It's that time of year again when my attention turns to planning for the next academic year. When I say planning, what I really mean is researching and resourcing. We do not follow the National Curriculum. We do not set targets or goals. We do not have a schedule. In years gone by, my planning would be solely based on observation of my daughter's interests and developmental needs, but Bean is 10 years old now, so is much more involved in the planning process on a practical le

Not many books warrant a full review on my blog, but this one is most certainly worthy of one. We have been having so much fun over the past few weeks creating resources for storytelling following the instructions in this wonderful book, that I simply had to share it with you. Show Me a Story, by Emily K. Neuburger, includes suggestions for 40 craft projects and activities to spark children's storytelling. The perfect book to support my creative, art and craft-loving child, a

We've had a new book arrive this month that I feel is worthy of a full review on the blog. If you are familiar with the work of children's author and illustrator Ruth Brown, then you will understand my excitement when I discovered this gem. We are yet to read a Ruth Brown book that we do not love. A Gallery of Cats is a relatively new offering by Ruth Brown, published in late 2019, but only just available in paperback, hence us being a bit late to the party. For those of you

In July's newsletter I shared a new addition to our morning basket, and it's been such a hit with Bean, and with the children who attended my summer holiday club, that I felt it deserved a full blog post book review. The book is called Fearless Felines: 30 True Tales of Courageous Cats. (N.B. I've since discovered that the exact same book is available in the UK under a different title, Rebel Cats: Brave Tales of Feisty Felines). For the past month we have been dipping in and

Does your child love books? Do you find that reading stories to your child is an effective and powerful way to introduce new topics, inspire meaningful conversation and deepen connection? Are you keen to help your child fall in love with the world? Then, I have the most invaluable resource to recommend to you, Give Your Child the World by Jamie C. Martin. The new school year is fast approaching. Although we home educate all year round, I often find that my attention turns to

I know that yesterday was unseasonably warm, but autumn is most definitely here! We've had our first lighting of the log burner, to celebrate the Autumn Equinox last Sunday. I'm finding myself cooking soup and 'shepherdless' pie, and yesterday we wrestled our bag of winter clothes out in search of slippers. We're also really enjoying having candles lit in the evenings. Here are some of the ways that we have celebrated autumn together over the years. Go on an Autumn Nature Wal