The BIG Home Ed Conversations

Welcome back to the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast. In this episode, Kelly and Ashley share how they tackled a surprisingly big topic with their kids: capital allocation and investing — including spending vs saving, risk, impulse buying, and how money habits form early (for better or worse).

In this episode, we chat about:

Why this topic matters (and why most of us weren’t taught it!)

Helping kids understand spend / save / invest / give

Kelly’s “family token currency” experiment (spend pot, save pot, investment pot + family pot)

How risk works (and why investing can go up or down)

Monopoly as a not-so-surprisingly good money-learning tool

Bank accounts, budgeting, and setting realistic goals

Impulse buying (and a family challenge to reduce it)

Why values matter: experiences vs “stuff” (and how everyone prioritises differently)

Every week we will be picking a new topic from the hat that we wouldn't often choose to cover with our kids - we go away and give it a whirl, coming back to share what we did - bit like home ed topic speed dating!

Listen to find out next week's topic!

Resources mentioned:
Finance With Kids Podcast (Episode 24: Practicing Smart Spending Habits and Avoiding Impulse Buying)
FI for Kids podcast (Financial Independence for Kids)
Teachers Pay Teachers: “Personal Financial Literacy” (3rd grade math unit)
Usborne Lift-the-Flap Questions & Answers About Money
Know Nonsense Guide to Money: An Awesome Fun Guide to the World of Finance
Investing for Kids: From Piggy Banks to Portfolios
Why Money Matters (Deborah Meaden)
Monopoly - any version



Season 5’s paid sponsor is Strew — a home education logging app developed by a UK home educating mum and her brother. They’ve given us access to play around with the app over the next few weeks, and we’ll be reviewing it honestly as we go.

So far, we’re especially loving:
The feed (a scrollable timeline of what you’ve been up to)
Uploading photos and adding notes (so your memories don’t just sit in your camera roll with no context)
The ability to scan books (and other learning) into the app
The optional AI feature that can help categorise what you’ve logged (e.g., literacy, maths, etc.) and generate “study points”
If you want to try Strew, use code 'bighomeed' when you subscribe. - Head to https://strew.app/ to download it now on IOS and Android.

Follow + connect
Instagram + TikTok: @bighomeedpodcast

Website + weekly blog/resources: bighomeedpodcast.com

If you’re joining in with our weekly topic challenge, come and tell us what you did — we’d love to share your ideas with the community.

Welcome back to Season 5 of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast.

In this short “we’re back!” episode, Kelly Rigg (home ed mum of two, qualified mindset + ADHD coach) and Ashley Vanerio (home ed mum of three, former primary teacher) share what’s been happening behind the scenes, why we took a break, and what’s coming up next.

This season we’re doing something a bit different: each week we’ll pick a random topic out of a hat, go away and explore it with our kids (without telling each other what we’re doing), then come back to compare notes.

We’ll share what worked, what flopped, what resources we found, what questions our kids asked, and what unexpected learning popped up along the way.

We’re also excited to share that Season 5 is sponsored by Strew — a UK-built home education app created by brother and sister duo, Kayley & Woody as fellow home educators - they really know what we need from a home ed app!

We’ll be trying out features across the season (photos, activity logging, book scanning and more) and reporting back honestly as we go.

Take a listen to find out what we pulled from the hat first then come and join the conversation on social media, and tell us what you do with this week’s topic.

Season 5 is Sponsored by: Strew App - Download here: https://strew.app/ and use code: 'bighomeed' so they know where you found it! Follow Strew on Social media - @strewapp on Instagram and TikTok.

Follow us: Instagram + TikTok: @bighomeedpodcast Website: bighomeedpodcast.com

It’s the final episode of Season 4 of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, and we’re keeping up our (now official!) yearly tradition: a relaxed, honest Year in Reflection. Kelly and Ashley look back on what’s worked in their home education lives this year—what’s felt joyful, what’s been challenging, and what they want to carry forward into next year. Expect a cosy, chatty recap filled with real-life wins, lessons learned, and practical ideas you can borrow for your own home ed. In this episode, we talk about:

Why travel (UK trips, camping, and overseas adventure) brings built-in novelty and learning—especially for neurodivergent families

Using different modes of transport (ferries, trains) as learning opportunities and curiosity fuel

The ongoing juggle of routines, energy and extracurriculars (pony share, forest school, climbing, online classes)

How read-alouds, audiobooks and book studies have shaped learning, sparked big conversations, and supported reluctant readers

Regulation tools, movement, and mixing up learning mediums (chalk pens, drawing on glass, sensory supports)

Enterprise learning through craft fairs and kid-led projects

What we’re adjusting next year: social rhythms, responsibilities/chores, games, and finding a better balance

We also share a huge thank you to everyone who’s listened, reviewed, shared, and supported Season 4—and we’ll be taking a short break before returning for Season 5 in the spring. Don't forget to subscribe and catch up on earlier episodes while you wait! Keywords: home education UK, home ed year in review, neurodivergent home education, unschooling, eclectic homeschooling, home ed travel, home education routines, read alouds, audiobooks for kids, home ed resources Stay connected:
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @bighomeedpodcast, and catch up on any episodes you’ve missed while we’re on break. We’ll also be dropping the occasional book review over the winter.

In this episode of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly and Ashley get real about adultism—the often-unquestioned power imbalance between adults and children. Inspired by fellow home educating mum and respected expert on Adultism, Eloise Rickman and her book 'It's Not Fair', they reflect on how even the most conscious parents can slip into controlling patterns, and what it means to truly respect kids as full people.

They discuss:

What adultism is, and how it shows up in everyday family life.

The challenge of letting go of control as kids grow and assert themselves.

Why children’s rights and autonomy matter (and why most of us never learned about them.)

The impact of language, discipline, and school structures on children’s self-worth.

Personal stories about food battles, bodily autonomy, and learning to find a balance between protection and control.

How to balance safety, boundaries and respect—without losing your mind as a parent!

Kelly and Ashley share honest moments of vulnerability, cringe from some seriously eye opening moments experienced whilst reading, and how important growth is in this area, as well as offering practical ways to shift from a power-over dynamic to a more collaborative, compassionate approach.

They highlight the importance of compromise, self-reflection, and community support for parents doing this work.

Take it further: Listen in for inspiration, solidarity, and practical ideas to help you rethink your own patterns and raise more empowered, respected kids. Join the conversation on Instagram or TikTok @bighomeedpodcast, or via the blog www.offroadingmotherhood.co.uk/blog

Don't forget to grab a copy of Eloise Rickman's book, 'It's Not Fair' to take your journey down this road further

Keywords: adultism, respectful parenting, children’s rights, home education UK, conscious parenting, autonomy for kids, power dynamics, BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast

In this episode of the BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, Kelly and Ashley sit down with Catherine Gladwell, founder and CEO of Refugee Education UK, to explore what education really looks like when your whole life has been uprooted.

Catherine shares powerful stories from her work with refugee children and teenagers in the UK – many of whom have been out of school for years, arrived alone as unaccompanied minors, or are trying to learn in a new language while carrying trauma, grief and separation from family.

Together they unpack:

Why over half of the world’s refugee children are currently out of school

The hidden barriers refugee learners face in the UK (language, trauma, missing records, complex systems)

How academic potential is misjudged when language and PTSD get mistaken for “low ability”

Incredible resilience and self‑motivation – from teens fighting to sit GCSEs to those dreaming of rebuilding their home countries

The emotional impact of prejudice, othering and hostile narratives about refugees

How schools can better recognise prior learning (mother‑tongue GCSEs, accelerated learning, subject‑specific language support)

What home‑educating families can do to talk about refugees, challenge stereotypes and raise more compassionate kids

Kelly and Ashley also reflect on parallels with home education: worries about “translating” a non‑standard educational path into exams, further education and future opportunities – and how our current systems often measure the wrong things while missing character, resilience and lived experience.

Resources mentioned:

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf - Get it here.

Refugee Education UK - https://www.reuk.org/donate

Take it further:

Use this episode as a springboard to talk with your children about refugees, displacement and shared humanity. Small acts of welcome – a smile, a hello, an invitation to play – can make a huge difference to a young person starting again in a new country.

Keywords: refugee education UK, refugee children in school, asylum seekers and education, prejudice and refugees, inclusive education, trauma‑informed teaching, accelerated learning, home education UK, changing perspectives, empathy for refugees