Okay... I have homeschooled my 7 children off and on for over 15 years... and presently doing my 8 year old... homeschooling I mean...

however, due to personal belief changes... I no longer want to use Christian based books... and I was wondering about english books??? history books??? but really don't want to get the public school versions either...

now I have nothing what so ever against Christians... been there and done that... however, I'm working on a broader view hopefully for my son...

so any pagan homeschooler out there care to offer their suggestions???

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Answers

Well we don't really homeschool, we unschool, so we utilize very little in the way of textbooks, so I may not be much help if you're of a different mindset. However, if he wants to learn history, I would let him choose what aspects of this vast subject he shows an interest in, take him to the library, and let him loose! I found that my kids did just fine, leading the way, with me following behind to answer their queries and offer occassional suggestions for further study. What with the internet and all its resources, and used books so easily available, there is an unlimited amount of stuff out there to satisfy any kid I think.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Hi Yarrow....we have homeschooled our five,with and without curriculum for 12 years .Have you read the colfaxes book"Hard time in Paradise"They gave their kids the money otherwise spent on school books and let them choose their own course of study.That is they family whose kids went to Harvard.I would be happy to send you the book.I think I can dig you up a non-religious catalogue but it would be Canadian.ttfn

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Yarrow we use the Calvert school,pretty open minded so far.They do not even offer a religion course,but are pricey. We apted to get the teacher help which alows your child to get a transcript from the school,laws here are tough and its the easy way out. Any questions let me know! their web site is www.calvertschool.org I think or it maybe .net.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Yarrow, Hi YOu! I don't use any set curriculum for my 3rd grader. Hey, we tried but it just doesn't work for us. I will never forget the little amish book that I thought was so cute called It's a JOy to Learn. Well it wasn't , my Lea hated that book, going through it with her was a battle to say the least. We use what we find, we go to goodwill and for 10 cents a piece she comes home with a handful of books that keep her busy for weeks. And learning doesn't always have to come from books. Lea helps me bake, she reads the recipes and messures out the ingredients, sometimes I will tell her that I need a forth of something, or an eighth, so that she learns these concepts. People are amased when they see that my Lea knows how to count back change. She has her own allowance which she spends very carefully, measuring every penny and making sure she gets the right change back when she makes a purchase. Lea is interested in horses so I entered her in a horse class last summer which she really enjoyed. She is in an American Girls class this year in which she is learning more about history. Lea has learned so much just from taking care of her chickens. She doesn't have to go to school so she is free to go with me when I go to visit my grandparents, she listens to their stories, their insights, I think she learns more from them then a slew of books. She is learning from life.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001

Yep Tren, I know what you mean. We tried a more structured curriculum at first too. I still use a math book, but other than that we just live and wing it! I think we're pretty close to unschooling.This week my kids are voraciously reading about and learning to draw dinosaurs. It's so much fun to watch!

So i guess my answer to the question would be to utilize your library as much as possible. That's where we get all kinds of neat things and ideas.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001