HESFES 2011

Belatedly, here are some piccys from this year's Home Educator's Summer Festival. We had a fab time. Ds1 turned feral (returning only to grab meals and disappear again), dd adopted several other families (we saw very little of her) and ds2 hung out with a few mates designing computer games (in a field with no computers).

A few of the marquees:

Bongo and band workshopping with the HESFES band (the HESFES band consisting of children from tots to teens, including about 13 drummers!):

Ds1 as one of the many drummers:

Why did you bring me camping?
Because I'm worth it:

But I've got more hair (ds2):

And I'm rougher and tougher than both of you (dd):

Making copper bowls, i.e. bashing a bit of metal for a very long time until it looks slightly more curved than it started off(note the hair wrap, patiently created by a member of one of her adopted families):

Ds1 with his home-made (tin can) drum kit before he got promoted to a proper drum:

Twirling home-made poi thingimagigs:

A demonstration of 'rocket stoves' (made from tin cans):

The result of our group effort and the dog eating an awful lot of king-size cheap dog food (our stove is the shiny one):

Lighting it wasn't so easy:

Hand-painted bandanas:

Beautiful sunset over our tent and van:

It's all been too much:

We are back...

What the Home Educators Summer Festival (HESFES) means to us...

Practising circus skills:

Developing stunt skills (strapped with bungee cords to a water carrier!):

Creating marvellous things out of balsa wood:

Secret rendevous in children's tents:

Sharing campfires every night:

Making and listening to music:

Sweatshirts nearly as loud as the music:

Watching movies at the Groovie Movie tent:

Dusting off those big hats and old (2005) HESFES t-shirts:

Making hula hoops:

Remembering old skills:

Making new friends:

And joining up with old ones:

Searching for the Home Education crock of gold at the end of that rainbow that appears every year (and trying to forget about the stomach bugs, scary toilets, home-made arrows shot in eyes, children's minor punch ups, the tears, tantrums and nits):

Staying up way past bedtime:

And finally...
recovering from a busy week:

We're on our journey...

I've been discussing recently with friends, and in cyberspace, the concept of the home education journey. This is the idea that home education is an ongoing journey of discovery, not just for our children but for us as home educators. During that journey we find out things about ourselves, our children, and about the people and the world around us, we may also find out that some things only start to make sense when we have reached a particular point in our journey.


The concept of the home education journey was a theme that ran through a few of the HESFES conference discussions in July. These were discussions about how we explain home education to people who have no experience of it, who are so entrenched in the idea of 'schooling' as education, that they really cannot comprehend what we are doing. In particular, there were discussions about how we explain autonomous education.


The truth is that I don't know. All I can say, honestly, is that I never understood home eeducation until I was doing it myself; I never understood how children learned until I saw them learn (often despite my attempts to teach them!), and I certainly didn't understand autonomous education until I saw it in action, working, in my own children. Some things just have to be experienced; sometimes you just have to be at that point in the journey when you have the mindset to take these things on. No amount of book-reading or good advice will make that happen. Anyway, talking of HESFES, I think I'm well overdue for posting up some photos, so here goes. The thing is, so much has happened since, I'm gagging to post other things up too.

Here is dd modelling the woven grass basket that she made - with a bit of help - in one of the HESFES workshops.

She is also modelling the jumper that I finally completed at HESFES. There was plenty of child-free time each afternoon in the conference tent to click those needles. The day after I put it on her, she said to me. 'Do you know what mummy? I think I've grown into it now.' Oh, and here's proof that I actually did knit the jumper. I hate to put photos of me on the blog, especially when I'm sporting a 'camping with minimal facilities' hairstyle, but hey-ho.

Somewhere under all those children is an armoured vehicle. Er hum..don't you know we're British and we're meant to queue. Ok, last one into the tank is a sissy!

Dd showing off her mask that she made; it was a path paved with a few tears after she was late for the first mask making session and missed out, but it was worth it. A few bottles of wine later (for the parents) and we all felt much better.

Ahah! I've finally caught up with the one who refuses to be photographed. Eating some bush tucker, made Ray Mears style of course (via Paddock Wood Waitrose)

This camping ground is so hard I think I'm going to use the dog as a pillow tonight...

Ok, now I've really had enough:

The highlight of the week was making hoola hoops. Even us adults had a go, but of course the best hoopas were the kids...

Can't seem to upload any vids at the moment. Could be something to do with the fact that our internet cable looks like an unravelling piece of string, held together with insulating tape..?

The bath water is brown and gritty - we're back from HESFES!

Wow! Back from a week's camping holiday followed by HESFES (Home Educators Summer Festival) and feeling tanned and fresh-aired (and a bit nearer the overdraft limit than I was before I left!)

After attending the week-long home educating conference at HESFES I have lots to tell, and plenty of info/advice about the Badman Report to pass on. Hopefully among the scraps of paper I've brought back I have some constructive ideas about what we can do to fight the proposals.

I'm sure I've also got lots of photos to post up about fossiling and HESFESing and all our other activities over the past few weeks. But I need to tackle the washing and the allotment first, so will post soon with more stuff. In the meantime this is just to say I'm here!

Back from HESFES!

Wow! What a week!

Just back from a fantastic week at HESFES (Home Educators Seaside Festival) and a week of workshops, discussions, rather too much wine, plenty of fresh air, heaps of music, making new friends and general recharging of home education batteries. So much happened over the week it's hard to remember it all. I thought I'd post some of the pictures and movie clips to give an essence of what we experienced.

And the weather was hot hot hot! Now that HAS to be a first! I think in the past 10 years of camping with the kids we've only once had consistently hot weather while on a camping trip. And there was me, having packed mostly jumpers and just one skirt! Ah well...


For those of you who don't know about HESFES it's one of the largest gatherings of home educators and takes place annually on a campsite in Essex. This year there were workshops on weaving, karate, spinning, drama, willow work, circus skills, creative writing, woodwork, and a whole heap more. As always, there was a home ed conference which discussed various issues in the home ed world - sometimes 'big' issues, and sometimes more practical day-to-day issues. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak to other home educators, people who have come to the same decision from often very different backgrounds.

Listening to the music in the marquee

Speaking to other home educators is perhaps my favourite partn of HESFES. When you are surrounded by hundreds of other home ed families all doing the same thing - albeit in different ways - there is a huge sense of being part of a community. Despite knowing many other home educators, home education can sometimes feel like a lonely business, something you have to constantly explain and defend to people around you. One of the fantastic things about HESFES is that for once you don't have to explain anything to anyone!

Bouncing around HESFES

Do you like my new bandana?

My other favourite part of HESFES is seeing the confidence and talent of children as they get up on stage and do 'their thing'. For many it is music, for others it's poetry or dance or comedy, but you can tell that whatever they get up on stage and do, the whole experience is so empowering. Last year the children's cabaret, as it is called, lasted nearly 5 and a half hours! Thankfully this time it was split into two events, but it was still several hours each night. So many children and so much talent and individualism! And the audience is always very generous in its support!

Adults too take part on the last evening in the End of the Week Show, showing their talents and things that they have learnt during the week - or during their lifetime. My children haven't wanted to go on stage yet, but perhaps one year.

Some of the children's acts are below. I wouldn't normally upload photos of people who haven't given permission to be on here, but this time I don't have much choice. Hopefully they'll forgive me and just enjoy the extra publicity!

The 'Drum Off'

Another HESFES children's cabaret performance

Adult performance at the End of the Week Show

One of the hesfes kids decided that they wanted to hold a dog show, so between them and their friends they managed to sort out some classes, drum up support, fence off a show arena, make prize rosettes and find some willing 'judges'. Sadly Jack didn't win anything (probably something to do with having another 20 or so dogs to distract him), but I definitely think he should have got the prize for the waggiest tail! In his defence, I think by the time of the dog show he was hot, tired and having barked almost continuously for the first part of the week probably had a rather sore throat!

The dog show. As you can see, Jack was just a teensy bit distracted...

This is my doggy

So what else did we get up to? Well I managed (with the help of the kids) to make toffee popcorn and peanut brittle on the camping stove. I was really proud of our cooking achievement, though my neighbouring friend somehow managed to make hot cross buns on her camp stove. I can't even make them at home and she managed to make them without an oven! Ok ok, so I was a bit envious...

Making peanut brittle (and yes, that IS a saucepan full of sugar!)

Chocolate spread - an essential ingredient for camping!

Cuddling up by the campfire

Well this is just a very hurriedly put together piece on HESFES which really doesn't do it justice. But it's late, and I'd better finish now as we've got a busy day tomorrow. Hopefully I'll post more in a week or so's time and then I'll get back to more regular blogging.