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Introduction to
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Early Primary Approved Home Education Program: 2014 QLD

Home Education Program for Drae

Drae's learning program is fully individualized, and built upon his interests and strengths. He will be provided with a natural learning environment, with continuing support and guidance. He will learn through an extensive range of real-life experiences, a flexible schedule, and his individual interests and needs.

My goal for Drae is to continue to nurture his chosen interests, allowing him to learn at a pace that is comfortable for him. Since he has shown little interest in reading and writing when implemented in the traditional method, I will continue to support activities he enjoys where these skills can be practiced. I will also continue to introduce and demonstrate methods that are less forceful, and more encouraging, allowing him to develop his reading and writing skills in a relaxed and fun environment. His interests are: computer games, music videos, dancing, drama, Lego, drawing, and pretend-play. He thoroughly enjoys the game Minecraft, and this has also enhanced his reading and writing skills.

English

Drae will continue to develop the skills of speaking, reading, listening, spelling and typing. He will do this through a various range of activities and resources that reflect his interests. He is not particularly interested in handwriting, although I will gently continue to encourage this. He does enjoy typing regularly, and is always asking for help to read and spell words when searching on the internet. He is currently improving in this area at a rate I am pleased with, and I will continue to emphasize particular letters and sounds, and ask him to read certain words he may know from a book, catalogue, computer, or signs during outings. I will also continue to show interest in his speaking, as he enjoys lengthy conversations about certain topics, and asking questions. He is familiar with particular words and their meanings that he comes across regularly when searching on the internet, and I will continue to encourage this.

Drae loves to play Minecraft on his personal computer and I have witnessed learning on a daily basis when it comes to reading and spelling. He asks for my help, but also does quite a lot on his own. I am very supportive of this interest, as it provides huge amounts of learning in this area.

Drae is also very imaginative, and demonstrates this through pictures, stories and music. He enjoys playing roles through dancing and performing in front of an audience. He enjoys making up his own stories while I listen. We also play a game called "Three Words", where I choose three words for him to make a short story out of. He enjoys this thoroughly. He also loves to narrate to me his own stories as I write for him in book form, and he then illustrates them. This allows him to express his imagination freely, without the pressure of having to write it all out himself, which quickly discourages him. I am confident that with time he will be able to attempt this himself. I will also continue to read to him from books he is interested in.

Resources

Internet,computers,scrapbooks, various writing materials, computer and video games, music, library books.

Activities

Being read to, playing computer/video games, typing topics into search engines, typing names of Minecraft worlds/signs, drawing pictures, reading words on signs, books, videos and the internet.

Maths

Drae will continue to explore mathematical concepts through games, counting, money, cooking, and problem solving. He has a general interest in this subject, and shows understanding of numbers, time and measurement, and how they are used in our everyday life. With my encouragement and guidance, Drae will continue to gain experience in these areas through playing games that teach him about money and counting, such as 'shops', Monopoly, building LEGO and making buildings on computer games. He enjoys paying for goods with real money, saving pocket money, and exploring the cost of things he wants with how much he has saved. This helps him to learn adding and subtracting. He will also continue to use coins to make groups, helping him with division, and helping him become more familiar with the value of money. He uses everyday objects and food to divide equally amongst people, and expresses his knowledge in numbers by reading them and counting from various places inside and out of the home.

Drae will learn measurement through cooking and preparing food, and learn problem solving through real-life experiences, computer games, and play. He uses maths on a daily basis through playing Minecraft, by designing buildings through counting, while learning odd and even numbers. He is also very skilled in making highly detailed LEGO structures through following their instructions with little or no help. My aim is to continue to be highly involved in, and support Drae's growing willingness and desire to learn in this area, providing him with all of the tools and resources necessary. I will continue to provide guidance for any further interests he develops in this subject.

Resources

Food, measuring jugs, money, board games such as Monopoly, structures for pretend 'shops', toy cash register, local service stations and stores, LEGO, computer/video games, toys, LEGO.

Activities

Food preparation and measuring, cooking, playing 'shops', playing Monopoly, paying for goods at the shop and counting the change, saving money, dividing food and toys equally amongst people, making groups with coins and LEGO, building LEGO, playing computer/video games that involve building in numbers, counting, designing.

Science

Drae's interest in science supports certain topics of the natural world. He seeks to learn about dinosaurs and fossils, plants, insects and evolution. I will continue to provide Drae with information on these topics to further his knowledge and curiosity in this area through books, documentaries, and hands on activities. He enjoys watching the ABC 'Eye Witness' collection of scientific documentaries, and we will continue the series and other documentaries that support his interests these areas, and I will seek out books on this topic to provide further information. We also hope to visit the popular Winton dinosaur museum in the future, as I think this could benefit Drae immensely. His chosen method of learning is mostly in the form of discussion, and he enjoys lengthy conversations on this subject. He will be involved in gardening around the home, where he will learn about the types of plants and their life span with a hands on approach, and collect insects in his bug catcher to examine their behavior. I will continue to reinforce the answers to his questions through expanding his resources and discussions, as he continues to reflect on the evolution of pre-historic life into today's reptiles, mammals and ecology, to gain a better understanding of the world around him. I will continue to provide guidance for any further interests he develops in this subject.

Resources

Documentaries, gardening tools and supplies, books, discussion, bug catcher, insects, museums.

Activities

Watching documentaries, discussing his questions, reading books, planting trees and gardens, examining insects, and visiting a museum.

History and SOSE

Drae has continued to show an interest in medieval history, as well as the history of ancient civilization and architecture. He enjoys using video games such as Minecraft to role play hierarchy titles like Kings, Queens, knights, Blacksmiths and Villagers,and replicate structures that resemble that of a medieval nature. I plan to expand on Drae's interests in this area by providing him with extra resources and activities to learn about medieval life and culture as his desire to learn grows. I will do this by visiting museums, and attending medieval festivals, pretend-play with medieval costumes and providing documentaries, movies, books and discussions relating to these topics. He will use craft to replicate ancient props to use in role-play games, and use the internet to seek information and images. He will also continue to use video games to demonstrate and explore, as a hands on approach will help expand his knowledge in this area. I will continue to provide guidance for any further interests he develops in this subject.

Resources

Video games, computer, internet, documentaries, books, movies, museums, festivals, crafts, props, costumes, discussion.

Activities

Using video games to build medieval structures such as castles and towns and populate them with hierarchy figures, using the computer to look up images, watching documentaries and movies, reading books, visiting museums, attending festivals, engaging in discussions.

HPE

Drae enjoys being active on a daily basis through activities such as bike riding, playing, running, jumping, rolling and swimming. He will continue to engage in several opportunities that will enhance his strength, stamina and overall physical health. Drae will be joining our local Athletics club. We will continue our regular outings to the beach, and several pools, where he enjoys swimming and boogie-boarding, and continue our regular meet-ups with our Homeschooling group for leisurely activities such as tennis. Drae will also be taken on camping trips where he will undertake bushwalking and climbing, and use open spaced grounds to enjoy running races. Drae will continue to learn through demonstration and participation by preparing and cooking food, and being surrounded by others who practice good eating habit, discussions, exercise and physical safety on a daily basis. I aim to provide Drae with a growing understanding of the importance of good health and safety, and endeavor to facilitate any new interests he develops in this area.

Resources

Mats for jumping and rolling, public pools, beaches, pushbike, playgrounds, ovals, gymnastics club, athletic club, tennis equipment, bushwalking tracks, discussions, healthy ingredients for cooking.

Activities

Jumping and rolling on a mat, swimming, boogie-boarding, bike riding, running, gymnastics, athletics, hiking, climbing, preparing and cooking food, discussing the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

Technology

Drae's interest in technology at this point mostly surrounds playing computer and video games, and using search engines to accommodate his current interests.He is rather experienced with navigating the user interface of video games to create, save and change options within games. His knowledge of computers is rapidly growing as he engages in activities such as navigating websites to watch videos, playing games, and searching for images. He has begun to learn how to save web images to files and use Microsoft Paint to create landscapes and drawings and to name and save them to a file, and moving files to different locations using 'copy', 'paste' and 'delete'. As he has just started this, constant reinforcement and demonstration of these activities must be applied, in the aim to have him confident and educated enough to carry out these activities with little or no help. Drae is a very quick learner, and I believe he will become quite experienced in this area in a short amount of time with practice and guidance. I plan to provide and expand on these tools and resources used to help Drae become more familiar with technology, by purchasing video games, introducing him to more programs in the future when he is ready, and allowing him internet data to search for information. I am confident Drae will continue to do well in this area, and I will continue to provide guidance for any further interests he develops in this subject.

Resources

Computer, internet, video games, Usb memory sticks.

Activities

Playing computer and video games, using programs such as Microsoft Paint to create images and landscapes, saving, naming, deleting, copying and pasting files, using search engines.

The Arts

Drae will continue to explore this subject as any interest in this area arises. He enjoys crafts and drawing, and I will continue to provide a wide range of materials that allow him to create structures, costumes, props for play, paintings, drawingsand collages that reflect his interests at the time. He has also recently become involved in a Drama class through our Homeschooling group, and has shown a great deal of interest in performing and role-play. He will continue to attend these classes for as long as he wishes, in the aim to nurture his creative, expressive side, and to help him better understand expression of real-life experiences. I will continue to provide guidance for any further interests he develops in this subject.

Resources

Paints, pencils, crayons, scissors, paper, cardboard, craft supplies, glue, Drama classes.

Activities

Painting, drawing, cutting, gluing, making collages out of cardboard boxes, pasta shells, craft supplies, making props for play, making costumes, attending Drama classes.

Language

Drae is not showing any interest at this stage in learning a foreign language, but should he develop an interest in the future I will address it then.

Social Opportunities

Drae is and will continue to be exposed to a variety of social opportunities in his day to day life. We have recently joined a Homeschooling group, and this has allowed Drae to meet a variety of people of all ages, and engage in several activities working and playing with small or large groups. He will attend a community gardens weekly, an all ages' playgroup fortnightly, tennis lessons fortnightly, and group meetings at the library and local playgrounds. He will also attend regular group events at amusement parks, and possibly join a gymnastics club in the New Year. Drae has already made several connections and his social network will only expand due to the growing contact with this group. He will continue visits with friends outside of the Homeschooling group, as well as his Grandparents who visit occasionally. Drae will also continue with his Drama classes, as he enjoys this type of interaction thoroughly.

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Beverley Paine with her children, and their home educated children, relaxing at home.

Together with the support of my family, my aim is to help parents educate their children in stress-free, nurturing environments. In addition to building and maintaing this website, I continue to create and manage local and national home educating networks, help to organise conferences and camps, as well as write for, edit and produce newsletters, resource directories and magazines. I am an active supporter of national, state, regional and local home education groups.

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Welcome to the World of Home Education
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We began educating our children in 1985, when our eldest was five. In truth, we had helped them learn what they need to learn since they were born. I am a passionate advocate of allowing children to learn unhindered by unnecessary stress and competition, meeting developmental needs in ways that suit their individual learning styles and preferences. Ours was a homeschooling, unschooling and natural learning family! There are hundreds of articles on this site to help you build confidence as a home educating family. We hope that your home educating adventure is as satisfying as ours was! Beverley Paine

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