Home Learning
Welcome
Home education or homeschooling is an option in New Zealand which allows parents to support and manage their children’s learning rather than having them enrolled in a schooling institution. This option allows families the freedom to teach and learn the way they wish, choose their curriculum, be flexible with when and where learning takes place and to take advantage of real world learning opportunities. While home education may not be for everyone, here at freedom ed we commend and support ALL educators and learners who are trying to rethink education to ensure learners are getting what they need in life and in learning.
For more information about homeschooling as an education option check our our FREE spotlight with Cynthia Hancox.
We can, and will, support you as parents and as educators in your child’s home education journey. Take a look at our options below and get in touch if you have any further questions.
How can we help?
Learning Guide
Assessment
Membership
Learning Guide
Our learning guide option gives you and your child ongoing guidance in their learning. We firmly believe that engaged learners learn well especially when they are given the freedom to take ownership of their learning while still receiving a level of encouragement and expertise along the way. Get the best of both worlds with the freedom of homeschooling AND the expertise of a qualified teacher.
We provide learning tasks covering a range of reading, writing and maths concepts that meet your child where they are. Learning is asynchronous meaning it can be accessed and completed at times suitable for your child.
Let us help support the most important journey of your life.
Your child’s education!
Explicit Learning Tasks
Each week(ish) one concept from one core curriculum area (reading/writing/maths) is chosen as the main learning focus to allow learners to really master and improve their learning. Resources are provided that support learning, understanding, application and practice of this concept.
The remaining core curriculum areas are covered through assigned resources and tasks that support general learning, review, practice and milage.
- Explicit learning tasks might include:
- Texts to read and activities to complete
- Websites to utilise
- Problems to solve
- Writing prompts
- Videos to watch
- Digital activities to complete
- Worksheets to complete
- Hands on activities to carry out at home
Tasks are tailored to individual learning needs and ability across each curriculum area. This is personalised learning support so we can discuss your child’s goals, needs and learning styles and devise a programme that will work best for them.
An initial 1 to 1 reading, writing and maths assessment is provided along with re-assessment after every 6months of continuous enrolment.
A minimum of 12 weeks enrolment is required to allow for learning improvement. This is flexible however to suit both child, family and learning guide.
Learning Guide
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Initial Reading, Writing, Maths Assessment
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Regular Individual Feedback/Support
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Ability / Needs Based Learning Tasks
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NZ Curriculum Aligned
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Online Google Classroom
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Weekly Core Curriculum Focus
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Flexible Payment Options
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10% Sibling Discount
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6 Monthly Ongoing Assessment
Email kate@freedomed.co.nz to enrol today
Frequently Asked Questions
YOU are still the adult in charge of your child’s learning as per your exemption. You will need to encourage your child to engage with the provided tasks and support them where needed.
Hi, I’m Kate Friedwald, a qualified primary teacher with years of experience and two children of my own. I have a passion for providing engaging, flexible and real learning that can be done anytime from anywhere. It is my goal to provide you and your child with the resources, tasks and guidance needed for them to feel successful in their learning. If required substitute learning guides may be called upon from time to time.
Your child will need:
- A digital device suitable for accessing the google suite of tools (classroom, drive, docs, slides, sheets, drawings)
- A google account. (this can be created for free)
- Access to pen & paper.
- A BGA (Bloody Good Attitude)
You may also find it helpful to have access to a printer but this is not essential.
Google Classroom is a web based tool that allows educators to share learning tasks and communicate with learners. Our learning guide will be able to share web links, videos, docs and files with your child. They will be able to open these, edit them where required and submit back to their guide. Upon enrolment your child will be invited to join the google classroom for either the self managed or personalised option. As a parent it is recommended you physically sit alongside your child from time to time to discuss their learning with them. This allows them to show and share with you what they are doing. Younger children may require your help to access the google classroom and to find their learning tasks.
That is entirely up to you but our aim is to cover as much, if not more than would be covered in a NZ public school classroom.
Again this is entirely up to you. The best learning takes place when children are engaged and want to learn. You might be able to make a child complete a task but you can not make them learn, so our advice is to work on engagement, encouragement and self ownership of learning. There may be weeks where your child has lots of other activities on so they may complete only a little. Alternatively there may be weeks where they are really into it and complete all the tasks as well as tasks from previous weeks they may have missed at the time. Our model is designed to allow for flexibility so if you are away, your child is sick or just simply needs a break they can access learning tasks whenever it suits within the enrolment period. As learning is being personalised for your child we will adjust the amount of tasks provided to match what your child is able to complete.
Marking on its own by a teacher/adult has very little impact on learning so wherever possible answers or guides to self check will be provided to allow children the opportunity to learn from their mistakes as well as take a flipped learning approach if desired. This is where they might look at the guide or answer and work backwards from there.
Our learning guide option includes regular feedback/support which means when tasks are submitted we will take a look over them and provide points of celebration and areas for improvement.
Upon enrolment we will make contact to book in a time for your child’s 1 to 1 assessments. This will involve a zoom call where they will be asked to complete some short spelling, reading and maths tasks. We will also ask them to complete a short writing sample before or after the zoom and for you to email us copies of this along with any written work completed during the zoom. Pen and paper will be required for the zoom assessment. These assessments are predominantly to guide ‘teaching’ however results will be provided for your understanding and record.
If your child continues enrolment for a 6 month period we will complete a reassessment to gauge progress and guide further ‘teaching’.
As home educators we all know that learning isn’t tied to the school term so let’s be flexible. Enrolment can begin at any time of the year and will continue for 12 weeks from that date. If re-enrolment (incl payment) occurs before the current enrolment period ends a 5% re enrolment discount will be applied for the next period.
Primary & Intermediate. My experience is in the primary learning area (Years 0-8 | Ages 5-12 | Curriculum levels 1-4) so no I can’t teach your secondary aged child physics or accounting sorry. If you think your older child might be working at a primary or intermediate level however feel free to get in touch to discuss further.
No – To ensure learning remains flexible and accessible we are committed to providing the best possible model of asynchronous learning. This does not mean however that we are not contactable via email or Google Classroom to support where and when required. Our goal is to keep costs as low as possible, flexibility as high as possible, and be responsive to learners needs.
Absolutely! While our support isn’t aimed specifically at targeting learning differences we will still support your child’s curriculum learning and progress. Tasks are tailored to your childs’ ability so like all good teachers we will adjust to meet your child where they are at. If you would like to discuss screening for possible learning differences or specific 1on1 support for this please get in contact via kate@freedomed.co.nz
We sure do. A 10% discount will be applied to invoices that include more than 1 child from the same family/household.
To ensure time for learning a minimum commitment of 12 weeks is required
This can be paid either fortnightly, monthly, or quarterly.
- $98 per fortnight (x6 payments)
- $188 per month (x3 payments) – save $24
- $539 per quarter (x1 payment) – save $49
If you have a question that is not answered here please reach out and we will be more than happy to help.
Assessment
If you are new to homeschooling and are not sure where to begin your childs’ reading/writing/maths learning – I can help
If you have been homeschooling for a while and would like to know how they are progressing and where they sit against the New Zealand curriculum – I can help
If you are considering a return to traditional schooling and want to ensure your child is achieving at an appropriate level – I can help
Learning is about far more than reading, writing and maths, however these core areas are the academic building blocks to further learning. A full assessment for your primary/intermediate aged child covers all three of these areas and includes a report outlining strengths and needs to allow you to guide their further learning.
Alternatively if you have concerns or are struggling with just one of these learning areas then a single curriculum assessment can be offered also.
Reading Assessment $40
Writing Assessment $50
Maths Assessment $45
Full Academic Assessment (reading, writing, maths) $120
Email kate@freedomed.co.nz to arrange assessment.
Membership
Our mission is to empower educators to question the way we do things. To implement ways that achieve educational freedom, engagement and enjoyment for both learners and educators. To create inclusive learning environments that foster a culture of connection and curiosity. As a home educator our membership is here to support you to engage your child, challenge your thinking around teaching and learning and help make your home education journey just that little bit easier.
If accessing great content and using it in your own way is what you are after then our membership alone could be for you.
Spotlight Learning
The same professional learning and development (PLD) that is available to our schools and teachers is available to you! These are bite size learnings that help you to rethink education as you know it.
YOU are your child’s educator/teacher and YOU are your child’s school so these spotlights will benefit you just as they do schools and teachers in traditional settings.
Yoga & Mindfulness
Homeschooling
Teaching as Inquiry
Neurodiversity
Project Based Learning
Collaboration
Trauma Informed Practice
Learning Through Play
Classroom Culture
The Outdoor Classroom
Universal Design for Learning
School Ownership (Agency)
Teacher Agency
Learner Agency
See ALL our spotlights here and check out our FREE Homeschooling or FREE Trauma Informed Practice spotlight to gain a better idea of what a spotlight includes.
Membership
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Membership for 1 family
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Access to past and future Spotlight topics
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Project Based Learning Tasks
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Less than $2 per week
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Pay by credit card $NZD
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Pay by invoice $NZD