UK sources and suppliers?

[momma2three]

A question for UK/European homeschooling parents: are there any companies or suppliers you can recommend that I can't get here in the US?

 

I'll be on holiday visiting family in the UK in a few weeks, and I'm taking it as the perfect opportunity to expand my curriculum choices and homeschool library. I'm very, very excited to hit up the British Museum gift shop, because I know they publish tons of great Ancient History activity books for kids. And I know about Galore Park, though most of their books are for kids older than mine so I don't plan on ordering from them this time around. (Maybe for next year's trip.)

 

I used to live there, and my family is all there, and my DH's family is all there, so I'm pretty good with the basics: such as where the good bookstores are, and the basics of how the school system works. But when I lived there homeschooling wasn't even on my radar, nor is it on the radar of any of the extended family I have there now, so I don't have any good advice from them. Anything else out there like Galore Park, but for younger kids? Obscure (to anyone not homeschooling in the UK) resources or suppliers?

 

I'd also appreciate it if anyone has the name of the commonly-used textbook companies for primary school, so I can check out their websites and see if anything strikes my fancy as supplementary material. Since my kids are EU citizens, and I can see us moving there sometime in the next decade or so, I'd like to provide them with some background in the types of studies offered in the English school system.

[Laura Corin]

Something that I used alongside Galore Park was the Bond Assessment Papers series. They are rather test-like, although you don't need to use them as tests. They were just extra graduated materials in the basics. I don't know if they have products for littlies.

 

The Oxford Learning Tree readers seem to be popular in schools. CGP books also has some good basic books for English and maths, but I don't know for what age. I wasn't very keen on their 'isn't school a pain but I suppose we had better learn this stuff' narrative, however.

 

I'll come back if I think of anything else.

 

Laura

[kiwik]

Quite a few of the British museum colouring books are available through the book depository.

[momma2three]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into all of those. The CGP ones in particular look particularly useful, so I can make sure that my kids are meeting the age expectations in an English school, in case we ever transition them to school there.

[Laura Corin]

Oh, I just remembered some really good books from the National Gallery. We used this for a lightweight art appreciation curriculum when the boys were about 6 and 10. We then went round the gallery finding the pictures - it was a brilliant day.

 

There's also this series, but I haven't used it.

 

Laura

[momma2three]

Oh, I just remembered some really good books from the National Gallery. We used this for a lightweight art appreciation curriculum when the boys were about 6 and 10. We then went round the gallery finding the pictures - it was a brilliant day.

 

There's also this series, but I haven't used it.

 

Laura

 

 

Oh that book looks great. Can't beat the price, either! When we were there last year, the National Gallery had some great kids tours, too.

[lailasmum]

Alongside museum publications you could also look at things produced by the National Trust and English Heritage since the often do activity packs or kids guides to what ever that particular venue relates to but mostly only have them in there brick and mortar shops.

 

I can't think of any other ideas. I don't use any British curriculum at all. I don't think there is much aimed at home educators that I'm aware of other than Galore park. Waterstones and WHSmith have education sections that are always full of textbooks.

[Penguin]

We had fun with the Games: Discover and Play 5 Famous Ancient Games this year. Look for it while you are in the British Museum! It was interesting to see how the games evolved into modern children's games.

[Laura Corin]

 

 

I don't think there is much aimed at home educators that I'm aware of other than Galore park.

 

Even Galore Park isn't really - they just spotted a market to sell their curricula into, although originally they were designed for private/prep schools.

 

I think there's a school-in-a-box company for primary. I don't know what curricula they use though.

 

Laura

[mumto2]

You might want to take a quick look at Conquest Books. They are mainly American stuff but they do have a Little Arthur history book that might interest you. There might be more. Someone wrote a history series from the British perspective for home ed. I used to see it advertised, I don't know anyone who uses it. I can't even remember who sells it, google failed me. But I will post if I remember.

 

If you want a great deal on Horrible Histories try COSTCO. Your American membership will work if you have one. They frequently have cheap boxed sets. Murderous Maths is a bookstore item.