Home education books, DVDs and software

The Six Wives of Henry VIII, presented by David Starkey

Aimed at adults, very informative and interesting DVD, looking at the lives of the six women., the politics behind their marriages and their dangerous lives at court.

The Human Body

A journey from birth to death, with personal accounts, following people facing the major milestones of life, wonderful computer graphics, and time lapse photography. Presented by the affable Robert Winston, this series from the BBC is a pleasure to watch. There are graphic scenes of birth, nudity, and follows someone facing death, etc but done honestly and openly, and it is extremely accessible to most ages.Full of fascinating facts. Certainly a DVD we will be coming back to again and again.

A History of Britain

Yes a serious outlay of money, but so good, and so much of it - 6 discs - we have been watching it on and off for well over a year. It runs from early man through to modern day.I can see us returning to it time and again. It is not aimed at kids, but adults, however Simon Schama's delivery keeps it interesting and it has held both of our interests: adult and child.

Collins Complete British Trees

A really good guide to identifying trees. There are sections on leaves, fruit, flowers, bark, twigs and even cut wood. As well as the identification pages, there is lots of information on woodland ecology, hedgerows, woodland history and uses of timber. Useful for kids learning about the differences between tree species.. and for adults trying to identify what is present in a hedgerow etc.

The Christmas Books, Charles Dickens

This classic, containing of course, a Christmas Carol. Usually I read it out to my son, and we both enjoy it. As well as the great feel good story, and characterisation, there is also a dabbling of history to be uncovered too, looking at the lives of times gone by, what people used to eat, how they lived etc.

British Isles: a natural history

Ok so it is presented by Alan Titchmarsh - but don't let that put you off - he does a really good job and is obviously enthusiastic about the subject. Beautiful photography and lots of detail 389 minutes over 3 discs so it is good value for money. Such a great visual learning aid, I have enjoyed watching it too, there is lots going on, with jet flights, mountains caves and so on. I can imagine us coming back to it many a time, perhaps to dip into just one subject - dinosaurs, or the ice age? or take it as a whole. The only criticism I can make - and it is a small one, is they will mix up images, to show what was before, such as showing dinosaurs in modern day London, which takes a little explaining if you child takes things literally! however easily dealt with.

wild weather

Exciting scenes, beautiful photography, adventure and science. A fascinating look at weather. In four 1 hour chapters; wind, wet, cold and heat.

Become a Human Body Explorer

Fun and games with the talking skeleton, and yet there is sneaky education taking place in the background. Play on a simple level or use it to find out some decent facts. Not bored of this one yet!

See Inside Your body

A lift and flap book, yet not that young - for example explains the different kinds of blood cells and so on. We have enjoyed this book alot, and it's clear we can come back to it again and again, and learn something new each time.

A street through time

A great book, particularly for those, like my son, who do well with visual learning. Each page has the same landscape - with the changing street as we move through time - starting off with early settlers through Romans, Tudors etc to the modern day. There is great continuity, some buildings standing, others vanishing, just as in a real street. In the modern day museum, you can see artefacts from the earlier pages! There is humour built in, which keeps it entertaining. You can look for the time traveller on each page - or answer some of the interesting questions around the edges, or just flip the pages watching the changes. If you follow the BBC schools program 'A walk through time' this is a great follow up book

Free Range Education

Each chapter is an account of how it works for one family. Each have different approaches, all have successful and rewarding experiences. It was a great comfort to me to read of others going through this, it opened my mind and made me rethink the whole education system, and think on how home education could be.

Home educating our Autistic Spectrum Children

This book, like 'Free Range Education' gives personal accounts of people home educating their children, but this time children with special needs. As the title indicates, it concentrates on those with ASD - but even though my son is only mildy autistic, and has other disabilities including learning difficulties and a muscle disorder, much of the content still apllied to us - we still deal with statements, 'special educational needs' etc, and again was a great comfort, before embarking on our journey.