News

Parents who have children off school during this crisis have our sympathy. We have offered a list of tried and tested resources on our public page which might be useful for them to support their children’s learning while schools are closed.

But don’t try to do it all. Children learn all the time and they will get a great deal out of reading, playing and talking with you- whatever age they are. Even if you have work sent home from school you don’t have to try and recreate the school experience at home, there will still be plenty of time to explore together informally.  As much as possible, try to make this a happy memory for them.

Home educated kids were thrilled to have another artist led art session with artist Deborah Malcomson at the FE McWilliam gallery in Banbridge. 

This class has been running for quite a few months now and we always feel so blessed to attend.

My children look forward to the sessions with much anticipation and excitement, Deborah truly brings art down to their level while also making it fun and educational. 

"On Thursday 16th January a group of home educated children embarked on their BSL ( British sign language) level 1 course. 

This is a fast track course culminating in 3 exams giving each student a language qualification. 

Everyone was engaged and determined to master this beautiful language. 

"A small group of homeschooling parents have been running a local Mid / East Antrim Meet Up since October 2019 in the Islandmagee Community Centre.

We meet on a regular basis once or twice a month on a Thursday from 1 to 3.30pm.

Each week has a theme and different parents bring along crafts and / or activities for the children to participate in.

 The centre is well situated with a play park accessible from the hall we use. 

"Today we attended wee critters workshop with Alan. 

All the kids got to interact with unusual animals such as meerkats, snakes, toads. 

They learnt a lot of new facts.

As a family of 6 we absolutely love this workshop as it's a hands on experience and suitable for all ages." 

Home educating families had a wonderous time at several pantos over the Xmas holidays.

We came in our hundreds to see Penguins in the Lyric Theatre, A Christmas Carol in The Mac and Beauty and the Beast in The Grand Opera House.

Seasonal outings we will look forward to repeating in 2020!

We are happy to announce that from January the 6th 2020 home educated children can apply for a home education entitlement card. This new card will allow them to borrow more books than the standard - 15 books for three weeks rather than the usual 9.

We know how welcome this will be to families all over Northern Ireland! 

A note on privacy:

We have discussed concerns that families have over their personal data and any hint of a register with Libraries NI, and we are confident that this is a useful and positive initiative. No register will be kept and no details shared.  However any family who prefers not to take up the offer can of course continue to use the standard library card.

Libraries Application Form - General

Application for Home Education Entitlement Card

A large group of home educated families got to enjoy the 3rd place game in the Friendship Four tournament yesterday for free.

The fast paced game saw UNH WildCats take third place.

It was a unique opportunity as this tournament allows local sports fans to watch the only National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hockey tournament that takes place outside of the United States. 

A lot of team members from top American colleges are well on their way to becoming the NHL stars of the future, this was a great opportunity to see their skills.

This match was thoroughly enjoyed by all! 

Our bi-monthly art class at the FE McWilliam Gallery was created around the gallery’s current exhibition- Together Now: The Engagement Project.

Two groups led by Deborah Malcomson started with the kids looking around the gallery to gain inspiration with a space theme in mind. After a loosening up excerise the kids started their projects.

The first was marbling.  

Using shaving foam, food colouring and templates they created their very own marble planets. 

The second project saw the kids creating space alien heads from boxes - using cut outs and string to create some seriously strange looking specimens.

The final was to style an alien using the templates provided.

As always this art class is unique and thoroughly enjoyable for the kids and the adults.

We all look forward to January’s session! 

Our monthly science club at w5 had a very chilly theme. 

The kids made snow, decorated their own editable snowman and learnt how to stick ice together and melt it. 

As always the kids learn a lot at these sessions and always come away wanting to explore more science!