My Homeschool

My Homeschool is an Australian homeschool curriculum for families teaching their own children from Foundation (kindergarten) to Year 10. Parents buy a full graded program for a year level, then teach it at home from a mix of living books, printable resources and an online learning platform. The homepage describes the offer as "a gentle and knowledge rich program that honours Christian values and is inspired by Charlotte Mason," with education plans and reporting templates that it says are aligned to all Australian states.

The business is My Homeschool PTY LTD. According to the homepage, it is led by Michelle Morrow alongside her two daughters, Bethany and Sarah, both of whom Michelle homeschooled. Bethany holds a Masters degree in Primary Teaching and works on curriculum design and pedagogy; Sarah holds a Bachelor of Business and runs graphic design and marketing. The footer also links a British sister site, My Homeschool UK.

A curriculum provider, not a distance education school

The company draws a clear line between itself and distance education. On its online schooling page it explains that a family enrolled in distance education is accountable to that school and the child is still a school student, while with My Homeschool "you are not accountable to us; we give you the choice to run your online home school as desired." The parent stays responsible for the child's homeschool registration, and the company helps with that through its registration guidance and documentation.

That model has practical consequences the page spells out. Distance education schools in Australia only enroll students from their own state and usually set eligibility requirements; with an online homeschool provider, the page says, "you can enrol simply by paying for the course. It does not matter where you live." Parents can follow the suggested curriculum or adjust it to their child and family values, and they set their own schedule and holidays. Because no teachers are paid, the company argues it costs less than distance education or a private school, and it notes that parents can bring in tutors for specific subjects if needed.

What a family gets

The programs run from Foundation (listed as Kindergarten, Prep, Pre Primary, Reception or Transition) through Years 1 to 6 in primary and Years 7 to 10 in secondary. The homepage says the full programs come with registration documentation aligned to each state's syllabus. For parents who prefer to build their own plan, a bookshop sells stand-alone resources.

The online schooling page lists what joining includes:

• a streamlined curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 10
• a comprehensive scope and sequence for each grade
• group art, music and read-alouds for the family to enjoy together
• advice on book choices so parents are alerted to potential issues
• resources that cover several subjects at once
• videos, movies and websites to support learning
• short and varied lessons, independent lessons at grade level where appropriate, and extension work for topics a child wants to explore
• a challenging curriculum for children who want to go to university after Year 10

The homepage adds that the company often combines subjects "to deepen learning connections and lighten your daily load," and that families with several children can teach them together through coordinated courses, sharing read-alouds, nature study and art and music appreciation. Courses can be reused year after year within the family at no extra cost, with conditions applying.

The learning platform

Lessons are delivered through the My Homeschool Learning Platform, which the company says runs on "a customised version of Moodle." Each course has three sections: Before You Start, holding the files a parent needs to get going; The Virtual Cupboard, which stores all the lesson resources; and Weeks & Terms, laid out across the 18 weeks of the semester with every online link and video for each week in one place. The company calls that single home for all resources the platform's main strength.

A laptop, tablet or desktop computer works well. The company says a phone is fine for a quick review or on the go, and members can use the Moodle App to reach the platform from a phone, but it adds that a phone is not a good long-term option for online reading and watching videos.

Safety gets particular attention. The company says it has embedded most videos inside the platform, watched them first "to make sure there are no nasty surprises," and linked research sources directly so children do not need to browse the web. It describes taking "days, weeks, and months to collate child-appropriate online learning material."

How much is done on screen

Less than the platform might suggest. In the primary years, the company says, hardly any work is done online: most resources can be printed and read offline, video links lead to digital books, and children read from living books and do not write their work online. From Year Five they do more online work but continue with offline reading and paper-based notebooking. High school lessons still include "lots of real books to read and notebooking activities," with more independent work and links to explore, and the page states there are no online quizzes or online activities. Nature study, field trips and artistic pursuits run across all grades.

Support and community

Parents can contact the company by phone or email and join what the homepage calls a helpful and encouraging Facebook members group. Inside the platform there is a forum for questions and discussion, which the company describes as a virtual staff room for home educators, alongside online Zoom workshops and a regular newsletter. The online schooling page also mentions an annual conference. Resources are written so that "the parent or student can learn along the way," which is how the company builds teaching support into the course itself.

Pricing and samples

Neither the homepage nor the online schooling page lists course prices. Families can download free lesson samples and a free prospectus, and the company asks where they live so it can tailor the information to their state.

Who it suits

My Homeschool fits Australian Christian families who like the Charlotte Mason approach and want a planned, open-and-go program that still leaves room for living books, nature study and family read-alouds. Parents who worry about registration get state-aligned plans and reporting templates, and families with several children benefit from coordinated courses and reuse within the family. Parents wary of screen time will find that primary years work happens mostly on paper and in books.

It suits fewer families who want a teacher to instruct and mark every lesson, since the parent is the teacher here, or who want online quizzes and automated grading in high school. The curriculum is written around Australian year levels and state registration, so families elsewhere will find the UK sister site or their own local requirements more relevant.