I Stopped Teaching My Kids in the Morning – Here’s What Happened
Turns out, not all learning needs to happen before lunch. Who knew? For years, I tried to be the mum who starts homeschool at 9am sharp. Whiteboard ready. Pencils sharpened. Children miraculously eager and dressed. Spoiler: they weren’t. I wasn’t either.Mornings in our house felt like an Olympic sport – and I was failing every […]
What Is Gentle Learning? (And Why It Might Just Save Your Sanity at Home)
🌸 What Is Gentle Learning? (And Why It Might Just Save Your Sanity at Home) Home education sounds so wholesome, doesn’t it? Picture it: fresh notebooks, curious little faces, a world of discovery laid out on the kitchen table. Now… reality check: someone’s crying, someone’s colouring the cat, and someone’s Googling “is it okay if […]
What Is the Mellow Method? Why I Chose a Softer Way to Home Educate
I didn’t plan to home educate. Not at first. I didn’t set out to create a “method” or design a new philosophy. I just reached a breaking point – and then I listened to my gut. Because honestly? The pressure on kids these days is unreal. They’re expected to learn at the same pace, in […]
The Mellow Way: Two Little Books That Might Just Save Your Sanity
For the days when you’re not sure you’re cut out for this home ed life – and for the days you’re starting fresh with wide-eyed wonder. Whether you’re two years into home education or two weeks in with a very loud toddler and a half-used maths book, there will be a moment – maybe today, […]
The Realities of Gentle Parenting (And What to Do When You’re Losing Your Patience)
Gentle parenting sounds lovely… until someone’s screaming, the cereal is on the floor, and you’re holding back tears in the loo. Let’s talk about it. You want to raise emotionally secure, kind-hearted, respectful humans. You’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, maybe even cried at a Janet Lansbury quote.But real life? Real life is […]
How to Create a Home Education Routine That Actually Works (and Doesn’t Break You)
Because you didn’t sign up to be a teacher, chef, referee and emotional life coach before 9am every day. So, you’ve decided to educate your kids at home. Gold star. But now the chaos has arrived in a tiara, demanding toast cut into triangles, and reciting facts about volcanoes while you’re still trying to brush […]
Home Education in the UK: Navigating the New Landscape in 2025
Home Education in the UK (2025): What You Actually Need to Know Now Updated April 2025 If you’re reading this with a slightly panicked cuppa in one hand and Google search tabs open in the other — breathe. Home educating in the UK can feel like walking through fog right now, but you’re not alone, […]
Mothering in the Middle: What No One Tells You About Parenting Big Kids
It’s not toddlers, and it’s not teens – it’s somewhere in between. And it’s weirdly emotional. The Quiet Shift No One Mentions When your kids are little, motherhood is loud. Chaotic. Sticky. You collapse into bed covered in jam and glitter and think, “Surely it gets easier?” And it does… sort of. But no one […]
What No One Tells You About Home Educating Tweens
Because the eye rolls are real, the questions are deeper, and the snack demands never stop. The Tween Shift No One Prepares You For One day, you’re knee-deep in phonics and Play-Doh. The next, you’re navigating existential questions over toast and trying to explain algebra while your child stares at you like you’ve got three […]
Is This Even Learning?”: 21 Things That Absolutely Count as Education (Even If School Wouldn’t Call Them That)
This morning, one child built a cardboard ramp for a marble. The other used lipstick to write “NO ENTRY” on her bedroom door. Later they argued about whether Pluto is a planet, watched a documentary about volcanoes, and made 12 (slightly wonky) pancakes. At 4.30pm I stood in the kitchen and wondered: “Wait. Did we… […]