We don't do it. But it's looming.

Term time.

It shouldn't make a difference.

It doesn't make a difference.

Except that it does. Because the whole mad English world is geared up to that structure of 6 weeks on, one week off. 6 weeks of ferrying small people around like Kentucky Fried on skates, and then one week when you breathe ready to do it all over again.

It is a choice.

Of course it is a choice.

When I first started home educating I signed up for any HE activity or workshop on offer. Being at home with small (very small) inconveniently-boisterous children was like sensory deprivation torture. Or sensory overload. Either way, torture.

[Note: Just because I home educate doesn't mean I have to *like* children. I am not a I love nurturing little people type of  mum. No. I am a please, someone, tell me they can go to bed now because the day needed to end four hours ago and it still hasn't yet mum.]

Then as the kids got bigger and I actually really wanted to see the kitchen occasionally instead of living on jam sandwiches and hula hoops in parks and play centres, I chose to opt out of the many many and increasingly available activities.

I still try to keep the whole out-the-house-doing-stuff thing to a manageable load. I do.

But the age gap is widening. A teen and an eight-year-old are worlds apart.  One is just starting to learn to read; the other interacts with adults as, well, an adult. This demands that they are driven a billion miles in different directions at the same time on the same day to meet their particular social needs.

Ok, exaggeration. But seeing as my children have just learnt the word hyperbole, I feel permitted to demonstrate the point. Truth is, once term time comes, there will be few days when we are not supposed to be somewhere at some time. Regular commitment. It's like being married to home ed, without the bonus of a free toaster and a set of crystal champagne flutes and videoing your best mate do her drunk-at-wedding dance.

So. Catch me mid-term. Go on then.

Ask me whether my home ed children socialise with others.

I am likely to poke you in the eyeballs with index and middle finger.

Socialisation? Pah

Mr Blue Sky

'Mr Blue Sky' by ELO was playing on the radio in the van.

Sun is shinin' in the sky
There ain't a cloud in sight
It's stopped rainin' ev'rybody's in a play
And don't you know
It's a beautiful new day hey,hey

Ok, so it was raining. Raining quite a lot. And cloudy and grey and cold. But we were out, heading towards the woods, the greenery, the fresh air. Such a positive feeling, I could almost have imagined a blue sky.

We arrive. Meet up with one other family. Perhaps I'm antisocial, but sometimes I like to meet up with just one family. There's time to talk. Proper talking. The group dynamics for the kids is easier, less wild. The different genders will play comfortably with each other without the option of gender division of the larger groups. With large groups the kids scatter and there is a tendency for the parents to opt out. With a small group we can all interact, take part, discuss, plan, create.

It's been so long we have to fight our way through the undergrowth. Retread the path into the woods. I can't remember when we were last here.

The children run free.


They work to patch up the 'den'. Most of the moss has gone, but the basic structure is there from our visits last year. Each visit they do this. One winter we came here every week, even through the snow and ice. I miss it.

Gloopy fungi. Shiny, gelatinous, wobbly. The best sort.

The den, finished (for now). 'If you see any holes those are our fire escapes' says ds1.

There's nothing like having a camp fire on a rainy day, especially when shared with friends.

Cooking onion bhajis

And toasting pancakes

Then just time for ds2 to make an assault course for the younger ones.

Of course, we're all the winner.

Here's to more gentle days in the woods, shared with friends. More Mr Blue Sky please.

Hey you with the pretty face
Welcome to the human race
A celebration, mister blue sky's up there waitin'
And today is the day we've waited for

Hey there mister blue
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around see what you do
Ev'rybody smiles at you