LEARNING IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY + A SAFE PLATFORM

This week my kiddos began talking about the pros and cons of living in the country or the city.

Here are some of the pros and cons the kids thought up of living in the city: * Loads of things to do ALL the time! * Some cities never sleep! * Sometimes you might feel disconnected

* But it might be easier to find other homeschoolers

* You might be able to buy resources in a shop rather than having to have to get them posted!

Here are some of the pros and cons the kids thought up of living in the country:

* Small community usually means people care about you

* Sometimes everyone knows you (and your business lol!)

* You might not have as many activities to do * But you can get resources and things posted to you

* There's usually not as many people homeschooling as you might find in the city

We made the decision to move to a rural town over 10 years ago now and it still remains one of the best decisions we ever made. There are definitely pros and cons about both country and city living. Neither is better than the other but I think the kids agree that you can decide to make the best of living in either. We have tried to maximise our visits to the city with visits to museums, art galleries and doing fun activities (like go karting) that aren't offered in our smaller town. But there are things here about quiet country life that I just wouldn't swap either. We still visit our local art gallery here, the library, the pool, the civic centre when there are touring shows on. We also have lots of open space in our yard and also in our town.

If like me, you are in a quieter town, you might find online connections for your kids helpful. I was very reticent to get my kids connected online (because I've seen first hand the damage it can cause when in the wrong hands). However, I am incredibly comfortable with Outschool because of the safety measures that are in place on the platform.

When you register your child for a class, the child is asked to state their name and age on a video which Outschool have built into their rego process. This means it's not taking the word of Joe Bloggs who registers under the alias of a 12 year old girl from Melbourne.

In the classes my kids have taken, the teacher has required the child to appear on video to check in. This is to ensure again, that an actual child/teen is learning. Once they have been sighted, they are welcome to turn off their camera if they feel more comfortable.

Again, built into the platform, are screens about cyber safety which are a lesson in and of themselves. I wish this platform had existed when my older children were younger.

These measures have given me greater peace of mind that my child is learning alongside other children.

Anyway, just thought I'd share that with you. Do you live in the country or a city? Feel free to share some of the pros and cons you have come across living in either. More soon, Lusi x