We go away super-cheaply to interesting places, meet interesting people and the boys get the kind of freedom and independence that it's hard to replicate elsewhere. It's like a summer camp. The boys hang out in the lounge or games room, they have to do their own washing up and keep track of their things. They strip their beds and sweep up when we leave.
Our favourite one is in the New Forest. You can stay in a pod, camp on the field or stay in the house; there are walks on the doorstep and the coast only a short drive away. There's an amazing tree for climbing, a cat that lives a little way down the road and horses that are slightly over familiar. What's not to love?
It might be December but you only know for sure that you have home ed kids if they're bare foot in the depths of winter on a beach.
