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2+2=5 When the kids came out of school they really were maths disordered. We realised they were lacking in the basic skills though had been taught complex stuff. They believed all numeracy to be boring and difficult to the point of impossibility. Lots of games were obtained and we started to have fun with it, and gain a deep understanding of the basics. They have leapt and bound since, now they have a strong foundation from which to jump! 
The simple sums here are great practice of the basic number partners to 10 and some multiplication.
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 A good little fraction game 'Pie in the Sky' where you compete to get three pies creamed in a row. Helps with equivalent fractions from halves to eighths. Buy UK or Buy US  'Shut the Box' - simplicity again. Buy UK or Buy US 
Don't understimate the educational power of various consoles!
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socialisation One of the most fantastic things about this form of education is the way home ed kids are socially. They play together just amazingly, regardless of age/background/nationality/sex. The aspect of 'be nasty to them before they're nasty to me' which we found so prevalent in schools is absent. It really reminded me of when I left school, discovering how much nicer people were than I had come to expect. I had to unlearn what I had learnt socially in school to get on - my family were a much better model anyway for making friends and treating others well... the schoolised version doesn't do you much good outside an institution's walls. We have many friends who do attend or work in schools, so were all kept abreast of the latest developements in secondary cliques etc. Mindblowing stuff! Below, a shrunken pic of a home ed group day out, no faces recognisable, unless you already know them :) 
and here, burying one of their number in the sand, during a residential trip :)
So many ways to study anything! We have found getting tactile with it all great. Had good fun making and painting this Solar System Planetarium Model Making Kit from Curious Minds, another great source of joy and knowledge!
All got a lot out of this grammar set
from the book people who we now love dearly for their cheap prices on sets of books!!
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The Vegan Family House has added a small extension - the unclassroom! Home education has been absolutely fantastic for us, it's actually very hard to express in a few words just how much it has transformed our lives for the better. Weve watched the kids blossom both socially and academically since leaving school and are all learning so much. The first three years were documented on our blog They start here in June 2005 - continuing archives are listed on the sidebar over there. The kids are a different age now and need more privacy but we still write bits and bobs :) Below is a short article I (Lucy) was asked to write for the Schoolhouse Times in January 2008 - an article about being a vegan home educating family - how can I combine those two in an article I thought? Well, I did and it nutshells the subject quite well I think. Added lots of piccies from past blogging - mouseover for comments.
Home Education, Veganism and the Nature of Normality
I once joked to a friend that our family was gradually creating our own personal list of 'weirdness', adding at least one bullet point a year. We started with alternative healthcare, vegetarianism, recycling, sourcing organic and locally grown food, composting and growing our own veggies. As time went on we added veganism and home education. It's interesting and hopeful to me that the first items on that list are no longer seen as particularly strange and the exclusive domain of hippies - interest and participation in the latter two is growing at quite a rate too. Will we one day actually be that dreaded thing, "normal"?
The years of veganism prepared us well for people's reaction to home ed. Comments expressing concern for our childrens lack of protein and other nutrients really are the same as those suggesting they don't socialise, can't do exams or will 'never be able to get jobs'. Neither have any validity and actually always seem defensive rather than well thought out arguments. Our educational provision and our diet are both very conscious for us now. We look carefully at what we don't want and what we do. We didn't like the bullying, poor standards of teaching and pitiful excuse for a curriculum we experienced in state school. We love the network of friends we have now, the home ed group meets, clubs, studying subjects to our own level, going in as deep as we want and no prescriptive curriculum which in reality severely inhibited real learning! Real learning: how our understanding of that concept has changed. With our diet we didn't like the idea of contributing to animal abuse but also didn't enjoy the health problems we had prior to going vegan. Davie especially appreciates the disappearance of his rheumatoid arthritis.
These two aspects of our lives work well together. Last year the children dug over the garden and planted potatoes. They then cared for them as they grew, earthing up to protect from frost and harvested them when ready. Then came washing, boiling and serving up with a meal. From seed to plate - a good understanding of where the food really came from.
The last comparison I'm going to draw here is one of respect. We see our diet as respecting other beings, the planet and our own bodies. Educationally we respect the children's right to a good, individualised education that is free from abuse. We do not force them to be vegan or home educated. Aged 13 and 15 now they are free to make their own choices in this family. If they wanted a MacDonalds or to return to school we would let them and wouldn't berate them for it. They have to find their own truths and make their own way in the world and we respect that. It's one thing all the home educators weve met seem to have in common. Were an eclectic bunch, all very different, but we respect those differences and are not threatened by them. Roll on this attitude becoming "normality".
 Other bits of interest: Our list of home ed resources on the blog Books weve studied together home ed items in our shop Dr. Paula Rothermel's thorough research on home education 2007 research from Canada Schoolhouse - expert advice and support for home ed in Scotland. AHED - action group for England and Wales. lots of home ed blogs
Articles elsewhere:
England young among 'most tested' - of particular note are the key findings of the primary review near end of article.
State schools shunned for home education
home ed boy cartoonist
The Bitter Homeschooler's Wishlist
Homeschooling comes of age
Lois' sweet deal on chocs
Books: 
'Free Range Education - how home education works' edited by Terri Dowty. This is the first home ed. book I ever read and so much of it 'rang true' and made me feel this is what we should be doing. It answers all those questions and doubts. Many families tell their home ed. stories showing that this is truly a very individual education system - taylored to the childs needs and interests - a fantastic title if you are thinking of embarking down this path.
Terri Dowty has also edited this similar collection of stories from people who have home educated children on the autistic spectrum. Home ed can be a life saver for these kids - weve seen many transformations. After the kids are out of the school system they seem to lose the idea that they are 'disabled' or 'faulty' in any way and find their own place in the world. Einstein was told he was stupid at school...
 'Dumbing Us Down' - fascinating, anti-establishment book from award winning teacher John Taylor Gatto. Examines the 'hidden curriculum of compulsory schooling' - quite scary really but not at all far fetched - I've worked in lots of schools (pre-school, primary, secondary, state, independent, England and Scotland, village, inner city - what can I say, I got around!) over the years and recognise much of what is described.Buy UK or Buy US
 'Unqualified Education' again by a teacher, Gareth Lewis. A lovely book aimed at home educating 11-18 year olds. Tons of quite specific educational advice on all sorts of subjects and beautiful illustrations by the children themselves. Fab history section and funny cartoons throughout. There is also a very well thought of title for by the same author about home educating young children, 'One to One' which is also excellent.
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 'The Teen Liberation Handbook - how to quit school and get a real life and education' again by an ex teacher, Grace Llewellyn. This is a fab book, so liberating for us all, whatever our age. Full of great ideas of ways to find what you're good at, what you really want to do in the world. It has a wonderful metaphor with fruit eating at the start which I love. Be warned, it also has a section on convincing your parents to let you come out of school, so watch where you leave it lying around!!
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 The same author has also compiled this wonderful collection of home ed stories from 11 teenagers. Then, in this revised edition, she revisits them 10 years later to learn how they are doing as adults - a fab read. Great to hear from kids, some of whom were written off as failures at school, doing so fabulously well in life :)
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