With regards to the home schooling that doesn't happen Big Saz provides, my church kids group provides more learning opportunities in a 45 minute session than any of her children receive in a month. I have a group of 12 - 16 kids (aged 3 - 11) my preparation averages 3 hours a week for a 45 minute session. A few weeks ago we planted bean seeds in decorated jam jars with kitchen roll so as we could observe the growing process. The week before we talked about instructions for living (10 commandments) and we made an impressive animated catapiller craft that the kids had to follow instructions to create without knowing what they were making. This week we are making hollow tomb rolls, given that we have to be at the early morning Easter service for 7.30am normally would set the alarm for 6.15 for that but this year will need to get up to make 2 batches of bread dough so alarm will be set for 5.15am but the clocks are changing so body clock will register 4.15am!! And have already done 3 hours prep!! Why do I put so much effort in? Because I love seeing the sense of achievement when the children have created something they are proud of and go away having learned something new, or get a supprise from what they have made (in the case of empty tomb rolls you prepare a marshmallow with oil and spice - cinimon and sugar - and encase in a dough bread roll, on cooking the contents melt and are absorbed into the bread and you get a sweet roll with an empty space where the marshmallow was).
Jace has spent the last few years learning colours, our youngest know their colours at 3 can count to 10 and above, have had more craft experience, and are watching the growing cycle of a bean and have parents engaged enough to record the bean progress daily in photo form on a phone.
The children are usually invited to take part in the first part of the service and as we live stream our services every child has been spoken to with a parent to gain written consent to appear on the live stream, we have a shy 8 year old who is happy to watch but doesn't want to be on the live stream herself, her decision not her parents.