We just had our first visit (since starting HE again) and I thought it may be helpful to share the report that I handed to the consultant when he visited this morning. It is more of an outline of the things we have covered in the last few months so is nothing special or riveting but gives an idea. I did show some evidence of some of the work that we had covered but must admit didn't have a lot to show! I do think that it helped having it ready to go through as the visit only lasted 40 minutes. It also meant that he didn't have to take a lot of notes as we went through my son's work. It's nothing spectacular but hope you find it useful.
Education Report for XXXXXXX
We practice a very relaxed child led programme of education. We don’t stick to a strict schedule and each day can vary with the work or activities that we do. XXXXX will be 12 at the end of July and even though we have made the decision to teach him at home we do keep reviewing our decision to ensure that we are doing the right thing for both XXXXX and ourselves. When I ask him if he is happy still being taught at home he says he is happy. He is a very calm boy so I then ask “How happy? He replies “Happy, happy” and gives a big smile.
We have covered many subjects this last few months and he is developing well on a personal level and is taking more responsibility with decision making, taking charge of his money and is well rounded in his reasoning on many subjects. He is a ’thinker’ and displays this in everyday life.
Personal Development
XXXX has matured in his responsibility with personal care. He visits to the local barber shop and is conscious of his physical appearance (even if he is a typical boy!). He plans and decides what he will do each day. Sometimes he is spur of the moment with activities and other times he plans for a week. He is very flexible and is easy to get along with generally even though he can get grumpy at times. We all have good and bad days and he is no exception to the rule.
He is also responsible for budgeting his allowance which he receives every two weeks. He is good with numbers and mental arithmetic. He takes part in general house cleaning which includes his bedroom and other rooms in the house. He does need prompting but carries out his jobs and has good organisational skills. He helps in the garden from time to time and even though we have to ensure he is safe he has trimmed the fedge (willow hedging) and help with other gardening tasks.
Academic Development
XXXXX is no genius but he seems to be doing well in his studies. His handwriting is the same as always and remains messy, but it is legible! He has his own style and even with his years at school he hasn’t changed in this area.
His typing skills are excellent and he uses the correct punctuation even when chatting online. He uses properly constructed sentences and punctuation and is very mature in his communication.
As he has a great interest in computers (Internet, gaming, chatting etc) most of his work is based online. Even though he is still young he talks about ideas and his plans for his future career. We do a lot of brainstorming with regard to this and are always coming up with ideas for what he will do in the future.
Achievements/Activities/Interests
Swimming at the regional pool and at XXXXXX Leisure Centre
Shopping in-store and online
Visiting charity shops and boot sales to search out retro games, toys and anything that catches his interest
Taking part in air rifle shooting/target practice
Visiting the local library
Designing games online, designing games with game creator software on his PC
Designing game cases either with software or by hand with a pencil
Web design - he has created several pages online
Publishing game reviews
Acted as a game recruiter for a large gaming site for one week
Communicates with all ages, young and old, both online and in the real world
Has excellent typing skills, knowledge of searching the Internet and how to use a computer generally
Is forward thinking
Has excellent reasoning skills and comprehension
Covered the subject of the Vikings
General gardening - planting, tidying and helping plan a rockery
Has had discussions online with his peers about planning and programming
Has had discussions with myself on how to promote a website
Has contributed ideas and opinions on my new site
Learning more about JavaScript (book from library)
Learning more about C++ (programming)
Programming with Java (book from library)
Read books and magazines on various subjects including how to care for his rabbit and cat
Researching server hosting
Visited XXXXXX hospital, XXXXX and XXXXXXX
Visited XXXX, XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXX, XXXXXX and other places
Cooking - pancakes, eggs, chips
Baking - bread and cakes
Food preparation and party planning
RNLI Project
Air clay modeling
Scientific experiments
XXXXXX also has a varied viewing experience. He has watched several films from comedy, children’s movies to some with a deeper content. He is the same with his television viewing. He watches a bit of everything from light entertainment to documentaries, news, history etc. Even though he isn’t an avid follower of any one series he has enjoyed a selection of episodes from the following:
Bear Grylls - Born Survivor and other series
Monkey World and other animal programmes
Judge Judy
The Apprentice
Myth Busters
We have day to day discussions on various subjects including what we watch on TV. We take inspiration from everyday events or experiences we see or hear about. Some examples of discussions are:
XXXX asked how people become King or Queen so we talked about the early years when men set themselves up as warriors and defeated enemies and united groups of people together and how titles would pass onto their offspring. We also discussed how laws were passed to help keep unity and cement their position in power. Discussed the right to carry weapons, the harsh penalties for stealing goods and/or property; all the things that have helped lead to the system we have today.
Discussion of slavery and how it still goes on today. Contrasted this with ancient Hebrews who had slaves but how the laws ensured good treatment and release of slaves after 7 years with benefits of the facility to set their lives up after having served as slaves. Compared this to how slaves are treated in modern times.
Discussion on law and how prisoners and victims are treated. Victims do not get much recompense if goods are stolen they are out of pocket. Contrasted this with ancient Hebrews and how they had no prison system and that criminals had to pay back what was taken either in kind or by working for the victim. We further discussed the modern system and even though things don’t always seem fair we still need to obey the law as it keeps order.
Briefly looked at Vikings; where they came from, how they traveled and the type of people they were.