5 Practical Things I am Doing At The End Of The Home Ed Year To Prepare for the Next

It’s a must for me! There is something refreshing about clearing out excess and things we no longer need; it leaves me happier mentally and physically. Day-to-day is easier when everything has a place – things are quicker to find, pack away, and the day runs smoother.

I am far from a minimalist, but in her book, the AFROMINIMALISTS GUIDE TO LIVING WITH LESS, Christine Platt says,

“In addition to helping rid of excess, minimalism also empowered me to embrace radical re-imagining of home as a sanctuary. A place to unplug, rest, recharge, recenter, and recommit to my priorities and purpose…..and I remain intentional to ensure that my home only contains things that are necessary to sustain and bring me joy.”

“In addition to helping rid of excess, minimalism also empowered me to embrace radical re-imagining of home as a sanctuary. A place to unplug, rest, recharge, recenter, and recommit to my priorities and purpose…..and I remain intentional to ensure that my home only contains things that are necessary to sustain and bring me joy.”

I apply that same sentiment in prepping our home education spaces.

What is taking up space that no longer serves us in my son’s education?

What no longer brings him (or me) joy but can be passed on to another family?

We don’t need to have every new curriculum, toy, or resource out there – we will only keep things we need, use and love.

I didn’t have to think too much about dates when my two older boys attended a traditional school setting. There were constant emails, messages and letters coming home from school, so you couldn’t not know what was coming up. And if I am honest, I only really had to consider dates when arranging childcare or holiday travels during the school breaks. But it’s a different kettle of fish with home education. There is no school administrator to send you text reminders. I am the home education mum now; therefore, I am the administrator!

Now initially, you may think, well now that you are a home educator Shovorne, you can take breaks whenever you like, have holidays and travel when you like, and learn when and where you like. Life is learning, and learning opportunities are all around us, so why do you need to consider the school’s term dates and holidays, etc.

One reason is the services and events that are available. Most of the clubs we attend, like gymnastics, swimming, music and drama school, will open and close in line with the school dates. Most home-ed groups and get-togethers also close during the school breaks. So knowing those dates helps me plan.

Public services, like councils, libraries, youth and charity organisations, plus your museums, your sports clubs and all sorts of places, will hold special events, holiday clubs and activities during the school breaks for children – and many at reduced rates- so having these breaks identified in my diary is great for planning.

If you are looking for organisations that hold Home Education days and workshops, they are more likely to happen during the school day. This is how many organisations maximise use of their services and space by bringing in visitors and making money when many other children are in school. So if you want to attend some dedicated home education days, expect most to be scheduled during term time rather than school breaks.

And if you’re a parent who loves visiting parks, museums, and all your favourite attractions when it is quiet and not teeming with school kids, term dates matter. My friends and I are also trying to schedule a day to the museum when we know there are fewer crowds.

Whether you are travelling for a short holiday, or you live in various countries throughout the year, whether being a part of the culture is the learning, and take your curriculum wherever you go and do tabletop learning, whether you love structure or loathe it, we love that we can do home education anywhere in the world.

BUT we all know that travelling prices unfortunately skyrocket when children are on their school holiday, so being aware of term dates will give you more bang for your buck if you can travel when the children are in school.

I absolutely admire the “I can just wing it” group of home-ed mums that can just let each day do what it does – wake up at whatever time in the morning, and whatever happens happens. But my brain doesn’t work like that side of the camp, and neither does my son. And this is where phrases like “each to their own” must be a real practice, not just words, because what works for one family may not work for another, so it’s important to do what works for you. For my son and I, an element of structure gives us the perfect framework for joyful home education.

Having a plan does not mean you have to be totally rigid like a traditional school system (unless, of course, that works for you). You can have a plan and still enjoy flexibility in home education.

Digital plans don’t work for me; I am 100% a pen-and-paper type gal. In my home ed planner goes:

Term Dates

Public holiday dates

Special events and celebrations coming up – local and global

The subjects we are studying each week (and this can be each week depending on what else is happening)

Clubs and hobbies

Socials/Playdates/Time with extended family

Celebrations/themes/international days we are taking part in

What books we need from the library for all of the above

Planning ahead is important for the way my brain works. I would rather invest a week or two to plan the academic year, choose the curricula, resources, and clubs that suit my son, and put them into a termly schedule so we know what’s coming up. This doesn’t mean we can’t be flexible, and we might completely chuck the plan out the window on some days, but for me, preparation reduces some of the overwhelm.

You’ll be amazed how quickly time goes when your face is down in a phone screen. You plan to have a quick scroll, you check one notification, and 1 hour later, you’re deep-diving into a political rabbit hole because one of your favourite justice advocates has broken news of some crazy injustice or, on the kinder side of socials, the algo has decided to send you some new funny trend. Now you’re an hour deep in dancing cats.

And I confess! I’m guilty of it too! *Holds up hands*. Folder after folder of Pinterest-able crafts being done by adults in reels that will look completely different when done by my kid! But let’s be honest, whilst social media can be an inspiration for home ed, you haven’t used the 74 craft activities you already have saved in your Instagram folder, so it won’t hurt to miss a week of scrolling and seeing more of the same.

While I won’t be taking a complete break on all platforms, I will limit my usage during the last weeks of the summer holidays. This social media break is twofold: We are not meant to see everything the rest of the world is doing all the time.

Whether you suffer from F.O.M.O, seeing what everyone else is out and about doing, or you are overwhelmed by comparison and feeling like you haven’t got enough, or done enough, giving your brain an algorithm breather is a great way to get back to reality, be present and show gratitude for what is right in front of you. It’s a chance to make sure there are no distractions while you double down on investing your time where it really matters.

Second, cutting back on social media is a great way to quiet the outside noise when you are trying to rest. We’ve been gardening, travelling, seeing family and plenty of family day trips and to be honest, that’s all I want to do for the last week of the summer holiday – rest. Although I’m not rushing into a strict and inflexible schedule in September – we’ll be doing ‘Not Back to School Week’ with Twinkl – I still want a no-digital-distractions week, and that means limited social media for me.

Along with collecting sew-on badges, I make my son a scrapbook. We make so many fun crafts and go on so many fun trips and experiences; I love to stick them in a scrapbook. My son does a little “all about me” page for the front, and we begin to stick in things throughout the term – crafts, maps, artwork, leaflets, tickets, photographs, certificates and items from our seasonal display board. It’s such a cute way to revisit sweet memories at the end of the year.

And whenever you have that moment of doubt, “I’m not doing enough”, because it’s easy to forget how much work you put in as a home ed parent, they serve as a lovely reminder that you are doing OK. And for my son, he loves revisiting and chatting about his various trips and looking at photos with his friends.

As summer comes to a close and autumn draws nigh, I stick in the last few bits from our summer adventures and grab a new scrapbook ready to hold the wondrous mementoes of our new home ed year that is yet to come.