Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Vincent van Gogh Unit Study

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I have always loved Vincent van Gogh and his paintings. I am thrilled to share that love with my children.

I love teaching art history and about art even though I don’t consider myself a creative artist. See how we do art in our homeschool.

I would love to travel to southern France to see all the places he painted and walk in his footsteps.

We find it interesting all the different way to pronounce his name:

van-GOH (the most common in North America)

van-GOFF (in England)

van-GOKH and vun-KHOKH (which comes closest to the Dutch).

He’s one of our favorite artists.

As my kids get older and we revisit lessons every few years, we discuss mental illness and STI. We know that van Gogh suffered and committed suicide. He had tinnitus and other health problems like scurvy, perhaps epilepsy. Some speculate he may have contracted syphilis and certainly had mental health problems. We know that his brother Theo died from complication with syphilis.

The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant…And we definitely added to his pile of good things.

The Doctor in Vincent and the Doctor – Doctor Who: Season 5, Episode 10

When we got to visit The Netherlands, we knew we wanted to see his paintings in person!

When we went to Keukenhof, the entire theme was Vincent van Gogh and there was a floral mosaic, a selfie garden, and static displays of his paintings.

The mosaic hadn’t bloomed yet in March. I’ll bet it was amazing!

We had so much fun in the selfie garden.

The static displays recreated the paintings and were absolutely magnificent!

We went to the van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. It holds the most van Gogh works.

Some favorites:

My son loved seeing the boats from his Art Ditto card game.

The kids got to see Sunflowers!

They were so jealous I had seen it the year before when I visited London for a conference.

My youngest daughter’s favorite is The Potato Eaters.

We were thrilled to see the Impressionist exhibit, including many van Gogh at the National Gallery when we visited London the next year.

van Gogh’s Self-Portrait and The Bedroom is at the Art Institute of Chicago and we loved to see it when we moved back to The States!

The goal now is to travel to New York to see Starry Night.

Art Projects

I allow my kids freedom of expression and making messes to learn and experiment and play with arts and crafts.

I love how my middle daughter made this scene out of Wikki Stix!

We drew sunflowers with chalk pastels.

We practiced drawing with pots of petunias and a still life of our breakfast table.

My girls have gotten very talented with watercolors, but we haven’t ventured into oils yet.

Resources:

Books

What’s your favorite van Gogh painting?

Linking up: Random Musings, Create with Joy, Mostly Blogging, Kippi at Home, Marilyn’s Treats, Anita Ojeda, Home Stories, LouLou Girls, Purposeful Faith, Mary Geisen, Our Three Peas, Anchored Abode, InstaEncouragements, Soaring with Him, Ridge Haven Homestead, Welcome Heart, Ducks in a Row, Girlish Whims, Ginger Snap Crafts, Fluster Buster, April Harris, Grandma’s Ideas, Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, Mommynificent, Debbie Kitterman, Creative K Kids, Slices of Life, Life Beyond the Kitchen, Chic on a Shoestring, Answer is Choco, Simply Sweet Home, Embracing Unexpected, Pieced Pastimes, Fireman’s Wife, CWJ, OMHG, Momfessionals, Every Day Farmhouse, Being a Wordsmith, Little Cottage,

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Constitution Unit Study

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I want to teach my kids US history, government, citizenship.

I don’t want the US government curriculum to be nationalist, fundamentalist, or evangelical.

I’m not sure when many Americans began equating white Republican Jesus with the white male president, right wing government officials, and media, with removing or reducing social programs, but that’s not my religion.

I want unbiased materials and we’re leaning more and more towards secular curriculum to get the true picture of history.

On September 17, 1787, the Founding Fathers signed the most influential document in American history, the United States Constitution.

As we approach Constitution Week, September 17-23, here are some fun educational materials available at no cost to homeschoolers.

A More or Less Perfect Union is a three-part PBS series hosted by Senior Federal Appeals DC Circuit Court Judge Douglas Ginsburg. The series features 17 Constitutional experts weighing in on hot button topics around the document that governs those who govern us.  It aired earlier this year and is schedule to re-air on public television on Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. ET. It is also available on Amazon Prime and PBS.org, if you are a member. It can be watched for free now. It is best suited for high school level students.

Imagine having a discussion with George Washington and Ben Franklin today. Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg sat down with each historic figure to discuss the Constitution, what succeeded and what failed, slavery, education, and even air conditioning and deodorant! Meet the Framers are fascinating, educational and entertaining conversations that shouldn’t be missed.

Judge Ginsburg worked with izzit.org, an online teacher resource, to develop civics educational materials to teach about the Constitution.   The materials include a week-long course on The U.S. Constitution & Black History, a 16-minute teaching unit, Becoming Equal Under the Law, and a number of Teachable Moments (short video clips designed to encourage discussions).

For younger students, the Pups of Liberty series (The Boston T-Bone Party  and The Dog-claration of Independence) are delightful.

A new teaching unit on the First Amendment is recently released.

This is all available to educators at no cost!

Constitution and Government Resources

Favorite US History Books

Linking up: Random Musings, April Harris, Create with Joy, Welcome Heart, Anita Ojeda, Marilyn’s Treats, Little Cottage, Kippi at Home, Home Stories, Mary Geisen, Purposeful Faith, LouLou Girls, Grandma’s Ideas, Anchored Abode, Soaring with Him, Ridge Haven Homestead, InstaEncouragements, My Girlish Whims, Fluster Buster, Ginger Snap Crafts, Ducks in a Row, Our Three Peas, Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, Mommynificent, Slices of Life, Creative K Kids, Imparting Grace, Life Beyond the Kitchen, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Answer is Choco, Simply Sweet Home, Momfessionals, Embracing Unexpected, Pieced Pastimes, Fireman’s Wife, CWJ, Being a Wordsmith, Mostly Blogging,

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Labor Day Unit Study

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Labor Day is not just the official end of summer.

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday. Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday.

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.     

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Because we have suffered, and we are not afraid to suffer in order to survive, we are ready to give up everything — even our lives — in our struggle for justice. We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure. When a man or woman, young, or old, takes a place on the picket line for even a day or two, he will never be the same again.  

Cesar Chavez

Topics for Discussion

  • The Modern Labor Rights Movement
  • The Power Of Agitating & Organizing
  • Child Labor
  • Minimum Wage
  • Maternity/Paternity Leave
  • The Gender & Race Wage Gap: Glass Ceilings
  • The US Economy Runs On The Backbone of Exploited Black Labor
  • The Effect of Exploitative Migrant Labor On Families

Resources

Book List

Labor Day movies

I learned the value of hard work by working hard.

Margaret Mead

How can you support workers?

No one really cares what you post on social media or clapping or being honored at a parade or event. Workers need and want tangible rewards for doing what they do – better conditions, higher pay, protections for illness or injury, security. Respect their dignity.

Make sure you tip well. More than 20%. Don’t be insulting or rude. Service is a very difficult job.

Gifts for the services you use and appreciate most. Keep in mind that most workers can technically only accept gifts equally up to $20 or less. Don’t embarrass them or put them in an awkward position. A gift card, a homemade treat, a caffeine drink, a token is much appreciated.

Vote. Protest. Support public officials, government agencies, and private organizations who protect wage workers and their benefits.

Speak up and teach. Our kids need to see us fighting injustice. They need to know we are not silent and complicit.

Linking up: Random Musings, Welcome Heart, Anita Ojeda, Marilyn’s Treats, Little Cottage, Mostly Blogging, Kippi at Home, Purposeful Faith, LouLou Girls, Our Three Peas, Grandma’s Ideas, Anchored Abode, Soaring with Him, Ducks in a Row, Fluster Buster, Girlish Whims, Ginger Snap Crafts, Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, Mommynificent, Debbie Kitterman, CKK, Imparting Grace, Ridge Haven Homestead, Slices of Life, Life Beyond the Kitchen, Answer is Choco, Simply Sweet Home, Momfessionals, Embracing Unexpected, Create with Joy, OMHG, Being a Wordsmith, InstaEncouragements, Create with Joy,

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High School Homeschool

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I graduated my eldest daughter from our homeschool a few years ago.

Her homeschool high school years were exciting for us all, and unique since we lived in Germany at the time.

My two middle girls are entering their high school years.

I feel a little more comfortable for our second round.

We’re adding more multicultural and social justice books to our reading lists. I am much more relaxed.

More and more, I am watching them walk away from me.

What Homeschool High School Looks Like for Us the Second Time

We’re trying to max out their academic transcripts with 4 English, 4 Social Studies, 4 Math, and 4 Science.

My girls have already completed General science, Physical science, and Biology from Apologia.

We use Tapestry of Grace for humanities with a 4-year history cycle. Tapestry of Grace offers lovely descriptions for each thread to help with transcripts.

Electives are religion, art, cooking, sports, and foreign language.

My girls are 13 and 14 this year and we homeschool year-round so we don’t have to rush.

They expect to complete all my requirements around age 16, like their older sister did. They want to get part-time jobs, volunteer, explore hobbies, perhaps pursue dual college enrollment locally until beginning college full-time. And we don’t pressure about college.

9th grade curriculum

  • Ancient world literature
  • Ancient world history
  • Ancient world geography, philosophy, government
  • Ancient religion and Bible history
  • Algebra I (Life of Fred, VideoText, OpenStax)
  • Astronomy and Microbiology from OpenStax

10th grade

  • Middle Ages world literature
  • Middle Ages world history
  • Middle Ages world geography, philosophy, government
  • Middle Ages world religion and Bible history
  • History of language – King Alfred’s English
  • Algebra II (Life of Fred, VideoText, OpenStax)
  • Chemistry (either Apologia or OpenStax)

11th grade

  • Renaissance-Industrial Revolution world literature
  • Renaissance-Industrial Revolution world history
  • Renaissance-Industrial Revolution world and US geography, philosophy, government
  • Renaissance-Industrial Revolution world religion and Bible history
  • US History from OpenStax
  • Geometry (Life of Fred, VideoText, OpenStax)
  • Physics (either Apologia or OpenStax)

12th grade

  • Modern and Contemporary world literature
  • Modern and Contemporary world history
  • Modern and Contemporary world and US geography, philosophy, government
  • Modern and Contemporary world religion and Bible history
  • US History from OpenStax
  • Trig/Calc from OpenStax
  • Psychology and/or advanced science from OpenStax

Pinterest Boards

High School Homeschool Resources:

How do you homeschool high school?

Linking up: Random Musings, Mostly Blogging, Anita Ojeda, Welcome Heart, April Harris, Marilyn’s Treats, Little Cottage, Kippi at Home, LouLou Girls, Home Stories, InstaEncouragements, Purposeful Faith, Our Three Peas, Grandmas Ideas, Anchored Abode, Soaring with Him, Ducks in a Row, Girlish Whims, Fluster Buster, Ginger Snap Crafts, Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, Debbie Kitterman, CKK, Imparting Grace, Ridge Haven Homestead, Apron Strings, Life Beyond the Kitchen, Create with Joy,

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Quarantine Schooling

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I taught school for about ten years, and always homeschooled my four kids, so I have a bit of a different philosophy towards education than many.

Around March 2020, may families found themselves in awkward situations. Many parents worked from home while children completed their school year online. Teachers scrambled to prepare online lessons for hundreds of students. It was stressful.

Many families and the media call this homeschooling.

Narrator: “This was not, in fact, homeschooling.”

Now the word “homeschooling” has evolved over the years and used to have different connotations than it now does. It’s not such a weighted or negative word as it used to be.

The word often conjured images of denim jumper dress-wearing evangelical fundamentalist Christian families. And that certainly is still a subculture within homeschooling communities.

While it is still difficult to find secular and liberal homeschoolers in many areas, it is becoming more widely acceptable for many families to home educate their children in different ways.

Homeschool choices are almost limitless. Many states and school districts provide online or video lessons. There are secular and Christian curriculum options. Parents can create an eclectic mix of academics and hobbies for kids to explore.

Many families are concerned about safety, continuity, and consistency for this next school year.

Some schools are closed, some offer part time or staggered attendance, some are going completely online. I am not here to judge parents whose choices are impossible during these circumstances. I realize many parents must work outside the home and need childcare. Our society expects schools to provide education and care during working hours.

Teachers are facing impossible situations. Required to teach in person or prepare and teach engaging lessons online, risking their health or their careers. I can’t imagine making these hard choice if I were still a classroom teacher.

I understand that it’s overwhelming to suddenly homeschool kids who expect to attend school. It’s a completely different lifestyle for many families and the unknown is scary.

It took me a few years to adjust as a reluctant homeschooler.

For first time homeschoolers, pandemic/quarantine/crisis homeschoolers, reluctant homeschoolers, even veteran homeschoolers:

Some things to think about school at home:

What is your focus?

Search your heart for what you want this school year to look like for your family. Use this time to learn about your children – their hopes, dreams, preferences. Don’t just think this is about academics. This is about relationship. This is about making memories. What do you want your family to look back on during this time and remember fondly?

Ease into it.

It’s often best to start with the bare bones. Fun, fun, fun. Outside time. Hiking. Nature exploration. Learn about your backyard nature. Fall in love with learning. Maybe just begin with reading, writing, arithmetic. Have story time and talk about the book afterwards or make art. Do kitchen math with delicious recipes. You don’t have to recreate a classroom school environment in your kitchen, dining room, living room, or basement. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on curriculum, books, computer programs.

Keep records.

Records, portfolio, book lists, field trips are handy to have if you plan to send kids back into public or private school attendance at any point. It’s also nice to look back over what was accomplished on the days when you feel like nothing ever got done. I often enlist the kids to help make their notebooks or portfolios. It’s a great family project! Many homeschoolers must submit curriculum lists at the beginning of each school year with their intent letter and provide a portfolio or test score at the end of the year. Keeping records as you go makes this easier than scrambling last minute. It’s good to have a scrapbook or journals for kids to look back on too.

Take it slow.

You will have bad days. Keep your cool as the adult when things fall apart. Don’t think of it as a failure. Think of the unpleasant moments as opportunities to learn how to do better. No one is falling behind. You’re not competing with anyone. You don’t need a strict color-coded schedule for every minute of every day. You don’t have to know how to do everything, teach every subject, or complete every lesson. There is a plethora of resources out there to help. Screentime is ok. Sleeping in is ok. Meal times are arbitrary. Later bedtimes are ok. I realize this is a stressful time for everyone, even veteran homeschoolers who usually participate in lots of activities with others.

Keep in touch.

It’s important to allow kids to keep in touch with friends until it’s safer for in person meetups and play dates and group activities. We live in a brave new world with so much technology allowing us to communicate any time, anywhere, with almost anyone. My kids have iPads and/or smartphones with Discord, messenger apps, social media. We find it difficult to find other kids whose parents trust them to use these services. It makes it more difficult for my kids to keep in touch with their friends.

Start a new tradition.

Breakfast announcements. Morning message before beginning seatwork. Weekly tea time (it doesn’t even have to include tea!) with fun snacks and music or poetry. Friday free days (or afternoons) for playing outside. Friday pizza nights with movies. Saturday dance parties. Sunday hiking.

Resources:

What does this school year look like for your family?

Linking up: Random Musings, April Harris, Marilyn’s Treats, Little Cottage, Kippi at Home, Create with Joy, Mostly Blogging, OMHG, Home Stories, Purposeful Faith, InstaEncouragements, LouLou Girls, Grandma’s Ideas, Welcome Heart, Ducks in a Row, Girlish Whims, Fluster Buster Ginger Snap Crafts, Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, Debbie Kitterman, Slices of Life, CKK, Imparting Grace, Life Beyond the Kitchen, Ridge Haven Homestead, Simply Sweet Home, Momfessionals, Answer is Choco, Embracing Unexpected, CWJ, Serenity and Harmony, Grammy’s Grid, Anita Ojeda,

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Not Back to School

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Homeschoolers often celebrate “back to school” with fun and different traditions than other families whose children attend school.

Homeschoolers also do many of the same things as school families. We buy new supplies and clothes with all the sales, tax-free days, and coupons. We like the first day photos.

Homeschoolers look forward to the day when school kids go back to classrooms and all the fun places we love to frequent aren’t busy with summer crowds anymore. But even homeschoolers aren’t gathering or doing co-ops or meeting up this fall.

My kids used to wave goodbye to their neighborhood friends who rode the bus to school while we began our homeschool day. They often waited for their bus at the end of the day to greet their friends again.

This school year looks very different for many families. Some school districts are offering options for in person full or part time attendance, or online classes.

No matter what kind of school year our kids are beginning, making the first day of the new school year a special day may help ease jitters or disappointments. We need to make great memories with our kids.

Celebrating Not Back to School

  • Night before school party
  • Special breakfast
  • Pictures to commemorate the new year
  • Memory board or interview page
  • Gifts or treats
  • Look through new school materials and books together to get familiar.
  • Set up a work area for each child to complete assignments.
  • Special back to school books. It’s hard to find books celebrating homeschool.
  • New clothes fashion show. It could be new loungewear or pajamas!
  • Schultüte – traditional school cones for 1st graders in Germany. Another Schulüte DIY idea here. DIY auf Deutsch hier.
  • Ice cream!
  • Chalk drawings in the driveway or sidewalk
  • Fresh flowers, especially roses for new schoolers! I love the Waldorf rose ceremony.
  • Discuss plans, desires, and dreams for the year
  • Make calm jars with glitter, oil, food coloring, and water.
  • Make tie-dye shirts or bags.
  • Go hiking or do a nature scavenger hunt.
  • Picnic lunch
  • Bowling
  • Parties with a fun theme, even if it’s just immediate family
  • Movie night

How do you make the first day of school special?

Linking up: Random Musings, April Harris, Create with Joy, Marilyn’s Treats, Kippi at Home, Mostly Blogging, InstEncouragements, Purposeful Faith, LouLou Girls, Our Three Peas, Grandma’s Ideas, Anchored Abode, Soaring with Him, Welcome Heart, Ducks in Row, Girlish Whims, Fluster Buster, Ginger Snap Crafts, Penny’s Passion, Katherine’s Corner, CKK, Imparting Grace, Slices of Life, Answer is Choco, Momfessionals, Simply Sweet Home, Everyday Farmhouse, Embracing Unexpected, OMHG, Fireman’s Wife, CWJ, Being a Wordsmith, Pieced pastimes, Little Cottage,

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Our Curriculum for 2020-2021

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I’ve been homeschooling my four kids for about sixteen years now. My younger three have never attended school. My eldest attended day care, preschool, and one month of third grade at a DoD school.

We learn year-round and love having freedom to learn when and how and what we want. We love being able to take breaks for field trips, extended travel just for fun or educational purposes, sun days, snow days, movie days, game days, park days.

Most of the anxiety I had in the beginning years has faded away and I am mostly in awe of my kids’ abilities and interests. I learn so much from watching and learning with them.

I highly recommend the books by Louise Bates Ames. A good guide to follow are the What Your ?-Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. His books have some problems, but it’s a great jumping off point.

My eldest daughter is taking a break from college and working full time.

6th Grade

My son is starting middle school! It’s a lot more writing and independent work than he’s used to, but we will ease into it. I love this age! It’s so exciting to see all the changes and connections.

9th Grade

My two middle girls are officially in high school!

I’m keeping track of their credits in a transcript for their future needs. Our high school goals are four full year credits of English, math, science, social studies, with two full year credits of foreign language, and multiple electives for creative arts and physical activity.

Some electives the girls are pursuing in addition to their sports are cooking/baking, creative writing, drawing/animation, jewelry making.

Ohio doesn’t allow students to work until age 15, and my girls are already looking forward to their first part time job in a year or two – maybe at our Dairy Queen around the corner or a locally owned shop or volunteering with the Red Cross.

  • Astronomy and Microbiology from OpenStax
  • VideoText Algebra
  • Tori is continuing Russian and Greek
  • Tori continues aerial arts and is beginning lyrical dance
  • Katie is continuing German
  • Katie is participating in a virtual Dungeons and Dragons weekly game

Together

We still do lots of morning read alouds together for Bible, church history, natural history, world and American history, and lots of multicultural literature.

We are currently finishing up reading Life of Fred pre-Algebra 2 with Economics. We also have Life of Fred Financial Choices. We will soon start Beginning Algebra. My son may not be quite ready for it yet.

We’re starting over again in our history cycle with Year 1. It will be my last history cycle with my girls and I feel so sad. I will update as we continue to add better book selections to our repertoire. Libraries still aren’t open except for requests by appointment.

Our main text this year is The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome by Susan Wise Bauer. I just purchased the Study and Teaching Guide: The History of the Ancient World by Julia Kaziewicz. My girls are completing the critical thinking questions for each chapter.

Also The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by DK and The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim are daily read alouds.

I look forward to studying in depth ancient art history!

See how we do history. Our main curriculum Tapestry of Grace (and the way I supplement it each year) covers all the humanities – history, literature, art, music, philosophy, government.

My kids are very active with skating/roller blading, cycling, hiking, walking, playing the Wii, in addition to their classes and rec sports.

I love seeing my kids get creative with floral arranging, jewelry making, various arts and crafts, cooking, writing, map drawing, herbology and foraging. We will discuss elective transcript credit for various hobbies if they complete enough or do a big, long project.

How is your new homeschool year looking?

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Secular Curriculum

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I have come full circle, back to the views I had during our first year of homeschooling.

We began homeschooling for academic reasons.

I got confused, sidetracked, shamed, humiliated, and lost with all the religious homeschool groups, sites, curriculum.

I am a trained English teacher who has taught public, private, middle, high, college, and tutoring – but I questioned my abilities to homeschool my children well.

Homeschoolers, groups, and co-ops are only too happy to jump in to offer advice and help to new homeschoolers. But it seems to come with a catch. Many homeschoolers meetup or co-op through their churches. There is still a large percentage of homeschoolers who are conservative Christian and they feel this is the only way. They ostracize anyone who doesn’t conform.

Do a web search about the origins, beliefs, and requirements for Classical Conversations, HSLDA, many homeschool conferences, and other large homeschool organizations. They’re certainly not secular or even welcoming.

I didn’t even grow up Christian. Not evangelical at all, not going to church except with my Lutheran grandma who visited two-three times a year. I was never confirmed. I had been christened as an infant at the bequest of the grandma and I said meal blessings and bedtime prayers, but that was the extent of my religious upbringing until I met my first husband.

Growing up in the Bible belt of Georgia, I was odd. I always felt out of place. I didn’t understand the Christianese language.

Many homeschoolers don’t identify as evangelical Christians. There are Catholics, Jewish, Muslims, and other faiths who homeschool their children and would like secular or faith neutral materials and curriculum or something designed just for them. It’s really hard to find.

We started off with The Well-Trained Mind and I found it (and still find it, mostly) to be respectful regarding those other than the evangelical Christian faith. We began with the materials suggested for first grade.

Having four kids, we reuse curriculum each year. It saves us money. So, we own the entire Apologia science curriculum. They have since separated from Dr. Jay Wile and and he wrote and sells new texts while Apologia commissioned another author to recreate their middle and high school science texts. I think their quality has deteriorated so we continue with what we’ve always done. The science hasn’t greatly changed.

We bought all four years of Tapestry of Grace online. It was great our first couple years, for the most part. As my eldest daughter went through the dialectic stage for high school, we didn’t buy some of the book selections, and very few of the religious texts recommended.

As the kids and I grow, we tend to edit out much of the religion in our curriculum and it can be tiresome. The science books are still solid for the academic lab science and we just skip the weird Bible parts. We don’t read a lot of the religious selections from the Tapestry of Grace humanities book lists. I supplement church and religion history from better books when I feel it’s appropriate.

If I were beginning our homeschool journey now, I would choose more secular materials. I wish there were any complete affordable science lab homeschool curriculum good enough for high school credit, but I have yet to really find any we’re happy using.

I have found many Waldorf sites and curriculum is sometimes secular or very respectfully spiritual.

Secular Curriculum

I haven’t used all or even a lot of these. Some we reviewed when my kids were younger. Some of the materials for middle and high school may or may not meet standards in my opinion. My kids are all 10+ now and we are mostly finished buying curriculum and making do with what we have.

Complete or All in One or Boxes

Science

See how we do science in our homeschool.

ELA

See how my kids learned to read. I don’t teach English in our homeschool.

History

See how we do history in our homeschool.

Math

See how we do math in our homeschool.

Arts

See how we do art in our homeschool. See how we do music and cinema in our homeschool.

Foreign Languages

See how we do foreign languages in our homeschool.

Other

See how we do health and PE in our homeschool.

Secular Sites

Some of my favorite (mostly) secular homeschooling and parenting sites:

What’s your favorite secular curriculum?

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Japan Unit Study

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We love learning about other cultures.

We review history and geography each cycle/year and assimilate our learning with current events.

I want to learn real history along with my kids, not just an American perspective.

Japan Unit Study

Topics

  • Feudalism
  • Samurai
  • Imperialism
  • WWII
  • Anime
  • Technology

Book List

Movies

Use discretion. Some of these films are just ridiculous.

Resources: Printables, Units, Lessons

We would love to visit Japan someday!

ProSchool Membership - Productive Homeschooling
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Homeschooling During Quarantine

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Ohio has been in quarantine lockdown since April 1.

Many parents are working from home and school are closed so life looks a little different.

But many families are in crisis, wondering how they will pay their bills. Those stimulus checks won’t last long.

The families forced into quarantine when the schools closed are not homeschooling.

It’s crisis schooling. It wasn’t a decision. It was forced. Most are miserable, confused, scared.

My parents live in Georgia and they were only on lockdown for a couple weeks and it’s worrisome.

Stores and services are reopening, but not schools. Maybe next fall. And it’s probably too soon. Many families are planning to keep their kids home and accept the offer for online options from the public schools. They may find that successful, preferable, or they may realize there are other ways to learn.

I know our friend down the street loved completing his lessons super fast online and having free time.

Being a homeschool family doesn’t mean this isn’t hard.

Being introverted doesn’t mean this isn’t hard.

Even though our lifestyles don’t look that much different at this time, it’s still stressful.

We’re used to having the freedom to do what we want, when we want. We used to go where we want, not relying on traditional school schedules. We like to avoid crowds.

Libraries are closed and we miss it.

Local parks and playgrounds are closed and we miss it.

Sports and extra activities are canceled and we miss it.

We missed Easter. We had just started attending a new church.

My college daughter’s classes all went online. It’s hard because the professors aren’t used to that so they simplified the assignments and made grades easier. She misses her friends and freedom. We worry about fall semester and are noticing some small colleges are closing forever. She works part time at a bank and only their drive-thru is open. She realizes she is fortunate to be an essential employee.

The lovely spring weather beckons and we play in the yard and driveway. We explore our backyard woods and creek. My son rides his bike or scooter. The girls rollerblade and skate.

We’ve quietly celebrated four birthdays – mine and three of the kids. Homemade cake, favorite breakfasts and dinners, presents and movies. We don’t do big parties, so this is just our normal.

We’re finishing up our books and regular curriculum and we are getting bored.

There’s nothing to look forward to.

If it were winter, we probably wouldn’t do much different. Since we’re finishing up our formal lessons for the year and heading towards summer, we have to find creative ways to occupy our time. We used to do formal school year-round, but the kids like to have a month or so of a break these last few years. It’s becoming very hard with everything canceling through summer now.

I’ve never liked the word “homeschooling” because how we learn and live looks so little like school.

We just live life, learn what’s interesting, focus on fun activities and skills. We can do and learn the things we’ve only talked about and never found the time.

Academics are not as important as relationship.

We’re disappointed with all the neighborhood kids playing together like they’re on holiday. We wonder what their family’s narrative is for why school and work are canceled, stores are closed, people wearing masks. Do they think this is a hoax? Those public and private school kids and parents are exposing all those families while we the homeschoolers are following the rules and social distancing from everyone who doesn’t live in our house. It’s very frustrating.

My kids haven’t been out since March. I see lots of children in stores with their parents and while I realize child care is often an issue, I worry they’re being exposed or exposing others to illness.

Homeschooling during Quarantine

  • Learning new recipes
  • Playing games – online, board and card, video. We have a Wii and Switch.
  • Watching movies and shows on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu.
  • Arts and crafts
  • Deep cleaning each room
  • Painting or refinishing furniture
  • Organizing and minimizing – although we can’t donate anything right now.
  • Getting outside as much as possible while keeping social distance from other families and individuals
  • Nature study
  • Gardening
  • Yard work
  • Exercise
  • Online classes
  • Bible study
  • Literature unit
  • Foreign language study
  • Electives
  • Read, READ, read

Is there a lesson in quarantine? What is the lesson in all this?

Also, we’re bingeing apocalyptic media. Because that’s our style of humor and memes are therapy.

How is your schedule or lifestyle different during quarantine?

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