Welcome to The Summer Reset, a seasonal home education workshop.*

It’s hot here in England.

I see the weather reflected in the change of pace which has crept up on us, as it does every year: we’re staying up later, sleeping longer into the morning, eating different food, doing different things. I can also see it reflected in my mood: as soon as the weather heats up its like a switch has been flicked and I become short tempered, grouchy, and snappy for a while as I slowly adjust to the heat (ever since I was a child I’ve struggled a lot with high temperatures).

By the time it gets to summer, I’m very much ready for a different rhythm, and I can tell my daughter is too. I crave a season of slow before the energy of September – with its cooler days and ‘new pencil case’ vibes – hits us again. But at the same time, as a home educating family it can be a season where we do a lot of interesting things. Because we spend more time at home on hot days and regular classes aren’t running, there’s time for those big craft projects and long read-alouds we struggled to make time for in the spring. We swim more, stay up later, and eat a lot more ice cream. There’s more time for trips to the beach, where we come slightly sunburnt and very happy and tired, trailing shells and nice pebbles. There’s also more time for watching TV in our underwear with a fan on and a stash of ice lollies nearby – it’s all about balance, after all!

Summer is also a season where I’m actively planning ahead. Although we’re not bound by school term dates or times, I personally still find it broadly useful to think of our home education in academic years, partly because it helps keep me accountable. I find myself spending a lot of my summer reflecting on the past year, particularly the last few months, and thinking about our plans and rhythm for the autumn. Unfortunately, because life is busy, a lot of my plans and thoughts get scribbled onto pieces of scrap paper whilst my daughter is drawing or recorded on the notes app on my phone, neither of which are particularly satisfying. I’ve found I need a good few hours each season to reflect, plan, and make (proper) notes which won’t get accidentally recycled – but this doesn’t happen unless I make the time for it. This is where The Summer Reset comes in.

The Summer Reset is the first in a series of four seasonal workshops, and it provides you with the time, space, and support to check in with how home education is currently going for your family and make (realistic) plans for the future. I’ll be talking you through my reflection and planning process, and going through it live alongside all of you! Whether you’re planning on home educating this year for the first time or you’re an old-timer, whether you unschool or you’re a Charlotte Mason fan, whether you have one child or four, this workshop will give you the space you need to see how far you’ve come – and where you hope to be going.

*If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, don’t panic! I can send you a winter pack instead, just drop me an email to let me know you need one. The content and reflections will work equally for summer as winter; I think both seasons have many similarities, which I will discuss!

How is the workshop run?

The workshop will run on Friday 30th June between 7-9:30pm (UK time).

A replay will be sent out shortly after the workshop runs, so if you have to join late / duck out early / can’t make it, you won’t be missing out.

This is planned as the first of four seasonal workshops for home educators, though all of the workshops can be enjoyed as standalone sessions.

The workshop will take place on Zoom**, and will be split roughly into four sections:

  • 7-7:20 Introduction and short talk from Eloise
  • 7:20-7.55 Looking back: We’ll be reflecting on what’s working well, what’s not been working so well, tracking some progress, and thinking about what you might want to change up. We’ll be looking both at the past year as a whole, and specifically the last few months. There will also be time to celebrate wins! If you’re new to home education, don’t worry! I’ll be offering some alternative prompts for you to think about which will help set you up brilliantly)
  • 7:55-8:30 Looking forward: A season of learning at home. We’re going to be focusing on four particular aspects of learning: connection, joy, community, and experiences (with a special focus on keeping our cool – literally!). We’ll be looking both at how you want the summer months to feel, keeping things realistic and practical, and doing some big picture planning for the year ahead.
  • 8:30-9:30 Q&A / group discussion We may finish earlier but I want to leave plenty of time for questions and discussion in case it’s needed!

Before the workshop starts, you’ll be sent a PDF with different sections and space for notes, reflection, and information to guide you through. It can be helpful to print this off and have it with you for the session, or keep it up in a different tab to use with a notebook. The PDF includes a section to do alongside your child(ren) at another time.

Feel free to keep your camera off, turn up in your PJs, and set up with some snacks or a glass of wine – the idea is for this evening to be a relaxing space where you can take time to reflect on how home education is going, and think about your plans for the coming months!

**Live captions are available on Zoom for anyone who needs them.

How do I book?

The summer workshop costs just £15.

Click here to book your spot on the workshop (sold out)

If you’ve previously taken Beautiful Education, my home education course, you’ll find an email in your inbox with a discount code!

Please note that spaces are limited.

Once you’ve signed up, you will receive a confirmation email. Then, 24 hours before the workshop begins, you will receive an email with the Zoom link and the PDF workbook / notes (as well as a suggestion for a simple piece of prep I’d like you to do – nothing difficult or time consuming I promise). Shortly after the workshop has ended, you will receive a final email with a recording of the workshop.

Any questions or need help? Just email us hello@fridabemighty.com and we’ll be happy to help.

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 about parenting and home education, 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 education and childhood, you can find Eloise reading, cooking, swimming, and making the most of London’s art galleries.