A Beautiful Education.
An education designed for your child alone, where they are free to follow trails of interest and wonder or sink into a good book for hours on end.
An education which includes the things they love, whether it’s debating philosophy, growing veg, knitting, designing games, or learning Japanese.
An education where your child is valued, respected and cherished for the unique, wonderful human that they are.
An education where physical, mental, and social health and wellbeing is as important as academic achievement.
An education where your child doesn’t just tick boxes, but thrives.
An education where learning is something to fall in love with.
An education rooted in children’s rights and liberation.
This is what home education can offers us.
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I am delighted to be offering A Beautiful Education online course again in March and April 2023!
I understand the amount of work and energy which goes into planning and preparing to home educate your children. It can feel overwhelming, and the choices can seem endless. That’s why I have designed this practical, encouraging course: to share my own countless hours of research and experience and take some of the strain from your shoulders.
Listen to me talking about what you can expect from the course here:
What does the course cover?
Module One
The material in module one is designed to help you get really clear on why you’re home educating. Getting really clear on your “why” and understanding your values will help you to navigate the tougher decisions you will have to face down the road. Specifically, we will cover:
- Deciding if home education is right for your family
- Defining your home education values
- Finding your “why”
- De-schooling yourself
- The prepared adult
- Some things to consider before starting out
Module Two
Building on the “why” and values you identified in module one, module two goes deeper into the idea of home education as a move towards children’s liberation and equality. We will cover:
- How children learn
- What is wrong with school?
- How modern schooling came to be
- The right to education (new lecture for 2023!)
- Consent and control in education
- Situating the home education movement in the wider social justice movement
- Home education as a radical act
Module three
This week you’ll start to shape your unique approach to home education and understand the best home education style for your family, in line with your unique needs and values, including:
- Structured or unstructured?
- To delay academics or not?
- A summary of some popular educational philosophies
- Building an eclectic approach which works for you
Module four
In this module you get stuck into the really fun stuff: how to pull together resources which will make your children light up with joy without getting horribly overwhelmed in the process. We will cover:
- Creating a scope for your year (or, how to enjoy your time together without feeling stressed)
- To curriculum or not to curriculum?
- Sourcing brilliant resources
- Learning alongside your child
- The importance of not doing it all
I will also share an big list of my favourite books, materials, activities and resources, with recommendations for building a love of learning across a wide range of subjects including maths, science, nature study, reading, history, philosophy, geography, art, music, languages, and more. This list will be a “living” list, and as such will be updated regularly. I hope that this list will save you a lot of time and money in research and trial-and-error.
Module five
This module will help you make the most out of your space and making your home work for you, no matter how small it – or your budget – is. We will cover:
- Putting the “home” in home ed: Preparing your environment for home education
- Basic kit list
- Home education on a budget
- Making the most of where you live
- Finding your community
Module six
This bumper practical module will support you to get going! We will dive deep into the nerdy joy of planning and recording – because I promise you it can indeed be a joy – and discuss tips to help you to not just survive but thrive as a home educating family.
- Finding your home ed rhythm
- Home education in the preschool years
- Home education in the school-age years
- Big picture planning; Picking the right planning approach for you
- Recording and reporting
- Organisation for disorganised people
- Relationship-based home education
- Balancing home educating with work, running a home, and other commitments
- Getting family and friends on board with your decision
- Avoiding burnout; Home educating through sickness, crisis, and change
“Thanks for the wonderful course! I really appreciate all of your thoughtful answers to my questions in the Q&As and the wealth of information you have shared throughout the course. I have loved learning more about your approach to home educating, especially the emphasis on things like following joy… it is wonderful to have so many resources and such a helpful and supportive group.I just wanted to express my appreciation and gratitude for the course and continued support.”
Is this course for me?
Yes, if you’ve already decided to home educate your child (or perhaps you’re seriously considering it), and you want to get strong foundations in place as you begin.
This course is perfect for if you feel drawn to home education but feel overwhelmed thinking about the basics: planning what you’ll cover, choosing resources, balancing guiding your children with working and running a home, making changes to your environment to reflect your child’s needs, and building a strong rhythm which will nurture your relationship and avoid burnout.
This is not the right course for you if you want a step-by-step guide, however; I won’t tell you how to educate your children, or build a curriculum for you. You are the expert in your own family.
“Eloise – I have felt like you have held my hand through such a huge decision, you have given me the confidence to speak to my partner again a few weeks ago about how I feel, and he gave me the ok to fully home educate. So now [daughter] will be totally home educated by me, we de-registered her from the school a few weeks ago, and I am so so happy and excited. Thank you again, so much. You have quite literally changed our lives.”
How is the course run?
The course will next run from Monday 6th March 2023 for six weeks.
Each Monday you will receive weekly emails linking to each module.
You will have lifetime access to the materials (which will be frequently updated) and our active and supportive online community, with weekly Q&A sessions whilst the course runs.
How do I book?
Please note: To reflect the cost of living crisis happening in the UK (and elsewhere) I have not increased the price of the course, as previously planned.
The course costs £119 for six weeks, including live Q&As. You will have lifetime access.
You can use the code earlyten at checkout for 10% off the price of the course, if you book before February 27th.
To book your place, click here
I regret that refunds are not offered on online courses, though places are transferrable. By booking your place, you agree to the following terms and conditions:
If you are already registered with this site from another course, you may need to login before making payment. You can log in here. If you have forgotten your password, you may need to reset this first.
If you need any help, just get in touch hello@fridabemighty.com and we will be happy to help.
We look forward to working with you soon!
Pay-What-You-Can spots
We don’t want any family to be priced out of taking this course.
If your family is on a low income and would struggle to pay full-price, please note that pay-what-you-can space are available, no questions ask. Just get in touch hello@fridabemighty.com and we will help you sign up!
About Eloise
Eloise Rickman is an author, home educating parent, and founder of A Beautiful Childhood. She works with clients around the world through online courses and coaching. Her work focuses on children’s rights and liberation, and asks what parenting and education can look like through a liberation lens. Extraordinary Parenting (Scribe, 2020) is her first book, and she is currently working on her second book on children’s liberation.
Eloise has a degree in social anthropology from Cambridge University where she first became interested in how childhood and family practices shape society, and she is currently working towards an MA in children’s rights. She believes that parenting can be a radical act, and that changing the way we raise and educate children has the potential to shape and change society for the better. Her work has been featured on the BBC, and she is a regular guest on podcasts.
Eloise lives in South London with her husband and daughter (who has never been to school).