north east regional extra | January 29 - February 4, 2020
nemedia.com.au
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January 29 - February 4, 2020
Home is where the school is
By BELINDA HARRISON
AAAHHH, the sweet sounds of children returning to school for another year - a delight (and often relief) for parents, and an unfortunate reality for the kids. From temper tantrums about the new early wake up time, to the eternal I can’t find my ... (insert relevant clothing item here), to the last minute rush to the bus stop or the realisation that an important piece of homework was left behind on the kitchen table, yes the end of January is a blessing and a time of hair-pulling all at once. But imagine you didn’t have to battle with (some) of those daily routines... Imagine if you could just roll out of bed, get yourself ready and by 8.30am, your children were sitting diligently at the kitchen table ready for their day of lessons. For Eldorado couple, Lachlan and Melanie Buchan, and five of their seven children - Hamish (15), Angus (13), Archie (11), Siena (nine) and George (seven) this is their reality and the kitchen table the permanent space for home school lessons. “In the beginning, a home schooling veteran advised me to school at the kitchen table. I listened to this advice for 10 years and it worked really well,” Melanie said. “Then Pinterest came along and I suddenly wanted a home school room with all the bells and whistles, so last year I transformed part of our living room into a home school room - but it didn’t last long - we were back at the kitchen table within weeks.” The couple’s youngest children - Hugo (four) and Tobias (20 months) are never far from their mother or siblings’ watchful eyes, able to play in the open-plan lounge/kitchen area or in the rooms off the main part of the house. On the days when extra curricular activities or appointments take up precious time during the day, schooling is moved to the evenings, overseen by Melanie as she multitasks preparing dinner, watching the youngest two of her brood and ensuring each child is up to date with their work.
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◆ HOME SWEET HOME: The younger children use the kitchen table for their home school lessons while the eldest two sit at the nearby bench. PHOTO: Belinda Harrison
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