Home Education Matters

January is a time for reflection and planning so we thought we'd do a podcast where we talk about our home education journeys in 2025, what we learnt, what we want to take more of into 2026, what we want a bit less of in the future and what habits we'd like to cultivate as part of our home ed world.Grab a pen and paper and do some reflection and planning with us!

In today's podcast, I am joined by Juliet English to discuss the two main routes into home education and the changing times within the home education community.Whether you actively chose home education, or felt that you were forced towards it by a difficult school experience, this podcast is a discussion on the differences and dynamics between both routes and how, ultimately, we become one united community.Find Juliet here on Streams and here for the Home Education conference.

Our Christmas gift (surely better than socks and shower gel!) is a little compilation of our top home education tips. We range from resources to wellbeing and they're applicable to all ages and stages.These tips were first published on our TikTok channel ... I know, so modern! Come and check us out on TikTok and our other social media channels ...@homeeducationmatters on Instagram- Eleanor's Facebook group - Eleanor's Facebook page

Yes, we're reviving our Christmas Quiz tradition! Settle down, snuggle up with the family and get ready for some nice easy questions, some fiendishly tricky questions and to have your general knowledge and home education expertise put to the test ...

Did someone say fun quiz recorded at 8am? No-one? :)Join us as we dive into our personal home education journeys. From fun anecdotes to heartfelt insights, discover how we each navigate the ups and downs of home educating. It's fun, it's candid, it's even sizably controversial ... Enjoy this podcast which gets behind the unique personalities behind the podcast!

STEM subjects are notoriously hard when home educating but they are also rightly popular with our innovated home ed children. So today I am joined by Caroline and Farah to discuss how we can empower our home educated children to study STEM subjects and move into university courses and beyond.With Farah Khan and Caroline Mukisa, expert guests spanning a wide range of education systems, including UK and international schools, university admissions, as well as home education. Join their STEM WhatsApp chat here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DTsV2j9axnxIJNw5ARcMDo?mode=wwcLinks referenced in this episode:threeblueonebrownbisonmathsroyalinstitutionisaacsciencedrhannahfrymathsforgirls

Geography is a lovely Goldilocks subject for home educators to study ... not too hard, not too easy, not too maths-y and not too essay-y! And to guide us through Geography at GCSE level is Jake from Humanatees, letting us know what to expect on each paper, from the exam more broadly, the different specifications, the fieldwork and beyond. With Jake Richards - Jake has been the face behind Humanatees Tutoring since 2017. He is a qualified teacher who taught in secondary schools for ten years before becoming a full-time tutor for home educated students in all of the humanities, including Geography. - Jake's Website - Jake's Facebook page

For today's bonus mid week episode, Emily chats with fellow home educator Kate whose family has been exploring the benefits and challenges of taking responsibility for a group of street kittens as part of their home education journey!Support the kittens here: https://gofund.me/9a99e1208and for raw food with a referral code: https://www.bellaandduke.com/lp/referrals/?ref_code=sapq4d4Follow Kate and her daughters' journey here: https://open.substack.com/pub/thephoenixgreen/p/our-journey-to-a-barefoot-education

Debunking Home Education Myths ...So many people would like to home educate but feel that it is not accessible for them for various reasons. In this series, we will debunk some of these myths and counter some of the common reasons people feel they can't home educate. Starting with ... "I'm not clever enough to home educate" - Emily, Charlotte and I discuss this common idea and why it's rarely parental education, cleverness, qualifications or knowledge that lead to a successful home education journey.

Buckle up because I'm joined by Hannah from Instagram's hugely popular ThrivingWithHannah to discuss all the many excuses people give for why they can't home educate.We pick through when an excuse is a valid reason and when it's just "lazy parenting" 😜 And trust me, we express opinions!Come and have a listen and let us know what you think in the comments below ...Find Hannah here:thrivingwithhannahhannahhomeeducates