First Day of Home School 2021

This year I have one teen in work and living away from home, happy in his job as junior worship pastor.

Our eldest twin is starting art university – Lillie received a distinction in her Foundation diploma which along with her diploma in Photography gave her the equivalent UCAS points to three A* A Levels! We were so proud as it was under very difficult circumstances with Charlotte’s ill health, COVID-19 and lockdown. She will be doing a degree in Graphic Design with the intention of doing a Masters afterwards in Art Therapy. Her long term goal is to work with traumatised children as an art therapist:

Lillie has made the decision to stay at home this year to be close to Charlotte.

Charlotte is studying for her degree from home. Unfortunately her health is such that going away to uni would be too hard, and even living at home and travelling to one nearby would be too much on the days she feels ill. So she has decided to study for her degree at the Open University. Even though she was so ill last year, she managed to write a novel and complete a diploma in the Psychology of Criminal Profiling. I’m so incredibly proud of her. She just battles on through all the health rubbish life throws at her, determined to make the best of each and every day, even those she struggles through. She is majoring in Creative Writing and Classical History – her two favourite subjects.

We are doing a Freshers from home for her, which Ads and Lillie are game-fully joining in! Because of her health and because any major activity means she then has to rest for a few days afterwards to recover, her Fresher’s week will actually be five days spread over five weeks, one day a week. The first week we all went shopping to Ikea and Hobby Craft for her to create her dream study space in the teen hangout at the bottom of our garden -I kind of encouraged her to think of it like her equivalent to halls of residence. The second week we went shopping to the nearby historic town to go charity shopping and book/uni supplies shopping. This week she and Ads went up to London to shop for stationary and more books (of course!). She is having a wonderful time, and at least to some degree is feeling like maybe she is experiencing a little of university life – if not that then certainly she is making the best of the situation and turning lemons into lemonade.

Abigail is starting two GCSEs from home, one in Environmental Science and the other in Geography. She wants to be an environmental scientist so we are trying to choose courses which will help with that. She is also doing Maths, English and Spanish at Wolsey Hall (a homeschool school). I chose this way, even though the cost is high, because sometimes Charlotte’s health is so bad and she needs a lot of support, and I don’t want Abigail’s school work to suffer. She started those courses today and is thoroughly enjoying them.

As you can see, she has taken over my office area, and is very excited to be studying independently at her own desk with her own computer.

Becca still wants to be an artist of some description and I love anything creative so really enjoy planning what she will do. Her independent Van Gogh study she did last term was such a success (she simply read the books and then tried to copy his work), we have decided to do a similar study on Picasso. I had tried to design a study for her last term but she resisted a little and really didn’t like being hemmed in by lesson plans. So this year, I will be following her lead rather than her following mine. She will also be learning much more about textiles and sewing and photography. Fun days ahead of us!

I shall be continuing with my World War One study, one morning a week, as well as doing read alouds each morning. Currently we are finishing off our study into Peter Pan, looking at women in the war and reading the biography of Michael Morpurgo to go along with some of his WW1 books. I will also be taking the girls through a study of the human body and perhaps some chemistry and physics but that depends on time.

Usually this would be it, after all I have shared about each of my children. However, Gary and I will also be studying. Gary will be studying towards a Batchelor’s degree in Management Studies whilst I have begun a Master’s Degree in Children and Youth Studies. Charlotte and I will be spending one afternoon a week on a study date together in coffee shops and libraries near to us.

Fun, fun, fun!

Okay, I am going to bed. I have waffled on long enough and my bed is calling. I hope all your first days back at school have been full of fun and lots of learning 🧐🥳