Welcome This Week's Newest Members!

Welcome to everyone! I would be nice if you all could take a minute and introduce yourselves so we can truly build a community

I look forward to learning from all of you.

It's great to see so many new members! Don't be shy and jump into the forums and groups.

Hi! I'm new to the site... and looking for homeschoolers in the Grand Junction, Colorado area. Anybody out there?

I've been homeschooling my youngest son all his life. My other 5 all went to public school, so it was a complete paradigm shift keeping Micah home. He's 15 now, and we've tried most of the homeschool methods out there. I think that doing what's best for your child at that moment is time is the right way to homeschool. He's now becoming more interested in future possibilities, and has asked for more "formal" study times.

I keep two blogs - http://www.pandoraknits.com - a knitting/everything blog; and http://www.schoolbytes.org - a homeschool oriented blog.

I also work full time as an IT manager, so we have a rather unique homeschool family. We live in Chalmers, Indiana. There are very few secular homeschoolers around, and almost no teens. I'm always looking for activities and contacts for Micah.

Glad to be here!

Debbie (Pandora)

I love the fact that the secular home schooling community is in fact large and growing. I just wish I was a bit more aufait with this whole forum and group thing. I don't join in because I don't really understand it all. Is there anywhere to get basics for dummies type info on how these things work , netiquette etc?

Originally Posted by Snoopy

Welcome to everyone! I would be nice if you all could take a minute and introduce yourselves so we can truly build a community

I look forward to learning from all of you.

Originally Posted by nledgerwood

I love the fact that the secular home schooling community is in fact large and growing. I just wish I was a bit more aufait with this whole forum and group thing. I don't join in because I don't really understand it all. Is there anywhere to get basics for dummies type info on how these things work , netiquette etc?

Hi nledgerwood,

Here's some information from the About page, that has a bit of information:

How do I figure my way around SecularHomeschool.com?

* Well, after you have created your profile, you can access it any time by clicking on the "My Profile" link in the top navigation menu.
* The "Settings" link in that menu is where you will make any changes to your profile including choosing a profile picture, listing your personal blog, and sharing info about yourself. You can also edit your email or password here, customize your forum signature, and choose the level of privacy you want for your site profile.
* The "Notifications" menu will alert you to any new site messages that any site member might send you.
* In the main navigation menu, you will find links to the main sections of the site: the Home Page, Forum Page, Blogs Page, Groups Page, Resources Page, and About Page. Most of these are self-explanatory, but you might want to know that there is no longer an Articles Page, because now all articles can be accessed from the Home Page by clicking on a specific article category in the left hand sidebar, or by clicking "View All" at the bottom of the page. The Forum Page also includes a submenu that will take you to the Forum Archive, the Member List, view your Private Messages, and even let you view all NEW posts since your last visit!

# What else can I do on SecularHomeschool.com?

* Have you got a while? You can do PLENTY on the site...so let's examine some of the things you might want to try:
* Write a Blog Post - Just head up to the Blogs page to add your very own blog post to the site, and to check out other recent posts as well. If we enjoy your blog post, we might also promote it to a front page article on the home page!!
* Participate in the Forums - SecularHS.com has a great set of discussion forums under various categories like Homeschool Curriculum, Homeschooling Styles, Homeschooling Issues, and Fun Stuff.
* Network! - Secular homeschoolers can tend to feel like a minority within a minority, and this is the place to help you not feel so alone. Browse the Members section of the site and meet some terrific secular homeschoolers!!
* Get Information - Have you visited the Resources section yet? This is a growing list of information specifically aimed at secular homeschoolers.
* Check out New Articles - We will be adding new articles about homeschooling weekly, so check back often to see what has been added or better yet, use the RSS button on the home page to subscribe so you don't miss a single thing!!
* Join a Group - Within secular homeschooling are a bundle of different groups, philosophies, and circumstances. Check out the Groups Page to find out just what you have in common with all these folks!
* Take a Poll - We will be updating the site polls often, so weigh in, and then check back and see how your responses stack up against others'.
* Follow Us On Twitter - That's right, SecularHomeschool.com has its own Twitter account at secularhs
* Friend us on Facebook - To become a fan of SecularHomeschool.com on Facebook, use the Facebook widget on the right hand sidebar of the homepage
* Spread The Word - The only way SecularHomeschool.com can become an active, vibrant community is if secular homeschoolers know about it, so you can help with this by displaying our site button (located at the bottom of the homepage) on your website or blog, or simply invite your friends to check out the site!

You kind of have to just jump in and try it out-you can change your profile/avatar/signature by going to the Settings page, and looking at the navigation bar on the left hand side.

As for netiquette, my best advice is to behave with courtesy and respect, as you would presumably with people in real life. Looking through the "About" page should give you some ideas of the specifics at this site, but here is a site that gives you some general guidelines: The Core Rules of Netiquette .

But feel free to keep asking questions-people are friendly here and welcome to the site! If you want to introduce yourself, this board is a good place so to do.

Cheers.

thanks schoo - sorry its taken a while to come back but been busy with other things. I'm going to have a go and I guess I mustn't expect to 'get it' over night. As you may gather I visit sites sporadically and sometimes I won't come back on for a couple of months! I don't want to upset people who kindly reply and then don't get a timeous response - is it considered rude not to reply to a response within a short period?

Anyway I'm going to keep trying to become more web aware.

Another question - does anyone know of a book rather like the God Delusion but for kids? I live in a Bible bashing area and most of my kids friends are a little obsessed with god and I'd just like something my kids could look at to put it all into perspective. My 6 year old came to me while visiting friends upset because the other kids had told him that he would burn in a big fire if he doesn't believe in god. Scary stuff !

Originally Posted by nledgerwood

thanks schoo - sorry its taken a while to come back but been busy with other things. I'm going to have a go and I guess I mustn't expect to 'get it' over night. As you may gather I visit sites sporadically and sometimes I won't come back on for a couple of months! I don't want to upset people who kindly reply and then don't get a timeous response - is it considered rude not to reply to a response within a short period?

No worries on my account. I can certainly understand being busy with other things. The world of flesh and blood is at least as important as the virtual world...some people would even say it is more important . As for your question, I'm no expert but I see there is more leeway in response times on message boards as compared to say, e-mail, phone calls or paper letters. But I would say that it might also depend on the contents of the messages and how important a timely response would be in that context.

Originally Posted by nledgerwood

Anyway I'm going to keep trying to become more web aware.

Another question - does anyone know of a book rather like the God Delusion but for kids? I live in a Bible bashing area and most of my kids friends are a little obsessed with god and I'd just like something my kids could look at to put it all into perspective. My 6 year old came to me while visiting friends upset because the other kids had told him that he would burn in a big fire if he doesn't believe in god. Scary stuff !

Sorry, I'm sure there are some, but I'm not aware of them. Someone else might have an answer for you.

Wow lots of new members ! Welcome.

NLedgerwood, take your time. I am sure no one will be offended while you get your forum legs firmly on the ground !

WOW! That's a lot of new members!

Welcome to everyone!

I'm curious though-was there a common place that everyone heard about us? I know that I just stumbled upon the site while looking for secular products!