
Show Notes
Ever wonder how home educating families actually plan, stay flexible, and fit everything in—without burning out? In this episode, Kelly and Ashley spill their real-life “home ed secrets,” sharing what planning looks like for seasoned (and sometimes scatterbrained!) home educators, how to stay creative without getting overwhelmed, and why flexibility is the true superpower for families learning outside the system.
We chat about:
Why planning as a home educator looks nothing like school—and why that’s a good thing!
How to use frameworks (like the UK national curriculum or US grade-level guides) without getting boxed in
Balancing structure and spontaneity—so you don’t lose your mind (or your creativity)
The power of following your child’s interests and letting go of perfection
How to handle “rabbit holes,” project-based learning, and the endless questions that spark real learning
Tips for planning non-academic parts of your day—like routines, family values, and self-care
Why it’s totally normal (and healthy!) for your approach to evolve over time or even get completely scrapped and started over again
This summer, Outschool have offered us a sponsored opportunity to use—and honestly review—their learning platform right here on the podcast. Go listen to what we have to say! If you’d like to take advantage of the offer we mention, head to www.outschool.com/HOMEED and use code HOMEED35 to get $35 off your family’s first month!
Whether you’re a new home educator, an unschooler, or just looking to refresh your planning style, this episode is packed with practical tips, gentle reassurance, and plenty of laughs about what really works (and what doesn’t) when you’re learning at home.
Resources mentioned:
UK national curriculum and US grade-level “What Your ___ Grader Needs to Know” books.
AI and creative planning tools
Our honest experiences with Outschool classes for SEND and neurodivergent children
What’s your biggest planning headache or home ed win?
Share your thoughts or questions with us on Instagram or TikTok @bighomeedpodcast—or send us a message to help shape future episodes!
More from The BIG Home Ed Conversations
Whether you came to home ed after your child burnt out of school, or you're the parent running on empty right now, burnout is something so many of us know far too well. In this Season 6 episode of our series on the tricky bits of home education, Kelly and Ashley get honest about home ed burnout: what parent burnout actually looks like, why it creeps up on us, and how to find our way back, for our kids and for ourselves.
Consistency is one of those words that can make home educating parents feel a bit twitchy. Some weeks your home ed routine flows beautifully, and some weeks the maths book hasn't been opened and someone's still in their pyjamas at 2pm. In this Season 6 episode on the tricky bits of home ed, Kelly and Ashley unpick what consistency really means in home education. Do you need a strict homeschool schedule, or is a gentler rhythm (showing up, keeping the curiosity going and coming back to things after a break) enough?
Welcome to season six of The BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, where we're digging into the tricky bits of home education. Not the sunshine-and-nature-walks highlight reel, but the real, unglamorous moments that every home educating family knows too well.
In this final episode of the season, we’re doing something a bit different. (Please note, no explicit details are mentioned, but use caution if you listen with children as we do discuss things they may be exposed to as they start to use the internet more widely.) We originally planned an episode focused on internet safety and online security… and then real life happened. We were away at our annual home ed camp, the world took over, and we decided to lean into the learning that was already happening right in front of us. So this becomes a wider conversation about:
In this bonus episode of The BIG Home Ed Conversations, Kelly Rigg is joined by Dr. Chris Bagley — educational psychologist, musician, author, and co-founder of States of Mind (with B. Herbert).