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.
*
I am delighted to be offering A Beautiful Education online course again in September and October 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.
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 25th September 2023 for six weeks – think of this as your very own ‘back to {home} school’ celebration (you might even like to buy a new notebook for it!)
Each week you will receive emails linking to each module, which will be filled with PDFs, audios, videos, and reading suggestions. You will have ongoing access to the course materials, so you can take your time and refer back to them. You can also join in with future runs of the course, and access any updated and new materials (and join in with future Q&As and office hours), making this brilliant value for money!
Weekly Q&A sessions will support you to deepen your knowledge and practice. These will take place on Thursday evenings at 8pm UK time, though recordings will be made available and you can submit questions in advance.
Weekly office hours will usually take place on Friday mornings between 9-10am UK time (though I will add in a couple of different times to accommodate different time zones) and are available for anyone who would like an informal chat. No need to book, just join the Zoom call.
“I just wanted to tell you how much I have appreciated completing the Beautiful Education course. As a planner, it has really helped me to feel more prepared for home educating and I fully anticipate going back through and picking out all of the wonderful recommendations for resources, as well as various other content. It really seems that you have included everything! And presented it in a way that is easy to digest and process.
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 £89 for six weeks, including live Q&As. You will have lifetime access.
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 and experienced parent educator, who works with clients around the world through online courses and coaching. Her work focuses on challenging adultism (the discrimination children face based on their age), championing rights-based parenting and alternative education, and helping parents and caregivers rethink how they see children.
Her first book, Extraordinary Parenting was published in 2020 by Scribe.
Her next book, which focuses on children’s rights and the idea of children’s liberation, will be published in Spring 2024.
Eloise is currently studying for an MA in the Sociology of Childhood and Children’s Rights at UCL. She has a degree in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University, where she first became interested in how childhood and family practices shape society. Eloise believes that parenting can be a hopeful and radical act, and that changing the way we treat children has the potential to shape and change society for the better (as well as making the world a better place for children here and now).
She lives in London in a sunny little house full of books with her husband and daughter and their big ginger cat. Their daughter is home educated and has never been to school. When she’s not writing or studying or thinking or talking about all things children and childhood, you can find Eloise reading, cooking, swimming, and making the most of London’s art galleries.