[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||39px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” min_height=”195px” height=”195px” custom_padding=”3px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#0D0472″ background_enable_image=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”|||on|||||” title_text_align=”center” title_text_color=”#FFFFFF” title_font_size=”30px” meta_font_size=”16px” custom_margin=”50px||50px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_post_title][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ specialty_columns=”3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https://seahomeschoolers.com/store/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Best-Seller-2023-1-SEA-Books-and-More.png” title_text=”Best Seller 2023 #1 SEA Books and More” url=”https://seahomeschoolers.com/store/product/microbiology/” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”] Really, I wish more parents would use this course! ~ Andrew Hessel of the Human Genome Project [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_3″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https://seahomeschoolers.com/store/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Untitled-4.png” title_text=”Untitled (4)” url=”https://seahomeschoolers.com/store/product/the-science-of-climate-change/” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ …
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How Do You Know When to Keep Homeschooling? Blair, How do you know when to keep homeschooling and when to look for other educational options? Our homeschooling is going mostly ok. She whines sometimes when she would rather watch YouTube than do math, but just typical 8yo behavior and she usually has fun once we get started. She is ahead in some subjects and a little behind the norm in reading, again typical 8yo stuff. But, homeschooling is exhausting! All the planning, searching for materials that are truly secular and a good fit for my child, implementing academics in an …
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Ages and Stages of Writing InstructionThink of Writing like CookingFrom Dr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason I’m a big fan of using metaphors to take the mystery out of writing instruction, and that’s what I’m going to be doing in this article. One of the things I hear most often from families trying to figure out how to teach writing in their homeschool is concern. Concern that they aren’t doing “enough.” Concern that they’re “late” or “behind.” Concern that some particular skill isn’t developed adequately. I hear these concerns—and, as a homeschooling mom, I feel them myself—but I’ve got an idea that I …
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Homeschooling Elementary School Homeschooling elementary school is a perfect educational setting for developing a personal philosophy based on the intellectual life you want for your children. I encourage you, as your child's primary educator, to take the time to reflect on what you hope for your child's "intellectual life.” The Wonder Years Over the years, I taught and tutored students in grades 1st through college. There are high points in teaching every grade, but it is the elementary students I miss the most. It is just so fulfilling and fun to work with this age group as they discover the …
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SEA HomeschoolersOnline Conference Series SpeakerLearn More About the Speakers!Register NowSee Full Conference Schedule Bertha Vazquez Bertha Vazquez is a retired science teacher who taught middle school for 34 years in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She is the education director at The Center for Inquiry, an international nonprofit organization that promotes reason and science. She runs several CFI projects, including the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES), Generation Skeptics, and ScienceSaves. Her multi-faceted approach to teaching climate science has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, Earth magazine, and a book and film series by Lynne Cherry titled, Empowering Young …
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How to Talk to Your Child about Not Being on Grade Level with Peers Blair, How do I talk to my child about them not being on grade level with their peers? My child would be in 3rd grade if they went to b&m school. We work at their pace and level. At times we have been a bit more relaxed while working through neuropsych evals and more structured when we’ve been able to. They are very bright, but not working at a 3rd grade level in most subjects. They recently started saying they think they are not smart because …
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Exploring Buoyancy with Paper Boats Archimedes didn’t invent boats, but his thinking about them is important for understanding why boats float! Archimedes was a classical Greek thinker and tinkerer who lived from about 287 B.C. to 212 B.C.E. He realized (while in the bathtub, according to history) that the weight of the water that is pushed out of the way is equal to the lifting force on that object. In this activity, you will apply Archimedes principles and design thinking to paper boats, as you investigate the factors that affect their buoyancy and stability. Learners will also explore how different …
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Advice for a Former School Teacher Blair, I’ve been teaching in the public school system in Florida for 18 years, as a second-grade teacher for 6 years and then as an elementary reading specialist for the last 12 years. Due to the changes to curriculum, gun policies, and the attack on LGBTQ+ families in FL, my wife and I no longer feel the public school system is the right place for us. My kids are headed into 1st and 4th grade in the fall. I am excited and scared. I know I can teach them, but I am feeling overwhelmed …
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Learn about the Power of Using a Growth MindsetJuly 2023 SEA Homeschoolers Bookclub Book 1 in the SEA Homeschoolers Book Club. We will be reading Mindset Starts July 2nd! Join SEA Homeschoolers Founder, Blair Lee, as we read Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, Ph. D. as the first book in the new SEA Homeschoolers Book Club. Starting July 2nd, we will read two chapters per week and have weekly discussion posts in the SEA Homeschoolers main group. The book club will conclude with a live virtual discussion on July 30th. Mindset looks at differences between a fixed and a growth mindset. This …
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How to Handcraft a Unit StudyFrom Blair Lee, M.S. A handcrafted education is one that focuses on the unique strengths, challenges, and passions of learners and their families. It is common for homeschool parents to want to develop unit studies focused on these passions. Unit studies can be a fun and engaging academic strategy that incorporates many academic disciplines and skills. They are great for working on the mastery of skills such as writing and reasoning. They can also add excitement to your studies. Unit studies are especially meaningful when they are handcrafted by you for your learners. But (and …
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I think homeschooling would be great for our family but… Blair, I’m not a homeschooler…yet. As I started getting everything ready to enroll my oldest in kindergarten in the fall, I started thinking more and more that I want to homeschool my kids. I found your website while doing some research on what that would require, and I really think homeschooling would be great for our family, but I am also really worried about failing my kids. It is very important to us that all kids get a quality education. I am not a teacher. I know how to read, …
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We are about to head into the high school years and I am freaking out Blair, We are about to head into the high school years and I am freaking out. What do I really need to know before we plan high school? What do I need to keep track of for colleges? I don’t want to get to senior year and realize there are things we should have done in 9th grade to make college planning and applications easier. From Jane Homeschooling 6 years Kids in 7th and 8th grade Hello Jane, My first advice for you is to …
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2 kids who can't be taught together. How can I keep from getting overwhelmed? Blair, My kids have a large age gap, different interests, and different learning styles. There isn't really anything that I can teach them together. My 13yo can do some things on his own, but really needs my support and attention as we move into the more rigorous academics he is requesting. I am struggling to find balance and meet both their needs. Do you have any advice to keep us all from getting overwhelmed? In case it is relevant, my 8th grader uses AoPS, MCT, Conceptual …
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Gatekeeping for a Secular Academic Group One of the complaints some make of SEA Homeschoolers is that we gatekeep when it comes to materials, curriculum, and programs. This complaint is accurate, and the gatekeeping is not going to go away. It takes work to enforce, and we think that work is worth it. Yes, SEA Homeschoolers does gatekeep. We are going to keep gatekeeping, too. Before going further, let me define how SEA Homeschoolers gatekeeps so we are all on the same page. Gatekeeping for our group refers to the practice of disallowing conversations about information and resources that do …
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WE BELIEVE FROM SEA HOMESCHOOLERS Want to know what SEA Homeschoolers is about? The SEA Homeschoolers Team collaborated on this list of 27 WE BELIEVE statements so you would know the answer! WE BELIEVE in the power of education to change the world. WE BELIEVE learning is how we get to be who we want to be in this one wild and precious life. WE BELIEVE all education models should meet the learner where they are and handcraft a journey through learning that centers on the unique intellect, strengths, challenges, and needs of the individual. WE BELIEVE an evidence-based education …
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SEA HomeschoolersOnline Conference Series SpeakerLearn More About the Speakers!Register NowSee Full Conference Schedule Alycia Wright, M.Ed. Alycia Wright, M.Ed. is a former public educator turned homeschooling mother. Currently homeschooling three daughters with another one in a specialty high school. Alycia runs a homeschool cooperative for children of color in Virginia. She places emphasis on the importance of using a culturally relevant pedagogy and creating diverse homeschool communities & experiences. She is the Director of Radical Inclusion with Together We Will USA, Founder & Director of Cultural Roots Homeschool Cooperative, Director of Inspired Learning RVA, and an African-American Studies teacher through …
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5 Tips that Keep Learners Engaged and Brains FocusedBy Blair Lee, M.S. Homeschoolers are dreamers. We spend months dreaming about what the school year is going to look like for our learners. It is easy to romanticize how it is all going to go academically. There is only one problem standing between our hard work and making our secular homeschool dreams a reality — our children. Don’t they realize how long and hard you worked to make this year perfect? Are you beginning to wonder just what you got yourself into? Or, you might be reading this and patting yourself …
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Handcrafting a Culture of Thinking: Metacognition What are your plans for your secular homeschool curriculum this coming school year? Language arts? Math? Science? History? What learning skills are you planning on having your children work on? Wouldn’t it be great to handcraft a culture of thinking in your home that is personally meaningful for your learners while providing support for a learner-centered education? An important component of fostering this culture of thinking is to incorporate learning kills into your child's education. If you were thinking these skills are something kids will just pick up, think about how many adults you …
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10 Tips for Secular Homeschooling Deciding to homeschool is a big step. It is a big responsibility to oversee your child’s education. Deciding to secular homeschool can make the job seem even more challenging. In this article, we give you 10 tips foe secular homeschooling that can make your job much easier. Continue reading to learn more, and if you’re interested in joining the SEA Homeschooling community, join our Facebook group or become a member today! We have 8 Facebook groups. Links to all of them are in this post. 1. Know why you are choosing a secular homeschool path …
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Vetting Secular Science Curriculum10 Ways to Make Sure Your Science Curriculum IS Secular Phew! You have finally done it. You spent hours, days, and weeks planning the courses and materials you will use for your secular homeschooling during the coming year. Your excitement over planning the best year of homeschooling EVER results in you sharing your plan at a park day or on Facebook. Instead of the expected accolades, you hear from people that your choice for science isn’t secular. Wait… what? The website you purchased the science from didn’t say the science wasn’t secular. Or worse yet, the website …
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