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The most important resource you have to offer when home schooling, is your time.

You have lots of advantages that a school-based teacher doesn't have:

• You know your child better than anyone else
• You have lots of time to devote to your child
• You have all of your child's attention, rather than sharing you with a class of other children
• You can change plans at short notice, instead of following a fixed plan or curriculum
• You can link a lot of activities to familiar situations - design technology can involve D-I-Y or food preparation, science can involve the garden, mathematics could be related to budgeting, a history project could start with a television documentary that you would have watched anyway, and a family holiday can be a geography lesson

The Government recognises your child's right to a home education, but you have to fund it yourself.

There are lots of useful educational tools that are available at no cost or for very little.

For more information on home schooling see .

The internet

If you haven't got internet at home; there are several places in South Tyneside where you can get free access, and you can also get advice on how to use the equipment.

Libraries

Libraries are free and full of really interesting books and resources.

South Tyneside

If you want to learn about the Romans, coastal erosion, the theatre, transport systems, you'll find local resources that have the advantage of being real, not just in books.

Learn outside

Home schooling doesn't have to happen in the house:

• Try to get out of the house regularly
• Try to walk to places, and talk about the things you see on the way
• Let your child buy the tickets, or talk to the receptionist, or plan the route

Enjoy learning 

Remember that you are learning as well. Enjoy it and get organised.

At some point you might even think of using some of your learning to gain qualifications for yourself.

Write an annual report

It isn't a school report, so it doesn't need to be at the end of the "school" year.

Sit down with your child and talk about how they have changed in the last year.

What have been the best things that you've done? Concentrate on achievements, but don't be afraid to mention disappointments. Make plans for the next year.

Write it all down, and put it somewhere safe. Some people like more frequent reports - you might prefer Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter reviews.

Meet up with other home schooling families

Try to meet up with other parents who home school their children. You can swap ideas, and possibly resources.

There is a local group of parents within South Tyneside who support each other and arrange activities within the area.

This group can be contacted on Facebook at Home Educators South Tyneside.

Recognise when to stop home schooling

Try to recognise when home education might no longer be the right thing for your child.

If things are not working, it's important to stop.

Do something special

Every now and then do something special - something that is only possible because you are home educating.

Attend an activity or workshop

There are lots of play schemes, computer and sports camps, art and music workshops offered over the holidays.

With a lot of these, you don't have to be a pupil of a particular school even if it takes place in a school.

Make a holiday educational

If you "go on holiday" (travel away from home, camping or caravanning, staying with relations or friends etc), try to make being somewhere different educational.

For example:

• you can talk about and explore the differences between South Tyneside and the holiday location
• look at the jobs people do
• how and why the landscape is different
• how busy or quiet it is
• whether the food is different
• if people speak another language, get a phrase book and encourage your child to use at least a few simple phrases

Spend time with other children

Encourage your child to spend school-holiday time with children in the neighbourhood who go to school.

This can help them to strengthen the friendships already have and to make new friends.

Take a break

Make sure that there are some weeks in the year when you don't feel like you have to organise daily programmes of learning.

Allow your child to get bored.

 - Government guidance for parents.

 - This is a free resource for primary-age children.

Education Otherwise

 is a site you can become a member of. It provides support and information for families whose children are being educated outside school.

There are lots of useful links from the Education Otherwise site.

BBC Bitesize

The  focuses on school-based education.

There is a lot of free, interactive and involving material for children of all ages.

If you ever decide that you want your child to return to school, this is a useful site to give your child small introductions to the work their age-mates will have been doing.

BT Tech Tips

 offers a range of videos and guides on using media and other tech skills.

University websites

For older children there are lots of useful pages on university sites.

For example, you can find free maths lessons at 

iTunes

If you've got iTunes on your computer, iTunes U has more than 250,000 free downloads from many universities, on lot of different subjects.

Oxford, Cambridge and the Open University all provide material on here. You need to download the iTunes app to access the material.

To find out more without downloading the app, see .

YouTube

 offers a range of resources and clips which can be used to help with learning.