Available on your Kindle
blog badges
Other places.
I'm an
-
FurnitureGive each room its own personality by choosing a focal piece of furniture and building up your theme around this with fabrics, accessories and lighting.
TablesWhether you're looking for side tables, coffee tables or dining tables, we've got a huge range of classic, quirky and contemporary styles available to buy online.
Bedroom furnitureStorage is all important in your bedroom. Banish the clutter with bedroom furniture storage solutions, make sure your bedroom table can accommodate a morning tea and paper and sleep easy.
BedDoubles, singles, divans, children's and guests; we have a huge range of beds to suit everyone. Choose your perfect style, pick your bedding and snuggle down.
SofasThe focal point of your living space, a sofa is worth investing in. Choose from our range of leather, fabric and corner styles. Or treat yourself to a chaise longue.
Shop online or call
08456 049 049
Category Archives: how we do it
The whole early years/ school age thing and home education, with a book review.
Increasingly via twitter I’m getting contacted about home education. This is good. I’m glad that ppl have somewhere to reach out to. When I was considering it for Big, all those years ago, my online answers came courtesy of the … Continue reading
Hannibal returns.
Years ago, when I was a much younger and less experienced parent (and actually thought there might be a Right Way to do things, that only I didn’t know) Big went to nursery. It was a very good nursery. The … Continue reading
Learning to read – a carnival!
So sorry this has taken me so long to post. without any further ado… Here’s Katie from Outside the Box with her Change makes you wanna hustle post about different approaches for different children. Drool over the absolute gorgeousness that … Continue reading
Learning to read, take three.
What with the whole home education thing, I’ve been very involved in the learning to read process for both of my older children. I think I’ve learnt something from that experience. Point 1 – there is no one way that … Continue reading
A quick rant.
I’ve been inspired by an article in a newspaper to have a quick end of year rant. Toby Young is displaying his educational ignorance in the Independent. As the father of three boys under five, I share the Government’s concerns. … Continue reading
How do you get from no structure to sats
in one quick year? Today I had the children do a Level 3 Sats Maths paper. Earlier this year they were doing nothing structured at all while I waited for them to deschool, so how and why have we got … Continue reading
A tale of two children.
My children are very similar, and very different. I’m often accused of cloning, which I find amusing now that they are growing up – Big’s hair has darkened and her blue eyes are now brown. Small is still blond and … Continue reading
Pondering that statement of intent from the home education review.
We all have plans for the future and hopes for our children. It’s kind of what parents do. And it is our responsibility to equip our children for a life in the community that they are part of – sounds … Continue reading
autonomy vs peace and quiet…
I have been waiting since January for my children to deschool, stop watching endless CBBC or playing on mind numbing websites, for them to show and develop some interests and learn to get along instead of screeching and bickering all … Continue reading
Curriculum courtesy of the red cross.
Picked up several good books in the Red Cross yesterday and am planning to require a certain amount of purposeful or focussed activity each week as I still think that boredom is our largest problem here. I don’t want it … Continue reading
home education, why and how – a blog roundup.
At this time of the year, when so many children are starting or returning to school a small percentage are not. They are staying at home with their families and being home educated. I asked readers to write a little … Continue reading
Home education – why and how? Call for posts
In the past I’ve read some really inspiring posts on various ppl’s blogs on the why and how of how they came to home education and how it works for them as a family now. I’d love to read some … Continue reading
Summer bad for your child’s brain?
What about the rest of the year? References John Holt, who was one of the resources that introduced home education to me. It’s great stuff, if you haven’t read it I suggest you do, try How Children Learn and How … Continue reading
Washing and sewing and stropping and stuff
Despite recent suggestions otherwise, the children are still addicted to screen time. I’m not quite sure what to do about it – I’d like to let them autonomously work through it, but behaviour deteriorates rapidly around here if they do … Continue reading
What’s it all for?
The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable- (a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and (b) to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at … Continue reading
cause and effect or bribery and punishment?
First day of the new system, it appears that the children had a rather different idea to how it was going to work than I did. Our system doesn’t involve boxes per child prestacked with work – I’m nowhere near … Continue reading
Something’s got to change.
Another day of petty squabbling and far too much screen time, with reluctance to go outside (it did rain somewhat, which didn’t help) which culminated in tears at bedtime when Small wanted to play as they barely had all day, … Continue reading
The whys and hows.
Recently I blogged an article about teaching children to think and it gave rise to the following comment. never done this before but while drifting through the home ed. sites, found yours & felt compelled to write. how do you … Continue reading
Boredom is good for them.
Over the last day or two, the children have started to get bored of the television and computer. This shows quite simply – they fight, which is not so good, and then they start to do other things, which is … Continue reading
In response to Gill
How could I resist this? I started to respond in a comment, but it got rather long, so I thought it better removed to a post. There was a highly amusing thread on Brightkite as to what orgoplanning is – … Continue reading
