Educating your child at home: social and educational activities

Things to do

Home educated children can be just as likely to be part of the social and cultural life of their area as are their school-going peers.

You could arrange for you and your child to meet with other home educators for museum, gallery, theatre and other visits as well as for play.

Lancashire can offer children and young people different opportunities and support.

There lots of activities and events for young people listed in our young people's section of the website.

For a fun way to explore our county's local heritage, there are a range of events, activities and craft sessions taking place in our museums.

You can also find out about Lancashire Museums Simply Schools programme for details of interactive sessions at Lancashire's museums.

Our libraries run events for all ages.

Join the National Art and Design Saturday Club, free Saturday classes for 14-19 year olds with expert tuition covering a wide range of art and design media techniques. Visit www.saturday-club.org for more details and to find your nearest club.

Lancashire Music Service have music centres throughout the county and bands and orchestras that provide opportunities for young musicians to develop their musical skills and interests to an advanced level.

If you'd rather get out and about in the fresh air, there are a range of activities run by our Countryside Service and our outdoor education centres offer adventurous activities like sailing, kayaking, canoeing, climbing, mountain activities and biking.

Cumbria Zoo offer special day visits designed for children that are home educated.
Days are put on once a month during school term time, the first being on 16th September. Each session is designed to cover a different topic. Entry needs to be pre booked but is free to any home educated children and their responsible adult. Contact Andrew Hemsley on 01229 466086.

Top tips

Here are some top tips to help you keep your child safe when attending an activity or event

Do your research – activities will be run by a variety of groups and organisations. Make sure you know who is responsible for the activity being run safely.
Before you go check if you will be expected to stay and if not how many adults will be supervising the activity.
If the activity involves leaving your child make sure check that staff and volunteers have been Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked, that there are guidelines in place for how they will deal with discipline and that first aiders will be available should an accident occur.

Events may be subject to change or cancellation at short notice. We recommend contacting the individual venue before setting out on a long journey.