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I’m sharing this because a lot of people wonder what homeschooling is like during these transition years into further study and/or work.  For every homeschooled teen, their days are different.

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Rollingstone Beach Camp

Our sixth Beach Camp will be held from Thursday 22nd April to Monday 26th April 2010.

If you can come for all or part of the time, please go ahead and make your booking direct.  Day visitors welcome.

Where: Rollingstone Beach Caravan Resort, Hencamp Creek Road Rollingstone– 60km north of Townsville, 50km south of Ingham. Phone 07 47707277 or 1800 006 567. Their website is here. And you can also email the park.

Facilities: camping ground, powered sites, amenities block with laundry and baby/toddler bath, ensuite sites for vans only, cabins (sleep 4 or 8), pools (incl. toddler pool), gorgeous beachfront (for fishing, walks, activities), large open grassy areas, waterways with wildlife, small kiosk, camp kitchen with fridge, BBQ, hot plates, washing up facilities, tables and chairs.

Rollingstone township nearby with store, service station, pub etc. Near to Paluma turn-off to visit falls and walks.

Activities: May include - concerts, fabric painting, yoga, music, sport and games, circus, fishing and fish feeding. Most activities occur on the Friday and Saturday. Check the blackboard for details! If you would like to arrange an activity, please contact me with details if is necessary for people to bring anything, for example.  In 2009 we enjoyed seeing sea turtles on our last day there.

Price: Approx $30 for 1-2 adults/night, plus $5 per child 4-16 and $10 per extra adult per night in the unpowered area.

Booking is no longer required.  Please email me if you plan to attend so I can keep track of numbers for those organising activities etc.

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Lake Tinaroo Camp

In 2008 and 2009 we enjoyed a new venue – still on the lake but at Kauri Creek. It has a gorgeous fresh water stream to explore and is closer to the forest.  This year, the dates for the camp have not been set but will be September or  October 2010.

Campground features:

This camping area is on the edge of a quiet inlet that is well suited to a peaceful swim or exploration by canoe. Take the 600m, easy walk along the link track through the forest to the Kauri Creek day-use area.

Location:

9km from the western entrance and 19km from the eastern entrance of the Danbulla forest drive.

Access:

The campground can be reached by conventional vehicle or boat.

Number of sites:

Open area without separately defined sites.

Campsites are suitable for:

Tent camping beside your car, caravans, camper trailers, motor homes and large groups.

Campsite surface:

Grass.

Facilities:

Flushing toilets (wheelchair-accessible), cold showers, individual fire rings and rubbish bins.

Open fires:

Allowed (except when fire bans apply).

Generators:

Not permitted.

Essentials to bring:

Drinking water and insect repellent. Purchase firewood before entering the park.

Mobile phone coverage:

Generally available.

Booking:

Please book your site online. If you can’t book online, call 13 13 04

When filling in the form, note that the Location is Danbulla and the Campground is Kauri Creek.

Contact Grace Chapman for further information.

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Camp With Wings

Dates: 17-24 January 2010.

Location: Camp Duckadang
Duckadang nestles in the lush and tranquil Brisbane Valley between the Blackbutt and Conondale ranges. It is two hours north west of Brisbane.

For: homeschoolers 13-18 years

More info: Camp With Wings website

Contact: Janine Banks (07) 4614 0564 or by email.

I’ve updated the details for our October home ed camp for those interested.

I’m pretty sure this used to be called the Homeschool(ing) Support Unit, and it can be sometimes tricky to find these contact details through Googling, so I thought I’d post them here since I’ve looked them up for three newbie homeschoolers who emailed me this week…

Phone: 07 3405 3916 or 1800 677 176 (outside Brisbane)
Fax: 07 3405 3914

The Home Education Unit
Unit A, Level 1
52-54 Manning Street
South Brisbane

PO Box 3710
South Brisbane BC Q 4101

Email: homeeducation@deta.qld.gov.au

http://education.qld.gov.au/homeeducation/

Happy researching!

John Holt

“Why do people take or keep their children out of school? Mostly for three reasons: they think that raising their children is their business not the government’s; they enjoy being with their children and watching and helping them learn, and don’t want to give that up to others; they want to keep them from being hurt, mentally, physically, and spiritually.” John Holt

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Ivan Illich

‘Together we have come to realise that for most men the right to learn is curtailed by the obligation to attend school.’ Ivan Illich

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Here’s a version of an article I wrote in 2005 for Education Choices magazine.

Nationally, the number of babies born to women aged to 24 years continues to decline1. Despite the recent media coverage of ‘irresponsible’ spending of the baby bonus money by teen parents, the reality is that there are no constraints on how the money is spent, and it is just public perception, not reality, that all teenage parents are irresponsible with money. This sensationalism is merely a result of changing trends and media bias toward a minority group2. Only 16 per 1000 babies are born to teenage women - that is about 11000 babies per year in Australia, a figure which is still decreasing annually - these young parents are certainly a minority1. And don’t they know it.

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Two of my articles have been re-published in Warm Earth’s July/August issue. One is on gardening with children, and the other on home based learning. I will also have several new articles published by Warm Earth over the coming issues. Stay tuned!

I just found this article written a few years ago and thought it might be of use to some of you…

Home educating on a budget may seem like a challenge at first, especially if you are attempting to gather as many resources as your average classroom. There is no need to rush out and buy a lot of equipment that you may not need. First, sit down and write a “wish list”, then highlight the items you feel are most necessary to begin.

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2008 National Home Education Week 11 – 17th May

“With so much dissatisfaction with private or government schooling many families are finding that DIY schooling is a great deal easier and more enjoyable than they imagined.” - HEA

For further info on home education, see this page.

Atherton Tablelands Home Education Network’s aim is promote local activities and other items of interest for homeschoolers on the Atherton Tablelands and in surrounding areas.

For further info, please contact me.

I’ve been looking at the legal stuff a bit lately as it’s always changing. I’m often getting emails and phone calls asking me about Queensland homeschooling laws, so thought I’d write about a few of my findings here.

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“From the earliest times attempts have been made to classify individuals according to types, and so bring order to the chaos.” Carl Jung

Part Two – Left or Right Brained?

Continuing with my discussion on exploring labels in regard to learning, I will give a brief explanation of the left brained/right brained theory of neurological development. This concept was first popular in the 1970s when it was accepted that the left hemisphere of the brain controlled analysis and accuracy, while the right side was responsible for aesthetics and feeling. Of course, we use both hemispheres of our brains all the time. They interact with each other in complex ways and cooperate with other parts of the brain as well. The theory suggests though, that we all have a preference for one or the other hemisphere’s apparent functions.

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