Question about Secular Home Schooling

[Truth_Only5000]

Does anyone know of a great secular Home School system that they have used or are using? I've searched all around, but haven't found anything that looked promising.

 

[Leo40]

In my understanding of the goal of home schooling: it serves to
teach without limiting the child with unnatural rules and "systems".
The child's natural curiosity is the driving force. There is little guidance
necessary. Once the basics are mastered, especially reading.

 

[RyanX]

Does anyone know of a great secular Home School system that they have used or are using? I've searched all around, but haven't found anything that looked promising.

Hi Truth_Only5000,

I assume you're talking about finding a secular home-school curriculum? I remember there were precious few of these when I was doing research on this topic a few years ago, and I doubt that much has changed today. As I'm sure you've seen, most home-school curriculums are geared towards religious indoctrination, and the secular ones that are out there pretty much mimic the ones that the public school system uses.

I would suggest a mix and match approach to building a secular home-school curriculum. Aside from teaching the basics, try to let your child drive the learning process and let them explore those subjects they are most interested in.

 

[Hildegarda]

How old is the child? What subjects in particular are you concerned about? I will be able to give more specific recommendation if you outline what your needs are.

There are indeed practically no secular homeschooling curriculum packages out there. Secular homeschoolers do not seem to need them, therefore, none are offered.

Religious curriculum packages, such as Sonlight, unite all subjects under an umbrella of a religious view, including subjects that should be belief-neutral, like math. They are meant for people for whom religious indoctrination is number one reason to home school. They value being able to easily tie everything they learn with God's plan or whatever. That's what a curriculum provides. In my view though, no matter what one's beliefs are, following a full prepackaged curriculum takes away the fun of following your child's interests and potential, which is what homeschooling is all about.

Building your own program is a bit more time consuming, but easy and rewarding. There is a wealth of options available. You can do an online search or visit a local educational materials store. Both subject curriculums and enriching literature (non-fiction books, games) can be used. My kids are in elementary school. For us, it works to stick with a curriculum for math and language arts, use a variety of non-fiction books for science and social studies, and read whatever fiction strikes our fancy. Older children may need a more structured approach, but at that point you may be looking at some online classes, too, to supplement your home learning.

 

[Gwenllian]

We are radical unschoolers, as you say in American or autonomous learners in British ;).

I have found that even with the basics like reading and maths autonomy works. Young people find meaning in the world around them. And if they wish to play a game for instance on the computer, but they have to master reading first, they will do so. My kids learnt how to read and the English language through the computer.


My eldest child learnt maths, as he went shopping with me a lot. Read the receipts and stuff like that. Calculated which product was cheaper without me coaxing him. My youngest son loved sums, so we played maths games, really simple ones, but they enjoyed it thoroughly.

It has been an amazing process.

Now that they are getting older I can see where it is going. And I still have my doubts from time to time, but I have learnt to trust my children and their timing.