We are overjoyed to introduce Jessica as our latest Brand Ambassador for Freely Homeschool Planner. Jessica has been sharing all the wonderful ways she incorporates Freely into her family's homeschooling experience and this truly resonated with us, making her the perfect addition to our team!
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Share a little about yourself!
Hello! I’m Jessica, I am a homeschooling mum of two. Arlo (7) and Piper (5). We live in the beautiful hinterland of Queensland, Australia. We have been homeschooling for two years now. You can follow our journey on Instagram - @our.hinterland.homeschool
What is the backstory of how you came to homeschool?
Before having kids I never thought about homeschooling. I didn’t know how popular homeschooling was or that it was even an option in Australia. It wasn’t until one of our children was diagnosed Autistic.
We were told, “They will either thrive at school or be left behind”. We were recommended to “just try school and see how it goes”. 🤯 Umm.. no! Instead, I researched homeschooling, spent hours watching YouTube videos, finding Facebook groups, and homeschooling Instagram accounts, etc.
My husband and I decided we would homeschool our children because we refuse to let our child be treated differently at school or just be “left behind”.
Homeschooling has been so amazing for both of our children, they have both thrived more than I could have ever imagined.
How would you describe your homeschooling approach, what works best for you guys?
Our homeschooling approach is definitely eclectic. We don’t fit into just one category. We tend to use a little bit of everything depending on what we think will suit our kid's needs best. Our mornings are spent completing our subjects and the afternoons are full of free play!
Before using Freely did you have a planning system for homeschooling? What's changed since using Freely?
Before using Freely, I was very overwhelmed and stressed about how I would keep track of our completed work, conversations, samples for reporting, etc. I had gone through many paper planners but none were doing what I needed them to do. Once I found Freely, I was over the moon! I loved that I could plan our weeks in advance and link both kids in one entry. However, the feature that I love the most is being able to download the report when I need it. It makes reporting at the end of the year stress-free and I have all of our conversations documented that I had forgotten about during the year.
5) You've been a wonderful support to Freely, and we are so grateful to have you! I’m curious, what led you to try digital planning in the first place?
As soon as I saw Freely on Instagram I knew I had to try it! I was so tired of buying planner after planner just to be disappointed that it didn’t have exactly what I needed and that most were suited for teachers in a school setting, not for homeschool parents. I also LOVE that I don’t have paper everywhere and don’t need to worry about storing or losing work samples throughout the year.
For those who live in areas where end-of-year reporting is required, how do you plan and prepare for that?
Easy peasy! I download the report on Freely, read through all of our work completed throughout the year, and find similar samples that show each child’s progression in multiple subjects. I’m able to copy the entries and photos and paste them into our report for HEU Qld.
What curriculum do you love to use in your homeschool and how does that work with Freely Homeschool Planner?
We use a range of curricula in our home. We are a secular family however, we can adapt different curricula to suit our needs. Some of our favourites are The Good and The Beautiful, Math with Confidence, and Blossom and Root. We also use unit studies from a range of companies.
Most of our curricula come in a PDF version that I can upload into Freely and link the pages needed each week. Unfortunately, Math with Confidence is a physical textbook/workbook but I am still able to make this work on Freely as I take a photo of the workbook page and upload it with each entry for future reference.
I'd love to know how Freely has changed the way you homeschool and how you feel about homeschooling overall.
Freely has definitely changed the way we homeschool and the way I feel about homeschooling. It has reduced my stress levels and taken all of the worry and fuss out of planning and reporting. I wish I had Freely from the very first day. ✨
What type of person do you think would most benefit from Freely?
Everyone! I honestly believe Freely would benefit everyone, homeschooling or not. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be organised and not have to carry a paper planner around? Being able to access Freely on a computer AND mobile phone is so convenient because you don’t have to have your computer with you to check your day or complete an entry.
One more question… would you ever go back to paper planning in your homeschool?!
I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to scribble an idea or something to do on a piece of paper but trying to keep that paper from ending up in the rubbish bin just isn’t for me! I love knowing that our plans and records are kept nice and safe on Freely.
Jessica's experience with homeschooling is truly inspiring, and we're honored to welcome her as our brand ambassador. Her journey, insights, and ideas offer invaluable support to homeschooling families everywhere.
As our community continues to grow, we're always seeking passionate individuals who share our love for homeschooling with Freely Homeschool Planner. If you want to join us as a brand ambassador Apply here
Together, we can make homeschooling an enriching and fulfilling journey for families worldwide.