What Is Secular Homeschooling? Is It Right For You?

By Carol A Henderson

Many parents decide to homeschool because they want complete control over the lessons presented to their children.

While this means many want to make sure the lessons are in line with their religious beliefs, there are many families who homeschool without making it a religious affair. Secular homeschooling is conducted much the same as religious homeschooling, but the choice in materials and field trips will likely be quite different.

As more and more families decide to educate their children at home, there are a variety of homeschool models developing. Many of these newer models fall into the category of secular homeschooling. For instance, Ohio students can now sign up for an at-home program that allows students to do all of their work from home while still being considered a part of the public school system. Hybrid homeschooling is also grabbing attention across the country. This is a form of homeschooling where children attend a charter or private school for two or three days a week and then complete work at home the rest of the week.

You can also choose to become a full-time homeschooling family without basing lessons on religious beliefs. This works well for families who are not religious, but it also works for those who just wish to keep their religious beliefs separate from the educational pursuits of their children. Secular homeschooling can also work well for families that do not have one unified religious belief. For instance, if mom and dad share different beliefs and want their children to make their own religious choices, then secular studies would be a comfortable middle ground for homeschooling.

Is Secular Homeschooling for You?

Secular homeschooling may be easier to plan and conduct than homeschooling programs based on religious beliefs. You do not have to make sure that all of your curriculum choices adhere to your beliefs and blend well with one another. Your children can go on a wide variety of field trips without worrying how they will tie into your religious studies. You can also teach your children about different religions and regions of the world without justifying why your religious view is better or sounder than other popular beliefs in the world.

If you have strong religious beliefs and want to bring your children up with a strong understanding of those beliefs, then secular homeschooling may not be for you. Even if you decide to follow religion-based curriculum at home, you can still use some secular resources to ensure your children receive a well-rounded education from home.

Secular homeschooling is perfect if you do not have strict religious beliefs that you want to pass onto your children, or you want to give your children greater freedom to explore religious matters and make their own decisions without aggressive religious studies.

Tips for Secular Homeschool Families

Secular homeschooling is not much different from any other type of homeschooling. You simply choose curriculum and other resources that do not lean heavily on religious themes. Here are some tips to get you thinking of creative yet effective ways to start homeschooling your children in a secular fashion:

1. If an older child catches an interest in a series of books, try to develop a language arts program around those books. You do not have to purchase all of your curriculum if you create your own programs based on your child's interests.

2. If you hear of an interesting lesson or resource being used by religious homeschoolers, create something similar for your own children. You can get ideas from a variety of other homeschool programs and create something that fits your family in a more appropriate manner.

3. Allow your children to explore their own beliefs, and work that into your lessons if they want to learn more about specific religious themes. You may be into secular homeschooling, but you should not be afraid of religion.

There are many reasons you may decide that secular homeschooling is for you. Seek out secular homeschooling groups in your local area and online to gain the support of others who want to design an at-home secular school environment for their children as well.

Carolann Henderson, homeschooling mom, website editor and researcher. You'll find homeschooling curriculum reviews, general homeschooling information, free resources, tips and encouragement on my website. I also have a free gift for you that you will find instrumental in getting and staying organized in homeschooling and all areas of your life along with a free ebook to help you homeschool holidays. You can claim your free gifts by visiting my website http://www.homeschooling-road-map.com and signing up for our free newsletter.

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Technology Is Changing The Way Children Learn To Read

By Cookie Maxwell 

One of the reasons that it was so difficult to get children to learn to read in the past was because it was hard to develop functional lessons that were applicable to real-life situations.

For example, reading a story about a duck was helpful, but it was not always something that kids could readily apply to what was going on around them. As the Internet and other technology continues to advance, it is becoming easier to teach children to read in ways that they will be able to use in their daily lives.

The progressive parents have stopped fighting with video games and have realized that video games can be a great way to help kids to learn to read at almost any level. Interactive video games that teach reading skills are available all over the Internet and can be used by children at every level of aptitude. If you want your kids to learn to read, then utilizing a video game can be the most effective way to do it.

The interactive video games that connect people all over the world can help children to learn to read in several different ways. Kids want to play those games. But if they want to play, then they will have to learn how to read. Their friends are already playing online interactive video games and no kid wants to be left behind when it comes to the popular games everyone is playing. The games also require people to chat back and forth using the written word. Not only can your kids learn to read by playing video games, but they can also learn sentence structure and good grammar as well.

Another way that technology is helping kids to learn to read is by offering new reading courses for kids at all levels that can be easily manipulated to help the child learn at his pace. In a classroom setting, there can be pressure that may leave behind some of the kids that cannot keep up the same pace as everyone else. But when the child gets home, he can stop a DVD reading lesson and review it at his own pace. Now every kid has the chance to learn to read thanks to technology that was not available just 20 years ago.

Because there are so many technology tools to help children read, that allows the parents to find the time to get involved in their kids' lessons as well. The portability of technology means that parents and kids can be in the same room reviewing a reading lesson for the day while the parent does his own work tasks on the Internet as well.

Technology continues to bring breakthroughs in ways that allow us to become more interactive with the world around us. By channeling reading into video games, interactive DVDs and other materials, educators can help kids start to read at ages that may have been impossible in the past. If the child wants to learn, then there is nothing to stop him.

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