Lessons From Our Homeschool Journey:: When Doubt Calls

Each Thursday I’ll be sharing a post from the archives—words written in earlier seasons of my homeschooling journey that still hold meaning and encouragement for today.

I spent 15 years home educating my daughters at a time when home education in the UK was very much the road less travelled. Instead of following the traditional British route for high school qualifications, we felt led to pursue the American SAT pathway. To say I often questioned myself and felt out of my depth is an understatement. Yet we held fast to our conviction that continuing with a Charlotte Mason education through the high school years was right for our daughters and best suited to their learning styles. 

In God’s kindness, that decision was rewarded—both girls went on to be accepted into British universities. As I look back, I see how those years were filled with both joy and challenge, and how the lessons we learned remain just as relevant today. This post, originally written some years ago, is one I believe still speaks into the heart of the homeschooling journey, so I’m delighted to share it again from the archives.

From the Archives...

Choosing to homeschool our children has truly been one of the best decisions of our lives. The memories and experiences we’ve gathered are treasures we will carry forever. I feel deeply blessed that I still have two years left of shared learning with my youngest. Our homeschooling journey isn’t over yet, and I intend to savour every single moment that remains.

But today, I want to talk about something that can quietly steal our joy along the way: the “voices” that come at us from every side. Some mean well, trying to encourage us, yet they leave us feeling judged or inadequate. Others are far less external—they are the whispers of our own fears and insecurities, growing louder until they become a flood of doubt that threatens to paralyse us.

These are my own reflections on those two types of voices. Perhaps they’ll resonate with you—or perhaps not. Either way, I share them in the hope of encouragement.

The Voices That Mean Well

Who are the voices in your life? For me, they’ve often come from the blogs I’ve read, the online groups I’ve joined, the books or podcasts I’ve followed, or even from fellow Christians we love and respect.

When you see another homeschool mum’s beautiful blog, complete with perfect photos and inspiring projects, it’s easy to compare and feel “less than.” Or when a popular podcast suggests a particular method, you start to wonder if that must be the only “right” way because of their large following.

Sometimes, it’s even the subtle pressure from within our Christian communities—well-meaning comments that leave us feeling that if we allow our children to read certain stories or watch certain programmes, we’re somehow falling short of God’s will.

The danger is this: if we give those voices too much weight, they drown out the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit, the only voice we should ultimately be following.

The Voice of Fear and Doubt

Then there’s the inner voice—the one fuelled by our fears and uncertainties. I’ve wrestled with this deeply, especially when I’ve found myself without a community of like-minded homeschooling mums.

More than a decade ago, God called us to homeschool. He placed on our hearts the desire to raise our children to know Him and live for Him. By His grace, that has been our guiding light. Yet even with that assurance, the world’s expectations can press heavily. We wonder: What if my child’s path looks different? What if it doesn’t align with what is considered “normal”?

Community makes all the difference. When we walk with others who share the same vision, we can pray together, encourage one another, share ideas, and remind each other of God’s faithfulness. Without that, it’s far easier to slip into fear-driven decisions.

Here’s a real example. A while back, I found myself in knots because my daughter would finish her A-Levels at 19 instead of 18. For reasons I can’t quite explain, this consumed me. I stressed about university applications, worried about being “behind,” and allowed fear to overshadow peace.

Then God graciously intervened through a simple conversation. I was speaking with a fellow homeschooling mum—someone who had already graduated two children and was calmly guiding her son through his A-Levels, also to finish at 19. She answered my questions with wisdom and reminded me that this was not unusual. More importantly, she reminded me that God’s plan for each child is unique.

I left that conversation both refreshed and repentant. I realised I had been listening more to fear than to God. And I was reminded how vital it is to stay connected with others walking the same road.

Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to build that fellowship again. A few local homeschooling mums and I now meet monthly, simply to encourage one another. It has been life-giving.

Guarding Our Hearts

Fear and doubt creep in quietly, but they take root quickly. Guard against them by surrounding yourself with voices that strengthen rather than weaken your trust in God’s calling. Stay connected with people who point you back to Him, and keep His gentle voice louder than all the rest.

Wishing you God’s richest blessings today. 

How To Get Started With Nature Study

As a long-time Charlotte Mason homeschooling mum, I've been reflecting on the many rich elements that shaped our learning journey over the years. Among them, nature study has stood out as a quiet yet powerful thread—one that not only nourished our understanding of science, but helped form lifelong relationships with the natural world.

In our home, nature study became more than a subject; it became a way of seeing. It even played a part in inspiring my eldest daughter to pursue a career as a botanical illustrator—proof that the seeds you plant in those early days can bear beautiful, lasting fruit.

Why Nature Study Matters

At its heart, nature study is simple: it's about spending time outdoors, observing, and forming a connection with God's creation. It lays a natural foundation for more formal science lessons down the line, but just as importantly, it teaches attention, wonder, and reverence.

Yet, many parents feel unsure about where or how to begin. If that's you, take heart—this post is for you.

Step-by-Step with Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason encouraged families to spend regular, unhurried time outdoors—at least once a week. Each family member should have a simple nature notebook for recording observations, which may take the form of sketches, written notes, watercolours, quotes, or poems.

She championed long hours outside, even in winter, because she understood that nature itself is a master teacher. Children naturally tune in to the patterns of the world around them when they have the time and freedom to explore it. They learn best through observation—watching patiently until they come to know the habits of bees, ants, dragonflies, and spiders.

As Charlotte wisely put it: "Never be within doors when you can rightly be without."

Letting Go of Pressure

One of the most freeing aspects of the Charlotte Mason approach is that you don't need to be an expert. In fact, she cautioned against doing too much talking or 'teaching'. Let nature do the speaking. Your role is to gently facilitate by making time, showing delight, and occasionally pointing out something especially lovely.

You don't need to know all the answers either. In our home, we often turned to Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study to learn together. The joy is in the shared discovery.

Charlotte reminds us: "By-and-by he will learn the bearing of facts with which he is already familiar... a very different thing from learning the reason why of facts which have never come to his notice."

Where to Begin

Nature study doesn’t require anything elaborate. Start by heading outdoors together, journals in hand, or bring something home from your walk to draw or explore more deeply. If you’re looking for guidance, I highly recommend Karen Andreola’s A Charlotte Mason Companion or her delightful narrative A Pocketful of Pinecones—a gentle, story-based introduction to implementing nature study.

Favourite Supplies

Here are some tried-and-true resources we’ve used for years:

• A set of 12 half-pan watercolour paints — one per child lasts for years!

• Square Watercolor Journal's — These are my personal favourite. They have lovely thick pages perfect for watercolour

• Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study — a foundational investment used weekly in our home

• Outdoor Hour Challenges — free, seasonal step-by-step nature study lessons from Homeschool Nature Study

If you’re just starting out, begin with the "Getting Started" section of Homeschool Nature Study. It’s full of gentle encouragement and practical tips.

Final Thoughts

I hope this post has given you the courage to simply begin. Don’t let lack of confidence in your drawing or scientific knowledge hold you back. Your children don’t need perfection—they need presence. And you might just find yourself learning and growing right alongside them.

Let this be the year you embrace nature study. Go outdoors, be still, and wonder. You never know where it might lead—perhaps even to the heart of a future naturalist, a scientist, or a botanical artist in your own home.

Here’s to the journey, and all the beauty it brings.

Homeschool Seaside Nature Nature Study, Living Books, and Nature Journal Pages

Summer is the perfect season for a seaside nature study—though, in truth, the coastline offers treasures in every weather and time of year. Some of our most fascinating finds have come after a blustery winter’s storm, when the sea gives up secrets tucked away beneath the waves.

This post is a glimpse into our homeschooling days, which I thought would be lovely to revisit and share. And if, like us, your formal homeschooling chapter has closed, take heart—your learning doesn’t have to end. As an amateur naturalist, I still delight in observing the shifting seasons, keeping a personal nature journal, and discovering the quiet beauty in the everyday. It’s a wonderful way to slow down, reconnect with the rhythm of the year, and simply breathe.

So come with me, back to a time when we lived just a stone’s throw from the shore. Let’s wander together down a winding coastal path to a seaweed-strewn beach, and see what secrets lie waiting in the rock pools…

Nature study, if you are not careful, can fall by the wayside (as can composer and artist study) in favour of exam subjects. 

If these things are important to you then you simply have to plan them in. There is no need to lose the joy of learning just because you are homeschooling a high schooler. 

I confess that our own nature/composer/artist studies have been sporadic at best this year and we can definitely feel the difference in the joy of learning as a result. So it is with a determination that Fridays will once again be set aside, as it always has been in our home, for these and other studies. 

I believe that good living books can be enjoyed at any age. 

My grandmother and I share that simple joy that is picking up a Beatrix Potter/AA Milne/Kenneth Grahame/Jill Barklem, and a myriad of others, book. I really don't see why, for the pure joy of reading these beautiful books, you would neglect to enjoy them because they are aimed at younger readers.

So for the pure joy of it, my daughter and I are enjoying reading Enid Blyton's 'Nature Lovers Book'. Because it is a living book it is instructional although it is our field guides and observational skills that we turn to as a matter of course. 

Today I had planned for us to take a walk to the beach and see what we could find. We started by reading from the 'Nature Lovers Book'. It gave us a starting point on what to look out for which was quite useful as we have not done a marine nature study before. We learnt throughout reading about various shells and seaweeds that we could possibly expect to find - a great starting block.

The footpath down to the beach is just at the end of the lane, then it's a 1/4 mile walk down to the beach.

Once there we found copious amounts of kelp and seaweed. Immediately we were able to identify three different types based on our reading. If we had not read that "children's" story we would have identified a whole lot of nothing. Are you seeing the value of good living books being ageless yet?

We found Oar Seaweed [Laminaria digitata], Sea Lettuce, a Kelp Holdfast which we identified at home after a bit of research, and some Bladder Wrack which we had read about in our reading too.

We found 3 of the 5 different shells mentioned in our reading...

Whelks, Limpets and Periwinkles.

We learnt that 'Whelks' is a generic name given to sea snails and the shells can vary drastically. 

We even found skate egg cases amongst the seaweed! Another thing that was mentioned in the reading so we had a huge amount of learning and discovering in today's lesson.

We brought all beach-combing treasures home to document in our nature journals. My daughter simply printed off the photographs and wrote a narration in her journal as she really does not like drawing or painting. I've mentioned that here before. For years I insisted she draw, but really, the joy was not there for her. Last year I decided that I would rather have her enjoy engaging with nature and keep a journal that works for her. So that's what we do.

I, on the other hand, love keeping a nature journal as you know. So I sat down to a good two hours of recording our finds...

When we lived in South Africa, we were literally only a mile from the beach. Beach-combing in all weathers and searching rock pools was a weekly activity. I hadn't realised until today how much I miss that! Now that we live so close to the ocean I am looking forward to picking up our beachy pursuits once more.

The Big Garden Birdwatch Homeschool Resource: Everything You Need To Know!

Its January and traditionally that means its the month of the Big Garden Birdwatch. I'm publishing this article early so that you have plenty of time to register your participation and get prepared.

In our homeschool we have enjoyed participating in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch each year. Its a fantastic way of being part of a nationwide citizen science project while helping out the birds in your area to survive these cold winter days.

Big Garden Birdwatch Posts From the Archives

• Big Garden Birdwatch: A Citizen Science Project (2019)
• Its Time Again For The Big Garden Birdwatch (2014)

What Is The Big Garden Birdwatch? 

Every year, people take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch by counting the birds they see in their garden.

Its been going for 45 years already! Can you believe that?

The Big Garden Birdwatch provides important data on how our garden birds are faring across the UK.

When Does It Take Place?

The Big Garden Birdwatch happens once each year over the last weekend in January.

Who Can Take Part?

Anyone! Even if you are not 'scientifically minded' this is a great way to participate and a countrywide citizen science initiative!

How Can We Take Part?

• Register on the RSPB website to take part. You will be able to download your Big Garden Birdwatch guide and tally chart. This includes a handy bird spotter identification sheet.

• All you need to do is make sure that you keep your feeders well stocked for your feathered friends. 

• Then spend just one hour watching and recording the birds in your garden or in your local green space. Then send your results to the RSPB by submitting them on their website.

Big Garden Birdwatch Resources

Don't forget to register on the RSPB's website to take part and download your bird counting pack!

Start By Getting To Know The Top Ten Birds Reported In The Big Garden Birdwatch 2024

If you are just starting out on your Big Garden Birdwatch adventure then you may want to familiarise yourself with last years top ten Big Garden Birdwatch birds. Many of these birds may already be known to you and be regular visitors to your garden, they certainly are regular visitors to my garden.

• House Sparrow
• Blue Tit
• Starling
• Woodpigeon
• Blackbird
• Robin
• Great Tit
• Goldfinch
• Magpie
• Long-tailed Tit

Prepare Your Feeders

You will want to ensure that you are feeding the birds well in advance of the Big Garden Birdwatch. Word does get round quickly but in order to have a good turnout for your count you want it to become known amongst our feathered friends that you are a reliable source of food!

• Place your bird feeders and tables in a quiet spot where the birds won't be disturbed. Dont place them too close to bushes, you may think that you are doing them a favour but you are not. Cats love to hide in shrubs and pounce on our poor unsuspecting feathered friends.
• Provide a variety of food. There are lots of different foods available but try to avoid foods that have 'fillers' such as dried peas and beans. The birds don't usually eat those.
• Dont forget to provide water, birds get thirsty and would welcome a good drink of water, especially if you have had a prolonged period of ice and snow.
• Remember to keep your feeders clean. A good clean once a week with warm soapy water is all you need. Make sure that the feeder is completely dry before refilling.

Nature Journal Your Big Garden Birdwatch Experience

The Big Garden Birdwatch is a great nature study project. You get to learn about the birds that visit your garden in preperation for the big weekend and you can create a lovely nature journal page to record your data. here are some of my own nature journal pages from previous years...

July Home and Homeschool Links

Rabbit Rabbit! According to this old English and North American folklore saying, if these are the first words out of your mouth on the 1st of the month the rabbits will run away with your problems and you will have a month of good luck.

I always find folklore, culture and tradition interesting and I wonder what the origins of these things are.

In keeping with the topic, since March I have been watching a family of hares that have taken up residence in the hedgerows along the fields near our home. They can often be found in the early morning on our front lawn or in the horse's field in the late afternoon.

They are rather big, as big as my cats for sure and have huge eyes, ears and hind legs - all essential to avoid predators!

Now, a month or two ago I was browsing through past blog posts and thought that it would be rather nice to do a little round-up on the first of each month of past blog posts for that month that I have written over the years. 

So, Kicking off my peek-back-in-time of July posts I want to share my July Seasonal Themes and Planning post.

These are plans that I put together years ago, one for each month of the year. It's a list of seasonal observances, celebrations and ideas to do and enjoy together as a family to celebrate the year. Each year I print off my plans, update, add to and change a few things to keep them fresh, and voila! We have a list of fun things to do and observe for the month.

Summer Pinterest Board

Check out my 'Summer' Pinterest board that's packed with fun things to do and try over the summer. Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest, I'm an avid pinner and am always adding to my boards. 

July Nature Study

Nature Study had to be one of the highlights of our homeschool week. Every Friday we would have our morning basket time, do a bit of Maths and English, then spend a good few hours on nature study. We would read a living nature-related book, take a walk outdoors for at least an hour, then return home for lunch and nature journaling time. Here are some of my top July nature study posts:

OHC - Grid Study
OHC - Cuckoo Spit, Froghoppers and Other Things
OHC - The Great British Weather
Bee Nature Study

The Patriotic Homeschool

I have been a contributing author for The Curriculum Choice website for years. It's a great resource filled with reviews on curriculum and great posts that are helpful and encouraging. Do bookmark it as a resource.

Last year I hosted an authors post where we focused on The Patriotic Homeschool. This post is filled with some great ideas and good reads around this topic so please do pop on over if you are looking for some fun patriotic ideas. July is, after all, the perfect month to explore this theme in the U.S

So my lovelies, I hope that this post inspires fun and learning in your own July. I'm going to be re-looking at those plans, adjusting them to fit in with our now grown children and busy working lives. There is always an opportunity to mark and enjoy the season, no matter what season of life you are in. It's part of those simple things that make life and living beautiful.

Blessings to you all this week.

Exam Tips for Taking the American SAT in the UK

Exam season is over for the year which is just as well, for nerves are stretched knowing that so much rides on doing well in these final exams. For our family, June saw the end of our homeschooling journey. We have taken the American SAT route with our youngest daughter and at the beginning of June was the last opportunity to sit the SAT Subject exams in the UK for the 2018/2019 academic year.

It seems strange that after 13 years of homeschooling, the end has finally come. It's been bittersweet from my point of view as I have loved this season of life but my daughter is more than ready to move onto the next life adventure and I am excited to see her fly.

If you are considering taking the American SAT route in your homeschool rather than the traditional British A-Levels, you may want to get a basic idea on what this is all about. For an overview, you can read my post, "The American SAT:: An Alternative to A-Levels for British Home Educators". As I mentioned in this post, the SAT and the SAT Subject exams are all multiple-choice with an essay option. Don't be fooled into thinking that it's a doddle because of that, take a few practice tests yourself to see what I mean.

With this being a bit of a different system, I thought I would share a few things we have learned along the way to make preparing for, booking and the actual exam day a little easier to navigate.

Booking the SAT Test

In order to book the test, your student will need to register a CollegeBoard account, which is free. It is on this site that you can register for your SAT exams; find an exam centre; see all the test dates available for the academic year and it is where your test results will be returned to you. You cannot register for the exams without a College Board account.

You will want to have a good look at what exam centres closest to you are open for each SAT date. My daughter took the SAT in December, March and May. We had an exam centre in Shrewsbury that hosted the exam in December and May but not the March sitting. For that, we found an exam centre in Manchester.

Practical Tip: At the beginning of the academic year, I recorded all the available SAT test dates; their deadline registration dates and the exam centre location in my homeschool planner so I had all that information available at a glance.

The Week Before the Exam

Your student has been diligently studying for their exam using Kahn Academy's free practice tests and Varsity Tutor's free SAT Subject tests. They have done everything they can to prepare now it's over to you. There are a few things you will want to make sure you have a handle on before exam day arrives.

• Print off your student's admission ticket if you have not done so already. They will not be allowed to write the exam without this.
• Make sure that your student has an acceptable ID such as a passport.
• Hop onto google maps and plug-in directions from your home to the exam centre. Make a note of how long the trip is (adding a little extra for delays, we had to wait for a herd of cows to cross the road from one field to another on one trip) and what time you will need to set the alarm for on test day.
• Check College Board for any exam centre closings, this is really important as it is quite conceivable that your test centre could be closed for whatever reason. By checking College Board for closures you will ensure that you have the revised test centre address and contact details.

Exam Day

You will almost certainly be up bright and early. Getting a teenager up at 04h30 or 05h00 in the morning is a big ask so try to make it as pleasant as possible by marking it a bit of road-trip adventure. I got up a little earlier than the rest of the family, switched on my favourite praise and worship music and prepared some bacon and cheese butties. Who can resist waking to the smell brewing coffee of frying bacon in the pan? It's sure to get your day off to a good start.

Enjoy your drive! Your exam centre will more than likely be a little drive away so be excited about seeing a new part of the countryside you have not yet seen. Enjoy watching the sun gently light up the land, revealing our beautiful landscape bathed in that special early morning light.

We have wonderful memories of exam day travels and I feel blessed to have had those times with my teen, for all too soon she will be off to university and those times will become less frequent, so treasure getting up early and beetling across the countryside.

Post Exam

Your student will get their exam results in 2 weeks...2 weeks! I think that is fabulous! No waiting all summer to find out if you have attained the grades you need. When you get your results you can download the report from your College Board account, save to your computer and then email them through to the admissions team at your son/daughters university. As simple as that.

We chose to write the SAT 3 times, 1st time to gauge where our daughter was at and what areas needed work. The 2nd and 3rd were all about improving her score, which she did with each sitting. We sent only the highest score to the university.

I hope that you have found this post helpful. If you have any questions please do leave a comment. If you are a British home educator please do join the HE Success without UK Exams facebook page. There are quite a few of us who have successfully. It's a wonderful source of support, knowledge and experience of others who have travelled this path.

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The American SAT :: An Alternative to A-Levels For British Home Educators

Did you know that there is an alternative to A-Levels for British home educators?

What if I were to tell you that you don't have to ditch how you learn, your educational philosophies or your favourite resources. What if I told you that you could continue to keep God at the centre of your home education and that you can ditch GCSE's and A-Levels, would it interest you?

If I then told you that you could do all this and your children could still get into British Universities would think me crazy? Well, I'm here to tell you that all this is possible with the American SAT. How do I know? I know because we have done it and we are not the first. You can read our story here. There are a growing number of British families who have taken this route with their children having gained university entrance.

A Basic Understanding of the American Education System

It is helpful to understand the difference between the two education systems. While British secondary instruction focuses on GCSE's and A-levels, each of which is examined separately, the American systems only real standardised tests are the SAT and ACT and are taken at a national level. That means that you do not write exams at 16 years old, rather you continue in your chosen courses of study and in the winter of 11th grade the General SAT exam (for the 1st time) which tests on the cumulative skills gained over high school. The SAT standardized test is meant to show colleges and universities how prepared the student is by measuring key skills like reading comprehension, mathematical ability and clarity of expression. By sitting the exam at the end of your 11th grade year it gives you a good benchmark of what needs to be done for your test in 12 Grade.

Tell Me About the American SAT Test

The SAT is administered by the College Board and is a 4-hour long multiple-choice test. The test is taken on a Saturday morning and tests in three core competencies namely critical Reading, Math and writing with an option essay component.

What are the SAT Subject Tests?

These are college (university) admission exams on specific subjects such as U.S History, Science, Maths and more. These are the only American national tests that the student can choose to showcase their strengths and interests. Often British universities will want a combination of the General SAT as well as a specified number of SAT Subjects if there is not a high school diploma available or if the course the student is applying for is particularly academic. Each SAT Subject exam is 1 hour long and is multiple choice.

SAT Pro's

• They are much cheaper than GCSE's or A-levels. The cost of the SAT General Reasoning test is roughly $80 and for each SAT Subject test around $22
• You can take the SAT exam as many times as you want. Only the most recent 6 scores are kept on your College Board account and you can choose which score to send to your university
• You don't have to worry about exam technique as you would with GCSE's or A-Levels. All the tests are multiple-choice. Note: this is not the easy option as you will spend about the same amount of time on your chosen courses throughout high school as you would on your GCSE and A-Level courses.
• There's no waiting all summer for your results! You can expect to have your SAT score back in 2 weeks and for your SAT Subjects 4 to 6 weeks.
• It's one test, on a Saturday. No drawn-out testing period of weeks on end that puts immense pressure and stress on students.
• There are numerous test dates throughout the year so there will always be a date that is convenient for you.

SAT Con's

• You may have to travel a little distance to your nearest exam centre.
• You could have a different exam centre for SAT Subject tests than for your SAT test. Not all test centres offer sittings for every single test date.

How Do You Prepare For the SAT?

We have used Khan Academy to prepare for the SAT exam and APPracticeExams.com for the AP exams. You can purchase revision books off Amazon if you wish.

So, Are You Keen To Find Out More?

This is the first in a continuing series of posts on taking the SAT in the UK. I will be looking at related topics such as setting out your 4-year high school plan, transcripts, how to calculate your students GPA, how to record credits, dealing with the universities admission teams, curriculum, college preparedness and much more. If you have any questions please do leave them in the comments and I will try to answer them in a Q & A post or they will be answered in a future post.

Please do consider subscribing to my blog if you are wanting to find out more about the American SAT for British home educators.

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