Homeschool curriculum- secular - non bible based.?

Question

I have made the decision to homeschool my first grader this coming school year. My reason for homeschooling is that he came out of public school kindergarten knowing less than he did going in. That is not acceptable to me. He is not a genius but he is a smart kid.

I am not doing this for religious reasons and I am finding that most curriculums are for religious people and are bible based. I am trying to find a non-religious program for homeschool that is basic and simple to use while my other multiple little kids run around. I am also trying to avoid virtual schools sponsored by the school districts, computer programs, etc. I want my kids to learn how to use and navigate books not computers as a main source of information at this time.

If you know of any programs please send me links!!

Thanks.

Answer 1

Have a look at Calvert.  http://www.calvertschool.org/calvert-sch...  It has an excellent reputation.  I can't say; I haven't used it myself.  It covers prek through 8th, and everything you need comes in a box with complete teacher's instructions.

Answer 2

depending on where you live, K12 is great..they say they are christian based but the materials are NOT at all. There are many links and info at the site below that may help you.

Answer 3

K12 is secular and incredible.  While it's delivered online, a Kdg-2nd grade student only spends about 20% of the time on the computer (or sitting next to you as you read the lessons).  You do not have to use it as part of a virtual public school - you can purchase K12 like you would any other curriculum and use it however you want to - as an independent homeschooler.

Mary is mistaken - K12 does NOT call themselves a Christian curriculum - they *never* have.  While there are some moral & character lessons (think Dr. William Bennett's Book of Virtues), it is not Christian, and the roots of all the major ancient and current religions are covered as part of history.

While I'm a Christian, I don't HS for "relgious" purposes either.  We've used K12 for 5.5 yrs for our gifted son and LOVE it.

FWIW, in the future, our kids will need to know a LOT about computers.  K12 balances technology where it's helpful with real books and literature.  I have a file of all the books they use in the curriculum and it's amazing.  When we did grades Kdg-2nd our librarians were astounded by the high-quality books we were using.

Here is K12's site.  There are virtual "open house" sessions you can attend and also you can get a demo account to see how the "heart" of K12 operates.  They have every other curriculum beat as far as planning and progress tools for the teaching parent.

http://www.k12.com

Answer 4

Why not create your own curriculum?  If you can do this legally in your state, then that would be the way to go.

You can create your own curriculum by going to the library, buying used text books, using online resources,  and following his interests.   Kids this age are wonderful because they still want to learn.   A few years into the classroom is where they lose their natural curiosity.

There is more information online than  a  person can handle in a lifetime..     There are free worksheets at various websites, their are interactives for various subjects, and by just using your computer and free resources, you can teach your son and keep him interested in learning more.

Answer 5

We are not a Christian family and we use Sonlight. We found it to be an excellent history curriculum, great books!  We dropped all the bible study and replaced some of the missionary stories/religious leaning books with other books on appropriate topics. I wouldn't rule it out just because you aren't religious.  (just my non-religious Sonlight user's opinion!)