How things are organised
Activities are run or organised with a third party and/or by volunteer parents; there may be age requirements and/or limits on numbers, etc. There are no dedicated resources made available to us a community for SEND provision but many children in the community do have SEND so parents take responsibility for researching and finding things that are a fit for their children and where capacity allows, collaborating with each other and helping to create opportunities they'd like to see if they don't already exist. Many activities offer trial sessions. Some sessions such as park meet-ups and Cambridge Kids Club home education slots can be accessed as ad hoc sessions where you and/or your children can meet other home educating children/families to share your journey with.
Shared calendar
There is a shared calendar (non-public for safeguarding reasons) calendar which only members can contribute to following the guidelines for doing so.
Google group email conversations archive
Once approved to join, you can also search conversations which have taken place for more details and previous discussions about activities you find there e.g. type 'parkour' or 'tennis' in the search bar at the top and you'll be able to see historic threads with further information or you can ask the group for more details.
Shared calendar
There is a shared calendar (non-public for safeguarding reasons) calendar which only members can contribute to following the guidelines for doing so.
Google group email conversations archive
Once approved to join, you can also search conversations which have taken place for more details and previous discussions about activities you find there e.g. type 'parkour' or 'tennis' in the search bar at the top and you'll be able to see historic threads with further information or you can ask the group for more details.
Variety of activities
Examples of activities that happen on a regular basis include things like art, dance, parkour, basketball, football, drama, French, Science, book clubs, outdoor meet ups, self-directed learning groups, ice skating, swimming and gymnastics.
Examples of activities that happen on a regular basis include things like art, dance, parkour, basketball, football, drama, French, Science, book clubs, outdoor meet ups, self-directed learning groups, ice skating, swimming and gymnastics.
Online communities
There are lots of different online communities on platforms such as Whatsapp and Facebook for connecting with other local home educators which you'll discover along the way.
Getting involved
So where are we all? You just have to know where to look…
Start making connections by joining up with whatever platforms work for you be that email, Facebook, WhatsApp etc. The national groups are great if you are wanting to chat online, or find out HE things of a legal or technical nature, but people tend to head for the local lists if they are wanting to meet up with others face-to-face or ask area-specific questions. A few of the groups actually request for online chat to be kept to a minimum, as they are all about a specific topic or for facilitating people to meet up in person rather than building a relationship in cyber space, but others are happy for a mix of content and feel that a strong online community leads to a strong ‘real world’ community. Most forums have rules of some sort, e.g. no racism, sexism or general bigotry, but these are made very clear when you join a group. If you are unsure, most people stay very quiet for the first month and quietly gauge the nature of the group through the posts that other people make, and then decide what is suitable to ask or say where.
The online HEing community is extremely important to some and totally ignored by others. There is no right or wrong way to connect with others, it entirely depends on your own personal needs but if you are wanting to meet up with other HEors in person, you do need to join some of your area-specific groups in order to find out the who’s, what’s and when’s of it all.
As people home educate in so many different ways it can sometimes take time to find groups and activities that work for your family. Home education groups can have very different ways of operating and not all will work for everyone. You are warmly encouraged to use the Google group email list to join or set up regular and one off groups and activities and organise social media/whatsapp groups around specific topics or activities.
If the thing you're looking for doesn't exist already, consider creating it, you'll find allies using the links on this page to help you! Do post any other questions you may have to the Google group too, introduce yourself and your family on there and please do get involved by answering questions for others once you've got into the swing of things.
Start making connections by joining up with whatever platforms work for you be that email, Facebook, WhatsApp etc. The national groups are great if you are wanting to chat online, or find out HE things of a legal or technical nature, but people tend to head for the local lists if they are wanting to meet up with others face-to-face or ask area-specific questions. A few of the groups actually request for online chat to be kept to a minimum, as they are all about a specific topic or for facilitating people to meet up in person rather than building a relationship in cyber space, but others are happy for a mix of content and feel that a strong online community leads to a strong ‘real world’ community. Most forums have rules of some sort, e.g. no racism, sexism or general bigotry, but these are made very clear when you join a group. If you are unsure, most people stay very quiet for the first month and quietly gauge the nature of the group through the posts that other people make, and then decide what is suitable to ask or say where.
The online HEing community is extremely important to some and totally ignored by others. There is no right or wrong way to connect with others, it entirely depends on your own personal needs but if you are wanting to meet up with other HEors in person, you do need to join some of your area-specific groups in order to find out the who’s, what’s and when’s of it all.
As people home educate in so many different ways it can sometimes take time to find groups and activities that work for your family. Home education groups can have very different ways of operating and not all will work for everyone. You are warmly encouraged to use the Google group email list to join or set up regular and one off groups and activities and organise social media/whatsapp groups around specific topics or activities.
If the thing you're looking for doesn't exist already, consider creating it, you'll find allies using the links on this page to help you! Do post any other questions you may have to the Google group too, introduce yourself and your family on there and please do get involved by answering questions for others once you've got into the swing of things.
