Blog

You are allowed to skip the lesson. There, we said it. You can skip an activity, a lesson, or even an entire program. You can shorten it, change it, replace it or decide it simply isn’t right for your child today. You can spend three days exploring one activity and three minutes on the next. You can skip ahead, come back to it later or move on completely.

Unique things only a homeschooler would understand. From the weird things we find in our pockets, to the honorary cat student.

“Are they learning enough?” It's one of the questions almost every homeschooling parent asks at some point. Maybe it's after a week that didn't go to plan. Maybe the morning was spent gardening instead of doing maths. Perhaps you happily passed an afternoon baking muffins, reading on the couch or exploring a local walking trail.

As homeschoolers, we don’t have to do the same thing all year. While summer wants us to stay a while longer, winter asks us to slow down. Oftentimes, our summer rhythm doesn’t work in winter. And that’s ok.

Take a scroll through any feed, and soon enough, we can feel a little unsettled. A quiet tightening, a growing heaviness. Sometimes we can’t quite put our finger on what it is - just a sense that we’re not doing enough...

When you first begin homeschooling, it can feel like you are carrying around a giant invisible checklist. Are we doing enough? Are the children behind? Should we be following a stricter schedule? What if I’m getting this wrong?

Finding your homeschool village can feel both exciting and uncertain. You’ve chosen a path that is rich with freedom, connection, and intention, but it can also feel a little lonely at times.

One of the beautiful things about homeschooling is that wisdom and encouragement can come from so many places – educators, philosophers, authors, and parents who have walked this path before us.

There will be days when nothing works. The maths ends in tears. Someone refuses to write. The toddler tips over the science experiment. You wonder if you are completely unqualified for this job.

Comparison is one of the most common – and quietest – challenges homeschool families face. It slips in when we scroll through photos of beautifully curated learning spaces, hear about structured routines that seem to run perfectly, or listen to another family’s achievements and milestones.

So you’ve decided to homeschool. Perhaps the decision has been slowly growing in your heart. Or maybe it was thrust upon you by circumstance. However you arrived here, it can feel big.

One of the greatest gifts of homeschooling is freedom – freedom to follow curiosity, to take your time over learning… or even the freedom to close the books and head outside.

Homeschooling more than one child can be a beautiful adventure, and also a big challenge! One child is ready for a maths lesson, another wants to read aloud their latest story, and someone else can’t find a pencil (again!).

As the new year begins, many homeschool families feel a familiar twinge of pressure: “Am I behind?” “Did I miss too much last year?” The truth is there’s no 'behind' in homeschooling. Your journey isn’t measured by school calendars or rigid timelines. It’s measured by curiosity, growth, and connection.

You love your kids. You believe in homeschooling. You’ve poured endless time and your whole heart into it. But sometimes, the spark that once carried you through messy art projects, early phonics lessons, and big ideas feels dim. You’re tired, snappy and running on empty.

November is a special time for homeschoolers – not just because the school year is winding down, but because it’s the one time of year Simply Homeschool offers a special deal: 14 months for the price of 12!

Imagine learning where every subject connects – where reading a story about an explorer leads to mapping continents, experimenting with a compass, writing your own adventure tale, and sketching the wild creatures discovered along the way.

Homeschooling is a journey that shifts and changes over time. Some of us start out with colour-coded timetables and structured days. Others swing the opposite way, letting things unfold more naturally. Most of us end up somewhere in between.

Homeschool life is full of surprises. Some are deeply meaningful, some are wonderfully practical, and a few are just downright hilarious. Whether you’re brand new to the journey or you’ve been at it for years, there are always moments that make you pause and think, yep, this is the best part.

Are you thinking about homeschooling, but feeling a little unsure? You’re not alone. There are so many myths that can make homeschooling seem intimidating or unrealistic. The truth is, homeschooling often looks very different from what most people imagine —and it might just be simpler and more joyful than you think.

Starting a homeschool book club is a wonderful way to build community, nurture a love of reading, and spark meaningful conversations. Whether you’re gathering a few friends in your lounge room or pulling together a larger group at the park, these simple tips will help you launch a book club that everyone looks forward to.

Homeschooling is a beautiful journey. But let’s be honest, it can also feel like juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle. Between teaching multiple subjects, managing meals, keeping the house in order, and finding a moment to breathe, time management quickly becomes one of the most important (and challenging!) skills for homeschool families.

You can’t use a curriculum and unschool, can you? What if your child’s natural approach to learning is more child-led, but you would like a little more support; somewhere to find great books, somewhere to find engaging activities, somewhere which has space for your child to take their learning in whichever direction their interests carry them. What do you do? 

When I first started, I had so many questions and a long list of worries. Will I get it right? Will my child be ok? Am I making a mistake by keeping them at home instead of sending them to ‘real’ school? Can I do this?

I recently had a day when I forgot my why. It’s been nearly 12 years since I started homeschooling, and sometimes, the familiarity of our days leads me to forget why I chose to homeschool in the first place.

When I first started my homeschool research one of the biggest questions I had was “How much will it all cost?”.  Three years later, I am thrilled to share that homeschooling blew my budgeting socks right off! 

November 11 is Remembrance Day. Each year, on the 11th day of the 11th month, at 11am, Australians pause to remember those who have died in wars and conflicts.

Travelling or planning to with kids? There is a good chance one of your biggest questions is “What about school?” After 5 months on the road home schooling 4 of my 5 kids (ages 4 to 14yrs) I share my tips, tricks and how using Simply Homeschool works for us as a travelling family.

Whether you’re new to homeschool, considering homeschool or a veteran, at some point, we all ask the question, “Do I need a homeschool curriculum?”. The short answer: ‘No’, ‘Yes’, and ‘Maybe!’ Read on!

I didn’t ever think I would homeschool my children. It was completely off my radar, and something I knew nothing about. So why did I start?

Do you ever get to the end of the year and think, ‘Have I done enough homeschooling this year? Have my children learned anything at all?’ Or maybe, like me, you get to the end of the week and ask the same questions! This panic is not reserved for those new to homeschooling, but for many long-term homeschoolers as well.

When Josie Brand was 15 years old, she wrote a novel. Sixty years later, Josie’s lifelong dream to become a published author came true when a box of her very own Bible Early Readers was delivered to her front door.

Meet Emily Burtt. Emily and Sam Burtt have three children aged 3-7, and are learning to live with ADHD, Severe Anxiety, Severe School Avoidance and they are Mid Diagnosis for High Functioning Autism. They are an oil loving, thermomixing, minimalistic, natural learning household who struggle with sibling rivalry.