r/secularhomeschool

I’m having trouble deciding if homeschooling my 7 year old heading into second grade son is right for us. Of course I’m heavily leaning into pro-homeschool research- books, threads, podcasts, folks in the community who have done it from the get. We have decent schools (located in MA) but I am still confident I could provide potentially “better” or more personalized and enriching education to my son- mostly by giving him the opportunity to lead, with some guidelines and boundaries. Scares the shit out of me and my husband, both public school kids and me being a para in the system for 5 years a special ed teacher for 2. (9 year gap between; not much has changed in the system in fact it’s gotten worse- know I’m preaching to the choir). I have a long list of pros and cons. One also being the need for my measles 35k para salary for our family/my own sanity. Neither my son or I have a whole lot of energy at the end of a school day to fully invest and explore our interests- much of my own intrinsic motivation has been dead since my school experience and I can see his slipping away as the years go on. No turning back the clock!

He is anxiously attached to me/his dad. He prefers to have us be with him when socializing, and has refusing all forms of organized sports/extra curricular activities that aren’t parent involved. Even summer camp at the park next to our home with some of his closest friends. He cried hysterically most mornings at school drop off between September and late november. I also work at the school so this makes it both easier and harder. Kindergarten was okay- he has lots of teary days but the staff was more accommodating to his sensitive feelings. That shifted in first grade where it was clear he was accountable for managing his emotions and finding calming strategies. He was able to do so and he did “enjoy” school by the end in the way of he was able to make it through the days and solidified more friendships. He does not have behavior outbursts or difficulty- he is extremely shy and quiet and polite and will eventually come out of his shell to participate. He has been flagged as low in reading and he knows this about himself. He’s not able to tell us exactly why he doesn’t want to be at school or park with his friends or to play team sports- because he enjoys playing and engaging in all of these activities recreationally on his own terms. I believe I could provide superior tailored instruction to him and rich experiences, but it also means taking a 35k pay cut for our family, and likely spending a few extra thousand for curriculum and memberships and co op opportunities.

The summer has been up and down with our ability to patiently communicate with one another- there are many days where I think “I can’t do this full time all year” and also times where I think “I can’t NOT do this”. Not sure what I’m even looking for. I feel like many of the folks I hear from have homeschooled from the start, are quite radical religious or outdoors/naturalist, we fall in the middle of all of that minus religion- and frankly I can’t be part of radical communities, and I know how important it will be to get involved within the local communities for socialization and enrichment. Much of this desire is testing my own capacity to do that- those volunteering and events and connections within my local community that I have not prioritized or had time and energy for previously, but things I glorify and see value in.

What subjects did you teach for Kindergarten? Which curriculums were the best for each subject?

I'm probably severely overthinking all of this, but I haven't been very impressed with any all-in-one curriculums and am starting to wonder if finding curriculums for each separate subject would be better. Any recommendations or advice welcome

I'm from near Welshpool in Wales, 19M, autistic, i play guitar, I'm good at fiddling with electronics, I'm very close to my mum, and right now I'm friendless. I'm completely uninterested in "romance".

We've always found the best place for me in the alternative education community and made some excellent friends there. My upbringing has always been child-led and I've been empowered to follow my interests and self-learn at my own pace, and now after all that i do not want to move on to overly structured, scripted education such as college, or get some Sisyphean 9-5 job, especially after seeing so many people struggle. I want to do something really worthwhile that i enjoy.

We travel long distances and can meet up anywhere within about 2 hours if it's worthwhile. The rest of the information that follows is supplementary and if you can't be bothered, you needn't read it.

In my early teens i fell in with the wrong people and became friends with a couple engaging in underage sex. I wasn't yet aware of the implications of this and put up with it, even as they increasingly tried to involve me, by just treating it as a joke. Fortunately they're not in my life anymore.

My dad has nothing to do with us and my extended family has cut us out. Since i turned about 16 we've been losing my friends. Some were a bit nasty anyway, some changed and became unbearable, some vanished inexplicably. I was planning to jam and possibly form a band with 3 friends and they've completely disappeared. I'm not clingy or demanding, i have the bad examples set me by my dad and the couple i mentioned to bias me against that behaviour. I just can't understand where all my friends went.

More understandably, some have just moved on to college, and even if i wanted to, my friend group was so scattered (we had friends as far as Worcestershire) that i couldn't follow them in if i wanted to. One old friend is a Polish immigrant and would probably be looked on by the government as a squatter if he didn't take that path. He still finds time to drop me a line every few weeks.

When i was 17 i was wandering around a park with my mum while my sister hung out with her friends. I sat around, queued for the swings, wandered, i had no friends to hang with, and then someone called park security and told them i was a paedophile staring at children - in fairness i look mature and beardy. I was lucky my mum was there, and they were embarrassed when they tried to arrest a 17-year-old, but still... now I'm old, i can't go to the park and exercise, i can't wander about on my own for fear it'll happen again.

We don't live a cloistered existence, we always follow our interests and go to interesting places, but still, apparently there's not much we can do. We've searched for and continue to try neurodivergent and homeducation groups of all kinds throughout Wales and the West Midlands, but this is long enough already and i can't be bothered to write a full account to justify myself to whoever you are.

Anybody out there?

Hey! My daughter will be starting second grade this year. We love All About Reading and Spelling as well as Math with Confidence, so we plan to continue with those. We’ve been using Blossom and Root for science and language arts, which I thought was okay, and we used History Quest (early times ancient history) from Pandia Press for social studies, which my daughter liked but I felt was too advanced/mature - a lot went over her head. I’m considering switching to Oak Meadow for social studies, language arts and science. Does anyone have any feedback on how Oak Meadow compares to Blossom and Root for second grade or in general? I prefer open and go if possible, understanding that some prep is often beneficial. Also, does anyone have any good second grade social studies curriculum recommendations? Thank you! 🙂

A case for leftist homeschooling.

Hello! My child is almost 2 years old so I know I have a few years before I’d start traditional homeschooling. I was wondering if anyone had any book recommendations on “learning to teach at home”. There are so many so I’m not sure where to start. I want to be prepared, and do my research.

I’m also considering getting the early years vol. 1 curriculum from Blossom and Root which is for 2-4 year olds just to kind of give me more ideas for play based learning. Has anyone used this program?

We’d be doing secular homeschooling. Thanks in advance!

Hi! It’s our first year homeschooling. I have a vpk and first and looking for fun, creative ways to incorporate these studies into our homeschool. Has anyone used Me on the map from little school of smiths or my world my story from stories in history?

I don’t mind a little prep and love to get outside but having things already pre planned is great for me.

Open to recommendations! Thanks!

I’m a new to homeschooling mom of 4 - ages 1-10 (3 are currently beginning homeschool). What are some good secular homeschool curriculums where the students learn online through a game or lesson type of program? We aren’t interested in a curriculum that requires them to log in for classes with an actual teacher but ones they can work at their own pace. Thank you so much for the recommendations. I am also interested in any advice you may have for me as a new homeschooling mom. We’re currently using Blossom & Root as well as Beast Academy for Math.

I'm brandddd new to homeschool and still trying to decide what curriculum is best!

I've read a million things, looked at a million options and still don't know what to pick. I'd love to hear from seasoned moms what you've used and what worked best.

Some things to note: •looking for something secular, but not completely against something religious. •free options are a plus. •in an ideal world I would find something that is all in one. •possibly something with a "lesson plan" for every week? Does that exist? •my little is on the spectrum and has ADHD.

Any help would be much appreciated! 🖤

Hi, I’m an infectious disease and public health nerd. I have my degree in public health but apparently that was not enough for my hyperfixation to be satisfied.

I taught a history of diseases and public health class in a co-op. It was a hit. I made more. Bigger hit.

So I decided to make it fancy, and set it up online for more middle grade and up kiddos to take. I just opened up a free sample lesson and I would love some feedback before I release the rest on August 31. There are presentation videos, activities, interactive games, and a recommended book list that is comical even to me.

TheWildhollowSchool.org/free-lesson

ETA:there is more coming. The homepage has a roadmap. There will be 8 modules in total eventually. As well as a “for littles” version.

**Connections Academy vs Miacademy for 3rd & 5th grade?**
I know these are two completely different options Connections Academy is public virtual school and Miacademy would be homeschool but I’d love to hear from parents who have actually used either (or even better, both!).
I’m trying to decide which direction to go for my 3rd and 5th graders this year.
How was the workload with Connections Academy? Did you feel like you were tied to the computer all day or was there some flexibility?
For Miacademy, did you feel like it was enough as your main curriculum, especially for reading and math? Did your kids actually enjoy it and stay engaged?
I’ll be home with them and involved either way, so I’m really looking for opinions on **quality of education, flexibility, workload, and how well your kids learned with each.**
Would you choose Connections Academy or Miacademy if you had to do it again?

For context we’re Canadian and living in Bahrain. I want to homeschool my first grader. Homeschooling isn’t officially recognized in Bahrain, so I’m looking for a school or institute (Canadian, American or UK) that would give recognized year end assessments and report cards so that if I ever have to put him in school here in Bahrain he has school records. I don’t want a school that expects you to follow their curriculum, do classes with their teachers online and frequently give in work for them to grade. Basically want the freedom to teach in our own way but with a year end assessment and report

If anyone has any experience with this and can give some advice would really appreciate it.

I was wondering if I could get some advice and/or help. My 5 year old starts kindergarten this year and I have decided to try out homeschooling his first year. I have a lot of anxiety & fears with sending him to public school, I also don’t work at the moment.

We live in FL. I should say we also plan on moving in the next few months, I have my eye on a different county that’s a couple of hours away from where we are currently located. So with all of this going on, figured it would be best to stay home this school year.

When we relocate I do plan on going back to work full time so I am not sure if my child will stay homeschooled. It will be based on if he does well at home & if I can have family members watch him while I’m at work.

I have been overwhelmed with research on homeschooling, I worry about the transition of going back to school if need be. I’m worried about the legality of it all.

Would also like some advice on what kind of circular I should look into for my 5 year old? Should I make my own? Should I buy one? How much are the costs? What kind of supplies do I need?

I have so many questions. I could really just use any resources anyone is willing to give, any advice at all. I’ve researched for days and had to take breaks because it’s SO much. I don’t want my son falling behind & public school starts in just 3 days. I thought I had it all figured out but I keep finding more.

Are there any must haves you’d want to see in the pod?