Episode 4 – The Wonderful World of Co-ops

Welcome to the wonderful world of Home Ed Co-ops! No, these aren’t grocery stores run by our entrepreneurial children. Rather, groups of Home Educating families of all ages and stages choose to learn together, share together and have fun together on a regular basis. Each co-op looks different. They may also change over time, but they are often the highlight of the learning week for both children and parents.

Listen in as Mary, Debbie and Molly take you behind the scenes of their own co-ops, sharing honestly about some of the potential pitfalls and enthusing over the many benefits. If you’d just like to know more, if you’re considering starting your own or even if you’re a seasoned co-op mum, this episode has something for you.

Hop over to Spotify or Apple Podcasts, join the fun and get enthused!

Mentioned in this episode:

Episode 3 – Finding Community

Making the decision to home educate our children is, in the words of Robert Frost’s much loved poem, making the decision to take the road less travelled. As such it’s an adventure, but one which can be lonely at times.

However, it doesn’t need to be. You may live in an area where there are a good number of home educating families with children of a similar age and values which resonate with yours. Or you might be in an area where there are far fewer home educators and you need to travel to find good friendships. Either way, we all need to reach out to others and take some risks in order to find a group of friends with whom we can do life.

Join Helen, Mary and Ruth as they share their unique journey to navigating the road less travelled alongside others.

Listen to the episode here on Spotify or on Apple Podcasts at ‘Rooted to Flourish Home Ed Podcast’

Let us know in the comments: How did you find others to journey with as you root your children to flourish?

Mentioned in this episode:

Episode 2 – Wintering Well

Hello Friends!

How do you walk through these winter months? It can be a slow, cosy season with more time to read aloud, drink hot chocolate and immerse yourselves in craft projects. Or it can be a time of fractious children and lethargic teens. For most of us, it’s probably a mix of the two.

Between them, Molly and Clare have wintered with their children over a good number of years. Come and join them as they share suggestions and stories from their own families.

Listen to the podcast here on Spotify or find all our podcasts on Apple Podcasts at “Rooted to Flourish Home Ed Podcast”.

We’d love to know your top tips too! Let us know in the comments below.

Featured Resource: Copywork Cave.

Also Mentioned:

Episode 1 – Hopes for a New Year

A new year!

And Season 2 of Rooted to Flourish!

We’re excited to be back together again and as we sipped tea and nibbled some left over mince pies, we mulled over our thoughts around the beginning of 2025. So, for episode 1, we each answered two questions:

  • What brings you hope as you look to this coming year?
  • What advice would you give to your younger (home educating) self?

Come and join our conversation. We’d love to hear how you would answer these too, so do let us know in the comments below.

Happy New Year to you all and may you know God’s provision and blessing as you root your children to flourish this coming year.

The RTF team x

Click here to listen on Spotify or find us on Apple Podcasts as “Rooted to Flourish Home Ed Podcast”.

Episode 15 – American AP exams for British Home Edders – and some summer thoughts.

Here we are at the last episode of our first season of Rooted to Flourish!

We have a bumper session for you; firstly an interview with two lovely ladies from Dumb Ox Learning, sharing their knowledge of and experiences with AP’s, an alternative to A levels. We hope this will open up some more options for those of you home educating through the teen years.

Molly and Ruth then share some thoughts and tips for your summer holiday season.

If you’re looking for a book to inspire your Home Ed journey remember to take a look at “Another Way to Learn? Discovering the Beauty of Home Education”

From all of us at Rooted to Flourish, we hope you get some time to rest, some time to restore your weary souls, some time to refill your mind and some time to nurture your heart and vision.

Listen on Spotify or on Apple Podcasts.

We’ll have more discussions for you in the autumn, but until then be encouraged as you root your children to flourish.

The RTF team x

Note: In this interview, Helen and Jenni from Dumb Ox mostly refer to “homeschooling”. The Rooted to Flourish team generally use the term “Home Education” instead – which is the term preferred by UK Home Educators for a variety of reasons including the political situation.

In this Episode and related links:

Episode 14 – The Wonderful World of Mathematics

This week we’re talking all things maths. Maths can be a little like marmite; you either love it or you hate it. However, with a host of resources compiled by Mary, a genuine maths lover (Helen) and some encouraging stories from all of us, this episode turned out to be one of our liveliest. We even had to edit out some of the laughter!

Join us as we discuss with honesty and humour the maths journeys we have taken with each of our completely unique children.

Be encouraged as you root your children to flourish.

Click here to listen in on Spotify or find us on Apple Podcasts by searching “Rooted to Flourish Home Ed Podcast”

Games Mentioned:

Websites Mentioned:

We’ve also added a Maths Bookshelf to our GoodReads account!

Episode 13 – Early Years

The early years. A season of wide-eyed curiosity, cosy readalouds and carefree rambles. Or of toddler tantrums, constant activity and permanent exhaustion. Caring for our little ones is a full time job in itself, so how do we weave home education into our days?

These truly are precious years. Ones in which we lay foundations and establish relationships. But we would all agree they can be hard; the years may be short but the days can seem long.

Come and join us as we share some of what we’ve learned from our Home Ed years with younger children. Join in the conversation by leaving a message; we’d love to hear your stories.

Be encouraged as you root your children to flourish.

Listen to the episode here on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Mentioned this episode:

Imagination Tree

Episode 12 – When ideals meet reality

How many of you are dreamers? Maybe holding on to firmly rooted ideals or a hard won version?

We’re sure we are not the only one’s whose days often fall far short of these. So do we just give up on the big picture? Is it possible to hold on to our vision in the midst of the everyday muddles and mess?

We’d love you to join us for this uplifting and practical conversation as we offer suggestions on how we can indeed hold firmly to our God-given ideals while living through seasons of change and challenge.

Listen in on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and be encouraged!

Mentioned in this podcast:

Episode 11 – Socialisation

It’s the hot potato… Maybe the question we are most asked and one of the concerns which might be uppermost in our own minds as we home educate our children.

“How will they socialise?”

Before we can answer that, we need to consider what we and others actually mean when asking this loaded question. Join Helen, Clare and Molly in a lively conversation as they unpack some helpful themes, ask insightful questions, suggest some practical tips and most of all offer some firmly rooted reassurance.

Listen in and be encouraged!

Listen here on Spotify or find us on Apple Podcasts.

Episode 10 – Easter

As we prepare for our Easter celebrations – maybe baking spiced cookies or a simnel cake, helping small hands to create cards and decorations, or preparing our homes for adult children or guests to join us – we have a special Easter Episode for you.

We invite you to pour yourself a favourite drink and listen in while Helen, Ruth, Clare and Molly share some encouraging stories, answers to prayer and Home Ed optimism! Whether you take a break from term time rhythms or not, we trust that you will find some time to rest, enjoy a different pace and be replenished in areas where you are weary and depleted. May the God of Hope fill you and your family with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so you can overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Happy Easter!

Listen here on Spotify or find us on Apple Podcasts.

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