The BIG Home Ed Conversations | Home Education - Détails, épisodes et analyse

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The BIG Home Ed Conversations | Home Education

Kelly Rigg & Ashley Vanerio | Home Educators, Mindset Coach and Ex Primary Teach

Enfants & Parentalité

Fréquence : 1 épisode/14j. Total Éps: 72

The BIG Home Ed Conversations is one of the top active 'home education' podcasts for parents who want to move past the myths and dive deep into what we actually want to talk about as alternative educators. Join Kelly (home ed mum of 2 and home education coach & mentor) and Ashley (ex-primary teacher & home ed mum of 3) as they debunk myths, tackle real challenges, and share honest, empowering, mindset-shifting conversations for families choosing alternative education. Whether you’re new to home educating or looking for fresh perspectives to support your child’s learning journey, this podcast offers practical advice, mindset shifts, and heartfelt stories from UK-based parents and experts. We go beyond the basics—helping you handle the ups and downs of home education, break free from generational patterns, and build confidence in your own path. Tune in for weekly episodes packed with reassurance, motivation and community for mums, dads, and anyone passionate about holistic, alternative, project-led, or eclectic education. Find out why we’re one of the top-rated home ed podcasts, and feel less alone on your journey. Find us at www.bighomeedpodcast.com Ps. We only use the term homeschooling from time to time to help US, European and new to home ed families find us!

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Reluctant Writers in Home Ed: Why Creativity Comes First (with Night Zookeeper)

Saison 6 · Épisode 6

jeudi 5 novembre 2026 • Durée 42:08

This episode is a paid partnership with Night Zookeeper, but as always is a great conversation!

Are they writing enough? Will they ever pick up a pencil without a meltdown? Literacy is one of those tricky bits of home ed that keeps so many of us awake at night, especially when we’ve got a reluctant writer on our hands. In this special guest episode of our Season 6 series on the tricky bits of home education, Kelly is joined by Josh, co-founder of Night Zookeeper, the creative reading and writing platform her kids fell in love with overnight.

Josh shares how Night Zookeeper started life as a story, not a literacy programme: a fine art student hearing about night-time zoos in Melbourne, sketching invisible giraffes and time-travelling elephants, and a first school visit where children ran around the playground shouting “I’m the Night Zookeeper!”

Kelly opens up about her son, a reluctant writer who struggles with fine motor skills, and how audiobooks quietly built his vocabulary and storytelling long before he was ready to read much himself. She also shares how her seven-year-old daughter kept writing more and more, simply because Kelly delighted in every word.

Together they explore why imaginative play is the best launchpad for literacy, why criticism (even a well-meaning “that’s not how you spell it”) can stop a child writing in seconds, and why feedback sometimes lands better from a third party than from a parent. They talk about why typing can feel so much easier than handwriting, why starting with drawing helps kids who freeze at a blank page, and the comforting truth that the only way a child won’t learn to read and write is if they stop doing it. If you’ve ever cried over your child’s literacy (Kelly has!), this one’s for you.

Next week: we’re talking about comparison and what it does to the peace in our homes. The family down the road whose kids are already doing GCSEs, the co-op mum who seems to have it all together, even our own kids measured against each other. If you’ve ever come home from a meetup feeling like you’re doing everything wrong, this one’s for you.

Fancy giving Night Zookeeper a go? It’s a reading and writing programme for kids aged 6 to 12 where children invent their own characters, write stories and get encouraging feedback from real tutors, and it’s been a firm favourite in our house this term. Grab our special listener offer here.

Want to go deeper this season? Visit our website and join the waiting list for When Home Ed Gets Hard, our reflection and journaling companion with questions for every episode of Season 6, releasing in December. Waiting list members will be the first to hear when it’s ready and get an early-bird discount.

And if you’re navigating ADHD or neurodivergence, whether as a family or for yourself, Kelly offers 1:1 coaching. Find out more at https://www.kellyrigg.mykajabi.com.

Loved this episode? Don't forget to click that follow button so you don't miss the next one! Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. It really helps other families find us and we might even read out what you had to say on our next episode!

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The Real Cost of Home Education: What's Worth Paying For

Saison 6 · Épisode 5

jeudi 29 octobre 2026 • Durée 01:06:09

Can you really home educate for free? It's something we hear a lot in the UK home education community, and while the sentiment is lovely, the truth is that home ed does cost something - the key is realising that it doesn't cost more than sending them to school.

In this episode of our Season 6 series on the tricky bits of home ed, we get honest about the real cost of home education: where our money goes, what we regret buying, and what we'd happily pay for again.

Kelly shares why she'd never buy maths cubes again (acorns work just fine), the maths app she never minds renewing (Synthesis), the insulated picnic backpack that changed their days out, and the eye-opening sums she did with a working mum about term-time prices versus school holiday prices. Ashley talks laminating regrets, prepping a whole year of resources that never got used, and why Outschool classes and Art Makes Me Smart have earned their place in her budget.

Together we explore home education on a budget: free home education resources from the BBC, Khan Academy and museum and zoo websites, getting school group rates and home ed days at attractions, keeping on top of apps and subscriptions, peeling back classes and clubs, the lack of financial support for home educators in the UK (including paying for GCSEs), and the trade-offs between income, time with your kids and time with your partner. Because financial wealth isn't the only kind of wealth.

Over to you: what's the one home ed purchase you'd buy again in a heartbeat, and what do you wish you'd never spent money on? And if you want that ranty episode about home ed funding, come and tell us in the comments!

Next week: Kelly chats with Josh, the CEO of literacy app Night Zookeeper about the challenges and fears around literacy in the home ed community. (Paid Partnership after Kelly's kids fell in love with the app!)

Home Ed Learning Styles: The VARK Myth, Mixing It Up (and Knowing When to Leave It for Another Day)

Saison 6 · Épisode 4

jeudi 22 octobre 2026 • Durée 49:57

One child happily gets on with a maths app, and the other says a hard no to everything you put in front of them. If you're home educating more than one child, or just one who changes their mind every few months, working out how they learn can feel like building on shifting sands. In this Season 6 episode of our series on the tricky bits of home education, Kelly and Ashley talk about learning styles: what the research actually says, why what works for one child doesn't work for the other, and how to stop wearing yourself out looking for the perfect approach.

Ashley explains what she found when she looked into the popular VARK learning styles model (visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinaesthetic). It turns out to be a well-known neuromyth. Children do have real preferences, but teaching to them doesn't improve how much they remember. What matters more is letting the content decide the method, mixing approaches, prior knowledge, interest and motivation, and any learning differences. Kelly shares how her son's favourite maths app didn't stick, how a brilliant online chess tutor took over where her own enthusiasm ran out, and how listening to Harry Potter for the umpteenth time turned into real inquiry.

Together they explore how our own school hang-ups (maths GCSE, we're looking at you) shape what we think learning should look like. They talk about why it's okay for home ed to be softer and slower than school, and why a big regimented family might need more structure. Kelly also explains why neurodivergent kids often need to regulate before learning, not after. They finish with the importance of leaving space in the week, knowing when to cut your losses, and giving yourself and your kids some grace.

We'd love to hear from you: how do you mix things up for your kids, and what do you do when something that used to work suddenly stops working?

Next week: The bit nobody puts in the home ed brochure: money. When your child is in school, the curriculum, books, science lab and specialist teachers all come included. When you home educate, every bit of it comes out of your own pocket. We're getting honest about what it really costs and how families make it work.

Want to go deeper this season? Visit our website and join the waiting list for When Home Ed Gets Hard, our reflection and journalling companion with questions for every episode of Season 6, releasing in December. Waiting list members will be the first to hear when it's ready and get an early-bird discount:

Home Ed Burnout: Spotting the Signs, Lowering the Bar (and Finding Your Way Back)

Saison 6 · Épisode 3

jeudi 15 octobre 2026 • Durée 56:40

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.

Kelly shares how she went hell for leather in her first year of home ed, filled the calendar to the brim with meetups and outings, and burnt out hard and fast, plus the early warning signs she watches for now, from irritability and creeping clutter to answering work emails at dinner. Ashley talks about how disrupted evenings and sleep, solo parenting and being always on as parent, educator, driver, planner and social secretary tip her towards homeschool burnout, and the small changes she's made, from cutting back activities to getting the kids making their own lunches and cosying up the house with soft lamps, candles and coffee-shop music.

Together they explore the pressure home educating parents feel to prove home ed works, the home ed comparison trap, why the well-meaning advice to just relax can backfire for families recovering from school burnout, and why home education is a marathon, not a sprint. Kelly shares a happiness hack (make the bits you hate a little better and the bits you love even better), the family meeting that transformed their car journeys, scheduling protected rest into the diary, and giving yourself permission to lower the bar on tired days.

We'd love to hear from you: what are your tricks for changing the environment or reducing the workload to sidestep burnout?

Next week: Why won't they just...? We're talking learning styles and effort, why one child flies through a worksheet while another needs to build it, act it out or argue with you about it first, and why what looks like not trying is sometimes something else entirely.

Home Ed Consistency: Rhythm vs Routine (and Letting Go of the Perfect Timetable)

Saison 6 · Épisode 2

jeudi 8 octobre 2026 • Durée 57:27

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?

Kelly shares how a week of painting the bedroom turned into an unexpected lesson in life skills and independent learning, and the simple daily rhythm (one helpful task, three bits of learning, then screen time) that works for her ADHD and autistic kids. Ashley talks about swapping school days to fit in a new outdoor meetup, why a predictable routine helps children feel safe, and why getting back into a routine after a long summer break can be such a battle.

Together they explore rhythm vs routine, how much of our worry about consistency comes from school and society rather than from our children, whether structure and child-led learning can work together, why being consistent in how we respond to our kids matters as much as any timetable, how to scaffold child-led goals like becoming a zoologist or a vet, and the small household routines that quietly set children up for adult life.

We'd love to hear from you: what's one small thing you do consistently that makes a bigger difference in your children's lives than any curriculum could? Send us a message through our website or on Instagram.

Next week: burnout. What happens when you've been showing up and showing up with nothing left in the tank.

And if you're navigating ADHD or neurodivergence, whether as a family or for yourself, Kelly offers 1:1 coaching. Find out more at

Back to Home Ed After Summer: Transitions, New Systems and Too Many Hats

Saison 6 · Épisode 1

jeudi 1 octobre 2026 • Durée 51:35

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.

After a summer apart, Kelly and Ashley catch up on what's been going on and why September always seems to bring that big "go" energy, the pressure to have new systems, new attitudes and a whole new approach. Ashley shares what it's like to go straight from a holiday in Italy into a new term with no pause, plus the realisation that her eldest is only a few years from needing to think about what comes next. Kelly talks about why transitions can feel like grinding gears for neurodivergent families, and the simple fridge chart and wall calendar that have helped her autistic kids feel settled and accomplished.

Together they explore finding the right time of day for learning, the tricky balance between child-led learning and the bigger picture, why living alongside all the mess of home ed can feel so much heavier than a classroom, and Kelly's "which hat am I wearing?" mantra for staying focused. They also talk about helping kids face that big wall of "this feels too hard", from handwriting struggles to fractions, and why teaching our children how to learn and persevere might be the most important thing of all.

If you've been feeling the pressure this September, this one is a gentle reminder that none of us are doing it wrong. We're just in the iteration we're in right now.

Want to go deeper this season? We're creating When Home Ed Gets Hard, a reflection and journaling companion with questions for every episode of season six, releasing in December. Join the waiting list at https://www.bighomeedpodcast.com/when-home-ed-gets-hard/ to be the first to hear when it's ready and get an early-bird discount.

And if you're navigating ADHD or neurodivergence, whether as a family or for yourself, Kelly offers 1:1 coaching. Find out more at kellyrigg.mykajabi.com.

Loved this episode? Don't forget to hit that follow button so you don't miss the next one and please leave us a review on , or wherever you listen. It really helps other families find us.

Season Finale: Screen Safety, Fake News & AI: Helping Home Ed Kids Build Digital Discernment

Saison 5

dimanche 19 juillet 2026 • Durée 45:18

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:

Why “the plan” doesn’t always happen (and why that’s not a failure)
How real-life experiences can teach safety, boundaries, communication, and responsibility in a way no worksheet ever could
How to start age-appropriate conversations about online safety without introducing scary details too early

We also share practical ways we’ve been exploring digital literacy at home, including:

Noticing how fast-paced videos are designed to keep kids watching (frame changes, zooms, constant stimulation)
Comparing YouTube-style content to slower documentaries and noticing what our brains remember
Talking about influence: how creators shape what kids think is “normal” (including illegal or unsafe behaviour being presented as entertainment)
Helping kids question whether something is real or AI-generated
Teaching “data safety”: what not to share online (surname, location, pet names, family details)
Why pausing, checking sources, and doing a bit of research matters (especially with fake news and misinformation)
A real example of a child being scammed in an online game—and what that taught about trust, risk, and due diligence

And we bring it back to the heart of home education: community, character, and the kind of learning that happens when children are given space to live, play, negotiate, help others, and grow.

Sponsor: Strew - a home education logging app created by a home educating mum and her brother. We have loved using Strew this season, loved the feed its created of the amazing adventures we've had with our kids, the learning insights it has offered and the ease of pulling these memories to the surface when we will need to produce reports for the LA in due course. Try it now: or use code 'bighomeed'

State of Mind: Mental Health and Education. Guest Episode - Dr Chris Bagley

Saison 5

dimanche 5 juillet 2026 • Durée 01:00:38

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).

Together, they unpack why so many young people are “not ok at school” — and what happens when an education system prioritises compliance, metrics, and control over human development, agency, and real connection.

Chris shares why States of Mind is “allergic” to tokenistic ideas like “pupil voice” when they’re used as a fake listening exercise — where young people are asked for their opinions, but nothing actually changes. He explains how this can mirror an unhealthy relationship dynamic: being invited to be vulnerable, then ignored.

Kelly reflects on her own experience of being a “good student” who learned to tick boxes, impress adults, and stay quiet — and how that conditioning can follow us into adulthood, shaping our self-worth, relationships, and mental health. They explore how many parents in transition to home education are realising the same thing: school was supposed to be “good for them”… so why is their child anxious, distressed, or shutting down?

In this conversation we explore:

Why “normal” is a social construction (and why there may be no such thing as a “typical” brain)
How labels and diagnoses can sometimes become the only route to compassion — and why that’s complicated
The difference between genuine participation and performative “student voice”
Why young people need space to talk about their lives and the world without being controlled or shut down
How fear of uncertainty drives institutions to narrow, label, measure, and punish
Why agency, belonging, and autonomy matter (for children and adults)
Chris’s powerful reminder: you can’t have harmony without difference

Chris also shares what young people consistently ask for when they’re truly listened to: more agency, more authentic connection, and spaces to explore real life, mental health, and meaning — not just performance and compliance.

Home Educating UK Topic Challenge: Raising Brave Kids — Activism, Justice & Quiet Protest

Saison 5

dimanche 28 juin 2026 • Durée 44:09

In this week’s episode of The BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly Rigg and Ashley Vanerio dive into a big question many home educating UK families wrestle with: how do we teach our children about activism, justice, and using their voice — without overwhelming them?

We talk honestly about:

Why “quiet protest” (like choosing elective home education) is still activism
How kids can learn courage, integrity, and a strong moral compass through everyday life
Exploring activism through books, documentaries, and values-led conversations (including learning about Greta Thunberg)
How to handle tricky conversations with people who don’t “get” home education (and the judgement that can come with it)
Practical ideas you can try at home: writing letters to companies, researching issues together, and building confidence through small actions
A fun evolution-inspired activity that sparked brilliant conversations about climate, deforestation, and change

Whether you’re fully in flow or just finding your feet with Home Education, these home education resources will help you to find your way through this topic. This episode is a reassuring reminder: our children’s opinions matter, and they’re never “too young” to care.

Sponsor note: This season is sponsored by Strew (the home education logging app). Strew are running a survey right now and they genuinely want your feedback on what features you want, what you love, and what you’d change. There’s also a chance to win £25 Amazon vouchers.
Survey link: https://strew.app/the-2026-strew-survey-prize-draw/ or download the app here: https://strew.app/r/bighomeed

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Summer Home Education: Letting Go of the Pressure (and Trusting Real-Life Learning)

Saison 5

dimanche 14 juin 2026 • Durée 45:01

In this chatty catch-up episode, Kelly Rigg and Ashley Vanerio reflect on what home education can look like as summer approaches — when clubs pause, routines shift, and the calendar suddenly feels wide open.

Together, they explore the different ways families plan (or don’t plan) through summer, how guilt can creep in around “what we’ve achieved this year,” and why many home educating parents eventually find a calmer rhythm — especially when they start trusting that learning doesn’t stop just because the school year ends.

What we cover

Why summer can feel either freeing or overwhelming (and why both are valid)

How Strew’s tracking insights can reassure you about progress and balance

Socialisation pressure and the reality of home educated kids’ social skills

“Traditional” learning vs real-world learning (and why the distinction can be unhelpful)

Planning styles: structured curriculum planning vs going with the flow

Why boredom can be a catalyst for creativity, independence, and resilience

Gentle “check-in” moments that help you notice progress without formal testing

A reminder that home education is allowed to be sustainable (and imperfect)

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend — it genuinely helps more home educating families find the podcast.

Website: www.bighomeedpodcast.com

Try Strew (our Season 5 Sponsor) We’ve loved trying Strew as a simple way to log learning and spot patterns over time. If you’re signing up, mention the referral code “bighomeed” so they know you came from us. https://strew.app/r/bighomeed

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