Canterbury Home Educators (CHE) is a great organisation for you to meet other home schooling parents and for your child(ren) to enjoy a diverse range of educational and social activities.  We have a newsletter each term that all members receive alongside regular email communications letting all our members know of upcoming activities. 

This is a SMALL sample of what our members get involved with on a regular basis.  Join up now to have access to the members section of this website; and start receiving our newsletter and emails on all of our activities: 

Adventure Monday Group

Where lifelong friends are made, and mudpies too!  An enjoyable, relaxed social environment where parents and children (all ages) can meet every Monday from 12:30 to 3:00pm during term time. We have access to the local playcentres equipment, which includes a large sandpit, dress-ups, blocks, books and puzzles as well as our own resources of sports, science and craft activities.  Every term we organize a wide array of extra activities at the centre. These have included clay work, baking, card making, felt work, pet days, theme days, emergency services visits and end of term parties.

Over a cup of tea parents get to meet and share their home school journeys, it's a place to encourage one another and have some valued adult conversation. It's a great place to make friends for adults and children alike.  Here's what some of our regulars have to say: "Adventure Monday is great for all of us, the children get free play, time to socialize and meet new faces. And as a home-schooling mum I get the opportunity to make new friends and feel supported and encouraged in the home-schooling journey."........"We love coming to Adventure Monday! When we first started home schooling it was our first port of call. We have found great support here - a place to unload the many questions that we had when starting out. The friendships formed have been very valuable for our family."........"Our family really enjoys Adventure Monday; it's playcentre for the whole family! I really like that the children get messy play, paints, water play and some other crafts that we don't do at home. The encouragement and friendships that we have formed from fellow home schoolers are precious. This is a great place to talk, share and glean some new ideas from others." 

CHE Library

Located in Opawa, Christchurch and stacked from floor to ceiling with great Home Schooling material! All ages are catered for from learning about shapes and colours to applied mathematics for polytech students!  Also, practical and informative books for parents on all aspects of home schooling.  Workbooks available to be copied covering a wide subject range (from littlies to teenagers).  

Personal Development

The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award is a programme of activities designed to challenge participants and the only person you are competing with is yourself!  Accepting this challenge is a lot of fun. There are three levels to The Award - Bronze, Silver and Gold. At each level participants are required to do some form of activity in each of four sections; Service, Adventurous Journey, Skills and Physical Recreation.  Want to find out more? We have a Canterbury Home Educators group set up already and have a groups of youth at each level and are looking to encourage more participants!

Leadership Course for Teens is an exciting marae-style camping experience (2 days) for 12yrs and up to journey through "7 Habits of Leadership" by the well-known author Stephen Covey.  Particpants take part in adventure based learning programmes at Spencer Park and The Groynes. 

Monthly Seminar and Support Meetings each term we hold support meetings and seminars on a range of education topics.  There is always time to have a cup of tea and touch base with other homeschooling parents.

Sports

Feeling energetic?  Or do the kids need to burn off some energy whilst you have a civilised cup of tea?  From ice-skating to football; gymnastics to bouncing on a trampoline, CHE members get up to all sorts in the pursuit of fun and fitness.  Activities are normally arranged around term time with some sports available all year round.  There are opportunies for parents to get down and dirty with the team....or quietly sidle off for that cuppa to watch the rough and tumble from a distance.

Arts and Crafts

In the pursuit of all things messy and creative, members can express their take on life at Adventure Monday or take part in more media-specific classes that other members arrange.  Notifications of classes being put together will be highlighted in the newsletter, via the email alerts, or on here at the CHE website.

Field Trips & Classes

Ferrymead Historic Park: we regularly arrange group visits to this iconic historical park where we travel back in time and experience a slice of life from the 1950's and 1960's.  The guided programme from the Education Team at Ferrymead enables students to dress in clothes of the period and discover more about childhood in their grandparents' day.   

Science Alive: an ever changing programme of events from Introduction to Robotics to Electrifying Electricity provide stimulating and exciting learning events for children from toddlers to teenagers.  CHE groups are arranged to attend these guided events and members are notified via email alerts and through links here on the website

Woodworking: great tutors work closely with a small group for superb results. This is definitely not the wooden spoon!   These classes are an opportunity for home educated children to develop woodworking skills to facilitate the transformation of ideas into reality.   

Sports Club: every week during term for ages approx 5 to 17ish... a large group of children get together to play indoor hockey, soccer and netball, culminating in a mini tournament at the end of term.  Come and cheer for your favourite team (pom poms are encouraged!)

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