VA Homeschool Convention

[GenerationCedarchip]

I mentioned it in another thread, but the HEAV convention is going on this weekend in Richmond. Over the years, it's gradually gotten more and more fundie. I have a friend who is there, and I'd describe her as fundie lite lite (i.e. evangelical Christian, but more liberal than most of the fundies and fundie lites we snark on). She gave me permission to share what she's texted me so far, so here it goes:

- There are 10000+ people in attendance; From her description it sounds like the majority are what we would call fundie-lite.

- She really liked some of the parenting speakers. Apparently, one mentioned the Pearls' book by name and cautioned parents to be "very discerning" if they choose to read this book because it's been linked to abuse.

- My friend didn't go to it, but it sounds like the SAHD presentation was standing room only :roll:

- She said that the folks giving advice on curriculum didn't actively diss any of the groups providing materials, but they did tend to steer people more toward Charlotte Mason or classical styles and away from the fill-in-the blank workbook stuff.

- Sounds like there's LOTS of purity/modesty speeches and materials

- Apparently, there is a lot of emphasis from speakers on creationism in science teaching, which has started some debates. However, it sounds like debate is more "God-guided evolution vs. Young Earth Creationism" rather than involving much of the secular viewpoint.

- VF is there - I'm trying to convince my friend to get me pictures from their display :)

[clibbyjo]

My fundie sister is a vender there. :violin:

[lilwriter85]

I hope we get VF display pics.

[GenerationCedarchip]

I hope we get VF display pics.

I was out most of the day, so I don't have pics yet, but my friend says she's got some to send me. Curious to see them!

I was texting with this friend of mine, so I got a few more tidbits. This one got my brain moving:

You know how we talk here on FJ about how the fundies seem to be plotting to take over the government? Well, apparently, several of the speakers were teaching on the importance of making sure that parents teach the "right" version of history and civics and prepare their children to take active positions in the leadership of the country so that we can "take it back from the secular humanists..."

Oh, and they had a big screening of the movie "IndoctriNation." My friend still isn't quite sure what to make of that.

My friend found parts of the conference very helpful(counselors helping with curriculum choices, how to assemble filings for the state, creative field trip and hands-on project ideas, etc...). However, it really sounds like a lot of fundie ideas on purity, courtship, dominionism, etc... are coming into the mainstream.

I don't want to put you on the spot, but I was wondering if some of you who homeschool (clibbyjo especially comes to mind) run into this when you're putting together lessons or going to conferences. I'd be curious whether there is some kind of move toward fundie-ism or whether this is something that was there all along but was just not noticable unless you knew homeschoolers.

[emmiedahl]

I think it has been there all along.

In my area, the majority of homeschoolers are Christian, ranging from fundie-lite to full-on fundies. There are a handful of hippie mom homeschoolers, making about 10% of the overall families, and these are just about any religion but generally not dogmatic. Not all fundies are bad; I have friends from homeschooling who are pretty fundie, and we love each other enough that we don't discuss religion or politics.

There is a decent amount of idea exchange between the groups because we went to some of the same activities. A fundie mom showed up for a few of our AP meetings but she was taken aback. They were a bit crunchy even for me, and I was quite crunchy at the time. So we are sitting around talking about whether time-out is abuse, and she probably had the Pearls on her bookshelf.

I don't think homeschoolers are trending fundie; they have always been fundie. Hippies are starting to join the movement, especially in the unschooling community, and make it overall less fundie. I had a hard time finding biology curriculum that was not creation-based, but a friend recently told me that she found a new science curriculum that is actually scientific.

[clibbyjo]

I was out most of the day, so I don't have pics yet, but my friend says she's got some to send me. Curious to see them!

I was texting with this friend of mine, so I got a few more tidbits. This one got my brain moving:

You know how we talk here on FJ about how the fundies seem to be plotting to take over the government? Well, apparently, several of the speakers were teaching on the importance of making sure that parents teach the "right" version of history and civics and prepare their children to take active positions in the leadership of the country so that we can "take it back from the secular humanists..."

Oh, and they had a big screening of the movie "IndoctriNation." My friend still isn't quite sure what to make of that.

My friend found parts of the conference very helpful(counselors helping with curriculum choices, how to assemble filings for the state, creative field trip and hands-on project ideas, etc...). However, it really sounds like a lot of fundie ideas on purity, courtship, dominionism, etc... are coming into the mainstream.

I don't want to put you on the spot, but I was wondering if some of you who homeschool (clibbyjo especially comes to mind) run into this when you're putting together lessons or going to conferences. I'd be curious whether there is some kind of move toward fundie-ism or whether this is something that was there all along but was just not noticable unless you knew homeschoolers.

The majority of homeschoolers are fundie or at least fundie lite. The giant local co-ops rent old schools for their co-op classes because they have so many members.There is a large secular co-op that is growing every year, I think we have 550+ members now and run our own classes. I have a smaller co-op of about 50 families and 45 of them are secular. We are growing! That said, if you sign up for anything for homeschoolers put on by an outside group like say...the zoo, library,science center etc.it is going to be 90% fundies in the class. Many times my kids have been the only secular homeschoolers.

I rarely go to conventions anymore because they are ALWAYS fundie. Some may have a few secular things like DK books or wooden toys, but for my kids ages it would be a waste. I went to one convention last year and I only bought stuff off my friend who was the only secular vendor there.

[clibbyjo]

Agree with Em,and I want the name of the secular science!

[emmiedahl]

I'll ask her. I was already intending to email her. She told me the name and I forgot! It came up in a discussion about how my kids' public school curriculum is no better than fucking Apologia.

[emmiedahl]

Here it is! She texted me right back. http://www.pandiapress.com/?page_id=50 Apparently a lot of the more advanced curriculum is still in development, but she likes what she has tried. I plan to get some for my kids to make up for their lack of science education at school. It looks easy to teach, also.

I have been looking a bit at the stuff here too: http://www.charliesplayhouse.com/

[clibbyjo]

I'll ask her. I was already intending to email her. She told me the name and I forgot! It came up in a discussion about how my kids' public school curriculum is no better than fucking Apologia.

Ohhhhh, Thanks, will look now. There is a very liberal online highschool for homeschoolers I am considering just to find some secular science.I feel your pain.

[AmyP]

I'll ask her. I was already intending to email her. She told me the name and I forgot! It came up in a discussion about how my kids' public school curriculum is no better than fucking Apologia.

you're not serious?! :o

[clibbyjo]

LOL, I have that already! I didn;t remember until I saw the covers.

[emmiedahl]

you're not serious?! :o

I am serious, but exaggerating maybe a bit. They are not specifically taught that evolution is wrong, but creationism is treated as an equally valid theory. They avoid any study of science in which evolution will be obvious as a mechanism. Which is most of biology.

[emmiedahl]

LOL, I have that already! I didn;t remember until I saw the covers.

So, spill. How do you like it?

[chaotic life]

Homeschooling science curriculum is the BAN of my existence, which probably explains why thus far I have refrained from using an actual science curriculum in nearly twenty years of homeschooling children. Even when I was fundie, I strove to never teach YEC to my children.

I know you can access the Science materials from Singapore, just like Singapore Math. It's supposed to be excellent. For several years, I just got experiment kits for the kids. They came one a week and were complete with solid educational materials as well as all the supplies necessary for the experiments.

I'm currently using a book as a skeleton for one homeschooler. Still not using anything for the other homeschooler BUT I am investigating http://www.scienceforhighschool.com/biohomepage.shtml It's supposed to NOT be YEC based at all. I'm just a bit nervous but my other homeschooler is READY for heading into the high school science materials at this point. If I put him in this program, when he's finished he would be 14-15 and ready to do dual enrollment for collegiate science courses.

As for teaching history correcty, you betcha I am! I challenge ANYONE to think http://zinnedproject.org/ is anything but properly taught educational material. We do sometimes have to wait until the littles are taking their naps to do our History learning but we are learning in-depth from a primary source perspective. I just need to find a world history curriculum of this caliber!

I don't go to homeschool conventions. I'm always scared of the fundie contingent present at them. I used to go when I was a homeschooling nanny and that was how I ended up getting sucked into fundie in the first place.

[GenerationCedarchip]

The majority of homeschoolers are fundie or at least fundie lite. The giant local co-ops rent old schools for their co-op classes because they have so many members.There is a large secular co-op that is growing every year, I think we have 550+ members now and run our own classes. I have a smaller co-op of about 50 families and 45 of them are secular. We are growing! That said, if you sign up for anything for homeschoolers put on by an outside group like say...the zoo, library,science center etc.it is going to be 90% fundies in the class. Many times my kids have been the only secular homeschoolers.

I rarely go to conventions anymore because they are ALWAYS fundie. Some may have a few secular things like DK books or wooden toys, but for my kids ages it would be a waste. I went to one convention last year and I only bought stuff off my friend who was the only secular vendor there.

I had wondered what the historical perspective on some of this stuff was. I knew there had been fundie homeschoolers from the beginning. I had just wondered whether fundie ideas were becoming more mainstream as the number of homeschoolers grow or if things were getting less fundy.

And I'll have to pass on that link you posted, Emmiedahl. One thing my friend texted was that she was not impressed with what she saw for science. They're Christian, but she has a biology background and her husband is literally a rocket scientist, and they are interested in good STEM education.

[emmiedahl]

And I'll have to pass on that link you posted, Emmiedahl. One thing my friend texted was that she was not impressed with what she saw for science. They're Christian, but she has a biology background and her husband is literally a rocket scientist, and they are interested in good STEM education.

I am interested in her thoughts on this curriculum. I have significant science background as well and I thought it looked solid for the age groups it is aimed at, but I have not used it myself.

[clibbyjo]

So, spill. How do you like it?

I didn't remember we had it, so I think only the girl did it and found it boring,but she did it. Then again,they prefer to take labs over a book. The youngest did chem.lab this past year and will do more of the hands on classes for next year because he loved those. I don't know your zip code so I can;t see if they have this in your area, but mine are doing this again next year, all of the homeschool classes they offer. http://www.madscience.org/aboutus/index.aspx They have after school classes as well and are not super expensive. I think there were only like 5 kids in the boys class and he and his bff loved it.

[Sprocket]

I didn't remember we had it, so I think only the girl did it and found it boring,but she did it. Then again,they prefer to take labs over a book. The youngest did chem.lab this past year and will do more of the hands on classes for next year because he loved those. I don't know your zip code so I can;t see if they have this in your area, but mine are doing this again next year, all of the homeschool classes they offer. http://www.madscience.org/aboutus/index.aspx They have after school classes as well and are not super expensive. I think there were only like 5 kids in the boys class and he and his bff loved it.

Seriously, I'm moving to your neck of the woods. I'm offering money plus the hubs mechanical engineering degree expertise in exchange for your curriculum -- and you doing it... because other than English and History, I sucked at school.

[ohmeohmy]

Oooh! Something I know about and can stay on-topic with! :dance:

So! The reason the convention seems fundie? 'Cause it is! It seems, in my extremely limited scope of experience, most state home school associations and conventions are Christian-based, so it follows their workshops and vendors and such will be Christian/fundie, too. I just went to my state's convention a few weeks ago and, while I knew it's a "bible based" organization, I had no idea of the scope until I attended. Holy smokes! HEAV, like my state, says that they're open to all homeschoolers, regardless of philosophy, etc., but their website says they are coming from a biblical worldview (http://heav.org/about/). I'm sure it's because, like emmiedahl said, most homeschoolers are fundies or fundie-lite, so the organizations are going to be serving the majority. We totally had Vision Forum come (the curriculum table was incredibly boring, with books several dollars more than what they were selling at other tables, and lots and lots of their "boy" toys), and Dougie even did a couple workshops (one on the Family Table...how he talked for an hour about eating dinner, I'll never know - we were busy at the hotel pool when he was speaking). There did seem to be a huge, huge, huge push for classical and Charlotte Mason-type education and there was no science curriculum anywhere to speak of, unless you counted the lame stuff.

Speaking of, that's a real bummer about Pandia Press....I was thinking of using their REAL science stuff for my daughter this year in kindergarten. I had heard decent things about it for that age, but maybe we should keep looking.

[GenerationCedarchip]

Update on Vision Forum:

Sorry to be a tease, but I got my friend's pictures of the Vision Forum booth. However, I've tried and tried to crop out kids' faces and it just won't work. I don't feel right posting the faces of underage kids who (as far as I know) aren't fundie royalty or in any way public figures so I didn't want to upload them. Vision Forum's booth was right by the 529 college plan signup booth(love the irony) and the Boy Scout booth, so both pictures I got had tons of kids in them.

If I didn't know it was VF, I almost would have guessed that the booth was staffed by Mormon missionaries because that's how the guys running it looked. Doug didn't seem to be there, but there were several 20-something guys in suits there and plenty of toys on display. The sad part was that in one picture, you could clearly see the VF folks talking to boys and dads while ignoring this one little girl who was playing with a bow and arrow. There were also several women there, but they were standing off to the side while the guys did the talking.

[clibbyjo]

YOu could just load the picture into "Paint" and take the marker tool and color over their faces. I have done that before and I am not a tech. person at all so its very easy. :clap:

[frumperlicious]

AH, Heav. To me, it sounds like the sound you make when you throw up, which about sums up my interest. Its gotten fundier and fundier since 2006.

I have REAL Science, and its fine for K or anywhere from K-4th IMO. But they never have delivered on the higher level stuff. We have moved to using textbooks (not my favorite) like Prentice-Hall Science Explorer for middle school. Not fun, but a bonus is they often use the same books in schools, and my kids get a kick out of finishing the books versus their friends who get 1/3 of the way through. There is no good, non-text book option for upper level science in home school, IMO.

History shouldn't be a problem, yet- it is. Its been "fundie-fied" in many cases. A damn shame.

In summary, ou have to work really hard to find appropriate materials to home school these days if you are not a revisionist history, young earth creationist. Or, if you want to teach your kids real things, in other words. Maybe some day when I'm not so busy home schooling I'll try myself...

[bbfreethinker]

I have been looking a bit at the stuff here too: http://www.charliesplayhouse.com/

I want one of those evolution timelines. No kids at my house, just want it for me.

[amydamy]

I want one of those evolution timelines. No kids at my house, just want it for me.

I want the flip book it looks fun.