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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What Is Secular Homeschool Curriculum?It can be challenging to find secular curricula and programs for your homeschooled children. To help, SEA Homeschoolers developed these definitions explaining what constitutes secular academic materials. Read on and be sure to connect with SEA Homeschoolers today! Secular Homeschool Curriculum: Science Secular science curricula and programs use empirical evidence-based information from peer reviewed research. Secular science curricula present the accepted facts, principles, models, and theories explaining how the natural and physical world works as recommended by a majority of practicing experts in that area of science. They do not incorporate religious philosophy into the curriculum …
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SEA HomeschoolersOnline Conference SeriesSign Up For Our Live Online Conferences!Register NowApply to SpeakBecome a Vendor SEA Homeschoolers hosts 4 live online conferences a year with presentations for secular homeschooling parents and educators, live Q&A with speakers and vendors, and special all-ages sessions for the whole family. The goal of these conferences is to support and inspire homeschoolers around the world as they handcraft a journey through learning that meets their unique needs. Homeschooling Support & Inspiration We’ll have sessions on a variety of topics to support and inspire veteran homeschoolers, new homeschoolers, people considering homeschooling, and educators in other settings …
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In Celebration of Our Children By Blair Lee I gave birth to my son the day before finals. He was two weeks early, which neither my doctor nor I expected. The only person who thought he would be early was one of my students, a mother of three. Two days before I gave birth, she came up to me and told me she didn’t think I would make it through the weekend. She had been watching the location of my pregnant belly shift throughout the week, and she could just tell. I am glad my student was correct because it …
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The Benefits of Secular Eclectic Academic HomeschoolingThere is a revolution happening in education, and it's called homeschooling. Though it began before the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic transformed this movement from a slow burn into a wildfire. Homeschooling today is divided into several cohorts, with distinctions between those who use secular, evidence-based materials and those who prefer religious curricula. Many families who turned to homeschooling during the pandemic weren't rejecting what schools were teaching; they simply wanted an option that better served their children. This influx has fueled the growth of the Secular Eclectic Academic Homeschooling (SEA) community, which has had …
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Homeschooling ResourcesHomeschooling 101Join The 100,000+ Families In Our Community!Homeschooling 101 Free Live Sessions at Our August ConferenceSEA ResourcesHelp with HomeschoolState-Specific LawsFrom The SEA BlogSEA Homeschoolers Homeschooling 101 - Your Source For Secular Homeschooling Resources On this Homeschooling 101 page, we are here to provide a community filled with information, resources, and support to help your family on your eclectic academic homeschooling journey. We were founded as a place to discuss innovative learning and academics that empower and facilitate. At SEA Homeschoolers, we recognize what a big responsibility the education of our children is. Along with you, we have chosen to …
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Farrar Williams and Jill Harper Farrar Williams is a longtime educator who left the classroom to homeschool her twin sons. She's now more than ten years into her homeschool journey, and is excited to be helping others individualize education for their own families. Farrar received her undergraduate degree in history from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and her master's degree in education and teaching from Goddard College, where she focused on alternative approaches to education. She has been lucky enough to have a wide variety of experience in the classroom, including teaching at a traditional public high school and at …
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