Welcome to The Educating Parent Beverley Paine's archive of articles about homeschooling and unschooling written over a period of 30 plus years

HomeAbout Blog Articles Curriculum Resource Directory Shop Facebook

Download our FREE The Educating Parent Resource Directories today! Plus... more FREE resources!

Free download a quick guide to getting started with homeschooling and unschooling by Beverley Paine The Educating Parent in this excellent Resource Directory

 

Free directory of Australian homeschooling and unschooling support groups organised by national, state and territories

 
Plan, record and report all in the one document! Always Learning Books planners available in each year level to suit your homeschooling needs, includes curriculum checklists
Let Beverley and friends help you design and write your own curriculum to suit your child's individual learning needs, learn how to prepare lessons, unit studies and more, record and evaluate your children's learning in this series of 3 parent workbooks developed on Beverley's popular homeschool manual Getting Started with Home School Practical Considerations
this Always Learning Year 7 Plan is everything you need to get started a comprehensive collection of curriculum aligned resources and links to activities, lesson plans and unit studies for your year 7 homeschooling student
Introduction to
Home Education
  National and State
Support Groups
  Yearly Planner, Diary & Report Series of How To
Parent Workbooks
Homeschool Learning Plans

Support Groups: National SA VIC NSW QLD TAS ACT NT
Registration Guides: VIC NSW QLD SA WA TAS ACT NT

Looking for support, reassurance and information?
Join Beverley's The Educating Parents Homeschooling and Unschooling Facebook online group.

 

Creating a Children's Garden

© Beverley Paine, Mar 2006

I like to close my eyes and travel back in time and. swish a stick through sour sobs, flatten trails for my bike; plough through tall weeds with swampy ground underfoot in gumboots, ever wary of the 'enemy'; cautiously climb trees, feeling the fear hold me back, the excitement urge me on; level roads with my hand in the dirt beneath dad's fruit trees for matchbox cars; swing higher than the shed.

It's memories like these that have guided my instinct when designing gardens for my children. I loved getting dirty; splashing about in puddles, playing in the mud, feeling it squish between my fingers and toes. I remember endless hours of fun and creativity making cubbies; mazes out of mum's sheets hanging on the Hill's hoist; banging nails into wood to make wobbly go-carts; pulling apart my bike and making mud pies.

Although my mum and dad didn't intentionally design a garden for their children, they gave each of us a small plot of earth and encouraged us to learn how to grow vegetables and flowers. I've heard it said that if you encourage a child to garden before the age of five, he or she will grow up to be a gardener. It worked for my brother and sister and me. I can think of nothing more satisfying or soul enriching that pottering away in a garden on the weekend. As children our garden was our special playroom, free from the tedious restrictions of inside games, as well as a yummy source of food throughout the year!

So, what does a garden need to entice children and encourage them to have endless hours of imaginative fun? If you're thinking expensive outside toys and play equipment, think again! Let Mother Nature provide the raw ingredients and then allow the children to cook up their own games.

If you don't have mature trees suitable for climbing, how about planting one? Wattles are fast growing and can be easily pruned into great climbing trees for young children. My children loved the mature olive trees on our property - as did I: their smooth bark and strong, resilient limbs didn't break or unexpectedly fall. It was good to know that Roger, at ten years of age, was perfectly safe when he poked his head and shoulder through the top of the canopy, like a bird in a nest, or when he adventurously 'abseiled' down the outside of the tree!

The dry, shaded ground beneath a tree is one of the best spots to build a tree house, or play with small toys in the heat of the day. My three children scavenged for off-cuts of timber, disused brick pallets, odd bits of rope, and together with a hammer, some nails and help, knocked up a low platform, complete with ladder and rope swing tied to a high branch. The deep mulch beneath the tree provided a soft landing. The kids played in all sorts of cubbies over the years but always found the best those that they designed and built themselves. The simplest was made from sturdy forked branches that had fallen in a strong wind lashed together with string and covered with long strips of gum tree bark to make a humpy. Tepees, made with tomato stakes driven into the ground and draped with a colourful blanket, were another favourite, especially when the children were small.

It's difficult to separate children and water in the warmer weather and those shady trees came in handy for sandpit play. Our first sandpit was a huge pile of sand that slowly disappeared as dad made concrete for the house, but he soon took the hint and set up a special area under shade cloth, close to a tap and hose. A cheap tarpaulin, dragged across the sand and weighted with small logs, kept out the neighbourhood cats. The children played for hours: dug caves for their cars and dolls, built dams and volcanoes, and learned how rivers eroded hills into valleys.

To make an instant refreshing shower on those very hot days we used to drape the hose off the pergola or a suitable branch, with the end stuck into a titled watering can, then listened to the children's squeals of delight as they darted about underneath. It was always hard to resist and we'd soon join them! If you are lucky and have a sloping garden you can hold the hose at the top of a sheet of builder's plastic for an instant and very popular water slide. Our block is relatively steep, and the slope was often used with smooth boards for surfing down when the grass was long, or rolling down.

Mud pies and teddy bear picnics wouldn't be the same without a range of delightful foliage and flowers to decorate the delicious offerings. Always check to make sure the plants you buy for your garden are child friendly and don't contain poisonous, irritating or prickly parts. Avoid flowering lawns: nothing spoils fun faster than a bee sting! Long hours were spent in the garden making secret or magic potions in tiny jars and discarded perfume bottles. Stink-bombs, from seedpods, were another perennial favourite, especially with the boys!

When cutting firewood, select a smooth long log and place it on the lawn to encourage balancing on; or place under a tree for a shady seat. Trim dense bushes to make secret hiding holes; your children can quietly watch small birds hatch their young. Hang a rope or tyre swing. Cut up logs into short rounds and make stepping stones. Arrange your garden beds into small 'rooms', with winding paths that take the children to new sensory delights. Indulge in some garden 'whimsy' made from recycled bits and pieces. Those 'cheap' shops are often full of colourful or musical objects you can use to decorate your garden.

The trick is to think like a child - what would delight you, get you laughing, jumping for joy, or beating back the jungle, exploring the dark forest, stalking dragons and exotic beasts in some imaginary land, far away from the world of grown-ups.

 

 

Was this article helpful? Was it worth $1.00 to you? Your gift of $1 or more helps to keep this site operating offering encouragement and reassurance to families wanting better outcomes for their children.

Thank you for your gift contribution!

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.

"You've been an inspiration to me, I love the way
you really listen to people."
Vanessa

"Whenever I read your writing I always come away
with increased confidence in my ability to provide and
share a wonderful learning journey with my family!"
Davina

"Your guidance, understanding, support and words of
wisdom changed our lives. We now offer support and
organise many homeschooling events for others."
Lesley

"Thank you once again for your prompt and friendly service.
I am convinced that your books are going to add
quality and peace of mind to my journey of teaching my kids
at home! Just from studying your website, until almost
2am in the morning, I 've been encouraged!"
Louisa

"Thank you for all your many,many reassuring words
over many, many years. You probably don't know exactly how valuable you are to the Australian Home Education community. I've been reading your stuff for maybe 8 years or more now. And I'm very grateful."
Gythaa

image is 3 workbooks for parents set on a background showing bushland, DIY home ed curriculum planning, recording, evaluating, write your own curriculum
Want to learn how to write your own education plans
to suit your unique children's individual learning needs?

Or you are looking for quality curriculum and teaching tips...

Comprehensive 3 workbook 'how to home ed' course
covering the essential skills you need
successfully home educate your children


 

 

Welcome to the World of Home Education
and Learning without School!

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

3 ESSENTIAL STEP BY STEP GUIDES

Getting Started with
Home Educating Series of

PARENT WORKBOOKS

#1 Create Your
Own Curriculum

#2 DIY Lesson Plans
& Unit Studies

#3 Recording and Evaluation Made Simple

$10.00 each (includes postage)

let experienced home educators Beverley, Tamara and April walk you through HOW to create a learning plan that builds on solid foundations that works for YOUR family AND ticks all the boxes for home educaton registration with part 1 of this getting started with home educating serioes of parent workbooks, Create Your Own Curriculum!
Let experienced home educators Beverley, Tamara and April walk you through HOW to create a learning plan that builds on solid foundations that works for YOUR family AND ticks all the boxes for home educaton registration!

To see the full range of Beverley Paine's books on homeschooling, unschooling and natural learning visit Always Learning Books

Tap into Beverley's experience
through her books

"Your books, your blogs helped me beyond words... they helped me to find comfort in knowing it is ok to choose exactly what is best for my family." Nisha

"Your books and information are mind blowing and already I am feeling good about this new experience." Diane

"Your guidance, understanding, support & words of wisdom changed our lives." Leslie

"I feel specially inspired by Beverley's words and, the more I read her comments, the more inspired I feel, since my need for support, respect for different parenting styles, and information are fully met." Marijo
purchase Beverley's practical and common sense books on homeschooling and unschooling
Connect with Beverley and ask questions
through her online The Educating Parents Homeschooling and Unschooling Facebook support group
.

click here to become a Fearless Homeschool member giving you access to all past summit workshops as well as exciting new content and webinars, online discussion platform, and more

The information on this website is of a general nature only and is not intended as personal or professional advice. This site merges and incorporates 'Homeschool Australia' and 'Unschool Australia'.

The Educating Parent acknowledges the Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Owners, the Custodians of Australia, and pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people viewing this website.

Advertise on this site.

say goodbye to home education registration stress with this ultimate rego bundle from Fearless Homeschool

make homeschooling a lot easier, zero to homeschool's excellent course is here to help

Australia's best home education consultant, let Tamara Kidd guide and help you prepare your home education registration application or review

Twinkl downloadable Home education resources helping you teach confidently at home

Online science lessons for primary school aged home educating children

Home education is a legal alternative
to school education in Australia.
State and Territory governments are responsible
for regulating home education and have different
requirements, however home educating families
are able to develop curriculum and learning programs
to suit the individual needs of their children.

animated Australian flag

Without revenue from advertising
by educational suppliers and Google Ads
we could not continue to provide information
to home educators. Please support us by letting
our advertisers know that you found them on
The Educating Parent. Thanks!

Support Centre
Contact Us | Join a Support Group | Beverley's Books | Resource Directory | Blog | Donate

About The Educating Parent
Beverley Paine | April Jermey and Always Learning Books | Advertise with us

Sitemap

What is Home Education Why Home Educate Getting Started & Registering Different Ways to Home Educate
Life as a Home Educator Resources & Support Teens and Beyond Curriculum and Teaching Tips
Unschooling & Natural Learning Travelling & Home Educating Record Keeping Children's Pages

animated smiling face Thank you for visiting!

The opinions and articles included on this website are not necessarily those of Beverley Paine, The Educating Parent, nor do they endorse or recommend products listed in contributed articles, pages, or advertisements on pages within this website.
Disclosure: Affiliate links are used on this site that take you to products or services outside of this site.  Please review products and services completely prior to purchasing through these links. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question before purchasing or signing up. Always Learning Books, April Jermey assume no responsibility for those purchases or returns of products or services as a result of using these affiliate links.

If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about this site, please feel free to contact us.


Text and images on this site © All Rights Reserved 1999-2024.