping. Collected her two hours later and came home where she had her music lessons and then had a playdate. Altogether a lovely memorable day.

A play date

Isabella has a play date with one of the nicest friendliest children we have ever met. She has a whole day of playing. WhenI dropped her off I stayed for a coffee and then twenty minutes later the little girl came down and said " Isabella says please could Isabellas mummy go now"

Thats just how I like it!

A tennis academy

The great thing about living in London is that people are so much more open to doing different things. We visited a tennis pay and play area today which is amazing. A chap showed me round and he explained there is an elite academy for children who want to be tennis players professionally. The idea is that some children don't go to school becasue tennis is their thing and so they have an educational area where they all get together in the day and do school work. What an amazing life. To be able to grow up knowing that each day you can do what you love and not be restricted by school but make school part of it.

Science experiment

SNOW is brilliant for all sorts of teaching. We are going to make a snow picture, do a snow experiment and snow sculpting! We are off to watch nature in the snow!

Working well

This week we are off to Spain, hopefully! It will be our time to work and get all our bits done that we can't get done at home due to normal day to day stuff! I find I really look forward to this time out and getting away from it all. I think it is important that when you homeschool you have a place to go to have time out either from work or from the busy schedule of day to day routine.

A Purple Hat Day

Today is one of those very special days where we have a choice: either get stressed and try and get to work or remember what life is about and enjoy this weather! I call this my purple hat day based on a poem written by a lady who was dying from cancer. It is all about grasping opportunities and enjoying life when you can. Therefore if Isabella was at school today we would skive! We are going to do what children should do, build snowmen and have a snowball fight and sledging! I understand there may be important things to do today but really can't it wait!

ENJOY!!!!

The bigger picture

I believe that when you teach something you should always start with the end goal. SO when I teach money we start with a pound and work backwards. When teaching multiplication I automatically teach division. When teaching time I teach 5x table and North East South West. Everything we teach is connected, I think it is a good idea to teach everything together and to not make each subject feel like it is not connected to anything else.

Science is our english, maths, history and art all in one.

Pictures instead of numbers

At the moment Isabella and I are working on data analysis. It sounds much more complicated than it actually is. Basically what we are doing is going into town and asking people various questions. With that data she then turns it into a pie chart and a bar chart. Isabella loves doing this and it helps her to see the bigger picture of why maths is important. We are also working on comprehensions. So not just reading but being able to answer questions about what she has read.

Filming

We filmed all weekend and once again we were spoilt with being on such an amazing programme. Isabella made cards for Skipper and grew a hyacinth and took her first tooth in to be filmed.

Time to chill

We are really enjoying having time at the moment to see family and friends. I have seen a few mothers recently who are time short. I do feel for everyone in this modern society. It is so difficult being a good mum and fitting in everything we want to do with our children. We are going away next week for a week. I find this really helps reassess what we do with our days and ensures the normal things get put on hold for a few days and we have no time constraints.

Natures Playground

Did I tell you about this book, it is available from Great Little Trading company, it is beautiful and has lots of ideas about things to do outside. Also try The Busy Book.

Playdates

Please can we stop them for the moment, I am all playdated out! I was so worried about not seeing friends that we are both shattered from seeing so many! It is amazing how many playdates can be fitted into a week!

We will be having some quiet time next week after this weekend of filming. We also both need our holiday or some sun!

Filming

Only four more sets of filming until we have completed an entire year. We are both going to find this very difficult as Cbeebies have become almost part of our family. We have been so involved for such an important year of our lives. But I believe this year to be the best yet, so lets see what is around the corner!

Holidays/Excursions

We have lots planned now up until September. I don't like planning to far ahead as time moves too quickly anyway but we are both excited about our up and coming trips around the world.

2 mums in the library.

If people saw me on a day to day basis and followed us around I don't think it would be possible to imagine how much we do or manage to fit in to the day. On Wednesday we spent the day in the library as I feel it is good to work out of the home environment. We did Maths and English and learnt her scripts and read. There were two mums that came and spoke to us, both saying they couldn't home school. I told them it was very hard work but the rewards were amazing and it was great fun.

We do have our off days, we are both women! But we will remember these times. Even now I look back at photos from a year ago and realise how young she was and still is. I want to be able to enjoy every precious moment.

A thicket

I didn't even know Isabella knew this word! We walked past a big bushy tree filled area and she suddenly said "that is a thicket" It is amazing what they pick up from The Famous Five.

Am I doing enough

I still can't help but worry. Even though we are doing so many different things and Isabella is experiencing so much, am I forgetting to do anything? We have had a school friend over today and I worry that I am forgetting something important, she was telling me what they had done today at school and it was nothing overwhelmingly different. If we lived on a desert island I would never feel like this. I know that that is not possible, so I just have to keep believing in what we are doing.

Having time for yourself

Its not easy, it is hard dedicating every minute to your children. I can't believe how difficult it can be home schooling but I also know how rewarding it can be. When you experience your child understanding something because of you. It is better than any job satisfaction that I have ever experienced and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Chinese New Year

26th January is Chinese New Year. The Year of the OX so we are going to spend next week researching China and the country and language and food etc. We may even make a chinese dragon.

Difficult yet wonderful

Today was one of the weirdest days we have had so far. We achieved so much. We did three experiments about floating. We are learning about density. We read the First News, we learnt how to do Isabellas emails from her address. We learnt scripts and we did lots of English. We didn't go out and didn't have anywhere to rush too. However it was also a dificult day. It always takes Isabella a few minutes to get into the roll of work having had a few days off from sitting and writing. So today was no exception. Therefore I felt upset when she wouldn't get on with it. I have had lots of people say to me they would get frustrated with their child. I felt like that today. But there is nothing wrong with feeling like that. Isabella understood that what we were doing was fun and she realised how interesting it was to write it down. So after a rocky start. Our day went too quickly but very well.

Science

Science is not my forte, therefore tomorrow we are going to learn together. Science is part of our everyday lives so we are going to make it part of what we do everyday. Using the relevant terminology is crucial so I am hitting google tonight!

If you believe in what you are doing.

I still have negative responses from people when they know that I home school. All I can say is that if you truly believe in what you are doing for your children, whatever it may be. Carry on, you are doing what you believe is right and so in the future when your children are older, you can put your hand on your heart and say you did your best for them.

Day to day teaching

I am still working by the mantra of "day to day teaching in real life situations". So today before we had even arrived at Waterloo. Isabella had read two chapters of The Twits, completed her English book, then having arrived at work she wrote her thank you letters, then on the train back she completed her maths book. We really had a wonderful day where we both worked together and had fun together. Today was a perfect example of why I love being with my daughter.

Off to work

I have been working quite a bit recently and it has been quite hard to come back into January so full on. I am not complaining about having work though, especially in todays climate BUT I do need a holiday, it is so wonderfully intense when we are here. The only place where we truly stop is Spain. Isabella is busy with friends over the next couple of weeks as well. Sleep overs and playdates.

Roald Dahl museum

We are off to this next week, it sounds brilliant. Isabellas favourite book that she is reading at the moment is The Twits. These are so great for children, they are disgusting.

Skiing

Isabella has started skiing, due to us wanting to go this year. I am pleased we hadn't started skiing until we are able to actually go. Isabella loves it and is doing very well. (surprise, surprise, you say. I now I am the doting parent) My point is though that I am sure a sport such as skiing is good for children to learn at a young age, but not too young. Isabella is now at the age where she can listen to one on one coaching for at least an hour and can physically cope with it. I don't want Isabella to be scared of activites like skiing. (Unlike her mother!) I know she will be teaching me now.

A day with nothing organised.

This is my idea of heaven. We have a day that has become completely free. So we have alist of lovely things to do:

Learn the new set of scripts.
Write to First News, the childrens newspaper.
Look up the spelling bee in The Times.
Isabella has a new email address and so she is going to learn how to log on and send emails.

We also have things that we have been wanting to do for a few weeks, games and cooking. So tomorrow we will stay in our pyjamas and have fun!

Homeschooling groups

We have started meeting again and the people at this group are so lovely. They are very welcoming and really want the best for their children. It is great to meet different children and parents, it helps me to understand why people choose to home school. There are so many different reasons. We start filming again in two weeks and are really looking forward to it. I have sorted all the lovely things we will be doing over the next five months, organised around filming. I have a really good feeling about the next year.

The secret

This is the new book that I am starting this year. I have heard it is brilliant and a great way to help you get into positive thinking. I am trying to teach Isabella this positive mental attitude. I believe that from a young age if children start feeling positive and proud of what they do then they will continue to do this throughout life.

2nd Article

My 2nd article has been published. It is all about nursery education and the pros and cons of sending your child to a nursery or a childminder before you decide to homeschool your child. I love writing these articles and can't wait to write the next one.

Such fun

We started back at ballet today which was lovely. Isabella loves her friends and she already has several playdates booked in for the next couple of weeks. We have clubs starting again and it is back to a busy term. The focus this term will be continuing to build on mathematical and english skills as well as really starting to focus on science. Science in the world around us etc. There is another book from the Great Little Trading Company about nature walks. I can't wait to start.

Enjoy the moment.

Each day this year Isabella and I are going to talk about something we have achieved that day. It could be anything from learning a new word to helping someone that day. But we will talk about it and praise it.

The plan for the New Year

I have ordered a great book called 365 things to do with children. I am going to try and do one different thing each day. Also Isabella is helping me write my childrens books. This is going to be a good year for us. We have so many exciting things planned and I am very excited.

End of another year

Well it is the end of the year, the end of a term and the end of an amazing four months. I have experienced a mixture of comments over the last half a year. I can't quite believe how quickly it has gone. We have had huge highs and a couple of lows. The most important thing is that I have no regrets about our decision. Isabella has had a wonderful few months experiencing a huge number of different things, from people we have seen and met and places we have visited. We have connected as a family and been able to take time out as a family to enjoy life.